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Entrepreneur
a day ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
What Builds True Customer Loyalty? 6 Business Leaders Share Their Best Tips.
This story appears in the July 2025 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe » Customer loyalty is tough to earn and even harder to keep. You want your customers to feel heard and valued, but it's not always simple. We asked six business leaders from six successful companies to share the strategies they use to keep customers happy, engaged and coming back for more. No matter your industry, these insights are practical, impactful and worth borrowing. 1. Take the hit in hard times. "Loyalty is built not during times of success, but when things don't go as planned. One client's business model needed to pivot due to unforeseen challenges. Despite the significant cost to us, we helped them restructure their team and adapt their strategy, at no additional charge. This decision reinforced our long-term commitment to the relationship, and as a result, that client has since expanded their team with us by 5X and continues to grow the scope of services they trust us with." — ALEX ROSS, cofounder and chief operating officer, Horatio 2. Lean into unexpected places. "In the summer of 2023, a TikTok trend exploded our business and created an entirely new consumer set. It was called the 'flat belly challenge,' and in it, women in southern states showed each other that if they drank kombucha on an empty stomach for seven days, they felt less bloated. It yielded a huge uptick in sales at Aldi and Walmart, places we hadn't considered to be hotbeds of demand for kombucha. It taught me that loyalty can come from anywhere — we can't be too precious about who we target or speak to — and that real, actual benefits can be a driving force." — CHARLOTTE MOSTAED, chief marketing officer, Health-Ade Related: Want Loyal Customers? Try These 5 Ways to Inspire Them 3. Make customers feel heard. "A product like tea is tied to experience, ritual, and the feeling it brings people. So when we make customers feel heard and valued, they keep coming back. Once, a longtime customer reached out about their favorite tea we had discontinued. They were disappointed. So we took the time to understand what they loved about it and our team then curated a selection of teas that closely matched what they were looking for. They were so moved by the effort that they became an even more loyal customer, and shared their experience with others." — STEVE SCHWARTZ, founder, master blender, and CEO, Art of Tea 4. Relentlessly improve your product. "We've always been hyperfocused on establishing a deep understanding of our customer and providing purpose-driven products that embody our 'fewer, better' ethos. We've done this by constantly listening to our audience and evolving our product selection, which allows us to foster long-term relationships. A great example is our iconic System Tote. While it's been a bestseller for years, we've refined it over time to grow with our customers and consistently exceed expectations." — KARLA GALLARDO, cofounder, Cuyana Related: Your Business Doesn't Need to Be Perfect — Here's How Customer Loyalty Really Works 5. Treat customers like partners. "When we started out, barely anyone in our industry offered transparent pricing. But we committed to never nickel-and-diming customers and publishing our prices online. We answer the phone in 45 seconds or less, 24/7 — whether to help customers move through a win like adding a new hire they've been courting for a month to their team, or go through something painful like a workforce reduction. These things might seem small, but together they really matter to the small businesses we serve." — MICHAEL SECKLER, CEO, Justworks Related: Customer Loyalty Is Your Holy Grail for Success. Here's How to Cultivate It. 6. Watch for customer pain points. "One of the most painful yet valuable things you can do is watch a customer use your product in real time. It can be humbling, even frustrating, to see where they struggle or get confused, but it's also one of the fastest ways to understand their true experience. The moments where a customer stumbles are the biggest opportunities to improve, and fixing those pain points is what builds long-term loyalty." — VIVEK RAGHUNATHAN, senior vice president of engineering, Snowflake Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Coherent Corp (COHR) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenue and Strategic Moves ...
Full Year Revenue: $5.81 billion, up 23% year over year. Q4 Revenue: $1.53 billion, up 16% year over year. Data Center Revenue Growth: 61% increase for the full year; 38% year over year growth in Q4. Communications Revenue Growth: 23% increase for the full year; 42% year over year growth in Q4. Non-GAAP Gross Margin: 37.9% for the full year, up 358 basis points; 38.1% in Q4, up 220 basis points year over year. Non-GAAP EPS: $3.53 for the full year, up 191% year over year; $1 per share in Q4, approximately doubling year over year. Debt Reduction: $437 million paid down in fiscal 2025, reducing debt leverage ratio to 2 times. Operating Expenses: $1.17 billion for the full year, up from $998 million in 2024. Sale of Aerospace and Defense Business: $400 million, expected to close this quarter, reducing employee count by approximately 550. Guidance for Q1 Fiscal 2026 Revenue: $1.46 billion to $1.6 billion. Guidance for Q1 Fiscal 2026 Non-GAAP Gross Margin: 37.5% to 39.5%. Guidance for Q1 Fiscal 2026 EPS: $0.93 to $1.13 on a non-GAAP basis. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 9 Warning Signs with COHR. Release Date: August 13, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Positive Points Coherent Corp (NYSE:COHR) reported a 23% increase in full-year revenue, reaching a record $5.81 billion, driven by strong growth in data center and communications business. The company achieved a gross margin expansion of 358 basis points, leading to a threefold increase in non-GAAP EPS over the prior year. Coherent Corp (NYSE:COHR) saw a 51% revenue growth in the data center and communications market for fiscal '25, with a 39% year-over-year increase in Q4. The company began initial revenue shipments of its new 1.6T Transceivers and expects volumes to ramp throughout the year, with more meaningful contributions in calendar '26. Coherent Corp (NYSE:COHR) announced a new multi-year agreement with Apple for Vixel products, expected to generate revenue starting in the second half of calendar '26. Negative Points The industrial-related markets saw a revenue decrease of 2% for the year, with a 2% sequential and 8% year-over-year decline in fiscal Q4. The company experienced a drop in silicon carbide demand during fiscal '25, which was a headwind to overall industrial revenue. Coherent Corp (NYSE:COHR) is taking a cautious view on the broad-based industrial market due to macroeconomic uncertainties and tariff concerns. The sequential decline in Q4 gross margin was primarily driven by unfavorable foreign exchange impacts. The company announced the sale of its aerospace and defense business, which contributed to a reduction in revenue and employee count. Q & A Highlights Q: How should we think about the growth outlook for Coherent's data center business in fiscal '26? A: Jim Anderson, CEO, highlighted that Coherent experienced strong growth in fiscal '25, with data center revenue increasing over 60%. Looking forward, the demand outlook remains strong, driven by the ramp of 800 gig and 1.6T transceivers, as well as the optical circuit switch (OCS) product. Coherent expects sequential growth in data center and communications for the upcoming quarter. Q: Can you provide an update on the ramp of the 6-inch indium phosphide platform in Sherman, Texas, and its significance? A: Jim Anderson, CEO, stated that production of the 6-inch indium phosphide line began in August. This platform is expected to significantly increase capacity and reduce costs, providing a competitive advantage. The US manufacturing footprint is a strategic advantage, as evidenced by the expanded partnership with Apple, which will contribute to revenue in the second half of calendar '26. Q: What product categories might be down sequentially at the midpoint of your guidance? A: Jim Anderson, CEO, mentioned that while data center and communications are expected to be up sequentially, industrial-related markets are anticipated to be flat to down, partly due to macroeconomic uncertainties and tariffs. However, over the long term, industrial segments are seen as growth opportunities. Q: Can you discuss the competitive landscape for the optical circuit switch (OCS) and its advantages? A: Jim Anderson, CEO, explained that Coherent's OCS uses digital liquid crystal technology, which is non-mechanical and offers higher reliability compared to traditional MEMS-based solutions. This reliability is crucial for AI data centers, and Coherent is seeing strong customer engagement and demand for the product. Q: How is Coherent addressing the competitive dynamics in the transceiver market, particularly with Chinese competitors? A: Jim Anderson, CEO, noted that Coherent believes it gained market share in fiscal '25, especially in higher data rate transceivers. The company is well-positioned due to its technology roadmap and resilient supply chain, which includes US manufacturing and vertical integration. Pricing has been as expected, and Coherent is ramping capacity to meet demand. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Smaller Teams Can Outperform Bigger Ones, But Only If These 5 Roles Are Covered
Economic uncertainty, investor scrutiny, and rising costs are forcing CEOs to look hard at their team structures. Cutting headcount is easy, but cutting headcount without cutting capability is not. Too often, companies slash positions based on titles, seniority, or salary size and end up with teams that are smaller, yes, but also slower, more fractured, and less able to deliver results. The secret to building a lean team that outperforms a larger one isn't about hiring 'smarter' people or asking everyone to 'step up.' It's about ensuring that every critical role your team needs to function at full speed is covered. And that means thinking about teams in terms of the five critical roles. The Five Roles Every High-Performing Team Needs After studying thousands of effective teams, from boardrooms to project task forces, five roles appear almost without exception: These aren't job titles; they're functions that must be fulfilled for the team to operate at its peak. One person might fill more than one role. Roles can shift depending on the project. But on a lean team, every single one must be covered. For CEOs, it's important to note that while it seems like you'd naturally fill the Director role, there are plenty of chief executives who prefer to play other parts. For example, the data from Leadership IQ's quiz 'What Type Of Team Player Are You?' shows that more than a few CEOs naturally gravitate to the Trailblazer role. Why Lean Teams Fail: The Missing Role Problem When companies downsize without mapping roles first, they almost always create role gaps, and those gaps can cripple execution. In our research, 97% of the most effective teams had all five roles covered. Among the worst teams, only 21% did. Here's what happens when one is missing: If Your Team Is Missing A Director: Decisions linger. Projects stall. Without someone willing to call the plays, especially when the choices are unpopular, the team ends up in endless debate. The result is missed opportunities and strategic drift. If Your Team Is Missing An Achiever: Ideas multiply, meetings get scheduled, and strategies are drafted, but nothing actually gets finished. Deadlines slip, and the team earns a reputation for talking big but delivering small. If Your Team Is Missing A Stabilizer: The team may have vision and energy, but priorities change weekly and no one knows exactly what's due when. Work gets duplicated, resources are wasted, and important initiatives lose momentum. If Your Team Is Missing A Harmonizer: On paper, the team looks great. In reality, interpersonal tensions simmer until they boil over. Without someone smoothing relationships and de-escalating conflicts, friction eats into performance and causes valuable people to leave. If Your Team Is Missing A Trailblazer: The team executes flawlessly, on yesterday's plan. Without a role dedicated to fresh thinking, the group defaults to 'safe' ideas, misses market shifts, and becomes vulnerable to more innovative competitors. Why This Matters Even More When You Go Lean In large teams, missing a role is sometimes masked; there's enough slack in the system for other people to cover, even if they do it imperfectly. But in lean teams, there's no safety net. If you downsize and eliminate the only person acting as your Stabilizer, deadlines start slipping immediately. Lose your only Harmonizer, and a small disagreement can turn into a productivity-killing feud. Lean teams don't have the luxury of redundancy. Every gap is amplified. That's why the first move for a CEO aiming to make their team smaller and stronger should be a role audit, not a headcount spreadsheet. How to Audit for Role Balance Before You Cut The Payoff: Smaller Teams, Bigger Output A lean, role-balanced team delivers more with less because: When these roles are present, small teams become sharper, faster, and more adaptable than bloated ones—without burning people out. If you're a CEO and you want to make your team leaner and more effective, stop thinking about who to cut based on salary or title. Start thinking about which roles you can't afford to lose. Once you protect those roles, you can streamline headcount with confidence. And you'll end up with a smaller team that's not just surviving, but outperforming.
Times of Oman
6 days ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
RAM launches leadership programme for CEOs of Omani startups
Muscat: As part of its ongoing commitment to fostering the Omani business community, the Royal Academy of Management (RAM) has announced the launch of the bespoke Startup Leadership Programme, one of its strategic flagship programmes for the year 2025. Set to run throughout 2025, the strategic initiative is tailored for startup founders and co-founders, and is centred around aligning their leadership purpose with business strategy. Delivered in partnership with the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority known as Riyada, the Startup Leadership Programme will engage participants with regional and international experts and investors, further supporting their efforts to scale and compete on a global stage. A total of 15 CEOs and co-founders of Omani tech startups will be competitively selected to participate in the programme. To be eligible, candidates must be co-founders in an executive role at a startup that is either headquartered in the Sultanate of Oman or conducts its principal operations within the country. In addition, the startup must have a team of at least five employees and demonstrate clear potential for sustainable growth and operational expansion. The learning journey will consist of four core modules focusing on strategic leadership, technical and operational skills, and human capital management. The programme combines theory and functional practice and also includes an international field visit to study leading global practices that they can apply in their businesses. Upon successful completion of the programme, participants are expected to have empowered their global expansion mindset, honed their leadership and technical skills, and will be able to produce a comprehensive expansion plan informed by detailed market research. The Startup Leadership Programme will be open for applications from 10 August until 23 August 2025 and eligible startup CEOs and co-founders should register via the Royal Academy of Management's official registration platform and website.
Wall Street Journal
02-08-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
AI Is Coming for the Consultants. Inside McKinsey, ‘This Is Existential.'
Companies pay dearly for McKinsey's human expertise, and for nearly a century they have had good reason: The elite firm's armies of consultants have helped generations of CEOs navigate the thorniest of challenges, synthesizing complex information and mapping out what to do next. Now McKinsey is trying to steer through its own existential transformation. Artificial intelligence can increasingly do the work done by the firm's highly paid consultants, often within minutes.
