Latest news with #businessgrowth
CTV News
6 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
NB farmers market sees uptick in business
NB farmers market sees uptick in business The farmers market in Sussex, N.B., is seeing an uptick in business amid the trade war.
Entrepreneur
12 hours ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Why Building a High-Performing Team Beats Individual Brilliance
Founders who try to do everything end up doing nothing well. Long-term growth doesn't come from heroics — it comes from teams, systems and the discipline to let go. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. In the early days of starting a business, the "do-it-yourself" mindset is a survival skill. You write the code, pitch the client, manage the books and clean the office. There's pride in wearing every hat, and sometimes, no other option. But eventually, if you're still doing everything yourself, you're the bottleneck, not the solution. One of the hardest transitions a founder has to make is letting go of being the hero. I've been there. I bootstrapped 46 Labs from day one. There were no investors, no parachute, no backup plan. For the first few years, I didn't take a salary. I handled the technical architecture and the business strategy while working alongside a handful of teammates who also had skin in the game. But here's what I learned: scaling a company doesn't happen when the founder works harder — it happens when the founder learns to trust and build around others. The hero-CEO model doesn't scale. It burns out. And often, it takes the company down with it. Related: 7 Steps to Building a Smart, High-Performing Team Why the hero mentality fails Being the hero can feel good, especially early on. You close the deal, solve the client issue, squash the bug and feel indispensable. But that "indispensable" feeling is dangerous. Because if you're the only one who can solve a problem, you've just created a fragile system. I've watched brilliant founders build businesses that revolved entirely around their abilities. They made every decision. They approved every hire. They were on every sales call. Eventually, the business outgrew its ability to control it. And instead of delegating, they worked longer hours. They held on tighter. That works — until it doesn't. When something breaks, the team doesn't know how to respond. When you step away, progress stalls. That's not leadership. That's dependency. In aviation (which I've done for years), no pilot flies alone for long. You rely on checklists, instruments, copilots and systems. Not because you can't fly the plane solo, but because flying safely requires redundancy, collaboration and awareness of your own limitations. Business is the same. You don't scale by controlling everything — you scale by building systems that work without you. Related: 5 Long-Term Strategies to Build and Sustain High-Performing Teams Hiring people you'll actually trust One of the best things I ever did as a founder was throw out the traditional hiring playbook. I don't look at resumes. I don't care where you went to school. I want to know how you think, how you solve problems and how you communicate under pressure. We've hired people from outside the telecom industry, from outside the U.S., from industries like fashion or finance. They've become some of the best team members I've worked with. Not because they knew telecom, but because they knew how to think critically, challenge assumptions and own their outcomes. If you want to stop being the hero, you have to hire people you'll trust with the keys. That means focusing on mindset and fit, not just experience. It also means giving people the freedom to operate. A strong team isn't just made of smart people — it's made of empowered people. Replace yourself (over and over again) A lot of founders talk about "working on the business, not in the business." But few follow through. Why? Because stepping out of a function you once owned feels like giving up control. But in reality, it's the most strategic move you can make. I've made it a habit to regularly ask myself: "What am I doing today that someone else should own within the next six months?" If I can't find anything, I either haven't built the right team—or I haven't learned to let go. Replacing yourself isn't about disappearing. It's about creating clarity. When everyone knows what they're responsible for, decisions get made faster. Mistakes become learning moments instead of bottlenecks. And progress scales with or without your direct involvement. When I handed off key engineering decisions to people I trusted, our product got better. When I stepped back from day-to-day project management, execution improved. When I stopped being the one reviewing every deal, we closed more of them. Your job isn't to hold everything together. It's to build something that holds together without you. Related: 7 Ways to Build a High-Performing Team Focus on systems, not heroics One of the best lessons from flying is that systems outperform instinct. In a crisis, you don't rely on your gut—you follow the checklist. You troubleshoot systematically. You communicate with the team. You execute the procedure you practiced 100 times before. Businesses should work the same way. If a deal goes south, a product fails or a system breaks, your company shouldn't rely on you to dive in and save it every time. That's not sustainable—and it's not scalable. Instead, build systems that catch problems early. Build dashboards that show you where things are headed. Build processes your team can run without hand-holding. The less your company relies on heroics, the more it can rely on consistency. Lead from the front, not the center There's a difference between leading and doing. I still jump in when needed. But I don't try to be the center of everything. That's not leadership — that's inertia. Leading from the front means setting direction, making the hard calls and clearing obstacles so your team can execute. It means showing up with clarity, not with your hands on every project. When your business is small, you have to do a little of everything. But as it grows, your job is to make sure everyone else can do their jobs better. That starts with letting go of the need to be the hero. Final thought If your company falls apart when you take a week off, it's not a business — it's a solo act with support staff. The founders who scale well are the ones who replace themselves again and again, who build teams that make good decisions without them and who see their job as building the system, not being the system. You don't need to be the smartest person in the room. You need to build a room full of smart people — and trust them to fly the plane.
Finextra
12 hours ago
- Business
- Finextra
Mastercard launches small business programme
Mastercard today launched Mastercard Small Business Navigator, a program designed to equip U.S. entrepreneurs with the tools, data and education they need to fuel and protect their passion and growth. 0 This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent more than 99% of U.S. businesses1 and are the beating heart of local economies. For the people behind them, running a small business is more than a job – it's their passion; 50% of small business owners in North America define prosperity as feeling fulfilled in their career and enjoying their work, while 51% say it means doing what they love every day.2 Mastercard tools and resources are built to simplify and fortify daily operations, so small business owners can focus on opening their doors each day to serve their customers and enrich their communities. Mastercard Small Business Navigator is a new curated offering of education, insights, protection, and planning tools to help entrepreneurs grow and thrive with confidence. 'Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and they deserve more than just encouragement — they need real, actionable support,' said Ginger Siegel, head of Small Business in the U.S. at Mastercard. 'With Small Business Navigator, we're delivering a powerful combination of insights, protection and financial tools that help business owners build toward long-term success.' By uniting data, digital tools and offers3 across three core areas, Small Business Navigator is built to help small businesses work smarter, stay safer, and grow stronger. Knowledge and insights: Business owners get information they need to make smarter decisions, including: An AI-powered chatbot that acts as a mentor by answering questions and guiding small businesses through their most pressing business challenges Access to actionable insights and data from The Mastercard Economics Institute and Mastercard SpendingPulse™ reports with state-level consumer spending trends Educational content from Mastercard and partners such as Square, covering cybersecurity, marketing, and digital tools like tap-on-phone payments Security and protection: Small businesses can stay ahead of threats with simple, practical, powerful cybersecurity tools: Access to My Cyber Risk powered by RiskRecon, providing prioritized guidance to help small businesses strengthen their defenses3 A personalized report with recommendations tailored to each business based on their individual Cybersecurity Assessment Quiz results Financial empowerment and rewards: Entrepreneurs receive the tools and exposure to help grow, including: Access to Biz2Credit's Virtual CFO services, filling an often unmet need of financial planning and cost management support The opportunity to be featured on Mastercard's social media channels as part of our ongoing spotlight on small businesses Rohit Arora, CEO and co-founder at Biz2Credit and Biz2X, said: 'We're proud to support Mastercard's Small Business Navigator initiative. According to data from the Federal Reserve, small businesses report falling short of having their full financial needs met due to limited financial resources, impacting everything from cash flow to long-term planning. Our published research with BCG also shows that many entrepreneurs lack formal financial management systems. With the Biz2Credit Virtual CFO platform, we're helping business owners build financial confidence, make smarter decisions, and grow sustainably.' The launch of Mastercard Small Business Navigator reinforces Mastercard's leadership in delivering tangible, trusted solutions that go beyond payments, supporting small businesses at every stage of their journey. It also aligns with Mastercard's broader mission to build a more inclusive digital economy through innovation, trust and partnership. * Products and offers subject to terms and conditions, and subject to change. [1] See the data behind America's small businesses. | U.S. Chamber of Commerce [2] Mastercard Proprietary Powering Prosperity Entrepreneur Research, 2024 [3] All solutions and offers are subject to terms and conditions, and are subject to change
Forbes
17 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
The Effortless LinkedIn Strategy For Entrepreneurs With No Spare Time
The effortless LinkedIn strategy for entrepreneurs with no spare time You want to grow on LinkedIn but you have no time. Other people can spend hours creating the perfect post, commenting on other people's content, optimising their profile and engaging in the DMs. But that takes ages, and you're busy running your business. Without a strategy, LinkedIn won't work for you. You'll post randomly, accept connection requests without a plan, and hope something works. It wont. You'd be better logging out all together than going half in. Go hard or go home. But find the way that fits your schedule. I quadrupled my LinkedIn following in 2024 by testing what works and doubling down hard. I stopped random posting and treated LinkedIn like a business asset optimized for conversion, not just engagement. But I did it while running a business. I did it without spending hours on LinkedIn. Most entrepreneurs waste their LinkedIn time. They check the app while they are waiting in line. They remain passive. Their follower count flatlines. Their posts get two likes and zero comments. Their dream clients scroll right past. They give up. To succeed on LinkedIn, apply the same strategic thinking to LinkedIn that runs your business operations. You need a plan, not more time. Put LinkedIn time on your calendar like you would important client meetings. Make this non-negotiable. Protect this time from distractions. This focused time prevents LinkedIn spilling into other tasks during your week and taking up way more time than it needs. Block time each week (ideally Monday) planning your content for the week ahead. Write three quality posts that showcase client results, practical methods, or industry insights. LinkedIn data shows businesses posting weekly see a twofold increase in engagement over random posters. Your followers get familiar with your regular schedule and start looking for your content. Your calendar determines your success. LinkedIn gets results when you show up consistently, not just when motivation strikes or you remember to post something. Keep a running list of post ideas as they come to you naturally. Note client questions, breakthrough moments, and results you achieve. This builds your content bank for days when inspiration runs low. Now when you sit down to work on LinkedIn, you have something to work on immediately. Develop specific post templates that work for your audience. Test different hooks, story formats, and calls to action. Track which perform best. LinkedIn posts with images receive twice the engagement rate of text-only updates. Add photos that match your message rather than stock or AI-generated images. Great posts follow patterns. Run small experiments with different formats. Pay attention to what gets engagement. Double down on wins and drop what flops. Writing hooks that grab attention can transform your LinkedIn growth when you focus on making your ideal customers care about what you share. This is how you make the time you spend on LinkedIn really count. Spend just five minutes daily commenting on posts from accounts that serve your target audience. Don't write comments an AI could have written. There's no point. Instead, add responses that demonstrate your expertise. Find 20 accounts with follower counts 2-10 times your size. Save their activity URLs in a bookmark folder for quick access. Check each morning for commenting opportunities. People who see your thoughtful comments check your profile and may follow you. Your visibility grows without creating more content. LinkedIn research shows active users who engage regularly are 51% more likely to hit their sales quotas. Five minutes of strategic commenting could generate more business than hours of random activity. Turn comments on your LinkedIn posts into brand new clients when you respond thoughtfully to everyone who engages with your content. Too many founders are adding 'post on LinkedIn' to their daily to-do list. Then before they know it, they've sunk an hour into writing one post they aren't even happy with. What a waste of life. Don't fall into this trap of average. Instead, do a bunch of things in one go. Group similar LinkedIn tasks together instead of jumping back and forth. Schedule your posts. Check your messages once a week and power through the whole lot. Respond to comments at the same time. Put your favourite concentration playlist on and make LinkedIn your mission for the next hour. You can get a tonne achieved in focused time. Context switching drains your energy and makes LinkedIn feel like a bigger time commitment than it actually is. Stay focused for the win. Create a LinkedIn system so straightforward someone else could run it for you. Document your content creation workflow, engagement strategy, and measurement process. This makes your LinkedIn presence scalable as your business grows. Set specific goals tied to business outcomes, not vanity metrics. Review performance monthly and adjust what needs changing. Apply the same analytical approach you give to other business functions. Your future self will be grateful you invested the time now. Save templates for common messages and responses. Keep snippets ready for frequent questions. Build a framework that minimizes decisions and maximizes impact. LinkedIn works when you set it up properly. Results happen through strategic planning and consistent action, not random posting and hoping for attention. Stop wasting time you don't have to spare. Smart systems get followed. Complicated plans get abandoned. Build a LinkedIn approach simple enough to maintain consistently, then stick with it long enough to see real growth. That's where the time-efficient magic happens. Your next best clients already check LinkedIn daily looking for someone to solve their problems. Position yourself as that solution while you focus on running your business. Get my personal brand prompts playbook to take your online presence to the next level.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
2 Profitable Stocks on Our Watchlist and 1 to Turn Down
While profitability is essential, it doesn't guarantee long-term success. Some companies that rest on their margins will lose ground as competition intensifies - as Jeff Bezos said, "Your margin is my opportunity". Not all profitable companies are created equal, and that's why we built StockStory - to help you find the ones that truly shine bright. That said, here are two profitable companies that generate reliable profits without sacrificing growth and one that may face some trouble. Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 8.9% Known for its proprietary D-U-N-S Number that serves as a unique identifier for businesses worldwide, Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE:DNB) provides business decisioning data and analytics that help companies evaluate credit risks, verify suppliers, enhance sales productivity, and gain market visibility. Why Is DNB Risky? 3.7% annual revenue growth over the last two years was slower than its business services peers Day-to-day expenses have swelled relative to revenue over the last five years as its adjusted operating margin fell by 5 percentage points Flat earnings per share over the last four years lagged its peers Dun & Bradstreet's stock price of $9.02 implies a valuation ratio of 8.4x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including DNB in your portfolio, it's free. Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 18% Started with the invention of the steam drill, Ingersoll Rand (NYSE:IR) provides mission-critical air, gas, liquid, and solid flow creation solutions. Why Do We Like IR? Operating margin expanded by 13 percentage points over the last five years as it scaled and became more efficient Incremental sales over the last five years have been highly profitable as its earnings per share increased by 17.2% annually, topping its revenue gains IR is a free cash flow machine with the flexibility to invest in growth initiatives or return capital to shareholders, and its growing cash flow gives it even more resources to deploy At $83.05 per share, Ingersoll Rand trades at 23.8x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it's free. Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 15.3% Founded in 1999 and receiving its first FDA approval in 2006, DexCom (NASDAQ:DXCM) develops and sells continuous glucose monitoring systems that allow people with diabetes to track their blood sugar levels without repeated finger pricks. Why Is DXCM a Good Business? Existing business lines can expand without risky acquisitions as its organic revenue growth averaged 19.2% over the past two years Performance over the past five years shows its incremental sales were extremely profitable, as its annual earnings per share growth of 23.2% outpaced its revenue gains Market-beating returns on capital illustrate that management has a knack for investing in profitable ventures DexCom is trading at $86.15 per share, or 39.6x forward P/E. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our full research report, it's free. Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election sent major indices to all-time highs, but stocks have retraced as investors debate the health of the economy and the potential impact of tariffs. While this leaves much uncertainty around 2025, a few companies are poised for long-term gains regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate, like our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.
