Latest news with #management
Entrepreneur
3 minutes ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Why Your Business Feels Stuck — and How to Move It Forward
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. As a business owner, there is nothing more exciting than watching the venture that you built thrive. When things are going well, growth can feel effortless. This can be an exhilarating experience for an ambitious entrepreneur. But the real test comes when growth slows or the business becomes stagnant. New marketing campaigns aren't working, your sales team struggles to convert leads, and your target consumer seems less excited about your products and services. When this happens, it's easy to feel like a failure. No matter what you try, you can't move the needle. Business owners are naturally problem solvers. After all, businesses exist because their founder saw an opportunity in the market and delivered an effective solution. They know how to make incredible progress through out-of-the-box thinking, determination, hard work and a dash of luck. The challenge is that not every problem can be solved with brute force. Our immediate impulse is to jump straight to finding a solution, such as deploying a new technology, replacing your management or injecting more capital. But this rarely works because it avoids the crucial step of truly understanding why things aren't moving. Entrepreneurs are hardwired for action, often skipping the deep evaluation that might be necessary to find a true solution. Instead, reframing your questions is the key to unlocking new strategic pathways. It forces you to challenge old assumptions, revealing hidden bottlenecks and sparking a wave of creativity. This shift in mindset empowers you to push past outdated approaches, re-energize your vision and stimulate growth when your business feels stuck. Related: What To Do When Your Business Seems 'Stuck' 1. Reframing your perspective with a question audit Our brains naturally favor efficiency, leading us to ask questions that reinforce existing assumptions or focus on symptoms, not root causes. Entrepreneurs often jump to questions like "What's not working?" or "How do we get more customers?" While these seem logical, they typically lead to superficial fixes. For instance, if you're struggling to find new customers, asking "How can we get more leads?" often just pushes you to double down on ineffective sales routines. It might increase raw lead numbers, but it ignores why current methods aren't working. A better approach is to ask why current leads aren't converting or if you're even attracting the right types of leads. This opens the door to truly innovative solutions. The goal is to shift your questions from blame to ownership, reactive to proactive, and vague to specific. Sit down and list your top three to five business challenges, and then reframe each question to be more open-ended, proactive and solution-focused. 2. Start with a blank slate When your business feels stuck, you're often looking at problems through the lens of existing structures and past decisions. Break free of these assumptions by imagining that you're starting your business from scratch today, armed with all your current knowledge. This powerful thought experiment is effective because it frees your mind from ingrained assumptions. Instead of asking, "How can we improve our existing marketing channels?", you might ask, "What would be the most effective way to reach our ideal customer if we were just launching this product today?" This radical shift helps identify fundamental changes or entirely new directions your current thinking might miss. Related: Five Questions Every Entrepreneur Needs to Answer During Stagnation 3. Put yourself in the customer's shoes As business owners, our deep immersion in day-to-day operations can create blind spots. We often view problems internally. To uncover new insights, step out of your own shoes and into your customer's by imagining their daily challenges, anxieties and their experience interacting with your brand. Instead of asking how to reduce customer service calls, a customer-centric question would focus on understanding the underlying frustrations leading customers to call support in the first place and how to proactively address them earlier. By empathizing deeply, you'll discover crucial gaps and identify friction points you might otherwise overlook, leading to truly customer-focused solutions. 4. Envision your successful future Stagnation can force entrepreneurs to fixate on immediate problems, hindering foresight. A powerful technique is to fast-forward to what you believe your business would look like if it were successful and thriving three to five years from now. From this successful future, look back to the present. What actions did you take? What critical decisions were made? What pivotal questions did you ask that led to this renewed success? This isn't wishful thinking; it's reverse-engineering success. This approach pulls you from reactive problem-solving, forcing strategic and aspirational thinking that identifies big, impactful levers for change. Related: How to Get Unstuck And Start Growing Overcoming business stagnation isn't about one magical solution. It's about a continuous, iterative cycle of inquiry and improvement. The questions you ask are your compass. It's critical that you repeatedly ask the right questions, act on the insights, assess the results and adapt your approach. This iterative process of slow, steady refinement is the true engine of sustainable growth. By consistently reflecting on what to improve or change, you'll avoid getting stuck and keep your business moving forward. Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Enerpac Tool Group (EPAC) Released its Q3 2025 Results
Enerpac Tool Group Corp. (NYSE:EPAC) is one of the Best 52-Week Low Stocks to Buy According to Analysts. On June 26, Enerpac Tool Group Corp. (NYSE:EPAC) released its fiscal Q3 2025 results. The company delivered $158.66 million in net sales, reflecting a 5.50% year-over-year growth and ahead of consensus by $2.16 million. The EPS of $0.51 also exceeded expectations by $0.04. Management noted that the company, despite economic uncertainty and a soft industrial sector, delivered positive sales and profit growth. This was attributed to the company's strong brand, product diversity, and distribution network. A skilled engineer working on a newly developed hydraulic tool with a view of the factory floor. Moreover, Enerpac Tool Group Corp. (NYSE:EPAC) also undertook cost-reduction initiatives and increased prices to offset higher material costs and economic headwinds. Based on the year-to-date performance of the company, management maintained its outlook, expecting net sales between $610 million and $625 million. Enerpac Tool Group Corp. (NYSE:EPAC) designs, manufactures, and distributes hydraulic and mechanical industrial tools and equipment. While we acknowledge the potential of EPAC as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Xos, Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2025 Earnings Release Date and Conference Call
LOS ANGELES, July 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xos, Inc. (NASDAQ: XOS), a leading electric truck manufacturer and fleet services provider, announced it is scheduling the release of its second quarter 2025 operating results on Wednesday, August 13, 2025 after the close of the U.S. financial markets. Management will host a conference call to discuss these financial results at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time / 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time that same day. Conference Call and Webcast Details Date / Time: Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT Webcast U.S. Toll-Free Dial In : 1-833-816-1411 International Dial In : 1-412-317-0507 To access the call by phone, please dial in to one of the above numbers approximately ten minutes before the start of the call. Alternatively, guests may be connected to the call through ViaVid's Call me™ feature by navigating to and using the Passcode 8989837 For those unable to participate in the live call, an audio replay will be available following the call through midnight Wednesday, August 13, 2025. To access the replay, please call 1-844-512-2921 or 1-412-317-6671 (International) and enter access code 10201612. A replay of the webcast will also be archived shortly after the call and can be accessed on the Company's website. About Xos, is a leading technology company, electric truck manufacturer, and fleet services provider for battery-electric fleets. Xos vehicles and fleet management software are purpose-built for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles that travel on last-mile, back-to-base routes. The company leverages its proprietary technologies to provide commercial fleets with battery-electric vehicles that can be easier to maintain and more cost-efficient on a total cost of ownership (TCO) basis than their internal combustion engine counterparts. For more information, visit Contacts Xos Media Relationspress@ Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the 'safe harbor' provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding projected financial and performance information; expectations and timing related to product deliveries and customer demand; sufficiency of existing cash reserves; customer acquisition and order metrics; ability to access additional capital and Xos's long-term strategy and future growth. These forward-looking statements may be identified by the words 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'continue,' 'likely,' 'plan,' 'possible,' 'project,' 'potential,' 'predict,' 'seem,' 'seek,' 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'estimate,' 'intend,' 'strategy,' 'future,' 'target,' 'opportunity,' 'may,' 'might,' 'could,' 'should,' 'will,' 'would,' and similar expressions and any other statements that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) Xos's liquidity and access to capital when needed, including its ability to service its indebtedness; (ii) Xos's ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and identify and realize additional opportunities; (iii) cost increases and delays in production due to supply chain shortages in the components needed for the production of Xos's vehicle chassis and battery system; (iv) Xos's ability to meet production milestones and fulfill backlog orders; (v) changes in the industries in which Xos operates; (vi) variations in operating performance across competitors; (vii) changes in laws and regulations affecting Xos's business, including changes to tax incentive policies; (viii) Xos's ability to implement its business plan or meet or exceed its financial projections; (ix) Xos's limited operating history; (x) Xos's ability to retain key personnel and hire additional personnel, particularly in light of current and potential labor shortages; (xi) the risk of downturns and a changing regulatory landscape in the highly competitive electric vehicle industry; (xii) macroeconomic and political conditions; and (xiii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Xos. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by, and you should carefully consider, the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described under the heading 'Risk Factors' included in Xos's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC') on March 31, 2025 and Xos's other filings with the SEC, copies of which may be obtained by visiting Xos's Investors Relations website at or the SEC's website at These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Xos assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Xos does not give any assurance that it will achieve its in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Amazon.com (AMZN) Rebounded in Q2
Investment management company Vulcan Value Partners recently released its second-quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The firm does not focus on short-term outcomes, whether positive or negative, and believes it can enhance the potential long-term returns and reduce risk. In the quarter, the Large Cap Composite returned 7.0% net of fees and expenses, the Small Cap Composite returned 6.7% net, the Focus Composite returned 9.5% net, the Focus Plus composite returned 8.8% and the All-Cap Composite returned 8.1% net. For more information on the fund's best picks in 2025, please check its top five holdings. In its second quarter 2025 investor letter, Vulcan Value Partners highlighted stocks such as Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN). Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) provides consumer products, advertising, and subscription services through online and physical stores. The one-month return of Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) was 5.02%, and its shares gained 21.46% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On July 16, 2025, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) stock closed at $223.19 per share, with a market capitalization of $2.369 trillion. Cooper Investors Global Equities Fund stated the following regarding Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) in its second quarter 2025 investor letter: " Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is a dominant, world-class company with powerful secular tailwinds in place including its e-commerce penetration, digital advertising growth, and the transition to the cloud. Amazon reported strong results during the f irst quarter. The company's stock rebounded during the second quarter." Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is in first position on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 328 hedge fund portfolios held Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) at the end of the first quarter compared to 339 in the fourth quarter. In Q1 2025, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) achieved global revenue of $155.7 billion, representing an 10% year-over-year growth excluding the impact of foreign exchange. While we acknowledge the potential of AMZN as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. In another article, we covered Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) and shared the list of stocks that Jim Cramer recently discussed. Alphyn Capital Management highlighted Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) in its Q2 2025 investor letter and described it as a self-sustaining multi-legged compounding machine, valued at roughly a mid-teen multiple of its normalized free cash flow. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q2 2025 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors. READ NEXT: The Best and Worst Dow Stocks for the Next 12 Months and 10 Unstoppable Stocks That Could Double Your Money. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Vulcan Value Partners: Ares Management Corporation (ARES) is One of the Highest-Quality Alternative Asset Managers
Investment management company Vulcan Value Partners recently released its second-quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The firm does not focus on short-term outcomes, whether positive or negative, and believes it can enhance the potential long-term returns and reduce risk. In the quarter, the Large Cap Composite returned 7.0% net of fees and expenses, the Small Cap Composite returned 6.7% net, the Focus Composite returned 9.5% net, the Focus Plus composite returned 8.8% and the All-Cap Composite returned 8.1% net. For more information on the fund's best picks in 2025, please check its top five holdings. In its second quarter 2025 investor letter, Vulcan Value Partners highlighted stocks such as Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES). Founded in 1997, Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) is an alternative asset manager. The one-month return of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) was 7.52%, and its shares gained 22.07% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On July 16, 2025, Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) stock closed at $179.92 per share, with a market capitalization of $58.758 billion. Vulcan Value Partners stated the following regarding Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) in its second quarter 2025 investor letter: "Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) is a global, diversified alternative asset manager with a leading private credit franchise. Market sentiment began turning negative during the first quarter of this year and bottomed out during the tariff related sell off in early April. We added to our position during this time. Ares is unique within the alternative space as they have a history of growing more quickly during times of dislocation. There are many reasons for this growth but some of the most important are the defensiveness of credit and Ares's ability to play offense in down markets. We continue to view the alternative asset management industry positively due to long-term secular growth tailwinds and long-term locked up capital that leads to annuity-like fee streams. We believe Ares is one of the highest quality alternative asset managers and has one of the best combinations of value stability and value growth in the industry." A close up of a senior financial advisor reviewing a portfolio and making recommendations for an investor. Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 42 hedge fund portfolios held Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) at the end of the first quarter, which was 43 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of ARES as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. In another article, we covered Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) and shared the list of best fast growth stocks to invest in. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q2 2025 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors. READ NEXT: The Best and Worst Dow Stocks for the Next 12 Months and 10 Unstoppable Stocks That Could Double Your Money. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
