March 2025

While most businesses are still implementing generative AI, a more profound revolution is rapidly approaching. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will fundamentally transform how companies operate by 2027, creating unprecedented advantages for early adopters and existential threats for those who lag behind.

In my current role as Vice President of Commercial Marketing at Intel and throughout my two decades in the innovation space, I’ve observed how quickly competitive advantages vanish when companies miss technological inflection points. AGI represents exactly such a moment — one that will redefine business operations across every industry far beyond what today’s specialized AI systems can achieve.

Related: The Artificial General Intelligence Revolution Is Coming — Here’s What Every Leader Needs to Consider

The intelligence leap that changes everything

Despite AGI’s impending transformation of the business landscape, many executives who are actively rolling out AI initiatives remain uncertain about its broader implications. Instead of preparing for AGI’s strategic impact, they remain focused on refining AI workflows in narrow applications. In fact, in response to one of my recent LinkedIn newsletters, several executives echoed this sentiment, with one summing it up perfectly: “We were all busy understanding AI, and now AGI? Things are moving so fast.”

That sense of urgency isn’t misplaced. Where today’s AI may excel at specific tasks — like analyzing historical performance — AGI takes a quantum leap forward. It can process information, reason and perform tasks in unfamiliar domains without explicit instruction. The classic “coffee test” illustrates this perfectly: An AGI system can independently learn what coffee is, understand brewing principles and then physically prepare a cup without explicit programming. Now imagine that same adaptability revolutionizing everything from logistics to marketing in every industry.

The five waves of business transformation

Through my work helping businesses implement AI across industries, I’ve identified five interconnected waves that I believe will reshape competitive advantage:

1. Strategic decision intelligence

Today’s businesses operate primarily on backward-looking data. In boardrooms everywhere, executives analyze past performance before attempting to forecast what comes next, with human judgment bridging historical data and future predictions.

Financial institutions provide an early glimpse of what’s coming. Currently, they employ analysts to identify trends, who then inform treasury teams — a fragmented approach creating inevitable delays. Systems like DeepSeek R1 and Claude from Anthropic will eliminate these handoffs, processing microeconomic signals and social sentiment in real time.

But AGI won’t simply process more data — it will identify patterns completely invisible to your most talented analysts, delivering insights that previously required millions spent on consultants.

2. Autonomous operations design

This ability to process vast amounts of data in real-time naturally extends beyond decision-making into execution, with AGI systems autonomously optimizing logistics, inventory and resource allocation with unprecedented precision.

Companies adopting these capabilities quickly will gain substantial cost advantages while delivering higher-quality products. This isn’t merely about efficiency — it’s about enabling entirely new business models that are impossible under human constraints.

Related: Artificial General Intelligence: The Next Frontier In Technology

3. Human-AGI collaborative intelligence

As AGI reshapes operations and decision-making, its most powerful impact will come not from replacing humans but from fostering an entirely new level of collaboration. Forward-thinking organizations will automate routine tasks while redirecting their people toward creative problem-solving and innovation.

This collaborative model elevates precisely those skills that remain uniquely human — creative thinking, ethical judgment and interpersonal connection. Organizations that master how specialized AI systems work together — leveraging specialized models to enhance human decision-making, streamline workflows and maximize operational effectiveness — will build the foundation for seamless AGI integration.

4. Customer experience revolution

While AGI optimizes internal business operations, its impact will be just as profound on customer interactions. Current AI enables basic personalization, but AGI will make hyper-individualized products both technically feasible and economically viable at scale.

Imagine sending a hair sample to a company that develops shampoo formulated specifically for your biology. In an AGI-powered world, this level of customization won’t remain a premium luxury; it will become the expected standard for competitive differentiation.

We’ve already seen AI voice cloning deployed in various contexts — now extend that personalization to every customer interaction. When AGI powers your customer experience, relationships transform from transactional exchanges to deeply personal connections.

5. Innovation acceleration advantage

All these capabilities converge to dramatically compress innovation cycles. AGI-driven companies won’t just outpace competitors — they’ll continuously reinvent business models, making old ones obsolete.

Retail businesses will precisely forecast trending products by instantly analyzing millions of consumer data points. Pharmaceutical companies will develop customized treatments for individual patients. Manufacturers will optimize production by considering thousands of variables simultaneously.

This surge surpasses minor product enhancements and heralds the reinvention of entire industries. Forward-thinking businesses must begin preparing for AGI today.

The question isn’t whether AGI will transform your industry but who will lead that transformation. Organizations that recognize this shift require more than technical implementation — they need a comprehensive strategy.

Your strategic roadmap for the AGI future

To prepare for AGI’s transformational impact, I recommend business leaders take the following proactive steps now:

1. Assess your AI maturity: Evaluate which systems you’ve deployed and identify where AGI can create the greatest competitive advantages.

2. Launch strategic pilot programs: Start with non-critical areas to build institutional knowledge that will transfer to broader AGI adoption.

3. Develop AI infrastructure: Today’s generative AI projects serve as stepping stones for integrating more advanced AGI technologies.

4. Optimize AI collaboration: Mastering how specialized AI systems work together ensures seamless AGI integration when the time comes.

5. Establish responsible governance: Blockchain technology can provide accountability, functioning like a financial ledger where entries are only added or subtracted, never deleted.

Related: Need for Robust AGI Regulatory Frameworks High Say Global AI Experts

As AGI integrates into business systems, opportunities and risks will escalate simultaneously. Companies must strengthen cybersecurity while building AGI capabilities — a dual challenge that defines the coming transformation.

The decisions you make in the next 24 months will determine your company’s future — leader or laggard in the AGI revolution. This isn’t about gradual adaptation; it’s about strategic transformation. The organizations that begin preparing today will shape industries; those that wait will face obsolescence.

The future belongs to the prepared. Will your business be among them?

For today’s entrepreneur, the world is your oyster — you can start a business from anywhere and sell to everywhere. Having this global perspective is slowly becoming a prerequisite for building a successful business.

To that end, I encourage you to take inspiration from the world of startups. Startups have always been about thinking big. From day one, the goal is rarely to dominate a local market — it’s to disrupt industries, grow globally and create impact at scale.

This ambition, however, means that offices in different countries, investors in various cities and partners scattered around the world are not just aspirations but necessities. If your business crosses state lines and national borders, so will your itinerary. Because a Zoom call is almost never enough to motivate a team, close an investment or onboard a new partner.

Face-to-face interactions are irreplaceable, meaning that travel will be a major part of your life if you’re building a global business. And, well, that’s precisely what I’m doing.

Recently, I had 15 flights, including transatlantic and transcontinental ones, over two months. While this level of travel is exhilarating, it’s also exhausting. It’s made me reflect on how much effort goes into ensuring my company runs smoothly while I’m unavailable. And it’s not just about the business — it’s personally taxing, too. I’ve had to adopt a strict routine to avoid letting flights and time zone changes destroy my productivity and wellbeing.

Here are three strategies that have helped me keep my startup running seamlessly from 30,000 feet.

Related: Pilots Use This Checklist to Analyze and Reduce Flight Risks. Here’s How It Can Help Entrepreneurs, Too.

1. Set your teams up for success with quarterly planning

In most startups and young companies, the CEO is the linchpin of the organization. But if the entire operation relies on one person, it’s a recipe for disaster — especially when that person is constantly on the move.

That’s why quarterly planning is a must. Each quarter, my teams and I align on the targets we need to hit and the results we need to deliver, both as an organization and as individuals. This isn’t just about setting goals; it’s about empowering teams to take ownership of their work.

When everyone knows what they’re responsible for, they can self-organize and execute without constant oversight. This structure ensures that even when I’m on a 12-hour flight or in back-to-back meetings, the business keeps moving forward.

Quarterly planning also creates a rhythm for the company. It allows us to celebrate wins, learn from setbacks and adjust our strategy as needed. It’s not just about surviving while I’m away — it’s about thriving.

2. Build a team that can self-organize

Planning can only take you so far. To bring those plans to life, you need the right people. Hiring for a growing company is one of the biggest challenges you’ll face — and it can make or break your business.

The question is: Will you hire high performers who are aligned with and invested in your mission? Or will you end up with box-tickers who won’t make a move without your approval?

I’ve learned that hiring the latter might seem more manageable in the short term, but it’s a costly mistake, especially if you don’t have the time and resources to tend to their every need. In that sense, the former — a team of self-starters who know what needs to be done and take initiative — is worth every penny.

When you have the right people in place, you don’t need to micromanage. They’ll step up, solve problems, and keep the business moving forward, even when you’re halfway across the world. That said, you must give them the trust and space to do so. There’s nothing worse than hiring high-performers and squandering their potential through micromanagement.

3. Take care of yourself — maintain routines to stay sharp

Frequent travel takes a toll. Jet lag, disrupted sleep and long hours in cramped airplane seats can wreak havoc on your productivity and wellbeing. That’s why maintaining personal routines is crucial.

For me, this means prioritizing workouts. Even if it’s just a quick session at the hotel gym, I always ensure there is a gym wherever I’m staying. It means sticking to healthy eating habits, staying hydrated and getting enough sleep — even when my schedule is packed.

I’ve also found that cold showers and mindfulness practices help me stay sharp and focused. These small habits might seem trivial, but they’re game-changers when you’re juggling a hectic travel schedule and the demands of running a startup.

The reality is that if you’re not taking care of yourself, you can’t bring your best self to your business. And when you’re the CEO, your energy and focus set the tone for the entire company.

Related: How to Start (and Run) a 7-Figure Business While Traveling the World

Putting it all together

Running a startup while constantly on the move is no small feat. It requires careful planning, a rock-solid team and a commitment to self-care. But with the right systems in place, it’s possible to keep your business running smoothly — even from 30,000 feet.

Quarterly planning ensures your teams stay aligned and empowered. Hiring the right people creates a foundation of trust and initiative. And maintaining personal routines keeps you sharp and resilient, no matter how many time zones you cross.

At the end of the day, entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint. And if you want to go the distance, you need to build a business — and a lifestyle — that can keep up.

If you want to save money on taxes, you’re probably already familiar with popular tax-advantaged accounts like 401(k)s, IRAs and health savings accounts (HSAs). However, if you’re also investing in taxable brokerage accounts, you need to know how to navigate taxes related to capital gains.

Capital gains taxes are levied on the sales of assets, which might include items like art, jewelry, real estate, digital products or stocks. Short-term capital gains, incurred by assets held for less than a year, are taxed as ordinary income based on your tax bracket; long-term capital gains are taxed at 0%, 15% or 20%, in line with graduated income thresholds.

A strategy known as tax loss harvesting, or using losses to offset capital gains taxes on investments sold for a profit, can help mitigate those costs — but it’s not always simple.

Related: Innovative Strategy for Diversifying Concentrated Positions Without Heavy Tax Burden

That was a problem that Mo Al Adham, the first advisor at Instacart and founder of Twitter-connected social video network Twitvid, wanted to solve. Tax loss harvesting can be “extremely hard” to do yourself, with frustrating spreadsheets and mistakes par for the course, Al Adham tells Entrepreneur.

So, in 2021, Al Adham founded Frec, a fintech company offering automated, self-service investment products that “simplify sophisticated tax strategies traditionally available through wealth managers.” The company, which is backed by Greylock and counts industry leaders from Google and Meta among its angel investors, launched its initial product in 2023.

Frec offers an alternative, algorithm-driven product that puts money into what it refers to as a “direct index,” essentially “decomposing” an ETF into its individual stocks to prepare for tax loss harvesting, Al Adham says.

“We break it up into individual stocks, and we buy those stocks for the customers,” Al Adham explains. “Then we can generate tax losses by trading these stocks. You’re still getting the same performance as the ETF, essentially, with a tiny tracking error. But you’re getting these capital losses, and these capital losses you can use [to save on taxes].”

Related: Have You Made These Year-End Tax Moves? Here’s How to Keep More of Your Money

Frec’s product requires a minimum investment of $20,000 — the necessary amount to buy “tiny pieces of each stock,” Al Adham notes — but the average portfolio Frec manages is about $200,000. It’s also bundled its direct index product with other complementary offerings, like the ability to borrow against your stock portfolio.

“Let’s say you have been saving up in the format of stocks, you’ve been buying indices and now is the right time to renovate your bathroom,” Al Adham says. “Instead of selling your stocks to renovate your bathroom, [you could] take a loan against [your] stock to do that, and this is another tax deferral strategy because you’re basically delaying selling your stocks to later when they’ve appreciated even more. And there’s no taxes on taking a loan out to renovate your bathroom.”

Al Adham also highlights that capital losses never expire in your lifetime, which means you can carry them forward to save in the future.

Al Adham uses the example of someone who invests $100,000 in a direct index and realizes $15,000 in losses. The next year, that person sees $15,000 in capital gains, and the previous loss offsets the new gains. However, even if that person doesn’t sell assets for a profit the following year, they can still leverage the losses to save on income taxes — up to $3,000. In other words, someone earning $150,000 a year will pay taxes on $147,000.

Related: Capital Gains Tax on Real Estate: Here’s What You Need To Know

That $3,000 figure is at the root of a “very big misconception” when it comes to tax loss harvesting, Al Adham says. Many people think that the savings strategy caps at $3,000 — and therefore isn’t worth the effort — but it doesn’t: You could offset $1 million in capital gains with $1 million in capital losses, Al Adham notes.

“There are no limits there,” Al Adham explains. “The only limit applies if you don’t have cap gains to offset and you have cap losses, and then the government lets you take $3,000 of your cap losses to offset ordinary income gains.”

Apple TV+, Apple’s streaming service that scored 72 Emmy Award nominations and nine Golden Globe nominations last year, is reportedly costing the company billions of dollars.

According to a report from The Information on Thursday, Apple has spent more than $5 billion annually creating high-quality prestige TV shows like the World War II miniseries “Masters of the Air” and the hit science fiction show “Severance.” The Information reported that despite Apple obtaining 45 million Apple TV+ subscribers, the company has lost more than $1 billion per year on the streaming service.

The news aligns with previous reports. Bloomberg noted last year that Apple spent more than $20 billion on original content from 2019 to 2024, but only attracted 0.2% of U.S. TV viewership overall.

Apple’s 45 million subscribers lag behind the number racked up by competitors. Industry leader Netflix has over 300 million subscribers while Disney+ has nearly 125 million.

Related: Amazon Prime Video Doesn’t Want to Be Just a Default Prime Perk. Here’s How the Streaming Service Became a Major Player.

Apple also charges less for Apple TV+ compared to rivals. An ad-free subscription to Apple TV+ costs $9.99 per month compared to Netflix’s lowest ad-free tier of $17.99 per month and Disney+’s lowest ad-free category of $15.99 per month. Apple tucks in Apple TV+ into other purchases, bundling three free months of Apple TV+ with the purchase of any Apple device and offering a free subscription to the streaming service with $5.99 per month Apple Music Student Plans.

Though a $1 billion loss may seem significant, it barely makes a dent in Apple’s overall revenue. Apple TV+ falls under the company’s Services division, which also houses Apple Music, Apple Fitness, Apple News+, Apple Arcade, Apple Books, and iCloud. The company’s most recent earnings for the quarter ending in January show that Apple brought in $124.3 billion in revenue overall, with $26.3 billion coming from Services. For the full year of 2024, Services yielded $96 billion in revenue.

Since launching in November 2019, Apple shows have set themselves apart for their top-notch production and star-studded casts. For example, “The Morning Show” featured Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, and “Oprah’s Book Club” starred Oprah Winfrey as the host.

The approach has resulted in critical acclaim, with the show “Ted Lasso” earning 11 Emmy Awards overall and the movie “Coda” being the first from a streaming service to take home an Oscar for best picture in 2022. Apple has established an extensive library of content, building over 80 original movies and 120 original shows from the ground up, including comedy shows like “Mythic Quest” and action-packed movies like “Wolfs.”

Related: This Streaming Service Beat Netflix as the No. 1 One Market Leader in the U.S.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a post-earnings call in January that the streaming service had earned more than 2,500 award nominations and 538 wins since it began.

Apple is the most valuable company in the world at the time of writing, with a market cap of over $3.2 trillion.

Homeownership is still a dream for many Americans, but the high prices (average home prices are up 2.6% year over year, per Zillow data), and high mortgage rates (6.72% for a 30-year loan at press time, per Bankrate) of today’s real estate market are keeping it just that — a dream.

That’s why so many social media posts touting a “new” program where you can pause mortgage payments for 12 months through a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan, keep popping on your feed. In one video that has since gone viral, a Utah-based real estate investor notes that a “game-changing update” to the FHA’s 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage Program means that “buyers can now purchase a fixer-upper with no mortgage payments for up to 12 months.”

Related: Barbara Corcoran Says This Is the One Question to Ask Before Selling Your Home

“That means you can renovate before your first bill is due, making homeownership more affordable for those who want to buy a home that needs work,” he continues. “This is huge for first-time buyers who want to build instant equity and investors looking to flip or create rental income without the pressure of immediate payments.”

But is there a catch?

Melissa Cohn, a 43-year mortgage industry veteran and the regional vice president of William Raveis Mortgage, tells Entrepreneur that, while it is a “real program,” there are a few caveats.

The program is “only for people who are purchasing a home as a primary residence,” Cohn says, adding that the program is not at the borrower’s discretion. Instead, it’s determined by the HUD counselor.

And the “catch” is that you are still paying it — just not until the reno is over.

“The payments are not paused,” Cohn said. “They are still owed, but get added to the total loan amount.”

Related: Barbara Corcoran Says She Doesn’t Look at Resumes: ‘Always Hire Attitude Over Experience’

Finally, the “monthly payments can only be deferred while the house is uninhabitable,” she said.

Meanwhile, Nadia Evangelou, National Association of Realtors senior economist and director of real estate research, told Newsweek that this loan has been around for many years.

“What’s new – is that HUD extended the period for financing mortgage payments from six months up to 12 months,” Evangelou told the outlet. “This loan helps buyers to have some cash flow during renovations, but they will need to pay these mortgage payments in the long run.”

If you are the founder or CEO of a tech startup or a business represented by a digital product, then, as an entrepreneur, first and foremost, you know that any business must be profitable. Otherwise, it simply won’t survive.

I have observed how many stakeholders believe attracting a massive user base should come before asking users to pay for the software they offer. How do I know? I thought the same way when I launched my first product, and after numerous examples from the customers’ projects, I began to reflect on this pattern.

Related: 9 Side Hustles to Make Money Fast

Counting users vs. counting profits

Product analytics is the foundation, and the metric of active users over a period of time is indeed essential for your digital solution. Users are the lifeblood: they bring in money through their actions (or inaction, sometimes). However, the main question is: do they bring it in?

Having many users doesn’t automatically mean high profits. The unit economics of your product has to be based on the fact that the profit from a single user should be higher than the costs of acquiring that user. This is exactly the path that leads to a sustainable business model.

If we exclude revenue from direct sales of goods (services) through digital channels, then monetization becomes the only way to achieve this goal. There are no valid reasons to postpone it.

Four benefits of prioritizing monetization at the very start

Instead of focusing solely on the number of users and quantitative ways to attract them, consider how you are specifically going to convert them qualitatively into paying customers.

For this purpose, depending on many variables, I suggest expanding the budget for your technical project from the start so that it’s sufficient for implementing monetization from day one. And here are four reasons why.

1. You focus only on what brings value to users

Once, our team worked with a wellness startup that introduced their minimum viable product (MVP) platform with a subscription model right from the start. Instead of chasing user numbers, they concentrated on providing premium features that addressed genuine user needs. It took a lot of effort, but together, we managed to deliver an experience that drove purchases.

This approach left us no choice but to provide it and do it in a way that competitors were not doing, or perhaps no one was doing yet. In just six months, they validated their product and achieved consistent revenue, enabling them to reinvest in development and grow rapidly.

In other words, you will inherently focus on delivering the real value. If you want to charge for your product, you have to make it worthwhile for users. Conversely, if you want to make it worthwhile for users, you have to charge for your product.

2. You get operational funds for the project

Running out of cash can cost everything literally. The case above illustrates this: the customer could save one-fifth of their budget initially and risk losing 50% later, remaining stuck in a perpetual MVP phase. Instead, the profit generated in the early stages was used for operational needs, allowing for progress.

Add no obvious bonus here: you not only win in the moment but also avoid subsequent costs. You need to clearly understand what and how you will implement it, where in the architecture of your technical product’s monetization will take place, and take care of the UX/UI design.

Even if you address this issue later, any changes during the post-release will require even greater financial investment. A well-thought-out monetization strategy during the discovery phase will help you address this in advance.

3. You validate the idea through users’ willingness to pay

When developing and launching any software project, it is, of course, impossible to skip the idea validation stage. This product approach itself is based on releasing less in a short time and immediately gathering feedback. But what if the users’ willingness to pay is another way to validate a specific feature?

I touched on the topic of expanding the budget, however, the smart use of current resources is also essential, especially when designing an MVP. Integrating monetization into the budget from the beginning, rather than investing the same dollar amount in numerous features with uncertain returns, can establish a more dependable growth strategy.

Depending on the results, you will be able to make data-driven decisions and prioritize the project’s scope — turning vague ideas into actionable strategies supported by concrete numbers.

Related: 3 Secrets to Starting a Small Business Side Hustle That Gives Your Day Job a Run for Its Money, According to People Who Did Just That — and Made Millions

4. You educate users for future loyalty to the product

Current trends show that so-called “premium” users truly seek exclusivity: they literally demand an environment for a valuable online experience (Gen Z has grown up!). Communities built around web and mobile products are the reality today. It’s essential to understand that selectivity and belonging when paired with a well-structured monetization strategy, are your trump cards.

When you start monetizing early, even with an MVP, you can lay the groundwork for building a loyal user base. While the product may still be in development, offering a well-defined value proposition can attract users who appreciate its potential. These early adopters are willing to invest and have some expectations, enabling you to get higher-quality feedback.

Payment, in some way, is the entry threshold that ensures results — recall Grindr, Headspace, and Spotify. And regarding ‘I will start monetization when…’: if your app, service or tool is completely free and suddenly requires payment, what do you think will happen to the retention rates the day after?

Final words

You can rely on the number of users to measure success; however, users vote with their dollars, and what matters is revenue and a solid, potentially beneficial profit and loss (P&L) statement.

Whether you are building and launching a digital product with your own team, as an indie hacker, or partnering with an external development vendor, ensure you don’t make the mistake of overlooking monetization from the very beginning.

Google announced on Tuesday that it is acquiring cybersecurity firm Wiz for $32 billion, marking the biggest purchase in the company’s 26-year history. It’s also a lesson in not accepting the first offer — the company turned down Google’s offer of $23 billion last summer.

Wiz CEO Assaf Rappaport wrote in a blog post that joining Google Cloud will “enable us to execute and innovate even faster” as both businesses “are fueled by the belief that cloud security needs to be easier, more accessible, more intelligent, and democratized, so more organizations can adopt and use cloud and AI securely.”

Rappaport noted that “attackers aren’t slowing down” and are now “using the most innovative technologies.”

Related: Andy Cohen Lost ‘A Lot of Money’ to a Highly Sophisticated Scam — Here’s How to Avoid Becoming a Victim Yourself

Scammers are certainly getting more sophisticated, from toll text schemes to AI impersonations. The FBI recently warned Gmail users to enable two-factor authentication after a series of ransomware attacks began locking people out of their accounts and demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“Businesses and governments that run in the cloud are looking for even stronger security solutions, and greater choice in cloud computing providers,” said Google CEO Sundar Pichai, in a statement. “Together, Google Cloud and Wiz will turbocharge improved cloud security and the ability to use multiple clouds.”

What Is Wiz?

Wiz is a cloud security platform that connects to all major clouds and code environments. It’s used by about 50% of Fortune 100 companies, according to the company. Wiz scans about 230 billion files daily.

In the post, Rappaport wrote that the change will help the company “execute and innovate even faster.”

Related: ‘Passive Income’ Amazon AI ‘Scheme’ Allegedly Scammed Customers Out of at Least $14 Million, According to the FTC

“Becoming part of Google Cloud is effectively strapping a rocket to our backs: it will accelerate our rate of innovation faster than what we could achieve as a standalone company,” Rappaport wrote.

In a statement, Google said that Wiz is an “easy-to-use security platform” and that “organizations of all sizes” use it to “protect everything they build and run in the cloud.”

Wiz is backed by a bevy of notable investors, including LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Blackstone, SoftBank Vision Fund, and Andreessen Horowitz.

The company has raised more than $1.9 billion, per Bloomberg.

Related: 80% of Banks Admitted They Can’t Keep Up With AI Scams Aimed at Draining Personal Accounts

Federal Reserve officials kept interest rates at a target range of 4.25% to 4.5% following the conclusion of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on Wednesday.

The range has stayed the same since December when the Fed cut rates by 25 basis points or 0.25%, but the Fed indicated that reductions to the rate could occur later in the year.

“We’ll be adapting as we go,” Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said in a Wednesday press conference following the decision. He noted that the Fed does not need to rush to make policy adjustments and “is well positioned to wait for clarity” on President Donald Trump’s economic plans, including tariffs.

“Everybody is forecasting some inflation effect from tariffs,” Powell stated at the press conference. “We’re going to have to wait and see all of that.”

The move to hold rates steady was expected. Elyse Ausenbaugh, head of investment strategy at J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, told Entrepreneur in an emailed statement that the lack of change to the rate was “unsurprising.”

“I continue to admire the Fed’s patience as we all await further clarity on the feed-through effects of trade policy right now, but I think investors will be craving clearer direction out of the FOMC meetings ahead,” Ausenbaugh stated.

Related: 3 Predictions for the U.S. Economy in 2025, According to a Chief Economist

Meanwhile, Melissa Cohn, regional vice president of William Raveis Mortgage and a 43-year mortgage industry veteran, told Entrepreneur in a separate emailed statement that if tariffs and higher inflation occurred, future rate cuts would be unlikely.

“What happens in the economy in the next three months will be the driver of future rate movement from the Fed,” she stated.

^{Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images}

Fed policymakers on Wednesday also predicted higher unemployment and less economic growth this year than they did in December. According to Fox Business, policymakers projected that real gross domestic product (GDP) would grow by 1.7% by the end of the year, down from a 2.1% prediction in December. They also forecasted an unemployment rate of 4.4% in December, up from a previous prediction of 4.3%.

The unemployment rate was 4.1% and inflation was at 2.8% in February, per the latest federal data. The Fed’s goal is to maintain low prices and drive full employment.

The Fed also held rates steady in January, following three preceding cuts in September, November, and December.

Whenever I speak with a new candidate, I frequently find myself answering a few repeat questions. Primarily, these questions are centered around a myth or misconception that has given them pause in considering franchise ownership.

Asking an abundance of questions is a vital part of the due diligence process, so I welcome these questions. But sometimes, people allow these myths to stop their entrepreneurial dreams in their tracks. Below is a list of five common myths I hear about franchising and what I’ve learned after eight years in the business:

Related: Considering franchise ownership? Get started now to find your personalized list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.

1. “I’m buying myself a job”

“Self-employment” can have a negative connotation about it, whether it’s outside sources casting doubt on the viability of a particular opportunity or your own internal resistance. But in my experience, there is a lifestyle improvement that comes from business ownership.

And let’s be clear, self-employment is not the path of least resistance — you’ll have to put in a great deal of effort to make your dreams a reality. However, when the responsibility of success lies squarely on your shoulders, there is a sense of pride and purpose that comes with the territory.

Related: 64 Million U.S. Households Have a Pet. Here’s How This Top-Ranked Franchise Is Making Busy Owners’ Lives Easier.

2. “Isn’t franchising all fast food?”

Simply put, NO. There are indeed plenty of excellent restaurant franchises, however these in no way represent an exhaustive list of franchising opportunities. Especially in recent years, franchises have expanded into many different industries. In fact, whenever there is a consumer need that is not being met, franchises frequently become the solution.

Salon services? There’s a franchise for that. Boutique fitness? Child and senior care? Mental health services? Home care services? There are franchises for that. If you can imagine a customer need, then there is likely a franchise out there to answer the call.

Related: Explore the full 2025 Franchise 500 list, complete with category rankings.

3. “Franchising isn’t scalable”

This is a myth that initially kept me from considering franchising. I didn’t have any reservations about the brands or concepts, but I had always considered a franchise owner to be someone who ran their small shop or business, but didn’t scale beyond. However, when a friend grew his multi-unit operation and sold out in a multimillion-dollar deal, I had to walk back my assumptions. Between territory expansion and multi-unit franchise growth opportunities, franchising can be highly scalable.

Related: Greg Flynn Owns 1,245 Restaurants and Makes $2 Billion A Year. Here’s How He Did It.

4. “Franchising is low-brow”

In the world of business ownership, franchising is sometimes considered to be more “low-brow” than other businesses. Why? Maybe it’s the fact that the idea is not yours. Maybe the connotation of “buying a job” comes with a perceived lack of effort. Maybe it’s that many franchise brands don’t represent a certain desired social status.

Sure the concept may not be your brainchild, but that also means it has a proof of concept. You’ll have to put in as much time and effort as you would in a corporate role, if not more. And look, I won’t sit here and tell you that home repair services like plumbing and gutter cleaning are sexy. But what I will tell you is that franchises often perform some of the most reliable and ongoing essential services and the vital nature of the services they provide keeps business going in economically volatile times making these businesses recession-resistant.

Related: After Decades of Hard Work, This Couple Is Living the Entrepreneurial Dream. Here’s How They Achieved Generational Wealth

5. “Franchises are a source of passive income”

Whenever I speak with a new candidate who is interested in franchise ownership, one of the most important conversations we have is regarding the future role they will have within their franchise. There are models for various owner roles, including self-employment, owner-operator, executive and semi-absentee. However, more semi-absentee models typically require you to have more startup capital to preclude you from day-to-day operations.

For example, I owned a fitness franchise that typically required 2-5 hours per week of my time, but the first 90 days of getting it launched required me to work nearly full-time in addition to my corporate job. It is important to validate the owner’s role with current franchise owners in any system. Therefore, while it can be highly profitable and successful, your investment in a franchise is unlikely to be passive — at least not at first. Eventually, franchise owners may move into a more semi-passive role once they have scaled enough to hire managers to run the daily operations.

I’ve heard each of these myths many, many times since becoming a franchise consultant. The candidates who have gone on to be successful franchise owners were able to reposition their relationship with franchising and see the vast opportunities available rather than lean into partially informed myths about the industry. While franchising isn’t for everyone, you must make business decisions with clear information rather than myths or misconceptions.

Related: Here’s how we determined the annual Franchise 500 ranking — and what we learned from the data.

In a move that marks one of the most significant AI collaborations in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry, Yum! Brands — the parent company of Habit Burger, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and other QSR brands — is integrating products from Nvidia to streamline operations, improve customer experiences and drive efficiency.

“At Yum!, we have a bold vision to deliver leading-edge, AI-powered technology capabilities to our customers and team members globally,” Joe Park, chief digital and technology officer at Yum! Brands, said in a statement. “This partnership with Nvidia will enable us to harness our rich consumer and operational data sets to build smarter AI engines.”

Related: Considering franchise ownership? Get started now to find your personalized list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.

AI-Powered drive-thrus

With more than 61,000 restaurants under its umbrella — including Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger — the Yum! Brands partnership with Nvidia focuses on drive-thru automation, order processing and real-time analytics. The company has already begun testing Nvidia-powered AI in select Taco Bell and Pizza Hut locations across the U.S. According to a statement, the technology rollout includes:

• AI-powered voice ordering: The company is deploying Nvidia’s tech to improve voice order-taking at drive-thrus and call centers. The system adapts to human speech patterns, understands complex menus and “enables a more natural, seamless ordering experience.”

• Computer vision for restaurant management: AI-driven computer vision technology will help optimize drive-thru efficiency and back-of-house operations and improve labor management through real-time analytics.

• AI-driven restaurant performance insights: Yum! Brands will use AI analytics to generate performance reports, offering managers personalized action plans based on best practices from top-performing locations.

Related: Taco Bell Is More Than 60 Years Old — Here’s the Brand’s Secret to Staying Relevant, According to Its CEO

Scaling AI

Following the initial pilot phase, Yum! Brands plan to expand the AI-powered solutions to 500 Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Habit Burger locations in the second quarter of 2025. The integration will enhance Byte by Yum!, the company’s proprietary AI-driven restaurant technology platform, allowing franchisees to optimize operations more efficiently.

“Nvidia’s software makes it affordable for even the largest restaurant company to improve operations and customer experiences, proving AI can pay off at every location,” Andrew Sun, Nvidia’s global director of retail, said in a statement. “Working with Yum! Brands’ best-in-class digital and technology team and proprietary Byte by Yum! platform to integrate Nvidia AI software breaks barriers to AI innovation in the restaurant industry.”

Related: ‘A Lot More Innovation in Store’ — Taco Bell’s CMO Says 2025 Will Bring Another Live Más Live and a Return to the Super Bowl. Here’s the Details.