July 2025

Why Waiting for Monthly Financial Reports Is Creating Blind Spots and Slowing Your Growth

Why Waiting for Monthly Financial Reports Is Creating Blind Spots and Slowing Your Growth


Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

We live in a time when numbers hit our inboxes faster than we can process them — forecasts, cash flow snapshots, margin breakdowns. But real leadership doesn’t happen in spreadsheets. It plays out in moments where you have to weigh risk, seize opportunity, and move — often with imperfect information.

That’s why financial intuition matters more than ever.

What does it mean to lead financially?

Financial intuition isn’t just about knowing the numbers. It’s the ability to connect the dots between what’s happening in your business and what those numbers are about to reveal. It’s the sense that something’s shifting — before the report confirms it.

This isn’t about gut instinct. It’s pattern recognition. And it’s built through experience, strategic questioning and curiosity.

You don’t need a finance degree to lead this way. But you do need a deeper relationship with the numbers — one that goes beyond interpretation and into anticipation.

Why it matters now

Markets are moving faster. AI, automation and real-time reporting have sped up how businesses operate. CEOs can no longer afford to wait for quarterly reviews to pivot or respond. By the time your spreadsheet confirms what your instincts suspected, your competitors may have already taken action.

The challenge today isn’t a lack of data — it’s knowing which data matters and when to act on it.

Leaders who operate with financial intuition don’t just read reports. They anticipate momentum. They don’t just measure metrics — they shape outcomes.

Related: 7 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Sharpen Their Leadership Skills and Drive Business Growth

From metrics to meaning

Too many leadership teams spend hours in meetings debating lagging indicators: what happened last quarter, what was spent last month. These numbers are useful, but they’re rearview mirrors.

What drives high-performance teams is a shift toward forward-looking insight. Leaders with strong financial intuition ask different questions:

  • “What does this margin shift signal about our pricing?”
  • “Is our cost increase a one-time event, or a trend?”
  • “Are we investing in tomorrow — or just maintaining today?”

These questions move the team beyond static analysis into strategic foresight. That’s how intuitive leaders transform financials from a report into a roadmap.

Translate numbers into stories

Don’t just ask for the numbers — ask for the narrative.

What’s improving, what’s slipping and why? A 2% change in margin doesn’t matter much on its own — but understanding what’s driving it might reveal a broader trend, one that requires immediate action.

By linking data to context, financial discussions become more meaningful. They stop being report reviews and start becoming strategy sessions.

Connect financials to strategy

Every financial conversation should point back to the bigger picture. That’s how leadership builds clarity and alignment.

Ask:

  • Is this expense aligned with our growth goals?
  • Are we under-investing in the areas that generate the most momentum?
  • What does this cash position mean for our hiring roadmap?

When financial thinking is embedded in decision-making — not siloed in the finance department — it gives leaders a clearer lens for risk, timing and opportunity.

Related: 5 Entrepreneurial Mindset Principles That Empower Financial Literacy

Focus on core indicators

Not all data is created equal. Many leaders try to track too many metrics and end up reacting to noise. Instead, build financial intuition around a few core indicators that reflect direction — early signs of velocity, margin health or customer engagement.

Think of these signals like a dashboard. You don’t need every detail — you need to see where you’re headed.

Listen to your frontline

One of the most overlooked sources of financial insight? Your own team.

Frontline managers often spot trends — operational inefficiencies, customer churn, supplier changes — before they ever show up in a report. Give them the context to understand the financial implications and the invitation to speak up.

When your people know how to connect what they’re seeing to what it means financially, your organization becomes more proactive, less reactive.

Don’t outsource — engage

Too many CEOs treat finance like a back-office function. But the most effective leaders use finance as a strategic tool.

A great CFO doesn’t just deliver the numbers — they help interpret them, explore scenarios and make smart bets. Whether you have a full finance team or a part-time advisor, treat finance like a thought partner, not a checklist.

You don’t have to be a spreadsheet expert. But you do need to engage in the meaning behind the numbers — and ask the right questions.

Make it part of the culture

Intuitive leadership is contagious. When the CEO frames decisions in terms of risk, return, and timing, the entire leadership team starts doing the same.

You’ll hear new kinds of conversations:

  • “If we stretch on this investment, what’s our cash cushion?”
  • “If this client churns, how does it impact our margin goal?”
  • “What’s the ROI if we reallocate resources toward retention?”

That cultural shift leads to better decisions. Teams align faster. Finance becomes a shared language, not a report you check at the end of the month.

The shift that changes everything

Over the years, I’ve worked with founders and executives who didn’t just want to keep the lights on — they wanted to build something transformational. The ones who made that leap stopped treating finance as a gatekeeper. They made it a core part of how they lead.

One CEO told me, “I used to feel like I was waiting for permission from the numbers. Now I’m ahead of them.”

That’s the power of financial intuition.

And it starts by moving past the report, into the story the numbers are trying to tell.

We live in a time when numbers hit our inboxes faster than we can process them — forecasts, cash flow snapshots, margin breakdowns. But real leadership doesn’t happen in spreadsheets. It plays out in moments where you have to weigh risk, seize opportunity, and move — often with imperfect information.

That’s why financial intuition matters more than ever.

What does it mean to lead financially?

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Why This Market Dip Is Your Chance to Accelerate Product Velocity, Win Customers and Own the Next Cycle

Why This Market Dip Is Your Chance to Accelerate Product Velocity, Win Customers and Own the Next Cycle


Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Crypto volumes have plunged from a post-Trump election surge of $126 billion to a mere $35 billion. Tech stocks remain sluggish compared to their former highs, even as the dollar hits a decade low. Venture capital feels like it’s collectively holding its breath, with top Silicon Valley firms pivoting their business models. This isn’t a collapse — far from it. It’s a rare, fragile pause. A “wait and see” moment of equilibrium that, like all market pauses, likely won’t last.

Behind the headlines, a far bigger story is unfolding. The United States and China have quietly reopened high-level trade talks aimed at easing the tensions that have defined the past five years of decoupling and protectionism. According to Bloomberg, these negotiations are among the most serious since Trump-era tariffs began reshaping global supply chains. At the same time, China is reportedly loosening capital controls and courting global investors again, which suggests Beijing views the current economic stall as too risky to endure.

If these talks produce breakthroughs — whether tariff rollbacks, a tech export détente or coordinated policy resets — investors can expect a market reaction not seen since early 2021. In short, this stillness may be the calm before the next global bull run. When capital floods back into high-growth sectors, it will do so suddenly and violently.

Founders should see this moment for what it is: a gift. The quiet between cycles is the rarest and most valuable time to build. Attention is cheap. Competition is minimal. Customers are more accessible. And though investors seem quiet, they’re watching closely for the teams that stayed focused while others lost steam.

Related: Today’s Biggest Companies Are Acting Like VCs. Here’s Why Startup Founders Need to Pay Attention.

For startup founders, the single most important mandate now is to increase velocity. This doesn’t mean grinding longer hours or chasing a vague idea of “hustle.” It means removing friction from your product cycle and delivering tangible features or updates to users every week. If your roadmap is quarterly, break it down into weekly shippable blocks. Tools like Linear and Notion help teams stay aligned without heavy process overhead. For UI or user-facing experiments, Figma remains one of the fastest ways to move from idea to prototype without slowing development. Founders must get hands-on with their products and focus on delivering value to power users.

Equally critical is user proximity. It’s easy to skip customer conversations when fundraising is tough and feature velocity slows, but that’s exactly when listening matters most. Even five brief conversations can reshape your roadmap. Ask simple questions: What frustrates power users right now? What features did they stop using, and why? This feedback doesn’t live in dashboards or pitch decks — it lives in the space between what users say and what they wish existed.

Another key use of this pause is building owned distribution. Paid channels are overpriced during market stagnation, and unless you’ve raised a mega-round, you can’t outbid incumbents. Instead, focus on organic reach and audience trust. Use content marketing tools like Substack or Beehiiv to grow an email list that’s immune to algorithm shifts. Invest time in SEO and keyword ranking. Record short product explainers or vision videos with Loom or Descript — not to “go viral,” but to humanize your build process and deepen audience trust through transparency. When markets heat up, people will remember the builders who kept showing up in the quiet— and say, “I’ve got the alpha on a hot project that’s about to pop.”

Macro signals are aligning. Long-term bond yields are starting to wobble, suggesting markets expect increased government stimulus or monetary easing. Chinese capital markets are showing signs of foreign inflows again, especially in ETF activity across Hong Kong and Singapore. Central bank rhetoric is shifting — from “containment” to “cooperation.” Once that shift becomes public and coordinated, markets will snap back, starting with high-risk, high-reward sectors like crypto, AI infrastructure, e-commerce and frontier B2B tooling.

Here’s the truth most won’t say: you won’t have time to prepare when that happens. The winners of the next cycle won’t be those who waited patiently for conditions to improve. They’ll be the founders who treated this silence like a sprint, not an intermission. Then boom! Silicon Valley’s legendary VC, Tim Draper, wrote a social media post saying, “Slack transforms communication, Microsoft responds with Teams. Tesla enters the market, and suddenly every automaker rediscovers innovation. Progress happens in bursts of energy.”

Related: 6 Hidden Costs of Scaling Your Business Too Quickly

Being first to market matters. That means launching scrappy MVPs before they’re perfect. Writing landing pages before the product is done. Building waitlists and generating buzz, even if customer acquisition costs aren’t optimized. This isn’t the time for polish; it’s the time for presence. Investors remember who shipped, who listened and who made noise without needing a bull market to do it for them.

This moment in the cycle doesn’t feel urgent, but it is. The silence is a setup. The only founders who survive the surge will be those building now, shipping weekly, while the world isn’t watching.

Ship faster. Build deeper. Talk to your loyal users. Grow your content channels. Engage.

Because when capital returns, it won’t send a save-the-date.

It will kick the door down. And everything you’ve built in this quiet stretch will either stand or be swept away when the big players come in.

Crypto volumes have plunged from a post-Trump election surge of $126 billion to a mere $35 billion. Tech stocks remain sluggish compared to their former highs, even as the dollar hits a decade low. Venture capital feels like it’s collectively holding its breath, with top Silicon Valley firms pivoting their business models. This isn’t a collapse — far from it. It’s a rare, fragile pause. A “wait and see” moment of equilibrium that, like all market pauses, likely won’t last.

Behind the headlines, a far bigger story is unfolding. The United States and China have quietly reopened high-level trade talks aimed at easing the tensions that have defined the past five years of decoupling and protectionism. According to Bloomberg, these negotiations are among the most serious since Trump-era tariffs began reshaping global supply chains. At the same time, China is reportedly loosening capital controls and courting global investors again, which suggests Beijing views the current economic stall as too risky to endure.

If these talks produce breakthroughs — whether tariff rollbacks, a tech export détente or coordinated policy resets — investors can expect a market reaction not seen since early 2021. In short, this stillness may be the calm before the next global bull run. When capital floods back into high-growth sectors, it will do so suddenly and violently.

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Manage Clients, Projects, and Sales Without Leaving Your Dashboard

Manage Clients, Projects, and Sales Without Leaving Your Dashboard


Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

Businesses and agencies juggle a lot — client websites, marketing campaigns, invoices, appointments, and the occasional fire drill. Sellful’s ERP Agency Plan aims to simplify all of that by putting every essential tool into one place. It’s a fully white-label enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform that covers everything from building websites to managing client communication, automating workflows, tracking sales, and beyond. Through July 20, you can score a lifetime subscription to Sellful on sale for $349.97.

Instead of stitching together separate platforms, you can use Sellful to keep all your useful tools right in front of you in one convenient place.

Some key highlights include:

  • AI-generated site creation, automated email and SMS marketing, social media scheduling, CRM tools, invoicing, and appointment booking
  • 10 white-labeled sub-accounts with unlimited contacts, pages, blog posts, users, and products per site
  • Built-in point of sale support, inventory syncing across physical stores, and compatibility with more than 20 payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, and Square (with no extra fees from Sellful!)
  • HR tools, payroll, time clocks, accounting, and team chat
  • AI chatbot, affiliate management, community building tools, and access to marketing courses and guides
  • Custom mobile app, setup wizard builder, and more than 5,000 third-party integrations

For agencies that want to deliver more to clients without bouncing between platforms, this lifetime Sellful plan offers a seriously flexible way to do it all from one dashboard — on sale for $349.97 (reg. $1,497) until July 20 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.

Sellful – White Label Website Builder & Software: ERP Agency Plan (Lifetime)

See Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Businesses and agencies juggle a lot — client websites, marketing campaigns, invoices, appointments, and the occasional fire drill. Sellful’s ERP Agency Plan aims to simplify all of that by putting every essential tool into one place. It’s a fully white-label enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform that covers everything from building websites to managing client communication, automating workflows, tracking sales, and beyond. Through July 20, you can score a lifetime subscription to Sellful on sale for $349.97.

Instead of stitching together separate platforms, you can use Sellful to keep all your useful tools right in front of you in one convenient place.

Some key highlights include:

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This  Lifetime Travel Hack Is Made for Remote Workers

This $50 Lifetime Travel Hack Is Made for Remote Workers


Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

Twenty-two percent of entrepreneurs prefer to choose when and where they work, according to data from popular accounting service FreshBooks. Of course, even people who work primarily in one location will sometimes travel for business or leisure. Fortunately, new users can save up to 60% on global flights and hotels, even after they’ve been booked, with a lifetime subscription to OneAir Elite. Better yet, it’s currently available to new users for its lowest price ever at $49.97 with promo code TRAVEL.

This AI-powered platform scans and tracks millions of flight and hotel prices to top global destinations from your home airport. Members receive instant mobile and email alerts as soon as the prices drop. Best of all, OneAir’s Smart Hotel Price Monitoring also tracks your existing hotel reservations and will automatically rebook at a lower rate if the price drops, then refund the difference. No effort or stress on your part, only guaranteed savings.

OneAir also has Smart Flight Fare Monitoring, which works in a similar fashion. Your ticketed airfares are also tracked continuously. If a significantly lower fare is found, OneAir calculates what your savings would be after change or cancellation fees, then guides you through the process of re-ticketing that flight at the lower price.

The company’s goal is to revolutionize the hotel and flight industry so that travelers will always pay the lowest prices available for flight and hotel reservations. It has contracts with almost every major hotel supplier, as well as multiple airline wholesalers and consolidators. This allows OneAir to offer wholesale prices to members that are not published to the general public.

You can save up to 60% on exclusive deals on more than two million hotels and resorts. You’ll also have exclusive access to airfares from over 700 top airlines that aren’t available on public travel platforms or even the airline websites. OneAir prices are always all-inclusive, with no hidden fees.

OneAir also offers real-time flight deal alerts so you can have instant notifications when deals on all flight classes become available from your selected airport. You can even earn up to 10% in cash awards on many flights, insurance and hotels that you can use on future bookings.

Get a lifetime subscription to OneAir Elite to save money on your existing hotel and flight bookings while it’s at its lowest price ever for only $49.97 when you enter coupon code TRAVEL at checkout.

StackSocial prices subject to change

Twenty-two percent of entrepreneurs prefer to choose when and where they work, according to data from popular accounting service FreshBooks. Of course, even people who work primarily in one location will sometimes travel for business or leisure. Fortunately, new users can save up to 60% on global flights and hotels, even after they’ve been booked, with a lifetime subscription to OneAir Elite. Better yet, it’s currently available to new users for its lowest price ever at $49.97 with promo code TRAVEL.

This AI-powered platform scans and tracks millions of flight and hotel prices to top global destinations from your home airport. Members receive instant mobile and email alerts as soon as the prices drop. Best of all, OneAir’s Smart Hotel Price Monitoring also tracks your existing hotel reservations and will automatically rebook at a lower rate if the price drops, then refund the difference. No effort or stress on your part, only guaranteed savings.

OneAir also has Smart Flight Fare Monitoring, which works in a similar fashion. Your ticketed airfares are also tracked continuously. If a significantly lower fare is found, OneAir calculates what your savings would be after change or cancellation fees, then guides you through the process of re-ticketing that flight at the lower price.

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How I Went From Side Hustle to 7 Figures Using These 4 AI Tools (No Tech Skills Needed)

How I Went From Side Hustle to 7 Figures Using These 4 AI Tools (No Tech Skills Needed)


Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Most entrepreneurs are playing small with AI — cranking out blog posts, writing emails and hoping it moves the needle. But that’s not where the real leverage is.

The entrepreneurs scaling to seven figures? They’re using AI to run their entire business on autopilot — automating sales, marketing and operations 24/7 without hiring a single employee.

Inside this video, I’ll reveal the four AI agents that can transform your business:

  • The Revenue Agent: Automate lead qualification, book calls and handle follow-ups — it’s like having a full-time sales team working around the clock.
  • The Executive Agent: Eliminate inbox clutter and calendar chaos. This AI assistant manages your emails, schedules, travel plans and admin tasks — giving you hours back every week.
  • The SOP Agent: Record your workflows and turn them into step-by-step guides — automating onboarding and training without lifting a finger.
  • The Marketing Pulse Agent: Predict your campaign results before you hit send, audit your content and unlock data-driven insights — this agent alone tripled my sales in 14 days.

Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or scaling a lean team, these four agents can cut costs, skyrocket productivity and help you grow faster — all without the stress of hiring.

The AI Success Kit is available to download for free, along with a chapter from my new book, The Wolf is at The Door.

Most entrepreneurs are playing small with AI — cranking out blog posts, writing emails and hoping it moves the needle. But that’s not where the real leverage is.

The entrepreneurs scaling to seven figures? They’re using AI to run their entire business on autopilot — automating sales, marketing and operations 24/7 without hiring a single employee.

Inside this video, I’ll reveal the four AI agents that can transform your business:

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How Mastering Your Nervous System Boosts Leadership Presence and Performance

How Mastering Your Nervous System Boosts Leadership Presence and Performance


Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Today’s leadership challenges go beyond strategy — they’re deeply personal.

In this environment, traditional leadership focused only on metrics and outcomes falls short. What leaders really need is a transformational shift — one that starts not with new tools or tactics, but with a new relationship to themselves.

True high performance starts with inner alignment

If you’re constantly stressed, reactive or disconnected, no strategy or plan will fill the gap. High performance isn’t about doing more — it’s about clearing what blocks you. The real question is: How do you become the kind of leader whose presence alone sparks calm, trust and collaboration?

Moving from reactive to responsive leadership requires more than knowledge — it demands embodied practice. And surprisingly, ancient yogic wisdom offers a modern answer.

Related: Why Aligning Your Values and Virtues Leads to Entrepreneurial Success

Regulate your state — elevate your leadership

Our nervous systems weren’t built for today’s nonstop pace and digital overload. Most of us live stuck in sympathetic “fight, flight or freeze” mode. Chronic stress dulls clarity, creativity and connection.

But the parasympathetic system — our natural rest-and-digest state — is where healing, empathy and true presence arise. Most don’t realize we can train ourselves to access this state intentionally — through breathwork, yoga nidra and embodied awareness.

When leaders master their nervous system regulation, they stop reacting from stress and start responding from inner calm. They unlock their most resourceful, compassionate selves — even under pressure.

From reactivity to presence

Many reactions today come from emotional “coverage” — stored past experiences that trigger us in the present.

The result? We lash out, shut down or misread simple questions as threats. Reactivity replaces real communication. But there’s another way.

By learning to observe without automatically reacting, you create space. You become a witness, not a reactor. From this calm presence, collaboration deepens, creativity flows, and engagement happens by choice, not habit.

Beyond mindfulness — integration that transforms

Mindfulness is just the start. Yogic leadership teaches integration — uniting body, mind, heart, and energy. It helps you move beyond thinking into pure being.

This inner coherence fuels authentic leadership presence. It lets you connect deeply with others without losing yourself.

Meet the Inner Switch™ Leader

The Inner Switch™ method offers a clear, step-by-step path to becoming integrated, embodied and truly present. It unlocks your relaxed, focused, vital energy that’s already inside.

An Inner Switch™ leader:

  • Responds with calm, not fear
  • Communicates clearly and joyfully
  • Inspires trust through presence, not pressure
  • Builds sustainable, high-performing teams

Because their inner world is aligned, their leadership shines on the outside.

Related: Stop Searching for Your Purpose — It’s Delaying Your Success. Here’s What to Focus on Instead.

Why this matters today

Connection is the foundation of business success. But you can’t connect with others if you’re disconnected from yourself. The good news? Change starts where you have control — within.

Shifting from reactivity to presence not only upgrades your leadership, it transforms your entire culture. You become the leader others want to follow — safely and enthusiastically.

The future of leadership starts within

Tomorrow’s most influential leaders won’t be those who push harder. They’ll be those who master stillness, clarity, and connection, balancing results with presence.

I’ve seen this transformation firsthand in senior executives who embrace the Inner Switch™ method. The results are real: stronger teams, healthier cultures, and better business outcomes.

The path forward isn’t about doing more — it’s about integrating more. And it begins with you.

Susan S. Freeman, MBA, PCC, is the author of Inner Switch: Ancient Wisdom Transforms Modern Leaders (Entrepreneur Press), winner of two national book awards. She was a featured speaker at the High Performance Leader Summit starting May 19: https://bit.ly/hpfs-susan-freeman

Today’s leadership challenges go beyond strategy — they’re deeply personal.

In this environment, traditional leadership focused only on metrics and outcomes falls short. What leaders really need is a transformational shift — one that starts not with new tools or tactics, but with a new relationship to themselves.

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Photos: Allen & Co. Sun Valley Billionaire Summer Camp

Photos: Allen & Co. Sun Valley Billionaire Summer Camp


The billionaires are back together, this time in Sun Valley, Idaho, for the annual Allen & Co. conference of tech and media executives. The week-long event brings some of the most powerful figures in business to the Sun Valley Resort.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, who just held another billionaire gathering for their multi-day wedding event in Venice, Italy, have been spotted at the invite-only event this year. Other attendees include Ivanka Trump, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Spanx founder Sara Blakely, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (whose $410 sunglasses have been a major topic of conversation).

Related: Billionaire Traveling the East Coast With Two Megayachts, But One Just Carries the Toys

Business Insider notes that sunglasses are a hot accessory at the conference this year, with Ray-Bans donning the mugs of Disney CEO Bob Iger and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.

Also in attendance are Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone and Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC owner John Henry.

Talks are expected with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and IAC Chairman Barry Diller, per CNBC.

Here are photos from Sun Valley:

John Elkann, chief executive officer of Exor NV, rides a bicycle to the morning session during the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, US, on Friday, July 11, 2025. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Marne Levine, former chief business officer at Meta Platforms Inc., left, Phil Deutch, managing partner at Energy Technology Partners, center, and Sheryl Sandberg, former chief operating officer of Meta Platforms Inc., walk to the morning session during the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, US, on Friday, July 11, 2025. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snap Inc., walks to a morning session at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 10, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com Inc., right, and Lauren Sanchez Bezos walk to lunch during the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, US, on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies, walks to lunch at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 10, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Mike Steib, president and chief executive officer of Tegna Inc., walks to the morning session during the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, US, on Friday, July 11, 2025. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Luis von Ahn, co-founder of Duolingo, walks to a morning session at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 10, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Anne Wojcicki, former president and chief executive officer of 23andMe Inc., walks to the morning session during the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, US, on Friday, July 11, 2025. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The billionaires are back together, this time in Sun Valley, Idaho, for the annual Allen & Co. conference of tech and media executives. The week-long event brings some of the most powerful figures in business to the Sun Valley Resort.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, who just held another billionaire gathering for their multi-day wedding event in Venice, Italy, have been spotted at the invite-only event this year. Other attendees include Ivanka Trump, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Spanx founder Sara Blakely, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (whose $410 sunglasses have been a major topic of conversation).

Related: Billionaire Traveling the East Coast With Two Megayachts, But One Just Carries the Toys

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Franchise Success Starts at The Local Level — Here’s Why

Franchise Success Starts at The Local Level — Here’s Why


Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

A franchise is only as strong as the people running it and the best ones don’t just manage a location, they own the neighborhood. At Boardroom, we’ve seen firsthand how local entrepreneurship makes or breaks the client experience. Our most successful franchisees aren’t just following a playbook, they’re building relationships, embedding themselves in their communities and demonstrating ownership that can’t be taught in a manual. You can’t outsource that kind of leadership.

Here are 4 reasons that local entrepreneurship is the secret weapon of successful franchises.

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

1. Franchising works best when it’s personal

The beauty of the franchise model is that it allows for scale without losing soul. But only if you get the right people in the room.

The most effective franchisees don’t just want to grow a business, they want to serve their community. They sponsor youth sports teams. They show up at local events, usually in a branded vehicle with a logo on their shirt. They remember your name, your go-to stylist and how you take your coffee.

Paul and Caren Wolf, who operate the highest-producing franchise location in our system, are a perfect example. They’re so well-known in their community they are like honorary mayors. Their leadership extends far beyond the walls of their lounge — if a client stops them at Costco on Saturday or at church on Sunday, the Wolfs are ready to represent our Boardroom. It’s no surprise they are so successful.

This isn’t just good for connection, it’s good for business. When clients feel like a place knows them, they come back. When employees feel seen by their leaders, they stay. And, in this industry, retention is everything.

Related: The Most Successful Founders Take Retreats — Here’s Why You Should, Too

2. Playing off script, not just following it

Yes, we can give franchisees a roadmap, but the best ones don’t just follow instructions, they read the room.

The best franchisees tweak the timing of a promotion based on their community’s event calendar. They recognize which offerings are not resonating locally, then adjust their material to highlight the services that their community prefers. That’s not just smart business, it’s local intuition at work.

It’s easy to assume that franchisees just “run the play.” But the reality is, success often comes from knowing when to pivot and when to go all-in. And no one can do that better than an entrepreneur building relationships in their community every day.

Related: Setting the Standard — When Disaster Strikes, This Top Franchise Is Making a Difference

3. Local entrepreneurs push the brand

One of the biggest misconceptions in franchising is that innovation only flows top-down. In reality, some of the most impactful ideas start in a single local market and scale up from there. I saw this firsthand during my time at Planet Fitness. Major changes to the Planet Fitness model began as franchisee innovations: the 30 Minute Circuit, prospect call phone scripts, pricing strategies, these were tested locally, proven effective and then adopted systemwide. That lesson stuck with me: the people closest to the customer often have the clearest view of what needs to change. And smart franchisors listen.

At Boardroom, we welcome that kind of partnership. When franchisees bring forward smart, locally informed ideas, whether it’s an evolution of our service offerings or a better way to retain our professionals, we pay attention. Because when one location gets better, the whole system benefits. The best franchise relationships aren’t rigid. They’re collaborative. And that’s how great brands are built: together.

Related: ‘Send a Man Next Time’: How an Entrepreneur and Her Daughters Built a $2.5 Million Franchise in a Male-Dominated Field

4. Scaling Doesn’t Mean Disconnection

As brands grow, we should work hard to stay close to the field because we know that’s where the real business lives. Local entrepreneurs don’t just represent your brand; they shape it in every city you enter. When you empower the right people locally, you’re not just adding locations, you’re building trust at scale.

And that’s the difference between a franchise network and a true community.

Related: Fried, Fast And Franchised — These Are The Top 10 Chicken Franchises in 2025

Success comes from relationships

Franchise success doesn’t come from corporate. It comes from the corner of Main Street and hard-earned relationships. It comes from entrepreneurial owners like Paul and Caren Wolf, who know their neighborhoods, lead with care and who don’t just run our playbook, they evolve it. That’s who we look for. That’s who we bet on to join us.

Because at the end of the day, a great franchise is just a great local business that’s repeated, supported and elevated across the country.

Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.



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This Former NFL Player Built a Brand Around Nasal Breathing

This Former NFL Player Built a Brand Around Nasal Breathing


Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

As a former NFL player and lifelong high performer, Todd Anderson was obsessed with optimization. He’d tried every hack, supplement, and tool he could find. But when he began taking a closer look at sleep, he noticed a glaring gap in the wellness conversation.

That shift started when he began working with Dr. Jennifer Martin, a leading sleep researcher at UCLA. After learning he had mild sleep apnea, he began taping his mouth shut at night to encourage nasal breathing. The results, he said, “were life-changing.”

What began as a personal breakthrough soon turned into a mission. After experiencing the effects of nasal breathing firsthand, Anderson launched Dream Performance & Recovery, which enhances sleep through products such as mouth tape and nasal strips. He joined me on the One Day with Jon Bier podcast to talk about how he built the brand from scratch.

Learn on the fly

Anderson had no background in business, just a personal breakthrough and a drive to build. But that was just fine.

“I think if I had all the funding in the world, I probably would’ve done it the wrong way. Instead, we had to figure it out, build slowly, and then scale once we knew it worked,” he said.

With no outside funding, Anderson bootstrapped every step of the way. “We were writing checks every month, paying for all this stuff,” he said. “Because of that, I think it allowed us to learn at a really rapid pace.”

He points to a quote from Spanx founder Sara Blakely as his guiding principle: “Start small, dream big, and scale fast.”

The result was Dream Mouth Tape, then Second Wind Nasal Strips. One product keeps your mouth closed for improved oxygen uptake, and the second maximizes airflow into your nose.

Related: 5 Lessons I Wish I Didn’t Learn the Hard Way During My 20 Years in Business

Let the product speak for itself

In the early days, the team leaned heavily on Anderson’s own social following and podcast appearances. He accepted every opportunity he could: “I said yes to every event, every speaking thing, every podcast, and it ended up paying off.”

Awareness happened organically. On a 46-mile run through the Grand Canyon, Anderson brought the first prototypes of his nasal strips to the event. “Everyone tried them and they were blown away.”

That approach helped build a customer base that spread the word on its own. “When people do buy into it and they start sleeping better, and it does change their life… they tell everybody,” Anderson said.

Focus on retention

A major turning point came when Anderson moved manufacturing from overseas to the U.S. The goal wasn’t just faster shipping—it was better quality. “Our product got exponentially better,” he said.

In a low-trust category like wellness, consistency matters more than hype. “We had no choice but to get it right,” Anderson said. “If people didn’t come back, the business wouldn’t work.”

Related: 5 New Tech Products Worth Showing Off to Houseguests

Find the right partners

Eventually, Anderson found some heavy-hitting investors who believed in the product and could offer valuable branding expertise. “We brought on Sara Blakely and Jesse Itzler as pretty substantial partners,” he said. “They own a good chunk of the business.”

Blakely is the founder of Spanx and one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in history. Her husband, Jesse Itzler, is a serial entrepreneur, bestselling author, and part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks.

“Their values are lined up exactly how I would want to have my values lined up. And so knowing that’s how they operate, and then getting advice through that lens, I don’t think we could ask for anything better.”

Anderson is starting to see the cultural shift he hoped for. What once felt like a niche message is now gaining traction. “I think people realize it’s not about having the most hours in the day,” he said. “It’s about having the best hours in the day.”

Related: A Bad Business Partner Could Cost You Millions — Here’s How to Avoid a Toxic Partnership

As a former NFL player and lifelong high performer, Todd Anderson was obsessed with optimization. He’d tried every hack, supplement, and tool he could find. But when he began taking a closer look at sleep, he noticed a glaring gap in the wellness conversation.

That shift started when he began working with Dr. Jennifer Martin, a leading sleep researcher at UCLA. After learning he had mild sleep apnea, he began taping his mouth shut at night to encourage nasal breathing. The results, he said, “were life-changing.”

What began as a personal breakthrough soon turned into a mission. After experiencing the effects of nasal breathing firsthand, Anderson launched Dream Performance & Recovery, which enhances sleep through products such as mouth tape and nasal strips. He joined me on the One Day with Jon Bier podcast to talk about how he built the brand from scratch.

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What My First Failed Startup Taught Me — and How I Finally Got It Right 20 Years Later

What My First Failed Startup Taught Me — and How I Finally Got It Right 20 Years Later


Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

They say timing is everything — and that’s a lesson I’ve learned the hard way.

Today, I’m building a startup I truly believe in. But the truth is, this journey didn’t start last year. It began more than 20 years ago — with a big idea, the wrong timing and some painful but necessary lessons that would shape everything I’m doing now.

How it started

In 2007, inspired by platforms like Craigslist and LinkedIn, I set out to bring a new kind of online platform to life. I had a strong concept, but not the technical skills to build it alone. So I partnered with a close friend who could fill that gap.

At first, we were excited. But over time, cracks formed — our visions didn’t align, our strategies drifted, and financial pressure mounted. Eventually, we had to walk away.

It was disappointing, even devastating. But I never stopped believing in the core idea. Instead, I paused to reflect on what went wrong, what I’d learned, and what I needed to do differently next time.

That reflection helped shape both who I am and how I operate today.

Related: When My Startup Failed, I Was Hopeless and Left in Tears. Here Are the Lessons That Helped Me Restart and Launch Three Successful Companies.

What I learned (the first time around)

  • Learning never stops: Your best insights often come from others. Lean into your network — mentors, peers, even critics. Learning from others and sharing your own experience creates a powerful loop of growth.
  • Be willing to adapt: Even with a great idea, you have to stay flexible. Whether you’re launching or scaling, being able to pivot when needed isn’t a weakness — it’s a survival skill.

Getting it right the second time

  • Start with clarity: A shared vision is critical. Before launching, make sure you and your co-founder(s) are aligned on goals, roles, and long-term expectations. Misalignment early on will cost you later.
  • Be honest with yourself and your team: Ask the hard questions up front: Why are we doing this? What problem are we solving? Who are we solving it for? If your answers don’t match, it’s time to regroup.
  • Culture matters as much as code: Yes, you need technical talent. But you also need people who share your values, collaborate well, and grow with the company. Don’t underestimate cultural fit — it makes or breaks teams.

If you build it, will they come?

This time around, I approached things differently. I didn’t just assume the idea was good — I tested it. I asked:

Are we solving a real problem?
Does the market need this now?
What’s our unique value proposition (UVP)?
Why would anyone choose us?

Customer-first thinking became the foundation. Instead of building what we thought was valuable, we built what the market actually needed — and made sure our solution stayed relevant.

Getting tactical: what every founder needs to consider

  • Do your homework: Understand your industry, track trends, study user behavior and know your competition.
  • Create a strategy: Write a business plan. Forecast your finances. Know your funding options.
  • Formalize the business: Register your company, get your EIN, licenses, permits, and build your legal foundation properly.
  • Build the right team: Use your network to find people who align with your mission and culture.
  • Sell the vision: Know your customer, refine your message and create a product or service they actually want.

Related: 10 Lessons I Learned From Failing My First Acquisition

Final thoughts

Be both sales-driven and market-aware. Know your audience — where they get information, what problems they face, what resonates with them. Your customer acquisition strategy should be informed by real data, not just instinct.

And most importantly, keep an open mind. Inspiration can come from anywhere — a conversation, a failure, a new connection. The more you listen, the more likely you are to spot those game-changing ideas.

Building something meaningful takes time. For me, it took over 20 years. But every setback, misstep and restart has made this journey — and this version of the startup — infinitely more grounded and more real.

Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.



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