August 2025

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StackSocial prices subject to change.

When world champions and proven leaders unite, investors pay attention.

As the former President of Topgolf, Troy Warfield helped transform golf from an exclusive pastime into a global entertainment empire worth billions. That’s why there’s arguably no better CEO to help Surf Lakes bring surfing to the 99% with their patented 360° wave technology.

Since most people don’t live near a beach, surf parks are a $65B market opportunity on the rise. And Surf Lakes is positioning itself as a global leader in the space. World surfing champions Tom Curren and Mark “Occy” Occhilupo are even joining as shareholders and ambassadors.

But the real opportunity is not just in the parks. Here’s how Surf Lakes is redefining the sport, and how you can share in their potential growth.

Millions of people want to surf, but 99% aren’t near a beach

Despite having an estimated 25 million to 35 million participants worldwide, surfing is still mostly limited to the coasts. Less than 1% of the global population lives near surfable waves. For everyone else, the ocean might as well be off-limits.

Surf Lakes solves that problem. Their tech produces 2,000 ocean-quality rides per hour across five skill levels, from beginners catching their first roller to pros training in barreling waves. The tech opens a huge opportunity in the surf park market.

Surfing is growing in popularity as we speak. The sport is now a permanent Olympic event, with 47 million viewers tuning in to the Paris 2024 competition in Brazil alone. Surf parks nearly doubled worldwide in 2024, as developers scramble to meet surging demand.

For perspective:

• 6,000+ ski resorts exist worldwide
• 38,000+ golf courses are operating
• 410M+ in global theme park attendance

Surf Lakes believes that the number of surf parks worldwide will reach the hundreds very quickly.

Multiple ways to profit from surfing

The Surf Lakes model isn’t just about ticket sales. Their wave tech opens the door to licensing fees and royalties from global partners, memberships and day passes for recurring revenue, competitions, training programs, food, beverage, retail, and more.

Each new park creates multiple, scalable income streams, just like Topgolf did with memberships, events, and hospitality.

Surf Lakes has already sold nine tech licenses across the U.S. and Australia. Their first full-scale commercial park is in the works. With industry legends and proven leadership behind them, they’re positioned as the technology provider of choice in a market just hitting critical mass.

Here’s how investors can be a part of it.

Get in at the start of Surf Lakes’ next chapter

For investors, Surf Lakes represents a unique chance to get in ahead of what could be the next global entertainment boom. With patented technology, their first park in the works, and licensing traction accelerating, this company has the potential to dominate.

That’s why surfing legends and proven business leaders are coming aboard. A-list celebrities are even chiming in—Chris Hemsworth, Hollywood actor and avid surfer, called Surf Lakes an “incredibly surreal experience.”

The brand is already global. This is an opportunity for investors to join at a pivotal moment before their expansion. Learn more and invest in Surf Lakes by 9/12 to get up to 15% bonus shares.

This is a paid advertisement for Surf Lakes’ Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.surflakes.com

When I started out, the goal was pretty straightforward: Make lots of money. Like most new entrepreneurs, I figured once I’d “made it,” then I’d give back. That part would come later. Success first, impact second.

Looking back, I now realize that mentality was a massive mistake. In fact, I believe it was one of the fundamental reasons it took me years to find any success. I now realize that pushing purpose to the back burner might be the thing that stalls your growth even more than poor marketing.

Everything turned around for me when I stopped “chasing paper” and started asking how I could help. When that shift happened, my business started to thrive in ways I never expected. And the money? It followed, as a side effect. It’s a fact that we all know deep down, but too often forget.

We’re told that giving back is something you earn the right to do once your company is big, your team is built, and your bank account looks a certain way. But the reality is that purpose isn’t a luxury; it’s a growth strategy. This attitude of abundance needs to be something that you embody both internally and externally as well.

Related: How to Balance Profits With Purpose at Your Business

The first focus needs to be on how you approach your day-to-day operations. At BotBuilders, our work centers around AI and automation. But that’s not really what drives us. The deeper mission is helping small business owners believe in what they’re building and giving them tools to actually pull it off.

The more we’ve invested in our clients’ success, the more we’ve seen our own business expand. Not just in revenue, but in reach, loyalty and community. Real relationships have carried us further than any marketing tactic ever could. It’s not something you can track or budget for, but we’ve all experienced how one relationship can lead to exponential growth, on many levels.

The second way to have an impact is how your company shows outside of your core competency. Namely, in your community. How often do you and your team get out and serve those who need it most? Money is great, but there is no comparison to the difference that a smile can make.

One of the biggest culture-shaping moments we’ve ever had started in the most unexpected place: a bowling alley in Arizona. Working with Special Olympics Arizona, we put together the Bowl-A-Thon Bash. The annual event pairs athletes with local business owners for high-fives, gutter balls, and a whole lot of laughter.

At first, it felt like a one-off community event. But after that night, something shifted. It became tradition. And every year we go back it resets something in us. We leave lighter, clearer, and more in tune with what really matters. That one night has done more to anchor our company values than any vision statement ever could.

Don’t get me wrong, money is important. I’m not dismissing that. But if we’re talking about real impact? Giving your time and actually showing up, things just hit different. Over the years, our team has done all kinds of small things that ended up being huge. We’ve served meals at shelters. We’ve planted trees. We’ve hosted holiday parties in retirement homes just to bring some joy to folks who don’t get many visitors.

Related: This CEO Says Prioritizing Purpose Over Profit Is Key to Consistent Growth and Sustainable Profit — Here’s Why.

None of that was fancy. None of it was scalable or “optimized.” But the growth those moments sparked? You could feel it. In how we communicated, how we worked together and how we showed up on Monday mornings. When we work together to do good for others, we are connected on a level much deeper than winning awards or even with traditional team-building activities.

So if you’re leading a team, never forget the fact that your values are contagious. Culture doesn’t come from the posters on your wall or the perks in your handbook. It’s built in the quiet choices. It shows up in how you respond when no one’s watching. It’s shaped by what you say “yes” to, and what you’re willing to let slide. As my angel-of-a-mother always says, “never miss a chance to help someone out.”

When you lead with meaning, people notice. They step up. And the ripple effects extend way beyond your team. So don’t wait for the perfect opportunity. You don’t need a giant audience, a massive checkbook or a five-year plan to make an impact. You just need to care enough to begin. You’ll be amazed by what comes of it on every level of your organization.

Pick something simple. Volunteer for a day, and invite your team into the process. Whatever you do, it doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be real. Because when your business stands for something more, people stand with you. And that is when things really start to grow.

If your business or work depends on documents, you need a scanner that can do more than just snap a photo. iScanner is a top-rated scanning and document management app that brings professional-level tools right to your phone or tablet — with no ads, no recurring fees, and a focus on secure, high-quality output. Score lifetime access to iScanner for the price of $24.99 until September 7 by entering promo code SCAN at checkout (MSRP $199.90).

With support for iOS and Android, iScanner lets you digitize everything from contracts and receipts to handwritten notes and math equations. Use it to scan documents, export to PDF, Word, Excel, JPG, or even TXT, and automatically straighten, crop, and clean up pages with AI. It also offers full OCR support (Optical Character Recognition) in 20+ languages so you can extract and edit text from scanned documents with ease.

But iScanner doesn’t stop there. You can sign forms, redact sensitive info, add watermarks, number pages, protect folders with a PIN, and even merge or split documents on the fly. Advanced scan modes let you handle IDs, passports, math problems, measurements, object counts, and QR codes. Plus, its intuitive file manager keeps everything organized with drag-and-drop, folders, and 200MB of included secure cloud storage.

For freelancers, remote teams, and small businesses, this is a pro tool built for real-world document workflows on your iPhone, iPad, or Android.

New users can get a lifetime subscription to the iScanner App for just $24.99 with code SCAN until September 7.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

When your career takes you across borders, being able to speak the local language isn’t just helpful — it’s a competitive edge. Rosetta Stone’s immersive language platform has been trusted for 27 years by organizations such as NASA and TripAdvisor, and it’s now available to new users as a lifetime subscription for just $148.97 with code FLUENT until September 7.

With access to 25 languages — including Spanish, Mandarin, French, German, Arabic, and Japanese — you’ll be equipped for nearly any global business opportunity. Rosetta Stone’s intuitive training method mimics how we learned our first language, helping you absorb vocabulary, structure, and pronunciation naturally. The platform’s speech-recognition technology analyzes your accent in real time, offering instant feedback.

Progressive lessons start with practical conversations such as ordering food, giving directions, or talking through a meeting, and advance to more nuanced discussions like negotiating, giving feedback, and navigating cultural topics. Whether you’re prepping for an overseas project, building international client relationships, or managing a global team, this tool is designed to keep you sharp and culturally competent.

This deal is for new users only, and you’ll need to activate it within 30 days of purchase. Once you do, you’ll have lifetime access on desktop and mobile with no monthly fees, and you can switch between languages whenever you want.

Secure your edge in global business with lifetime Rosetta Stone access for $148.97 through September 7 by entering promo code FLUENT at checkout.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

As someone who regularly speaks with CEOs about their industries, paths and philosophies, my conversation with Jon Yaged, CEO of Macmillan, stood out. It wasn’t just about books or publishing — it was about values, culture and the role of business leaders in a time of social friction.

What surprised me wasn’t Jon’s passion for literature — that was expected — but how candidly he spoke about the challenges Macmillan faces in a world where books are being banned.

Book banning may sound like a relic, but as Jon explained, it’s a growing issue. Schools and libraries across the country are under pressure to remove books that address race, gender and identity. For Macmillan, one of the “Big Five” U.S. publishers, this isn’t just a sales issue — it’s cultural and political. Jon made it clear: their role isn’t to publish what’s comfortable, but what’s important. And that comes with risk, especially when distributors, schools or local governments push back.

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

We also discussed what it means to be a CEO amid cultural pushback. Jon doesn’t take a performative approach. He doesn’t try to be loud or overly polished about Macmillan’s values. Instead, he focuses on listening, standing firm and partnering with those who share their mission. That kind of clarity stood out. Leadership isn’t always about fighting loud battles — sometimes it’s about quietly protecting space for discourse, with conviction.

Our conversation turned to AI and its impact on publishing. Jon’s view was pragmatic: use AI to streamline operations, improve accessibility and support editors — not replace them. He wasn’t overly optimistic or alarmist — he simply saw AI as a tool that needs thoughtful handling. For an industry often seen as traditional, Macmillan appears forward-looking — without losing its editorial soul.

There’s something here for leaders in any industry. Jon is navigating a company at the intersection of culture, politics and innovation. He’s not leading with fear or distraction — he’s leading with clarity. What’s the mission? Who are we serving? Where can we evolve without compromising our principles? Those are questions worth asking, whether you’re in publishing or running a tech startup.

What I took from this interview was a deeper understanding of how leadership and culture intersect. Jon Yaged isn’t trying to make a spectacle of Macmillan’s stance — he’s working to keep the lights on for writers and stories that matter. And in a time when polarization and noise dominate, that quiet resolve made a lasting impression.

Most entrepreneurs are still stuck treating AI like a writing assistant — pumping out blog posts, captions or emails and hoping it moves the needle. But OpenAI’s latest update just changed the game.

This isn’t another “AI tool.” It’s ChatGPT’s new Agent — a fully autonomous virtual worker that can predict trends, reverse-engineer your competitors and even scan your Instagram for untapped revenue hiding in forgotten DMs.

In this video, you’ll see exactly how solopreneurs are using it to run profitable one-person businesses on autopilot — replacing tasks that once took entire teams.

Here’s what you’ll discover:

• Viral trend prediction: How this Agent spots breakout topics before they hit the mainstream — helping you publish first and ride the wave.
• Competitor edge: A real-time playbook that reveals where your competitors are weak — and hands you the exact moves to outrank them.
• Free PR on demand: How the Agent finds podcasts, researches hosts and drafts custom pitches that actually get you booked.
• Revenue recovery: The hidden sales buried in your inbox and social DMs — and how this Agent brings them back to life.

The bottom line: this isn’t about saving time. It’s about building a business that grows without burning you out — one that works even when you’re not online.

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

In 2024, a scammer used deepfake audio and video to impersonate Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna and attempted to authorize a wire transfer, reportedly tied to an acquisition. Ferrari never confirmed the amount, which rumors placed in the millions of euros.

The scheme failed when an executive assistant stopped it by asking a security question only the real CEO could answer.

This isn’t sci-fi. Deepfakes have jumped from political misinformation to corporate fraud. Ferrari foiled this one — but other companies haven’t been so lucky.

Executive deepfake attacks are no longer rare outliers. They’re strategic, scalable and surging. If your company hasn’t faced one yet, odds are it’s only a matter of time.

Related: Hackers Targeted a $12 Billion Cybersecurity Company With a Deepfake of Its CEO. Here’s Why Small Details Made It Unsuccessful.

How AI empowers imposters

You need less than three minutes of a CEO’s public video — and under $15 worth of software — to make a convincing deepfake.

With just a short YouTube clip, AI software can recreate a person’s face and voice in real time. No studio. No Hollywood budget. Just a laptop and someone ready to use it.

In Q1  2025, deepfake fraud cost an estimated $200 million globally, according to Resemble AI’s Q1 2025 Deepfake Incident Report. These are not pranks — they’re targeted heists hitting C‑suite wallets.

The biggest liability isn’t technical infrastructure; it’s trust.

Why the C‑suite is a prime target

Executives make easy targets because:

• They share earnings calls, webinars and LinkedIn videos that feed training data

• Their words carry weight — teams obey with little pushback

• They approve big payments fast, often without red flags

In a Deloitte poll from May 2024, 26% of execs said someone had tried a deepfake scam on their financial data in the past year.

Behind the scenes, these attacks often begin with stolen credentials harvested from malware infections. One criminal group develops the malware, another scours leaks for promising targets — company names, exec titles and email patterns.

Multivector engagement follows: text, email, social media chats — building familiarity and trust before a live video or voice deepfake seals the deal. The final stage? A faked order from the top and a wire transfer to nowhere.

Common attack tactics

Voice cloning:

In 2024, the U.S. saw over 845,000 imposter scams, according to data from the Federal Trade Commission. This shows that seconds of audio can make a convincing clone.

Attackers hide by using encrypted chats — WhatsApp or personal phones — to skirt IT controls.

One notable case: In 2021, a UAE bank manager got a call mimicking the regional director’s voice. He wired $35 million to a fraudster.

Live video deepfakes:

AI now enables real-time video impersonation, as nearly happened in the Ferrari case. The attacker created a synthetic video call of CEO Benedetto Vigna that nearly fooled staff.

Staged, multi-channel social engineering:

Attackers often build pretexts over time — fake recruiter emails, LinkedIn chats, calendar invites — before a call.

These tactics echo other scams like counterfeit ads: Criminals duplicate legitimate brand campaigns, then trick users onto fake landing pages to steal data or sell knockoffs. Users blame the real brand, compounding reputational damage.

Multivector trust-building works the same way in executive impersonation: Familiarity opens the door, and AI walks right through it.

Related: The Deepfake Threat is Real. Here Are 3 Ways to Protect Your Business

What if someone deepfakes the C‑suite

Ferrari came close to wiring funds after a live deepfake of their CEO. Only an assistant’s quick challenge about a personal security question stopped it. While no money was lost in this case, the incident raised concerns about how AI-enabled fraud might exploit executive workflows.

Other companies weren’t so lucky. In the UAE case above, a deepfaked phone call and forged documents led to a $35 million loss. Only $400,000 was later traced to U.S. accounts — the rest vanished. Law enforcement never identified the perpetrators.

A 2023 case involved a Beazley-insured company, where a finance director received a deepfaked WhatsApp video of the CEO. Over two weeks, they transferred $6 million to a bogus account in Hong Kong. While insurance helped recover the financial loss, the incident still disrupted operations and exposed critical vulnerabilities.

The shift from passive misinformation to active manipulation changes the game entirely. Deepfake attacks aren’t just threats to reputation or financial survival anymore — they directly undermine trust and operational integrity.

How to protect the C‑suite

• Audit public executive content.

• Limit unnecessary executive exposure in video/audio formats.

• Ask: Does the CFO need to be in every public webinar?

• Enforce multi-factor verification.

• Always verify high-risk requests through secondary channels — not just email or video. Avoid putting full trust in any one medium.

• Adopt AI-powered detection tools.

• Use tools that fight fire with fire by leveraging AI features for AI-generated fake content detection:

  • Photo analysis: Detects AI-generated images by spotting facial irregularities, lighting issues or visual inconsistencies

  • Video analysis: Flags deepfakes by examining unnatural movements, frame glitches and facial syncing errors

  • Voice analysis: Identifies synthetic speech by analyzing tone, cadence and voice pattern mismatches

  • Ad monitoring: Detects deepfake ads featuring AI-generated executive likenesses, fake endorsements or manipulated video/audio clips

  • Impersonation detection: Spots deepfakes by identifying mismatched voice, face or behavior patterns used to mimic real people

  • Fake support line detection: Identifies fraudulent customer service channels — including cloned phone numbers, spoofed websites or AI-run chatbots designed to impersonate real brands

But beware: Criminals use AI too and often move faster. At the moment, criminals are using more advanced AI in their attacks than we are using in our defense systems.

Strategies that are all about preventative technology are likely to fail — attackers will always find ways in. Thorough personnel training is just as crucial as technology is to catch deepfakes and social engineering and to thwart attacks.

Train with realistic simulations:

Use simulated phishing and deepfake drills to test your team. For example, some security platforms now simulate deepfake-based attacks to train employees and flag vulnerabilities to AI-generated content.

Just as we train AI using the best data, the same applies to humans: Gather realistic samples, simulate real deepfake attacks and measure responses.

Develop an incident response playbook:

Create an incident response plan with clear roles and escalation steps. Test it regularly — don’t wait until you need it. Data leaks and AI-powered attacks can’t be fully prevented. But with the right tools and training, you can stop impersonation before it becomes infiltration.

Related: Jack Dorsey Says It Will Soon Be ‘Impossible to Tell’ if Deepfakes Are Real: ‘Like You’re in a Simulation’

Trust is the new attack vector

Deepfake fraud isn’t just clever code; it hits where it hurts — your trust.

When an attacker mimics the CEO’s face or voice, they don’t just wear a mask. They seize the very authority that keeps your company running. In an age where voice and video can be forged in seconds, trust must be earned — and verified — every time.

Don’t just upgrade your firewalls and test your systems. Train your people. Review your public-facing content. A trusted voice can still be a threat — pause and confirm.

Lucy Guo, 30, saw her net worth reach $1.3 billion in April. But the entrepreneur, who is now the world’s youngest female billionaire, is committed to finding the best deals — even if she can afford to pay full price.

Guo told CNBC on Wednesday that she remains “frugal,” admitting that she has done things like reserve flights at the airport and cancel them later so she could have a meal for free in the Amex lounge. She also rides UberX, the budget-friendly, low-cost version of Uber, and compares prices for food before buying something to eat. Her closet consists mainly of $10 pieces from stores like Shein.

“I’m frugal at some things, and I spend more on other things,” Guo told CNBC.

^{Lucy Guo. Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Passes}

Guo’s fortune was built via Scale AI, the AI data labeling startup she co-founded with Alexandr Wang in 2016. Meta made a $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI in June, acquiring 49% of the startup and allowing the company to achieve a $29 billion valuation.

Related: These Are the AI Skills You Should Learn Right Now, According to the World’s Youngest Self-Made Billionaire

Though Guo left Scale AI in 2018, she has held onto a nearly 5% stake in the company, which has grown to be worth $1.25 billion. Despite her billionaire status, Guo says that her life has remained the same.

“My life pre-money and post-money, it hasn’t really changed that much,” Guo told CNBC Make It earlier this month.

While Guo may be frugal when it comes to her closet, her food, and her rides to work, she still has the means to spend lavishly in key areas without thinking about the cost.

For example, when it comes to homes, Guo bought a newly constructed mansion in L.A.’s Hollywood Hills for $29.5 million earlier this year. She got it at a discount: The 5-bedroom, 13,500-square-foot mansion was first listed for $43 million in January 2024.

Related: Sam Altman’s Mansion Was Once the Most Expensive Home Listing in San Francisco. A New Lawsuit Says It’s a ‘Lemon.’

Guo is also the owner of a $6.7 million condo in Florida, which she purchased in 2021, as well as another L.A. home, which she bought for $4.2 million last year.

Guo additionally owns a Ferrari in a vintage rose color, which she admits was a “splurge.” A Ferrari can cost upwards of $230,950. When it comes to transportation, she also sometimes flies via private jet to skip the lines at the airport.

Guo is a college dropout who studied computer science and human-computer interactions for two years at Carnegie Mellon University, per her LinkedIn. She left to pursue a Thiel Fellowship, which rewards young entrepreneurs for following non-traditional paths and choosing to build a business over going to college. Thiel Fellows receive a $200,000 grant and access to a network of founders to grow their companies.

Related: ‘We Don’t Believe in Work-Life Balance’: A Newly Acquired Startup Just Offered Its 200-Person Team a Choice — Work Weekends or Take a Buyout

Guo still puts in long hours at her startup, the creator commerce and monetization platform Passes, which she founded in 2022. Passes has raised a total of $66 million across three funding rounds. She says that the normal working day for her stretches twelve hours, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“9 a.m. to 9 p.m., to me, that’s still work-life balance,” Guo told CNBC.