August 2025

Reputation management for CEOs is absolutely critical. As one of the most visible faces of your business, anything you say or do that’s unpopular can — and likely will — harm not just your personal reputation but also your company’s brand and revenue.

That’s why it’s always better to be proactive. Avoiding controversy, whether through your business practices or personal opinions, is key. A smart way to safeguard yourself is by working with a CEO reputation-management consultant who can remove negative search results.

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How industry leaders manage their reputation

The first step to managing your reputation is to build a personal brand and tie it closely to your company’s brand. By creating a strong, SEO-optimized online presence, you’ll gain a competitive edge in hiring top talent, building credibility and trust and reinforcing your company’s values.

When Tim Cook stepped in as Apple’s CEO, many doubted whether he could live up to Steve Jobs’ legacy. Over time, Cook not only proved himself but also infused his own philosophy into the company, ultimately leading Apple to become the first publicly traded company to reach a $1 trillion market cap. This illustrates just how crucial CEO reputation management really is.

Other strategies industry leaders use include:

• Constant monitoring – Smart CEOs regularly Google their own name and their company’s. If negative content appears, they often turn to reputation-management consultants to minimize the damage and boost positive visibility. Remember the saying: if you want to hide a dead body, put it on page two of Google.

• Engaging stakeholders – CEOs must actively build strong relationships with stockholders, investors, employees and customers. By listening, addressing negative news and fostering transparency, they create trust and long-term growth.

• Positive brand perception – If your online presence is weak, work with experts to build it. This may include launching a personal website, contributing to industry publications or even creating a Wikipedia page. The goal is to provide content people want to read and to remind them your company exists to improve their lives, not just to earn revenue.

• Clear transparency – Honest communication strengthens credibility and trust. History has shown, in cases like Elizabeth Holmes’ Theranos, that failing to prioritize ethics and transparency can have devastating consequences.

• Crisis planning – Bad news is inevitable, but how you respond makes all the difference. CEOs should always have a clear crisis-response plan, including escalation paths and messaging for scenarios like social-media backlash or reputational threats.

Related: The Best CEOs Are Falling Short of Delivering This Top Employee Non-Negotiable. Here Are 5 Things You Can Do to Avoid This Fate.

When reputation management goes wrong

Every CEO makes mistakes, but the response often matters more than the mistake itself. Without transparency and decisive action, even well-intentioned leaders can erode trust.

Consider Target CEO Brian Cornell. After scaling back the company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, public backlash was swift. Cornell reassured customers, “We are still the Target you know and believe in,” but without concrete follow-up, skepticism lingered.

United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz faced a viral crisis when a passenger was forcibly removed from an overbooked flight. His initial defense of the airline and blame on the passenger deepened public outrage. Only after multiple apologies and policy reforms did the company begin to recover, but the delayed empathy cost valuable trust.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon took a different approach. Amid criticism over low wages, he acknowledged the issue directly: “We have work to do.” Walmart then raised base pay, expanded training and created clearer career paths. The proactive response not only improved brand perception but also set a new industry benchmark.

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki faced mounting pressure over the platform’s handling of hate speech and harmful content. Advertisers threatened to leave, and creators demanded change. In response, YouTube introduced stronger policies, moderation tools and clearer guidelines. While controversy persisted, her willingness to own the problem and act decisively eased tensions and reduced regulatory threats.

The lesson: Effective crisis leadership requires early acknowledgment, visible empathy and meaningful action, not just words.

Related: Poor Leadership Is Going Viral on Social Media Amid Mass Layoffs

The role of CEO reputation management consultants

As CEOs gain visibility, it becomes easier to lose touch with everyday consumers. Reputation management consultants help bridge that gap by ensuring your messaging remains consistent and credible, or even removing bad press. They often have established media connections, which can help shape a positive narrative.

While you’ll always be expected to address controversies, you should never do so without guidance. A rushed or poorly worded statement can cause far more damage than taking time to craft a thoughtful response with your team.

Every consultant brings different expertise aimed at shaping public and stakeholder perception. Before hiring one, do your research — even Google their name. The right consultant can be the difference between rebounding stronger after a crisis and struggling to recover.

When Jacqueline Tatelman and her husband, Scot Tatelman, founded a nonprofit summer camp for hundreds of kids growing up in New York’s under-funded neighborhoods in 2009, they didn’t yet know that the experience would lay the foundation for a new business with a major give-back mission: STATE Bags.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of STATE Bags. Jacqueline Tatelman.}

“The first couple of summers, [campers] were coming to camp with their stuff in trash bags or plastic bags with holes in them,” Tatelman says. “We knew that a lot of them were coming with everything they own for one week away and that they were living in foster care, transitional housing, being raised by another, so that was a very challenging sight to see.”

The Tatelmans started giving backpacks to the campers, many of whom would immediately transfer their belongings into the new bags and fill them with school supplies from the couple’s supply shop, which offered in-kind donations from brands like Bombas and KIND Snacks.

“ Since then, we’ve evolved a lot on the give side, so now it’s for every STATE product sold, we donate to American kids and families in need, but in the ways they need it most, which allows us to do so much more giving and a lot bigger programs,” Tatelman says.

Related: Shark Tank’s Most Successful Brand of All Time Wasn’t Even Supposed to Be a Business at First. Here’s How It Became One With $1 Billion in Lifetime Revenue.

STATE Bags, officially launched in 2013, has grown into a multimillion-dollar brand over the years and continues to center its give-back commitment, which includes donating fully-packed backpacks and funding projects with partner charities and schools.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of STATE Bags}

The brand was self-funded until 2021, when it raised a $2 million seed round. STATE hasn’t taken additional outside funding since then.

STATE launched in an era when it seemed like disruptive unicorn companies were gaining traction left and right — making starting a successful business and brand look easy, Tatelman recalls.

Of course, typically the reality is anything but. It’s hard enough to “build a beloved brand [with] a cult following,” let alone navigate the logistical ins and outs of running a business, Tatelman says.

“You really have to understand the importance of profitability and sustainability and what it actually takes to run a company,” Tatelman explains. “A lot of people who start brands are dreamers, and they’re excited because they’re creatives, but they need to know a lot more. It requires a level of patience, intensity and grace that is kind of out of body.”

Related: Her Self-Funded Brand Hit $25 Million Revenue Last Year — And 3 Secrets Keep It Growing Alongside Her ‘Mischievous’ Second Venture: ‘Entrepreneurship Is a Mind Game’

For STATE’s first seven years in business, Tatelman saw herself exclusively as one of those creatives, so she hired CEOs to run the company. However, after years building the brand — and with a unique perspective as its founder — she realized she could serve it in a way former leaders hadn’t. Tatelman stepped in as CEO in 2020.

Five years later, STATE has become a “full-fledged lifestyle family bag brand” with consistent growth.

Tatelman attributes much of the STATE’s recent growth and success to its category expansion, which began shortly before she assumed the CEO role.

Having “owned the market” in children’s backpacks for so long, STATE recognized the value in doing the same for the kids’ travel in a way that makes life easier for their parents — and products are given the full STATE treatment, Tatelman says.

“We like to take it totally over the top,” Tatelman explains. “Like, how do we take this dinosaur product and make it ridiculous, so colorful, so beautiful. Every single piece is a work of art, but it also has incredible utility, functionality, quality and all of the things that you want your family travel products to [have]. [To use] the STATE language, [product expansion] totally exploded us.”

Related: He Founded the App Parents Love for Back-to-School Season — Then Found Himself Ridiculed By Teens on TikTok. Here’s How It Led to Serious Innovation.

It’s currently peak season for STATE, which has always seen sales spike during back-to-school shopping. Last month, amid this period the brand considers its “Super Bowl,” STATE released product collaborations with Hot Wheels, Barbie and Love Shack Fancy.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of STATE Bags}

But Tatelman says that no matter the time of year and how much growth STATE sees, she always feels grateful to spot one of the brand’s bags on the street, and she’s only recently come to terms with the brand’s “cult” status.

 ”People will write to me like, I’m setting my alarm,” Tatelman says. “I’m like, You’re setting your alarm for launch day? Over time, since our customer knows we sell out so fast, especially [out] of these crazy novelty products, they are hungry for the new collection. Year after year, it gets crazier and crazier. I still can’t believe that’s real for STATE.”

Related: ‘Absolute Freedom’: Siblings Behind a Self-Funded 8-Figure Brand Reveal 3 Secrets Aspiring Entrepreneurs Should Know About Growth and Success

Despite STATE’s ongoing success, Tatelman believes the brand has just scratched the surface of its potential, and she looks forward to solidifying its position as a “true family lifestyle brand” with continued product expansion.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of STATE Bags}

STATE has transformed a lot over the years, but it’s never wavered from its original mission and vision — and it’s a principle that any aspiring entrepreneur should keep in mind when it comes to starting a business.

“You have to have a vision for it,” Tatelman says. “[But] you also have to be malleable in understanding that you have to go where the customer’s going to take you sometimes. But, at the same time, what is the vision, and do you love it? Do you have a dying passion for it? Because if you don’t, you’ll break. [You need] the passion and vision and then the knowledge, or at least the curiosity, on how to get there.”

This article is part of our ongoing Women Entrepreneur® series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of running a business as a woman.

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There’s a story I keep coming back to. You’ve probably heard it, too.

One time, a cargo ship broke down in the water. The crew couldn’t figure out what was wrong, so they called in a couple of experts one by one, but no one could figure out the fault.

Then they called in an old professional who had been fixing engines since he was young. He walked in, studied the engine for a few minutes, and tapped a single spot with a hammer. The engine came back to life. A few days later, the captain got an invoice for $10,000.

He pushed back, saying that the old man barely touched it and couldn’t justify the high cost.

The expert responded that tapping the hammer costs $2. Knowing where to tap is $9,998.

That story never gets old to me. Because no matter how advanced a system is (even as advanced as AI), its value still comes down to who’s operating it.

Related: Your Company’s Security Strategy Has a Glaring Hole. Here’s What’s Causing It — and How to Fix It.

Humans are still the ones holding the hammer

As the COO of a technology company, I regularly speak with business leaders eager to adopt AI solutions. They acknowledge the importance of having the right data and technical infrastructure to support AI, but rarely discuss the human element. For example, who will build, train, maintain and use the AI tools the company adopts? That clarity is almost always missing.

AI can indeed be beneficial, but only if you have the right people who can guide it thoughtfully and strategically.

In the AI readiness assessments we perform at our company, I often notice that even smart, experienced leaders underestimate the importance of these human skills and perspectives. Leaders are aware of the core business challenges they’re trying to solve. Still, they often fail to consider who in their organization has the best understanding of AI and how much upskilling is needed so their employees can get the most out of it.

AI is great at analyzing massive amounts of data, but you still need a team capable of connecting those data insights to your larger business goals. You need people who can identify opportunities that no machine would notice without a command.

I’ve seen plenty of companies invest heavily in AI systems, only to realize later that their people lacked the critical thinking or strategic perspective necessary to use the technology effectively.

Likewise, AI is very good at automating repetitive, manual tasks, but you still need people to handle the edge cases and complex tasks AI can’t do. You still need people who know where to tap with the hammer when the ship is dead in the water.

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So, what kind of people do you need to make AI work?

At the top, a Chief Data Officer (CDO) or VP of AI Strategy sets the direction by deciding how AI can solve strategic problems. Next, AI Product Managers shape that vision into projects, using basic tech know-how to bridge business and AI.

Below them, Data Scientists cleanse and prepare data for AI consumption, while Machine Learning Engineers create the AI models that turn data into insights. Business Analysts use those insights to improve decision-making. AI Ethics Specialists oversee compliance, especially in fields like healthcare, making sure the AI doesn’t break laws or fairness rules. Change Management Leads get everyone on board, training staff to use AI tools without pushback.

These roles interlock: the CDO sets the goal, Product Managers plan, technical teams build, Analysts tweak, Ethics Specialists check and Change Leads make it stick.

After all these years in Operations, I’ve seen a lot of technology come and go. And there’s always excitement around the next big thing. But in all that time, one thing’s never changed: Tools don’t drive results; people do.

It’s no different with AI. Yes, it’s much more powerful and can alter every process we have been following so far. But it doesn’t create business value on its own. That still takes sharp minds who know how to make AI work for the business.

Mind you, finding those people is not easy. The competition for AI talent is intense. From AI architects, data scientists and engineers to AI-savvy marketers, customer support and departmental leaders, supply is tight and demand is high.

Related: How to Get Your Business Recommended by AI Tools Like ChatGPT — and Win More Clients

AI is the hammer

AI isn’t the old ship mechanic; it’s his hammer. Your investment in AI can only pay off if you’ve got people who know precisely where and how to apply it.

The smartest technology in the world won’t move your business forward if your people aren’t clear about how to turn the insights it delivers into strategic action.

IT giant Cisco, which makes networking hardware, software, and telecommunications equipment, recently faced a major data breach, the company disclosed on Friday.

A Cisco representative fell victim to a voice phishing or “vishing” attack, when a caller pretends to be a legitimate individual or organization, and tricked the employee over the phone to obtain the personal information of Cisco.com users.

Related: ‘Largest Data Breach in History’: Apple, Google, and Meta Passwords Reportedly Among 16 Billion Stolen in Massive Hack

The bad actor was able to access and export a subsection of profile information from Cisco’s cloud customer management system. They stole data from individuals who had registered for a Cisco.com account, including customer names, organization names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers.

Cisco discovered the breach on July 24. The company stated that the data breach did not affect passwords or impact any of its products or services. It added that it notified affected customers where required by law and talked to data protection authorities.

“We are implementing further security measures to mitigate the risk of similar incidents occurring in the future, including re-educating personnel on how to identify and protect against potential vishing attacks,” Cisco stated in the disclosure.

Cisco declined to provide details of the breach to TechCrunch, including how many users were impacted by it. The company has more than 300,000 global customers. Cisco had a market value of $268 billion at the time of writing, with its stock up over 14% year-to-date.

Related: AT&T Customers Are Eligible for Up to $5,000 in a New Settlement. Here’s What to Know.

Cisco uses Salesforce to manage customer relationship data, and this incident was one in a series of recent attacks that impacted Salesforce customers. For example, U.S. insurance company Allianz Life uncovered a data breach last month that exposed the personally identifiable information of the majority of its 1.4 million customers, including addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers.

Two of the company’s customers, Cheryl Marotta and David Werner, filed a class action lawsuit on Tuesday related to the breach, alleging that Allianz failed to safeguard their personal information because the data was unencrypted and stored in one database.

Another company, Australian airline giant Qantas, also underwent a data breach on June 30, which impacted the personal information of more than six million customers. The bad actor called one of the company’s call centers and used the call to steal information like names, phone numbers, and dates of birth.

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

Mehdi Zarhloul didn’t just chase opportunity. He built it into something lasting.

Long before Crazy Pita became a multi-location brand, before concepts like Salad Madness and Chicken Genius launched and before his company went national through crowdfunding, Zarhloul was just a 16-year-old kid from Morocco chasing a dream in America.

He still remembers the first time he saw the Statue of Liberty.

“When I came to the country and looked at the Statue of Liberty, I knew I was part of the American Dream,” he tells Restaurant Influencers host Shawn Walchef.

For Zarhloul, it was more than a landmark. It was a symbol of everything he believed was possible in America.

Related: He Had $75 When He Immigrated to the U.S. as a Refugee. Then He Started a Business — and Grew It to $1.2 Billion.

Zarhloul arrived from Morocco as a teen, ready to work, willing to learn and determined to chase the dream that the statue stood for. His first stop? The restaurant industry, a world he knew nothing about.

“The only thing I knew about restaurants was you go and eat,” Zarhloul says.

He started at the bottom, washing dishes in a small spot in Washington, D.C. He wasn’t good at it. When they moved him to the kitchen, he hated that too. Bussing tables was worse. He broke more glasses than he served.

But instead of walking away, Zarhloul stuck around. Every failure taught him something. He learned how a restaurant runs by doing every job badly — until he started doing them right. Eventually, the owner noticed. Rather than let him go, the owner handed him responsibility. By 18, Zarhloul was managing the place. That first taste of leadership gave him a sense of purpose he had never felt before.

Hospitality became more than a paycheck. It became a passion. Zarhloul threw himself into the business, learning how to lead teams, manage operations and connect with customers. His drive took him all the way to Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, where he rose to food and beverage director. The job sent him around the world and immersed him in the highest levels of global hospitality. Along the way, mentors helped shape his philosophy, especially one who told him, “If you want the silver platter, you have to go get it.”

Zarhloul took that advice seriously. He decided that if opportunity wasn’t coming to him, he was going to chase it down.

Related: As a First-Gen Immigrant Founder, My Business Is More Than Just Income — It’s a Legacy For My Kids. Here’s How I Balance Work and Family.

Venturing out on his own

In 2006, Zarhloul launched Crazy Pita, a fast-casual Mediterranean concept inspired by the flavors of his Moroccan heritage and the hospitality lessons he picked up along the way. It grew from a single Las Vegas shop into a four-location brand, with three restaurants around the Las Vegas Valley and one inside a Walmart. Along the way, Zarhloul set the stage for franchising and expanded into a growing consumer packaged goods line.

He also spun off two virtual concepts, Salad Madness and Chicken Genius, both designed to meet customers where they are. From a global pandemic to rising costs and shifting customer habits, Zarhloul learned to adapt without losing sight of what matters most: people.

For him, culture is everything. Whether in fine dining or a fast-casual pita shop, success comes down to the connection between team members and the guests they serve. Culture isn’t a buzzword. It is the difference between a customer who stops by once and one who keeps coming back.

Zarhloul also believes in celebrating success, even if you have to create the celebration yourself. That is exactly what he did with National Pita Day and National Crazy Pita Day, which he founded. Those holidays are reminders to him that business owners need to recognize their wins. As he puts it, if you don’t pat yourself on the shoulder and stop and take a moment, nobody is going to do it for you.

That mindset helped push Crazy Pita to a major milestone. Zarhloul expanded his company nationwide through a crowdfunding campaign. For him, it wasn’t just a business move. It brought him back to that first day in America, staring up at the Statue of Liberty and believing this country could deliver on its promise.

“The resources… are beyond my belief,” Zarhloul says. “You can use them if you know how to operate and if you know how to seize them.”

From a teenager learning the ropes to a business owner carving out his place in a competitive industry, Zarhloul’s story is about more than chasing the American Dream. It is about catching it and reminding the rest of us that sometimes, the only permission you need is your own.

Related: They Opened a Restaurant During the Pandemic — But Locals Showed Up, and Celebrities Followed. Now, It’s Thriving.

About Restaurant Influencers

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

If relocating is part of your retirement plan, you’re not alone.

In 2024, 258,000 Americans relocated for retirement, per research from HireAHelper, an online marketplace that connects people needing moving assistance with local moving professionals.

But before you plan your move to Florida or one of the other hot spots for retirees in the U.S., you might want to take a look around the globe.

Related: Are You on Track for a Comfortable Retirement? Here’s How Much Money You Should Save Every Month Depending on Your Age and State.

Life insurance company Everly Life released a report last month that unpacked the best places to retire around the world, per Travel + Leisure.

The study ranked 137 countries according to cost of living, healthcare quality, safety, air quality, elderly population percentage and retirement visa availability. Each area was rated on a scale of 0 to 100, then averaged to compile the final result.

Estonia snagged the top spot with a score of 79.41. “The Baltic nation combines reasonable living costs (55.9 cost index) with strong health care (77.7 index) and impressive safety levels (76.5 index),” the report stated.

^{Image Credit: Alexander Spatari | Getty Images. Tallinn, Estonia.}

Related: Here Are the Best and Worst States for Retirement in 2025, According to a New Report

The Northern European country also has a 20.91% elderly population, which speaks to “a retirement-friendly society,” Everly Life reported.

“Estonia represents the sweet spot many retirees are seeking,” Mariah Bliss, a spokesperson for Everly Life, noted. “You’re getting Northern European health care standards and safety without the crushing costs of places like Switzerland or Denmark.”

Norway and Portugal took second and third place for the best places to retire, according to the report. Spain, Australia, Canada, Latvia, Hungary, Malta and Italy rounded out the top 10.

Related: This Buzzy Retirement Strategy Is Helping Young People Escape the 9-5 Before Becoming Millionaires — Here’s How to Pull It Off

No matter where you intend to spend your retirement, try living on your retirement budget for a few years before you actually retire to identify potential shortfalls or lifestyle adjustments that may be needed, Stacey Black, lead financial educator at Boeing Employees Credit Union (BECU), told Entrepreneur.

When I launched PhotoPacks.AI, I didn’t have a team or funding. Just an idea: offer studio-quality headshots, powered by AI, for a fraction of the cost of a traditional photo shoot. Today, the product works, and it’s growing steadily. But I’ve learned a lot of lessons the hard way.

Here are seven mistakes I made early on, and what I’d do differently if I had to start over.

1. I tried to build for everyone, and converted no one

At first, my startup offered everything: headshots, modeling photos, pet portraits, fantasy scenes. I figured, if AI could generate it, why not let people choose?

But when I showed it to friends and tried to market it, nobody understood what it was for. Zero conversions. The fix? I focused the product around one clear value: professional headshots. That change alone made the product click with users, and sales followed. I learned to be specific and found that a clear, focused message converts better than a broad one.

Start with a focused, singular use case. The more obvious the value, the faster you’ll get traction. You can always expand later, but don’t launch wide and vague.

2. I underpriced — and it backfired

I started with a $9.99 price point because I didn’t want to scare people away. I worried that raising prices would increase refund rates or kill momentum. But that attracted low-intent customers, increased refund requests and made the product feel cheap.

When I raised the price, sales didn’t drop — they got better. People treated the product more seriously. Refunds dropped. Revenue grew.

Test higher pricing earlier than you think. Pricing sends a signal. If you’re solving a real problem, price with confidence, not fear.

Related: Harnessing the Power of AI: 5 Game Changing Tactics for Small Businesses

3. I handled everything myself for too long

I handled support tickets, wrote copy, managed uptime, ran ads, pushed code — all in one day. It wasn’t sustainable. Eventually, I outsourced key pieces and bought back my time. It let me focus on strategy, product and growth.

Don’t confuse “solo” with “doing it all.” Delegate repetitive tasks early. Protect your cognitive bandwidth — it’s your most valuable resource.

Related: AI for the Underdog — Here’s How Small Businesses Can Thrive With Artificial Intelligence

4. I over-engineered the first version

I spent months perfecting features before launch, including ones no one had asked for. I wanted it to look polished and impressive from day one.

Looking back, I should have released a simpler version much earlier and shaped the product around real user feedback. The bells and whistles can wait. What matters most is whether people want what you’re building in the first place.

Launching lean doesn’t mean lowering standards — it means prioritizing clarity over complexity. Get a simple version live, then iterate. Early users don’t expect perfection — they want progress. Speed beats polish.

5. I bet too much on SEO, not enough on community

Early on, I hired an SEO agency to create keyword-optimized content. But most of my actual traffic came from Reddit, where I had been engaging directly with communities.

That still holds true today. My best-performing traffic continues to come from organic conversations, not blog content. The lesson? Your ideal customers are already hanging out somewhere. Find them, show up authentically, and focus on what’s actually driving results, not what’s supposed to.

Go where your users already hang out. Be useful in those spaces. Authenticity scales better than SEO tricks, especially early on.

6. I underestimated how fast AI evolves

Even after spending a year immersed in generative AI, I was still caught off guard by how fast things moved once I launched. What felt groundbreaking one month felt outdated the next.

It’s thrilling, but it’s also exhausting. Trying to keep up with every new development is a recipe for burnout.

Instead of chasing trends, I’ve learned to build around stable, lasting value. Keeping up matters — but not at the expense of your sanity or strategy.

Start simple — learn fast

If you’re a solo founder in AI, here’s my advice: Don’t try to create demand from scratch. Find an underserved audience, meet a clear need and launch fast. Don’t fall in love with your vision. Fall in love with solving problems.

You don’t need to get it all right — just get it out there, learn and keep going.

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

If your email marketing doesn’t factor in Gen Z, it may not be working as well as you think. Yes, Generation Z – born between 1997 and 2012 – spends hours on social media. They binge short-form content and skip anything that doesn’t grab them in five seconds.

But they also use email more than you think. In a recent ZeroBounce survey, 36% said they check their inboxes for fear of missing out on brand deals and job offers. That makes email one of the few channels where brands like yours can still create a sense of urgency and exclusivity, without getting lost in the noise.

Here are five ways to make your emails worth opening and build loyalty with Gen Z.

Start with an audit

Auditing your email marketing performance once a quarter is a smart move, no matter which generations you’re targeting. It gives you a clear view of what works, so you can focus your efforts and budget on what counts.

When analyzing your metrics, see what stands out:

• What types of emails get the most engagement?
• Do short emails get more clicks on your calls-to-action (CTAs)?
• How do image-heavy messages perform compared to plain text?

The goal is to understand what your subscribers respond to so you can do more of that. Once you have the full picture, you can zoom in on Gen Z and think of fresh ways to make your email marketing speak to them.

Related: This one thing is the secret to higher open rates

Give them a reason to open – and do it fast

We all scan subject lines to decide whether an email is worth our time, but Gen Z takes that habit to the next level. That means you have to get their attention right away by making sure your subject lines deliver value upfront.

Are you running a discount or offering early access to a new product or service? Put that right in your subject – and don’t forget the preview text. Those extra few words that populate next to the subject can make or break your engagement.

Be clear, be specific, and lead with the benefit. “20% off ends tonight” or “Early access for subscribers only” will outperform vague, overly branded messaging every time.

Create a sense of community

Like all of us, Gen Z is always looking for a good deal. But if you want better results, use every email you send to create a sense of connection and community. Gen Z, more than other generations, wants to feel like they’re part of something, so this approach is more likely to resonate.

Give them exclusive and early access to your products and events. You can even brand your email list and name it to make it feel more like a club. Everyone loves feeling like an insider, but that sense of belonging can turn Gen Z into loyal brand advocates.

Ditch the corporate speak

Long emails packed with corporate jargon are the fastest way to get Gen Zers to unsubscribe. If you want them by your side, talk to them like a real person. That doesn’t mean you need to mimic their lingo – that can backfire if it doesn’t align with your brand voice. But dropping the buzzwords and cutting the fluff will earn you points with Gen Z.

It’s tempting to rely on AI tools to do the writing for you, but make sure your emails still sound human. If you’re not sure, test them with your team. You’ll almost always get one piece of feedback that makes it better and more authentic.

Make it easy to read (especially on mobile)

Gen Z is reading your emails on their phones – between classes, during their lunch break or while walking their dog. If your message looks like a wall of text, they may tune out within seconds.

Want to keep them moving from one sentence to the next? Don’t be afraid of short paragraphs and bold subheadings — they help guide the eye. Also, remember to test your emails and check if the layout renders nicely on mobile and that your subject lines don’t get cut off. That tiny preview window matters more than you think.

Bonus tip: Don’t send emails just to stay on schedule

Emailing your subscribers regularly is smart – it helps your brand build awareness, and it’s also healthy for your email deliverability. But before you send an email, take a moment to ask: Is this email actually worth it for my audience?

Don’t send messages just because it’s “time” to send something. You may end up sending fewer emails, but they’ll be more relevant. Do that consistently, and your brand will be more memorable and stand out in even the busiest inboxes.

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In the world of small and mid-sized businesses, every dollar counts. Leaders are constantly faced with difficult decisions about where to allocate limited resources to drive the greatest impact. With HR often viewed as a cost center for businesses, it comes as little surprise that a recent study found 64% of small to mid-sized businesses allocate less than 1% of their annual revenue to HR technology investments, and 36% are using virtually no HR technology.

Not only does this make HR teams’ jobs more difficult, requiring them to spend hours prioritizing labor-intensive back-office tasks, but it also reduces their ability to spend time on supporting employee needs and engagement initiatives that can have a real impact on a business’s bottom line.

To shift the tide, HR managers looking to make the case to leadership for technology investment in the coming year must advocate not only for the people side of the business but also do so in a way that speaks the language of bottom-line impact, operational efficiency and strategic growth.

As we approach the end of the fiscal year, now is the time to prepare a business case that resonates with executive decision-makers. Here’s how HR leaders can frame their proposals around real pain points and offer grounded, practical solutions that deliver measurable value.

Related: These HR Techs Are Making Employee Management Easier

Pain point 1: Limited budgets and uncertain returns

Small and mid-sized business owners often face a barrage of competing priorities. With limited funds, it’s not always clear which investments will stretch furthest or deliver the most meaningful results. HR, workforce management and payroll solutions can seem like overhead — until their impact is clearly articulated.

The solution:

To overcome the misconception around workforce investments, HR leaders should start by reframing HR technology as a strategic enabler rather than a cost center. By demonstrating how a unified workforce platform reduces administrative burden, alleviates compliance risk and frees up time for employees to focus on high-value work, leadership can more easily understand the business case for investing.

For example, automating time tracking and payroll reduces errors and ensures accurate compensation, which in turn boosts morale and retention. These are not abstract benefits — they translate directly into fewer costly mistakes, lower turnover and more productive teams.

Pain point 2: Difficulty connecting HR to business strategy

In many small businesses, HR is either a one-person team or a shared responsibility across multiple departments. This makes it challenging to connect people-related initiatives to broader business goals like profitability, customer satisfaction or growth.

The solution:

Use data to bridge the gap. Even basic workforce analytics can reveal patterns in absenteeism, turnover and productivity that correlate with business performance. For instance, if your busiest sales periods coincide with spikes in employee fatigue or scheduling conflicts, that’s a clear operational risk. By investing in tools that provide visibility into workforce trends, HR personnel can offer insights that help leadership make smarter, more strategic decisions.

Moreover, when employees are supported with intuitive, mobile-friendly tools that make their jobs easier, they’re more likely to go the extra mile. This often-overlooked discretionary effort is a key driver of profitability in small and mid-sized businesses.

Related: 4 Ways Technology Improves the Human Resources (and Human) Experience

Pain point 3: Lack of actionable data

Many small businesses rely on spreadsheets, manual processes or disconnected systems that don’t provide a clear picture of what’s working and what’s not. This makes it difficult to justify investments or identify areas for improvement.

The solution:

Advocate for a single source of truth. A consistent, integrated platform for HR, payroll and workforce management removes operational silos and ensures that decision-makers have access to real-time, reliable data. This enables proactive planning, whether it’s forecasting staffing needs, managing compliance risks or identifying opportunities to improve employee engagement.

With built-in reporting and AI-driven insights, even small HR teams can deliver executive-level intelligence that not only builds credibility but positions HR as a strategic partner in driving business outcomes.

Making the ROI case

To make a compelling case for investment, HR leaders must speak in terms that resonate with executives: cost savings, risk reduction and revenue impact. Here are a few data points to consider:

• According to a recent McKinsey report, organizations that make data-driven decisions are 63% more likely to adapt to changing business environments.

• A study conducted by UKG in partnership with HR.com found that HR teams equipped with the right data are five times more likely to make strategic recommendations.

• A Great Place to Work report found that prioritizing employee experience can lead to 50% less turnover and 36% higher levels of discretionary effort, while a recent Gallup report found it can lead to a 34% reduction in absenteeism and 41% fewer safety incidents.

• Addressing disengagement can yield up to $56 million in annual savings, even for mid-sized organizations, according to McKinsey.

While your business may not operate at that scale, the principles hold true. Every hour saved, every employee retained and every process improved contributes to a stronger bottom line.

Related: How Technology Will Shape The Way Startups Manage Their HR

The right investments in people and processes can transform an organization. For HR managers at small and mid-sized businesses, the key is to align your proposals with the strategic priorities of the business. Focus on outcomes, not features. Show how your recommendations will reduce friction, improve performance and support growth.

In uncertain times, there is temptation to cut back. But the businesses that thrive are those that invest wisely — especially in their people. By presenting a clear, data-backed case for HR, workforce management and payroll solutions, you’re not just asking for budget. You’re offering a roadmap to a more resilient, efficient and profitable future.

When he was 15 years old, Max Clarke would wake up to find blood pouring from his nose. The nosebleeds were relentless, sometimes happening multiple times a week. Doctors couldn’t diagnose it. By the time Clarke got to university, he was exhausted and still without answers.

So he did something about it.

He changed his diet. Started meditating. Practiced yoga. Took supplements. Focused on sleep. “I’ve never had a nosebleed since,” Max Clarke says. “Doctors were saying I needed surgery, but I knew there had to be another way.”

That experience gave him a mission — to take the guesswork out of wellness by helping people find what actually works for them, without having to sort through endless advice, or no advice at all.

Related: Nobody Was Talking About Nasal Breathing for Sleep Until This Former NFL Player Built a Brand Around It: ‘You Feel So Much Better’

From importer to innovator

Clarke launched his company, Healf, with his brother in 2021. It started with curating the best wellness products from around the world—the kinds of things he had used to heal himself—and making them available in the UK, where options were limited.

But that was just the beginning. “We were hearing the same thing again and again from customers,” Clarke says. “They’d say, These are all amazing products, but how do I know what’s right for me?'”

So, Clarke and his team built a platform called Healf Zone, which uses at-home blood testing kits and wearable integrations to help users understand what’s happening inside their bodies. Then, using AI and machine learning, the system looks at the data and recommends personalized wellness products, nutrition plans, and lifestyle tweaks.

Build a company by solving one problem at a time

Rather than setting out to launch a wellness empire, Clarke tackled challenges as they emerged. First, they addressed the lack of product quality. Then, the limited access to global products in the UK. After that, they helped customers learn which products were right for them. Each solution led to the next phase of the business.

The takeaway: Don’t try to launch the perfect company out of the gate. Build by listening and iterating. “You don’t need to know how it’s all going to come together. You just need to solve the next problem.”

Related: What This Founder Thinks Most Supplement Brands Get Wrong—and How He Fixed It With David Beckham

Be obsessed with your customer

Since launch, the business has grown to more than $100 million in annual revenue in under four years. Clarke credits this to customer obsession as a core principle. That includes same-day deliveries, hand-carrying orders to celebrities and athletes, and responding to urgent requests in real time.

One example is a billionaire aboard a yacht at the Cannes Film Festival, who urgently requested a specific product the company sold. Clarke’s team personally flew it from the UK to the French Riviera, making the delivery just in time for the party.

“We’ll do whatever it takes,” Clarke says. “One of our standards that we live by is never settle.”

Create a culture that works hard

Clarke built the company around five core principles: work harder than anyone else, never settle, obsession beats talent, stronger together, and the Healf lifestyle—a philosophy rooted in prevention over treatment and living well through movement, nutrition, mindfulness, and sleep.

Employees work seven days a week. Performance reviews are done every three months. Clarke personally does one-on-ones with team members on Sundays.

His advice for other entrepreneurs is to build your culture early and protect it. Be transparent about what you expect. Reward results, not titles.

Hire for heart, not just smarts

Clarke learned some of those lessons the hard way. Early on, he put too much weight on advice from industry veterans and occasionally hired for pedigree instead of passion. Now, he trusts his instincts and not just the depth of their resume.

And Healf has tweaked the interview process. “We were hiring people who were incredibly smart, incredibly driven, incredibly behind the mission, but they just didn’t have that depth that’s needed when things get really hard. So now we’re trying to hire people who we say have big hearts.”

Act like it’s still day one

Despite explosive growth, its ambitions are bigger than ever. The company is getting ready to expand internationally, and longer term, Clarke wants to build physical experiential wellness studios in major global cities that blend diagnostics with community.

For him, the mission hasn’t changed. It’s still about helping people feel better, faster — and giving them the tools to do it without having to guess.

“Even now, everyone in the company is very much behind this idea that it’s still day one,” Clarke says. “We’re not even scratching the surface of how much value we can add.”

Clarke doesn’t see Healf as a supplement brand, nor a biohacking platform. He sees it as a category-defining system to turn data and signals from your body into intelligent actions.

“Healf isn’t just here to play the game. We’re here to change it.”