Your YouTube Shorts content could soon be racking up much more views.

YouTube announced that starting Monday, it is changing how it counts views on YouTube Shorts, its short-form video section that has a 60 second or less format. Previously, a view only counted if someone watched a Short for a certain number of seconds. Starting on March 31, a view counts instantly when someone plays or replays a Short video.

“Views may be higher moving forward,” YouTube wrote in a statement.

That means that even if a user scrolls past a video within a few seconds of it playing, it still counts as a view. This is also how Instagram and TikTok calculate views for short-form videos.

Related: ‘I’ve Never Regretted Leaving the Corporate World Behind’: This Former Lawyer Now Makes Six Figures on YouTube — Here’s How

YouTube stated that it was making the update in response to feedback from creators who expressed that they wanted to know how often their Shorts were seen, not just how many people watched a substantial portion of a Short.

“We hope that this deeper understanding of your Shorts performance will help you inform your content strategy,” YouTube said in the statement.

YouTube is still keeping track of how many people choose to keep watching a Short under a new metric called “engaged views,” which pinpoints the number of views from people who watch a Short for a certain length of time. YouTube will base earnings and eligibility for its monetization path, the YouTube Partner Program, on engaged views.

More engaged views could also mean more earnings for entrepreneurs.

Since YouTube Shorts launched in 2021, it has allowed more than one in four creators in the YouTube Partner Program to earn money through the platform. The average earnings are between $0.03 and $0.07 per 1,000 views on a Short, or between $30 and $70 for one million views, per the social media toolkit site Buffer.

Related: YouTube Takes on TikTok With New Tools: ‘You Can Build a Business’

Attorney and personal finance expert Erika Kullberg has over 21 million followers on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. She noted in May that her top 10 YouTube Shorts received a range of 6.3 million to 48 million views but far less pay than her longer-form YouTube videos with comparable views.

^{Erika Kullberg}

For example, her 48-second Short on negotiating medical bills with over four million views generated $106.85, while her 12-minute longer YouTube video on how she quit her job got slightly fewer clicks, at 3.9 million views, but yielded $45,639.14.

Kullberg says that for her, YouTube is the platform with the biggest payout and that she has made $353,000 from YouTube from 2019 to 2024.

YouTube Shorts draws an average of 70 billion daily views.

In my journey as a venture investor and CEO, I’ve built, acquired and sold multiple businesses. While many decisions were made independently, the opportunity to collaborate with mentors has been invaluable. Engaging with CEO coaching and mentors I’ve found through venture investment communities has profoundly impacted my growth.

The reality is that successful entrepreneurship isn’t just about having the right idea — it’s about having the right guidance. The best entrepreneurs understand that mentorship is an accelerant, helping them sidestep pitfalls, refine their vision and execute at the highest level.

Here are ten mentors whose insights and leadership have shaped today’s entrepreneurs and will continue to influence the next generation.

Related: 5 Reasons Why You Need a Business Mentor

Simon Sinek

Why he was chosen: Sinek is one of the most recognized thought leaders in leadership and motivation, best known for his “Start With Why” philosophy.

How he brings value: His insights on leadership and company culture have transformed how businesses operate, emphasizing purpose over profit.

What entrepreneurs can learn: Founders and business owners can take inspiration from his work to build organizations that inspire loyalty, trust and long-term impact rather than just focusing on short-term gains.

Brené Brown

Why she was chosen: A research professor and author, Brown has redefined how leaders approach vulnerability, courage and authenticity in business.

How she brings value: Her work emphasizes that vulnerability is not a weakness but a crucial leadership trait.

What entrepreneurs can learn: Brown teaches entrepreneurs that showing up authentically in leadership fosters trust and stronger relationships within teams, which is essential for long-term success.

Eric Ries

Why he was chosen: As the author of The Lean Startup, Ries revolutionized how startups approach product development.

How he brings value: He teaches businesses to iterate quickly, fail fast and refine based on market feedback rather than wasting years developing something untested.

What entrepreneurs can learn: Entrepreneurs who embrace his methodology can scale more efficiently while reducing wasted time and resources.

Sheryl Sandberg

Why she was chosen: Sandberg, the former COO of Meta (Facebook), is a champion of leadership, resilience and the importance of mentorship.

How she brings value: Her book Lean In encourages business leaders, especially women, to take charge of their careers and not shy away from leadership roles.

What entrepreneurs can learn: From her corporate leadership experience, entrepreneurs can learn how to navigate challenging business environments while maintaining a strong company culture and growth.

Tony Robbins

Why he was chosen: Robbins is one of the most well-known personal development and business strategists in the world.

How he brings value: His high-energy coaching helps entrepreneurs build unshakable confidence and mental resilience, two of the most critical traits for long-term success.

What entrepreneurs can learn: Entrepreneurs can leverage Robbins’ goal-setting and peak performance techniques to maintain motivation and push through difficult times.

Related: 4 Lessons I Gained from Mentorship That Elevated My Startup Journey

Guy Kawasaki

Why he was chosen: As an early Apple evangelist, Kawasaki has been an influential marketing strategist and advisor for decades.

How he brings value: He has helped companies understand the importance of branding, positioning and standing out in competitive markets.

What entrepreneurs can learn: Entrepreneurs can gain practical insights on building strong brand loyalty and leveraging storytelling to enhance customer engagement.

Reid Hoffman

Why he was chosen: As the co-founder of LinkedIn and a venture capitalist, Hoffman has deep expertise in startup scaling and network effects.

How he brings value: His book Blitzscaling offers invaluable insights into growing businesses rapidly in an increasingly connected world.

What entrepreneurs can learn: Founders looking to scale quickly can use Hoffman’s principles to navigate hypergrowth, raise venture capital and expand strategically.

Naval Ravikant

Why he was chosen: A successful entrepreneur and angel investor, Naval has gained a cult following for his unconventional but highly effective business and life philosophy.

How he brings value: His views on leverage, wealth-building and decision-making are critical for entrepreneurs looking to build long-term value.

What entrepreneurs can learn: Entrepreneurs can gain wisdom on how to approach success in a way that is both financially rewarding and personally fulfilling.

Barbara Corcoran

Why she was chosen: A real estate mogul and investor on Shark Tank, Corcoran is an inspiration to entrepreneurs looking to build businesses from scratch.

How she brings value: She exemplifies grit and resourcefulness, having turned a $1,000 loan into a billion-dollar real estate empire.

What entrepreneurs can learn: Corcoran teaches entrepreneurs how to think big, negotiate effectively and build a strong personal brand.

Peter Thiel

Why he was chosen: As a co-founder of PayPal and an early investor in Facebook, Thiel is one of the most successful and contrarian thinkers in tech investing.

How he brings value: His book Zero to One challenges conventional wisdom on innovation and competition.

What entrepreneurs can learn: Thiel’s framework teaches entrepreneurs to seek monopolistic advantages rather than competing in crowded markets, making their businesses truly unique.

Related: You Can’t Always Do It Alone: 6 Top Executives Who Credit Other Powerful People for Helping Them Succeed

The power of mentorship cannot be overstated. The best entrepreneurs recognize that learning from others who have already paved the way can mean the difference between success and failure. Each of these ten mentors offers distinct insights, and while their approaches may differ, the common thread is their ability to inspire, challenge and guide entrepreneurs toward achieving greatness.

For founders navigating the complexities of launching and scaling businesses, investing in mentorship — whether through books, networking or direct coaching — is one of the most valuable decisions they can make. The insights gained from leaders like these can provide the strategic advantage needed to build resilient, innovative and highly successful ventures.

Business partnerships can be a double-edged sword. At their best, they create dynamic, inspiring opportunities for two people to combine their strengths and resources — achieving more together than they could alone. However, not all partnerships are created equal. The wrong collaboration can be costly, derailing even the most promising ventures.

Red flags such as a lack of professionalism, a questionable track record or lofty promises can all signal trouble down the road. To avoid unpleasant surprises, it’s critical to find collaborators who are not only compatible but also trustworthy. Here are three strategies to guide you when evaluating potential partners before making a commitment.

Related: 8 Critical Considerations for Choosing the Right Business Partner

1. Vet their track record

Before partnering with someone, take the time to understand their work history, including their professional achievements and any challenges they’ve faced. Their past can offer vital insights into their reliability and consistency.

Start with references — think of this process like a job interview. Verify their professional background and ask for examples of past collaborations. Then, connect directly with their former business partners to gather honest feedback about their working style. Be upfront about your intentions, explaining that you’re doing due diligence to build a strong foundation.

Be sure to ask the right questions. I always ask, “Why did your previous partnerships end?” Often, I hear reasonable explanations, but sometimes I notice patterns of blame-shifting or deflection. Be wary of vague responses, as they can indicate future issues.

Document these conversations and look for patterns. Are they consistently professional when discussing past partners? Do they take ownership of their role in both successes and failures? When they can openly discuss past experiences, acknowledge mistakes and explain lessons learned, this often demonstrates the kind of self-awareness and professionalism that you want to have moving forward.

Additionally, investigate their digital footprint. Search for reviews, public records or any mentions of unethical behavior. A solid online presence can validate a partner’s claims, while gaps may warrant further investigation. A lack of information isn’t always a dealbreaker, but it’s worth investigating further.

Sometimes, the search comes up short. In those cases, I lean on my intuition. Trusting your gut can be just as important as factual research when vetting a potential partner.

Related: 5 Characteristics to Look for in a Business Partner

2. Observe their actions

While past performance offers crucial insights, equally telling is how potential partners conduct themselves in current interactions. After all, their everyday behaviors provide a real-time preview of what working together might look like. Observe how they handle text and email channels, meet deadlines and handle requests. This will give you an idea of their priorities and reliability.

When evaluating communication styles, look for alignment between yours and their methods. I once worked with someone who used rapid-fire, brief text messages to communicate. These were one to three words long, and they would sometimes send 10 notifications in a row. As someone who prefers detailed emails, I found their messaging style cryptic. Despite efforts to adapt, our varied styles led to confusion and frustration.

Additionally, pay attention to their response times and attention to detail. Many professionals prioritize timely communication, whether through messages or calls. If you’re observing consistent delays or incomplete answers, consider whether your professional standards align.

I find it helpful to set clear expectations. To avoid miscommunication, I include specific calls to action in my messages, such as “Please confirm” or “Reply by the end of the day.” Another strategy I find effective is numbering each request or discussion point in my messages. When points are grouped into a single block of text, important requests can get lost. This structured approach ensures nothing gets overlooked and makes it easier for partners to provide focused responses to each item.

Related: 3 Rules We Broke to Establish Trust in Our Business Partnerships

3. Evaluate verbal cues

Beyond observing their professional habits, I’ve found that the way potential partners communicate — particularly their choice of words and responses to direct questions — reveals volumes about their trustworthiness and commitment level. Watch for those who make lofty promises or dodge direct questions. Do they walk their talk? Observe reliability patterns by assessing how their words align with actions. If their statements sound more like fantasies than grounded plans, consider it a warning sign that they might not deliver on their commitments.

Document your conversations carefully to track these patterns. As someone who is legally blind, I use a recorder to capture discussions and catch details that might be unclear in the moment. Whether through recordings (with permission) or detailed meeting notes followed by email recaps, maintaining clear records helps ensure accountability and prevents misunderstandings about what was discussed or promised.

Pay special attention to how potential partners handle direct questions. Rather than filling awkward silences or accepting vague responses, let them lead the conversation. I avoid yes-or-no questions, instead asking open-ended ones like “Why do you want to collaborate?” Their ability — or inability — to provide clear, thoughtful answers often determines whether I move forward. Evasive responses or consistently unrealistic projections typically signal that it’s better to step back from the collaboration.

Building successful business partnerships is an art and a science. While thorough vetting provides the foundation, watching for consistent professionalism in day-to-day interactions reveals a potential partner’s true nature. As someone who relies heavily on verbal communication, I’ve learned that how people express their vision and handle direct questions often predicts their long-term reliability. The key is maintaining a balanced perspective: remain open to opportunities while conducting proper due diligence.

Remember, finding the right business partner goes beyond complementary skills — it’s about aligning with someone who shares your standards for transparency, communication and mutual respect. When you evaluate potential partners through these three lenses — past performance, present behavior and verbal consistency — you can protect yourself from costly missteps while setting the stage for truly transformative partnerships. Approach each potential collaboration with both optimism and discernment and, with the right partner, your business can achieve extraordinary growth and create lasting value.

Are you looking for a franchise opportunity in the food category with a well-established brand? Look no further than Schlotzsky’s, a pioneering fast-casual restaurant franchise renowned for its unique, freshly baked sandwiches and robust business model.

What makes Schlotzsky’s stand out?

• Established Brand: Founded in 1971, Schlotzsky’s has built a loyal customer base across the U.S. with over 320 locations.

• Innovative Menu: Enjoy a diverse menu featuring oven-baked sandwiches, specialty pizzas, and fresh salads, all made with bold flavors and fresh ingredients.

• Comprehensive Support: As part of Focus Brands, you’ll benefit from extensive marketing, operational support, and strategic supply chain management.

Key Facts:

• Net Worth Requirement: $1 million

• Cash Requirement: $300,000

• Minimum Initial Investment: $634,165

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis’s AI journey had an unexpected start: his early mastery of chess.

Years before Hassabis would receive the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for creating an AI program that predicted protein structures, he was a child chess champion who started playing the game at the age of four. By age 13, he was a chess master competing against adults in international competitions.

In a lecture earlier this month at the University of Cambridge, Hassabis, now 48, explained that chess got him “thinking about thinking itself” or exploring the mental processes behind complex thoughts.

“How does our mind come up with these plans, these ideas?” Hassabis asked. “Perhaps more fascinating to me than the games I was playing was the actual mental process behind it.”

Related: Google Is Paying $2.7 Billion to Reportedly Rehire an Early Employee Who Built an AI Chatbot Before ChatGPT

Hassabis’ first exposure to programming as a child was through an electronic chess computer, a physical board capable of playing chess against a human player. Though Hassabis was meant to test out different chess strategies on the computer, he was more interested in how the computer worked and how someone had programmed it to play chess.

“I remember being fascinated by the fact that someone had programmed this lump of inanimate plastic to play chess really well against you,” Hassabis said. “I was really fascinated by how that was done and how someone could program something like that.”

In his early teens, Hassabis began trying to build AI programs himself on an early home computer, the Amiga 500. From then on, he “was hooked” on AI and decided to spend his entire career making advances in the field.

^{Demis Hassabis. Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images}

Hassabis co-founded AI company DeepMind in 2010, and it was acquired by Google in 2014 for more than $500 million. He later invented AlphaZero in 2017, an AI algorithm that needed only the rules of chess and four hours of playing against itself to become the strongest chess player ever, beating human chess masters.

Hassabis was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2024 with fellow laureate and DeepMind director John Jumper for creating an AI model, AlphaFold2, that accurately predicted the complex structures of almost all 200 million proteins, each within minutes. The AlphaFold Protein Structure Database, which makes these protein structures freely available, has reached over two million users in 190 countries, helping pave the way for advanced research in areas like Parkinson’s treatments and antibiotic resistance.

Related: Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin Is Back at the Company ‘Pretty Much Every Day.’ Here’s What He’s Working On.

Hassabis pointed out in his Cambridge lecture that it takes an average of 10 years, plus billions of dollars, to create a new drug. According to the London School of Economics and Political Science, the average cost of developing a drug ranges from $314 million to $2.8 billion.

In the lecture, Hassabis touched on the possibility of developing drugs more quickly and cheaply using AI, “from potentially years down to minutes and seconds.”

Hassabis told DeepMind employees in London earlier this month that he thinks artificial intelligence will become more intelligent than human beings within the next decade.

Entrepreneurs are famous for their ability to work long hours as they tirelessly build their companies, especially in the early stages of a startup. Excitement, passion and a healthy dose of caffeine are often enough to keep an entrepreneur powering ahead. While burning the midnight oil might be sustainable for a short time, entrepreneurs can quickly become overwhelmed with balancing financial stress and a mountain of administrative tasks. This can lead to decreased productivity, loss of excitement for the business, missed opportunities, decline in quality and financial instability.

For this reason, it’s important for small business owners to recognize when it’s time to start getting tasks off their plate and seek additional help. This is especially true if you are a solopreneur who is actively looking to scale your business beyond what you can handle personally.

Related: Learning to Let Go of Control and Delegate Can Be Hard. Here Are 3 Components to Make It Easier.

Automation, outsourcing and recruitment — Oh my!

The good news is that there are plenty of options to help you optimize your business and reclaim your most valuable asset — your time. With additional bandwidth, you can put effort into other high-value activities like sales or strategic planning. The challenge can be deciding which option is right for the job.

The first option any entrepreneur should explore is automation. This is typically the easiest and lowest-cost option. Many of the business programs or software available today come equipped with some form of automation. For example, you can set up filters that reduce the amount of time you spend sifting through email or install a chatbot that answers customer questions on your social media. Automation is typically best for simple, repetitive tasks — however, artificial intelligence is quickly getting better at performing complex tasks.

The next option is outsourcing. This can be more expensive than automation but is typically cheaper than hiring an employee. Outsourcing is best when you have a specialized task, especially if it isn’t a full-time job. For example, you may want to outsource bookkeeping instead of struggling to understand the complexities of accounting. This can save on frustration if accounting isn’t your expertise and doesn’t require the same commitment as hiring a permanent team member.

You may reach a point where it’s critical to recruit and hire full-time employees. This can be expensive due to the associated costs of payroll taxes, training, equipment and benefits. However, hiring employees gives the entrepreneur more control and ensures they are dedicated to the task at hand and not split across a number of clients like outsourced labor.

Related: How I Transformed My Business by Letting Go of Low-Value Tasks and Focusing on High-Impact Activities

Avoiding the common objections from entrepreneurs

Getting additional help is easier said than done. Let’s face it. Entrepreneurs can be quite stubborn when it comes to letting go of control of their “baby.” There are a lot of misconceptions that hold entrepreneurs back from getting the additional support they need to supercharge their business.

“Hiring employees is too expensive”

Hiring employees is no doubt one of the most expensive parts of operating a business. While hiring an employee may be a shock to the wallet initially, it may come with financial benefits to offset this expense. For example, hiring a new team member to process orders from existing customers may free up time to work on new business pursuits, ultimately growing your revenue and profit. At the end of the day, you have to decide if the benefit outweighs the cost. This is why it’s always best to look at automation and outsourcing before committing to the responsibility of hiring a full-time employee.

“No one can do it as well as me”

There may be some truth to this sentiment. As an entrepreneur, you’ve poured blood, sweat and tears into the business. But you shouldn’t let being a control freak hold you back from reaching your business’s full potential. Consider this: Nearly every major company has had to overcome this challenge at some point. Do you think Jeff Bezos would have been able to grow Amazon beyond his garage if he decided to do everything himself? Not a chance.

The reality is that others may not do as good of a job, and that’s okay. Your objective as the business owner should be to try and help your team understand how to perform the work to your standards. One of the best ways to do this is by having clear processes and workflows for them to follow to ensure it’s done exactly how you would do it yourself.

“I don’t have time to train someone”

Passing a task to another person or setting up an automation does require an initial investment of time. However, the long-term efficiency can be enormous. The good news is that you don’t have to boil the entire ocean at once. Instead, start small and iterate on your delegation process. As you free up a little time, you can then use that time savings to implement new time-saving tasks. The best solution is to focus on the highest impact or most time-consuming activities first rather than things that will provide little benefit.

Related: Hiring vs. Outsourcing: How to Recognize the Right Moment to Add Talent to Your Team

Ultimately, building and scaling a successful business requires entrepreneurs to swallow their pride from time to time and get the additional help and support they need to be successful. By creating optimizations through automation and delegation, you can grow your business without the crushing stress of having to do it all.

Warren Buffett has been trying to give away $1 million to an employee of Berkshire Hathaway during the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament — for at least a decade.

Buffett, 94, previously told The Wall Street Journal that the company made it easier than ever this year because he wants to see the money finally won.

Related: ‘We Made It Easier This Year Than Ever’: Warren Buffett Says He ‘Hopes’ He Can Finally Give Away $1 Million for March Madness

“I’m getting older,” he told the outlet. “I want to give away a million dollars to somebody while I’m still around as chairman.”

Well, it turns out that 2025 was the year.

The WSJ reports that Buffett’s office bracket was won by an employee of FlightSafety International, a Berkshire subsidiary. The winner asked to be anonymous.

This year’s rules stated that if an entrant picked at least 30 of the tournament’s 32 first-round game winners, they’ll get the cool million. In the past, employees needed a perfect first-round bracket (which is the reason for no past winners).

But Marc Hamburg, Berkshire’s chief financial officer, told the WSJ that 12 brackets actually had 31 of the 32 first-round games correct this year. So it went to a tiebreaker to see which bracket went the longest without a loss. The winner called the first 29 games in a row correctly.

“I feel good that we sort of hit the sweet spot on this one,” Buffett told the WSJ.

The runners-up (all 11) get $100,000 each.

Buffett said he doesn’t know the name of the winner of the $1 million prize and was told the person doesn’t want to be publicly identified.

Related: Worried About the Market? Here’s How Warren Buffett, Ray Dalio, and Harvard University Protect Their Portfolios

I never thought parenting and startups had much in common until I found myself navigating both at the same time. As a mom and a person in the tech space who has built products at PayPal and Ford, my job has always been hyper-focused on solving problems.

However, launching an app designed to help families streamline household management showed me something I did not expect: running a startup and raising a child are really similar.

Both require patience, adaptability and the ability to function under extreme uncertainty. Both demand that you make decisions with incomplete data, trust your instincts and learn from constant failures. And just like parenting, building a startup forces you to think beyond yourself because, ultimately, it’s not about what you want; it’s about creating something that helps others solve problems.

Related: 5 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Glean From Their Kids’ K-12 Teachers

Lesson 1: Structure creates freedom

When I became a single mom, I had to figure out how to juggle work, my daughter’s schedule and the emotional new reality of having less support. I needed a system to replace the mental load of managing everything alone. This is a problem many parents — and moms in particular — are faced with: this hidden mental load. That’s what led me to build my smart family management app that helps parents organize chores, schedules and household responsibilities.

In parenting, structure gives kids the predictability they need to feel secure. The same is true in a startup. Without structure, chaos is a given. At my startup, we had to create a system where our small team could move fast without stepping on each other’s toes. We set up clear communication protocols, consistent sprint cycles and defined success metrics. This didn’t limit creativity but actually encouraged it.

I’ve come to see structure not as a constraint but as a tool for empowerment. The more predictable the foundation, the more room there is for flexibility where it counts.

Lesson 2: Iteration is the way

When my daughter was little, I worried a lot about getting parenting “right.” I read the books, sought advice and agonized over decisions. But the truth is, parenting isn’t a linear path, instead it’s a series of constant adjustments. What works one year might not work the next. Kids evolve, and you have to evolve with them. A lot like software!

Startups are no different. When we first launched our app, I had a clear vision of how it would function. But once real parents started using it, I realized we had built the wrong thing in several ways. We had assumed too much. Our first chore management system was rigid and didn’t account for how different families operate. Parents wanted more customization, and kids wanted more gamification. We had to tear it apart and rebuild it based on actual user behavior.

The lesson? Perfection is a myth. You have to build, release, test and refine — over and over again. Whether it’s an app or a child, the goal isn’t to get it “right” from the start but to keep improving as you go.

Related: This Overlooked Principle Is the Key to Startup Success

Lesson 3: You always need a village

I used to believe I had to handle everything myself, both at home and at work. That’s a lie too many of us, especially women, tell ourselves.

As a parent, I learned the hard way that trying to do everything alone is a fast track to burnout. I had to learn to delegate, to trust my daughter to take on more and more responsibilities, and to lean on my support network.

That mindset shift carried over into my startup. At first, I tried to be everywhere at the same time: handling product, marketing, fundraising and user support. It wasn’t sustainable. Learning to trust my team, delegate responsibilities and bring in experts where needed didn’t just make the company run better; it made me a better leader.

I also think this applies to your co-founder. It’s important to find a co-founder whose vision and company values meet your own because they will also be part of your village.

Startups and families both thrive when responsibility is shared. No one person can, or should, carry the full weight.

Lesson 4: Emotional resilience for the win

Startups are an emotional rollercoaster, and so is parenting (especially during the teen years!). You can have a great week where everything clicks, only to be thrown into chaos by something unexpected.

The solution in both cases? Resilience and sticktoitiveness.

I’ve had moments as a founder where I thought, I am not good at this! How do I solve this problem I know nothing about? I’ve had moments as a mom where I thought, I have no idea what I’m doing. But I’ve learned that tough moments pass. The way forward is to keep going, even when you don’t have all the answers.

Resilience isn’t about never failing; it’s about adapting to failure without losing your sense of purpose.

Related: How Can a Working Mother Be Successful These Days? 6 Strategies for Success as an Entrepreneur and Parent

Lesson 5: The mission matters a lot

At some point, both in parenting and in startups, you have to let go of your ego. It’s not about you; it’s about the people you’re serving, the users or customers.

As a parent, my job isn’t to raise a child who reflects me — it’s to raise a child who becomes their own person. With my startup, my goal isn’t to build the app I want; it’s to build something that genuinely helps families. The best ideas often come not from what I think should exist but from what users tell me they need.

A founder’s job, like a parent’s, is to create something that outlives them. To set something in motion, nurture it, and eventually, let it grow beyond them.

Building a new tool has made me a better parent. Parenting has made me a better founder. Both roles have forced me to be adaptable, embrace imperfection and put mission above ego.

If you’re a founder, take a lesson from parenting: structure creates freedom, iteration is key and resilience is your greatest asset. And if you’re a parent, take a lesson from startups: let go of perfection, build systems that work for you and don’t be afraid to pivot when needed.

Whether you’re raising a child or a company, the real goal is the same: to create something meaningful, something that lasts, and something that makes the world a little better than you found it.

Email marketing revenue is set to hit $13.6 billion this year – proof that email remains a powerhouse. If email is a priority for your business, you’re on the right track. But to make the most of its potential, there’s one thing you can’t afford to overlook: the health of your email list.

Over the past year, at least 28% of your database may have degraded, the latest ZeroBounce report shows. After analyzing more than 10-plus billion email addresses, my team found that invalid emails are still the biggest driver of data decay – accounting for 2.5 billion addresses. Other risky contacts, such as spam traps and temporary emails, also played a significant role in eroding list quality.

Why focus on the quality of your email list

Growing your list of contacts is worth every effort. Expanding your audience helps you reach more potential customers and increase revenue, but only if those contacts are valid. A bloated list filled with bad data means:

• Many of your emails will bounce back and hurt your sender’s reputation.
• You’ll lose trust with inbox providers, which measure metrics like bounce rates to gauge your legitimacy.
• Your emails can start landing in the spam folder.

If you worry that your database may be hurting your email marketing efforts, here’s how to fix it – and keep poor-quality contacts from creeping in.

Plan regular email list cleanings

If you haven’t verified your email list in the past three months, now’s the time. Running your contacts through an email verification platform helps you remove outdated addresses, protects your sender reputation and improves engagement. Inactive or invalid emails hurt your metrics, take up storage space and inflate costs.

Make list cleaning a habit by scheduling it at least once a quarter – and set reminders to stay on track. Your inbox placement (and budget) will thank you.

Check new signups more carefully

Aside from validating your list once a quarter, you can take an extra step to ensure every new contact is genuine. Adding an automatic email checker to your signup forms helps block fake and invalid email addresses before they enter your database. This simple safeguard keeps your list clean in real time and reduces bounces.

Want fewer spam signups and stronger email performance? Filter bad addresses at the door.

Related: How to build a healthy, thriving email list

Keep signup forms secure

Use CAPTCHA to prevent bots from flooding your list with junk emails. Without this extra layer of security, you risk gathering fake signups that inflate your list but never engage. CAPTCHA is a simple test — like selecting images or checking a box — that helps weed out bots.

Your email marketing platform may offer built-in CAPTCHA, or you can use Google’s reCAPTCHA to protect your forms. It’s a small step that makes a big difference in keeping your database free of fake and harmful emails.

Always ask for permission

If you want a healthy, high-performing email list, buying one is out of the question. So is adding contacts without their consent. Even your own customers need to opt in before you email them. Otherwise, you risk compliance violations and spam reports, which damage your reputation and can ban you from the inbox.

Permission-based marketing helps you get higher engagement and stronger relationships with your customers. If they didn’t ask to hear from you, they probably won’t respond well to your emails.

Delete unresponsive contacts

Have certain prospects stopped opening your emails? If so, they’re probably no longer interested in your offers, which is the best-case scenario. The worst? Their email addresses may have been abandoned, and email providers regularly purge inactive accounts. Why risk a high bounce rate since those contacts have already stopped engaging?

To protect your sender reputation and keep your metrics strong, segment and remove unresponsive contacts every six months. Set a reminder to clean out these dormant emails before they start hurting your deliverability.

Related: 3 Things to Know Before Cleaning Your Email List

Content quality matters, too

All these proactive steps help you maintain a healthy email list — some with near-instant results. But list hygiene alone isn’t enough. If your emails don’t add value to people’s lives, even real, engaged subscribers will start tuning out.

When your audience stops engaging, inbox providers pick up on the signals. Low open rates, poor click-through rates, and unsubscribes are red flags to Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook. Over time, a decline in your metrics can push your emails farther from the inbox and hurt your ability to reach your audience.

Beyond removing obsolete and fake contacts, keeping your list engaged means consistently sending useful, interesting content. Whether it’s insightful tips, exclusive offers, or industry updates, make sure every email gives people a reason to open, read, and stay subscribed.

The most effective professionals don’t just say what comes to mind the moment they think of it. Instead, they pause to make sure the right thing is said by the right person at the right time. In fast-moving discussions, that brief moment of reflection can mean the difference between a rushed comment and a truly valuable contribution.

A striking 63% of employees say their voices have been ignored by their manager or employer, a disconnect that can have devastating effects on retention. Even more concerning, 34% of employees would rather quit or switch teams than voice their genuine concerns with management, according to The Workforce Institute. When leaders prioritize active listening and create space for meaningful dialogue, they build stronger teams, improve engagement and reduce costly turnover.

That’s the power of the W.A.I.T. framework — short for “Why Am I Talking?” It’s not about staying silent; it’s about creating space for better dialogue, sharper ideas and stronger relationships. By learning to pause before speaking, professionals at any level — whether with colleagues, subordinates or superiors — can drive more productive conversations, ensure key voices are heard and strengthen workplace dynamics.

Related: How Talking Less and Listening More Builds Your Business

Intentional speech fosters stronger leadership

Speaking more doesn’t always mean communicating better. Professionals who dominate conversations risk diluting their message and stifling valuable input from others. I learned this lesson the hard way early in my career. In my eagerness to close a deal, I kept talking — only to realize I had talked my way out of the sale. That experience stuck with me, teaching me that sometimes the most powerful move in a conversation is knowing when to stop talking.

The W.A.I.T. framework helps professionals communicate with purpose. Before speaking, ask yourself:

• Does it need to be said? Not everything that comes to mind adds value. Taking a moment to evaluate whether a comment contributes to the discussion can keep conversations focused and effective.

• Does it need to be said now? Timing matters. A point raised at the wrong moment might derail the conversation instead of enhancing it. Waiting until the right time can lead to greater impact.

• Does it need to be said by me? Sometimes, the most important contribution isn’t speaking but making space for the right person to share. When professionals wait to speak, they create an opportunity for better ideas, stronger insights or the right stakeholder to weigh in.

When you ask yourself, “Why am I talking?” (W.A.I.T.), you don’t just automatically pause — you create time for the conversation to evolve. If the point truly needs to be made, it may arise naturally from someone else. And if it doesn’t, you now have the time to follow up afterward to help shape the narrative in a more strategic way. Or perhaps you can ask a question to the right expert in the room to answer.

The late Larry King, one of the most respected interviewers of all time, understood the power of listening better than most. Rather than dominating conversations, he mastered the art of asking thoughtful questions and letting his guests speak — a skill every leader can learn from. As King put it, “I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening.” This mindset is just as critical in leadership as it is in journalism. When executives speak less and listen more, they gain valuable insights, build trust and create a culture where employees feel heard.

Related: The 4 Levels of Listening: Why Every Good Entrepreneur Should Talk Less

Pausing creates space for innovation and collaboration

The moments between words are just as important as the words themselves. When professionals allow for pauses during conversations, they create room for others to contribute, fostering a more inclusive and innovative environment. I learned this firsthand when working with a leader who rarely spoke in meetings, but when he did, his words carried weight. His quiet presence and well-timed contributions earned him influence, proving that leadership isn’t about talking the most — it’s about making each word count. Inspired by his approach, I shifted my communication style, focusing on listening first and speaking with greater intention.

Sheldon Yellen, CEO of BELFOR, champions this approach, emphasizing that great leaders “listen twice as much as they talk.” By intentionally stepping back, executives encourage diverse perspectives to emerge, leading to more creative solutions and stronger team buy-in. Companies prioritizing this kind of communication — such as Pixar, known for its collaborative “braintrust” meetings — often see greater innovation and team cohesion.

One extreme practice of a pause in meeting conversations happened when Jeff Bezos at Amazon implemented “silent meetings,” where executives spend the first 30 minutes reading a well-structured, written memo in silence before discussing a decision. This practice forces deeper thinking, eliminates knee-jerk reactions and ensures that ideas are fully considered rather than rushed responses dominating the conversation.

Self-awareness strengthens team dynamics

Beyond refining personal speech habits, W.A.I.T. helps professionals develop self-awareness, a key trait for fostering trust and engagement within teams. Effective communication isn’t just about what is said but also how it is received. Those who pause to consider their tone, timing and audience create a culture of respect and engagement where employees feel valued and heard.

I learned this lesson when leading a team early in my career. I believed I was being clear and direct, but a trusted colleague pulled me aside and told me my communication style sometimes came across as overpowering. Instead of fostering collaboration, I was unknowingly shutting people down. That feedback was tough to hear, but it changed everything. From that point on, I focused on asking more questions, actively listening and ensuring every team member had space to contribute.

A practical way to implement W.A.I.T. is by setting intentional “listening goals.” For instance, professionals can challenge themselves to speak last in meetings, allowing team members to share their perspectives first. This ensures that a range of voices are heard and helps team members refine their contributions by incorporating insights from others. Over time, this practice fosters a culture of mutual respect and collaborative decision-making.

Related: How to Develop Self-Awareness and Become a More Conscious and Effective Leader

W.A.I.T. before you speak and watch your leadership improve

Mastering communication isn’t about saying more — it’s about saying what matters when it counts and ensuring others are heard. The W.A.I.T. framework offers a practical way for professionals to cultivate intentional speech, foster innovation through silence and strengthen team relationships with greater self-awareness.

By embracing pauses and practicing restraint, professionals create an environment where their words carry more impact, their colleagues feel more valued and their conversations become more meaningful. In the workplace, words are powerful — but sometimes, their absence speaks volumes.