If you’ve ever planned an international trip only to realize that your passport was expired, you know the agony of getting it renewed in person.

But now there’s good news. On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department launched a beta program that offers U.S. citizens the option to renew their passports online.

Related: Rich Americans Getting Secondary Passports in Record Numbers

“The goal of online passport renewal is to save Americans time and effort, making it more convenient to renew their U.S. passports,” a senior State Department official told ABC News.

The government will begin allowing a small number of people to apply to the online portal each day with plans to slowly ramp up the daily number as the system works itself out.

Not everyone is eligible to apply, however.

To try the system, hopeful applicants must be at least 25 years old and have a U.S. passport issued between 2009 and 2015. The passport must also have been valid for at least 10 years. Applicants also can’t have any international travel planned for at least eight weeks from when their application is submitted.

Expedited online service will not be available.

Related: Teen Booted From Flight Over 1-Centimeter Tear in Passport

The beta program is expected to run during the “coming months” with no specific timeline. State officials noted that once a new application is submitted, the person’s current passport will be deemed invalid.

As the system currently stands, the average wait time to renew a U.S. passport is between six and eight weeks, or two to three weeks for those paying extra for expedited service.

Unless you’ve been living under that proverbial rock, you’ve heard of ChatGPT and its creator, OpenAI. Part of the generative AI explosion, ChatGPT is revolutionizing entire industries, including branding and brand positioning. But it’s not without its drawbacks.

Some of the milder criticisms include creating generic content, not supporting brand voice or tone and failing to connect with audiences. Those are pretty dramatic disadvantages for a technology that’s supposed to be such a game changer, and they’re stumbling blocks you’ve probably encountered in your own use of AI.

There’s good news. A custom GPT lets you take AI to the next level. You can say goodbye to generic, boring copy and hello to brand-aligned, customized content that engages from the start.

Related: 5 Ways ChatGPT Can Help Your Business

What is a Custom GPT?

A custom GPT is the next step in AI evolution, at least for individuals and organizations looking to build their brand and enhance brand awareness with their audience. It’s a free option available for anyone who subscribes to ChatGPT Plus and essentially allows you to create a customized AI that knows everything about you and your business.

Rather than using conventional training materials, the OpenAI team uses your branding information to train the AI. The result? A customized version of ChatGPT that’s unique to your brand.

Related: How Generative AI Will Revolutionize The Future of Your Brand

The proof is in real-world experience

In the ever-evolving entrepreneurship landscape, I recently had the privilege of incorporating a custom ChatGPT into my toolkit. Created by a skilled team, this AI marvel was trained with insights from my articles and branding advice and attuned to my unique tone of voice. I was thrilled to discover that it could perfectly emulate my style (professional yet approachable and friendly) and provide branding advice that I would have given myself.

Why would I want to let AI replace me? Am I planning for my own obsolescence? Not in the least.

The goal here is to create an ally in sharing my expertise — an AI-powered alter ego capable of responding to questions, comments, and requests in the same way I would. It’s also an important tool for providing potential new clients with a preview of what working with me is like.

How did the experiment pan out? What benefits did I achieve, and how might you apply them to your own needs? Here’s a quick rundown of my experience.

Improved brand consistency

A custom GPT’s primary advantage is its ability to ensure brand consistency across different touchpoints. Whether people seek advice, ask questions or want to engage in another way, a custom GPT mirrors your brand’s unique voice and identity. These are not generic robots; they’re tailored allies designed to respond in the same tone of voice and style, aligning seamlessly with your brand. This not only strengthens your brand image but also cultivates a deeper connection with your audience.

Effortless communication

With my custom GPT taking care of everyday questions, I’ve gained valuable time to focus on the core aspects of my business. That’s something any business owner can appreciate. It has also become instrumental in smoothing out communication and enhancing overall efficiency.

When it comes to client relationships, the custom ChatGPT handles routine inquiries, allowing me to concentrate on building stronger connections. It’s not just about answering questions; it’s about providing a personal touch that goes beyond the basics, ensuring clients feel genuinely attended to.

Instant expertise at scale

Scaling my entrepreneurial efforts became seamless as my custom ChatGPT effortlessly shares branding advice derived from and consistent with my body of work across platforms. Whether interacting with one client or a hundred, the AI manages to deliver advice and guidance consistent with my goals in terms of professionalism and expertise. That’s good news for business owners, entrepreneurs and others trying to scale their brands without burning out.

Dynamic adaptability to trends

The world is evolving faster than ever. It feels impossible to keep up with trends and shifting market dynamics. However, my custom GPT can be retrained with new data and instructions so I can keep ahead of the curve. That’s an important benefit for anyone hoping to stay relevant today.

Related: How ChatGPT Will Dramatically Change the Influencer Space

Time-saving creative sparks

ChatGPT doesn’t just answer questions; it sparks creativity. Whether you’re stuck on a branding concept or seeking inspiration to name your new business venture, the AI’s unique insights and suggestions serve as a springboard for creative endeavors, accelerating the ideation process. This can be an important advantage when it comes to creating marketing collateral, content for your audience and even writing a business plan to get your idea off the ground.

The team you’ve been missing

Entrepreneurs and solopreneurs often try to do it all. Chances are good that you handle your own marketing, market research, customer support, email correspondence, and more. That leaves little time to focus on other aspects, like spending time with family and friends. A custom GPT can become the team you’ve been missing and handle those tasks for you in many cases, saving you time, cutting costs and protecting your sanity.

In essence, a custom GPT acts as a force multiplier. It allows you to do more, from engaging with your audience to building a stronger brand without burning out. From streamlining communication to answering questions and providing guidance to interacting with leads at different touchpoints within your funnel, a custom GPT could be just what you need to jumpstart your success.

Related: What Does ChatGPT Mean for the Future of Business?

A global solution for leaders in the spotlight

For prominent figures like business leaders and public figures, managing a constant influx of inquiries can be overwhelming. A prime example is MarcGPT, tailored for Marc Randolph, the co-founder and first CEO of Netflix. Drawing from his wealth of experience, this custom GPT delivers inspiring and actionable advice for entrepreneurs, showcasing its potency as a valuable tool for leaders. It extends mentorship and offers insights on a global scale, reaching a diverse audience without the limitations of time zones or physical presence. Since it incorporates information from various sources, including a copy of his book, interviews, podcast episodes and other writings, it becomes a versatile asset for sharing expertise on various topics.

Embracing the AI revolution with caution

While the benefits of custom GPTs are evident, it’s essential to approach AI integration cautiously. Human-to-human interaction is always the preferred option. And while AI continues to evolve, it should be seen as an ally working alongside you, not a replacement for you. Maintaining the human touch within your business remains vital.

My recommendation? Use a custom GPT to help you carve out more time to do what you do best and to provide much-needed human interaction at key touchpoints. Let your AI handle mundane but important tasks that would not be a wise use of your own time and expertise.

Ultimately, a custom GPT can provide critical automation, reduce costs, improve efficiency, save you time, improve your customer or client experience and increase the accuracy of interactions. Creating one tailored to your business is the first step toward building a stronger, more resilient brand and achieving a better balance in your own professional life.

There are articles all over the internet about why consistent exercise can make you a more successful entrepreneur. Two of the main reasons are that exercise gives you more energy and stronger focus. Yoga is particularly well-known for increasing concentration. And now you can become a better entrepreneur through regular exercise with a one-year subscription to YogaDownload Unlimited; it’s currently on sale for only $22.97 through June 17.

Running your own business can be an extremely time-intensive enterprise, so it can often be difficult to work in a visit to the gym or an exercise class. Also, many entrepreneurs may not have the room or budget for exercise equipment at home. Fortunately, that’s no longer a problem. You can now become stronger, healthier, calmer, and more centered with YogaDownload Unlimited.

You’ll be able to access and download more than 1,500 of the top-rated yoga and fitness classes on the internet for a whole year, either on the website or with a mobile app. Plus, new classes are added every week. Also, classes are available for all levels, from beginning through advanced. The classes are designed specifically to be used at home.

YogaDownload arguably offers the most convenient and affordable way to enjoy all of yoga’s benefits and develop a consistent schedule whenever you like and wherever you are. It’s easy to see why YogaDownload Unlimited has an impressive average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot after more than 800 reviews.

One subscriber, Kristin, wrote, “I enjoy the variety of yoga practices that I have available to me. I feel like I am right there next to the instructor and that we know each other.”

Get a one-year subscription to YogaDownload Unlimited for only $22.97 through June 17.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

A popular beach on the West Coast will soon require visitors to make a reservation ahead of time due to overcrowding and an influx of tourists during peak season.

Beginning August 17 through October 13, Sand Harbor State Park, a part of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, will initiate a trial period requiring beachgoers to pre-register on weekends and holidays to be granted access to the beach.

Those wishing to make a reservation in advance will be charged a non-refundable $5 fee but same-day reservations will not be subjected to a fee, with the portal opening on July 1 for bookings this summer.

Related: One of the ‘Most Photographed’ Fall Farms Is Banning Visitors Due to an ‘Unprecedented Surge’ of Influencers

“This new system aims to reduce traffic congestion on Highway 28, improve trip planning and alleviate overcrowding,” Nevada State Parks’ education and information officer, Tyler Kerver, told ABC News. “This initial trial period will help staff and visitors adjust to the new procedures, with full implementation set for April 2025.”

The full rollout of the system in 2025 will allow visitors to make reservations for all seven days a week between April 15 and October 15.

Reservations are required between 7 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Anyone wishing to visit the beach after that time will be granted admission on a first come, first serve basis until the park reaches capacity and the parking lots are shut down.

Related: Venice, Italy to Charge 5 Euro Enter Fee for ‘Day Tourists’

The reservation system will be run through the Reserve Nevada portal, which is already in use to help campers across the state pre-reserve spots ahead of their trips.

According to the Nevada Division of State Parks, Sand Harbor recorded 365,000 visitors in 2012. Last year, the park counted 1.3 million visitors — an increase of over 250% and nearly 1 million visitors.

It’s estimated that 15 million people visit Lake Tahoe every year.

A house listed “for sale by owner” on Zillow for $10,200 saw a lot of interest from would-be buyers — except their house worth $1.2 million, and the real owners knew nothing about it until friends showed them the listing.

Jamey and Lauren Bertram own a 5,300-square-foot, five-bedroom ranch house in Kansas City that a third party recently listed on Zillow, complete with pictures, without their knowledge, according to The Kansas City Star.

Jamey Bertram told The Star on Friday that the house had “been hacked on Zillow” and that he had spent three days trying to fix the issue with “zero help from Zillow.”

Related: These States Have the Highest Hidden Home Ownership Costs

After getting past Zillow’s fraud detectors by setting the price of the home to its $1.2 million market value, the third-party scammers decreased the price to $10,200 and stated that the price was so low because they were trying “to bless a family” and get a tax break.

“Once a year we sell one or a few of our homes to first-time buyers for under $25,000,” the listing read. “This is done to bless a family or individual that needs it, but also as a tax write-off for us.”

When interested buyers called the number in the listing, they were told to send a refundable $200 deposit for a tour.

Bertram called the incident “a hot mess” and said he found out about the listing when friends emailed him about it. People were also just “showing up” at his front door and asking to see the house.

Related: I Made My Dream Home For Free With Architecture AI Vitruvius

Bertram and his wife bought the home in 2019 for close to $1 million.

Zillow said it had taken the listing down on Friday.

A Zillow study published last month showed that home prices in Kansas City were rising quickly, with the average home value at $236,292 — nearly 7% higher than last year.

Innovation starts with identifying the outcomes customers want to achieve — which is why most companies rely on modern tools and technologies to acquire vast amounts of customer information for creating personalized customer experiences.

You need your customers to share their details, including preferences, to ensure you create a seamless, engaging and personalized customer journey. However, this need is at odds with the growing concerns surrounding customer privacy. Now, more than ever, customers are growing increasingly protective of their personal data.

According to a survey conducted by Gartner, consumers are less comfortable with brands collecting other types of data, including browsing history. Only 27% of respondents feel comfortable sharing information pertaining to their employment, financial data and personal health.

Users know the risks associated with their personal information fueled by various privacy breaches, data thefts and increasing regulatory scrutiny. Hence, businesses striving to innovate and meet customer demands must navigate the complexities of privacy protection since customers trust brands that value their privacy security.

On the other hand, the stringent privacy regulations, including the GDPR and CCPA, are even more concerning. These regulations demand businesses to collect, store, and manage customer data securely. Failing to adhere may entitle the business to pay hefty fines and even reputational damages.

In a nutshell, if a business wishes to jump on the innovation bandwagon, it can’t ignore the inherent privacy risks, especially when collecting vast amounts of customer data. Let’s unpack why businesses must be more vigilant about customer data security and privacy when innovating and learn how to navigate this complex landscape.

Related: Why Your Company Needs to Rethink Its Purpose to Acquire Loyal Customers — And Drive More Sales.

Why you need to innovate with privacy on top of mind

Delivering seamless user experiences is vital, but ignoring privacy security wouldn’t please your users. Stats reveal that users worldwide are more concerned about their privacy than ever and wish to do more to protect it.

On the other hand, when we see things from an organization’s perspective, they have a typical mindset of invoking technology’s true potential to innovate for improving user experiences. However, ignoring privacy and security could be the worst strategy in today’s business landscape, especially when your customers know the importance of their privacy.

No matter how unreasonable it may seem to prioritize privacy in today’s world, where data-driven decisions dominate, embracing privacy protection can eventually open up new avenues for growth and innovation.

Users are more likely to engage with digital platforms and applications when they trust that their privacy is respected and their personal data is secure. They love to share personal information, along with their preferences and participate in innovative initiatives.

Consequently, a deeper understanding of user preferences and needs helps businesses develop effective and targeted innovations.

Why ignoring privacy regulations will spell trouble for your business

The relationship between innovation and privacy is quite evident. As organizations navigate their technological advancement journey, privacy regulations guide them toward a sustainable future where innovation does not affect or compromise users’ fundamental rights.

Whether it’s CCPA or GDPR, every regulation guards privacy rights and protects organizations from legal obligations. Furthermore, organizations that cater to customers across the globe shouldn’t ignore the importance of adhering to various data privacy regulations, as failing to do so may entitle them to pay hefty fines.

What’s worrisome is that if your organization’s reputation is tarnished for not adhering to global privacy compliances, your potential customers won’t trust you and will inch toward your competitors with all the necessary compliances in place.

And regarding innovation, you can freely collect essential information about users, and they won’t mind if you adhere to the latest data privacy and security regulations.

Strategies for privacy-driven innovation

1. Prioritizing a privacy-first mindset

Organizations that don’t prioritize privacy at every stage of their product development and innovation initiatives will not be able to win customer trust.

Hence, it’s essential to lay the foundation of your product by equally emphasizing privacy along with other aspects, including user experience, usability, compliance and marketing. Collaborating development, security, user experience and marketing teams to emphasize privacy security is perhaps the need of the hour for every business striving for success.

2. Prioritize transparency tactics — communicate clearly, win trust

If you establish clear communication with your customers regarding data collection, usage and protection, you can quickly win customer trust and loyalty. Most customers are reluctant to share their personal information just because they aren’t sure why an organization is demanding it in the first place.

Once they’re comfortable sharing essential information, you can use this data to drive meaningful innovation, such as offering personalized recommendations, suggesting products/services based on their preferences, and more.

3. Tap the potential of technology

Embracing cutting-edge privacy-enhancing tools and technologies can help you navigate your innovation journey seamlessly. Using robust privacy management tools, identity management platforms and multi-factor authentication can eventually help build lasting customer trust and loyalty.

Furthermore, using cloud platforms to scale rapidly would further enhance user experience without compromising security.

4. Optimize data collection

A data-minimization approach in which organizations collect only essential data and maximize its value helps deliver impactful results. Admit it: No innovation is possible without knowing what your customers want and their pain points. Effectively analyzing essential data can help boost targeted innovation efforts, ensuring impactful outcomes.

5. Skyrocket innovation with powerful partnerships

Last but not least, collaborating with privacy experts, regulatory bodies, and industry peers to exchange knowledge and best practices can accelerate your innovation efforts. Businesses can embark on an innovation journey flawlessly through collective support and expertise.

Related: This Unique Marketing Strategy Is Winning in 2024 — Here’s Why (and How You Can Implement It Successfully)

Navigating the nexus of innovation and privacy

While navigating the innovation landscape, organizations shouldn’t overlook the undeniable nexus between innovation and privacy. Hence, ignoring privacy while pursuing innovation could hamper customer trust and lead to legal obligations.

Emphasizing a privacy-first mindset, coupled with transparent communication and technological advancement, are undoubtedly pivotal strategies for unlocking the true potential of innovation while safeguarding customer privacy.

PDFs are a preferred document type in business for good reason. They don’t take up too much disk space, and they’re notably inflexible, which is a good thing when you don’t want someone to accidentally make unapproved changes. When you do need to make changes, however, that’s when they become a bit frustrating. And that’s why you need a tool like PDF Reader Pro.

PDF Reader Pro is trusted on 60 million devices worldwide and has earned sterling user reviews. On Software Advice, Capterra, and Get App, it has earned a 4.5/5-star rating. G2 has given it a 4.7/5-star rating. Those great reviews showcase just how easy to use and powerful PDF Reader Pro is.

Whether you need to edit or annotate PDFs, convert documents to or from PDFs in batches, get documents signed, and much more, PDF Reader Pro has you covered. It offers OCR tech to make PDFs searchable and easier to extract information from. You can redact information you don’t want others to read or password-protect and encrypt PDFs for added security.

PDF Reader Pro makes it simple to create fillable forms to gather information from customers or employees. It makes organizing PDFs as simple as splitting, merging, rotating, cropping, or deleting in just a few clicks. It’s truly an all-in-one PDF suite that will streamline how you work with PDFs.

Work smarter, not harder.

From June 11 through 11:59 p.m. PT on June 17, you can score one of these special discounts on a lifetime of PDF Reader Pro:

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has had a long relationship with the company — he’s served as CEO or interim CEO in three separate stints — and now she says that one of his biggest business mistakes was not taking advice from one of the most famous tech founders in history.

On the “Acquired” podcast last week, Schultz told hosts Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal about an intense conversation he had with Apple cofounder Steve Jobs in 2008 where Jobs suggested that he fire his entire executive team.

Related: Howard Schultz Is Stepping Down From the Starbucks Board Following His Third Stint as CEO. Meet His Replacement.

“I think there was a future meeting scheduled for Starbucks and Apple around mobile order and pay and other things,” Shultz said. “I was talking to him on the phone and I’m telling him what’s going on. He said, ‘You should come down.’ He had a whole thing about walking. He would go out and he’d walk around the building.”

So, Starbucks’ then-CEO took a trip to Apple’s HQ in Cupertino and that’s when Jobs dropped a bomb on him that he would never forget.

“I just told him all my problems, everything that was going on. He just stopped me and he said, this is what you need to do. He looked at me and he said, ‘You go back to Seattle and you fire everyone on your leadership team,'” Schultz recalled.

“I thought he was joking. I said, ‘What do you mean fire? What are you talking about? Fire everybody?’ He said, ‘I just told you. F-ing fire all those people.’ He’s screaming at me in my face.”

Schultz said he told the Apple CEO that there was no way he could fire his entire team, to which Jobs cautioned that if he didn’t, the entire team would be gone within six to nine months.

It turns out, that Jobs was correct.

“He was right. Except for one, the general counsel, they were all gone,” Schultz said. “I’ve talked to him since then — we were on stage together at an event. I told him they were all gone. He said ‘Well, you’re six months, nine months late, man. Think about all the things you could have done.'”

Schultz served as CEO of Starbucks from 1986 to 2000. He returned in 2008 and stayed through 2017. In 2022, once again he joined as interim CEO before now-CEO Laxman Narasimhan took over.

In September 2023, Schultz officially stepped down from the company’s Board of Directors. The company named him “lifelong Chairman Emeritus.”

“I look forward to supporting this next generation of leaders to steward Starbucks into the future as a customer, supporter, and advocate in my role as Chairman Emeritus,” Schultz said in a press release at the time.

Starbucks had a less-than-desirable fiscal Q1 2024 in the U.S. that missed analysts expectations, per CNBC. Globally, however, the coffee chain saw net sales in Q1 increase by 8% to $9.43 billion. Global same-store sales increased by 5%.

Related: Starbucks Adding Sound-Absorbing Ceilings For Quieter Stores

Starbucks was down just under 19% year over year as of Tuesday afternoon.

Erika Kullberg now has more than two million subscribers on YouTube and over 21 million followers across her social media accounts — but five years ago, she started off at zero subscribers, just like all new YouTube creators.

Kullberg makes personal finance videos for YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, with content focused on helping people get what they’re owed and sharing personal finance anecdotes from her own life, like why she quit a $250,000 job in corporate law.

She says of all the platforms she posts on, she makes the most money from YouTube.

Kullberg has made more than $353,000 from YouTube in the past five years, not including brand sponsorships and before taxes.

^{Credit: Erika Kullberg}

It took her about three months of posting one YouTube video per week to get her first thousand subscribers and qualify for monetization. That’s pretty fast: For reference, data on the VidIQ channel shows that it takes about 15.5 months on average for YouTubers to get monetized.

Related: Here’s How Much Popular Influencer Erika Kullberg Makes

Kullberg shared the secrets behind her YouTube channel’s fast track to growth in an interview with Entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur: Was there a mindset or anything you did strategically to help your channel stand out and get monetized?

Kullberg: When I first started YouTube, I committed to putting out one video per week for one year no matter what. Because what I see a lot of times for YouTube is people put out five videos and then they’re so discouraged that they’re not magically at a thousand subscribers after five videos that they just give up. So 52 videos. That was a big mindset thing.

Another thing that I did was study and analyze YouTube channels before I launched my own. I realized the importance of getting the right thumbnail and getting the right title. It also has to be a topic that you’re super passionate about.

It took me three months to hit a thousand subscribers and that was after putting in one video per week. For each video, I was spending 15 to 20 hours.

How could someone find a YouTube niche that can rapidly grow? Are there any tools or research tactics you’d recommend as they scope out the field?

For the niche, I’d say don’t base your content on what has the chance to rapidly grow. Base it off of what you’re passionate about. I do think a good metric to understand how large the potential market is seeing how large the biggest people in that niche are… that will give you a rough sense of how big the niche is.

And then if you’re specifically thinking about how to build money through YouTube, how to use it to either supplement your current income or eventually replace your income, I’d also be thinking about how profitable that niche could be, not just in YouTube ad revenue, which is one way to earn money, but in other opportunities too. Could you become an affiliate marketer?

If you’re a gardening channel, then you could promote gardening supplies and maybe earn a commission off of that. That’s affiliate marketing. So, thinking two steps ahead of what is the potential for me to not only grow this channel and get subscribers, but to make money.

Related: ‘Pay Off My Debt’ TikToker on Money Made, iCarly Inspiration

The YouTube search bar is your best tool. There are paid tools that YouTubers use. The three paid tools that come to mind are TubeBuddy, VidIQ, and then ViewStats.com.

What kind of preparation did you do before you posted your first video?

I analyzed what other videos were doing. One of the exercises I would recommend everyone do is to go find the people who are talking about the same thing that you want to talk to.

List them out and then go to their YouTube videos and sort by popular videos. That starts to give you an idea of what kind of viral topics there are in your videos.

At the point you’re at now, how do you make sure your channel keeps growing?

For me, I think naturally if you keep putting out content, it will keep growing. It may not always grow at the same pace. Like, for instance, in the personal finance space, if you want to get the most views, you need to talk about things that are trending and stay on top of the trendy topics.

But I’ve kind of shifted to a different direction with my channel, so I create content that I’m interested in talking about instead.

Related: Harnessing the Power of YouTube SEO — How to Rank Your Videos Higher and Gain More Subscribers

How do you balance YouTube and other ventures, like your legal tech startup Plug and Law?

Once you start making money for YouTube, you can figure out what you are uniquely positioned to do, and then what you can hire out.

So when I first started YouTube, I was practicing as a lawyer full-time, and doing YouTube as my side hobby for 20 hours a week on top of that.

^{Credit: Erika Kullberg}

I edited the first video myself and it took me 20 hours to learn how to edit. And then another 10 hours to edit that video. So then I hired an editor.

As I started to earn some income from YouTube, I was able to hire out different parts of it. So I was able to hire a person who designs thumbnails. I learned how to hire and delegate tasks. I have many people on my team now who help me, but it didn’t start that way.

You used to work in corporate law. What advice do you have for someone thinking about a career change?

Make sure you have enough money to do it. If you’re thinking about leaving or changing your career or quitting to become an entrepreneur, start saving up.

If you can start exploring your side hobby on the weekends, hopefully, that side hobby, as soon as it starts generating income regularly, can become your main thing and you can quit your job.

Do you ever regret leaving that corporate life behind?

I’ve never once regretted leaving the corporate world behind.

I became a lawyer because I wanted to help people, and I wanted to make a difference. But being a corporate lawyer didn’t fulfill that for me, and I didn’t love having my time dictated and controlled by a boss. I feel very, very lucky and I never regret taking the leap to be here. Leave behind the corporate life and the fancy paycheck.

^{Credit: Erika Kullberg}

Do you have any other advice for entrepreneurs who want to start and grow a YouTube channel?

I’d say be clear on your mission, understand the monetization route, understand that results are not going to be fast, it is probably going to take you twice as long to get to whatever subscriber count you’re hoping for, and so be patient and understand that it’s a lot of work.

To give context, I forget the exact numbers, but it took me three months to hit a thousand subscribers, it took me another three months to hit 2,000, and then in a month, between months five and six, I went from 2,000 to 52,000 subscribers, roughly, and made $20,000 that month from YouTube.

That was a combination of YouTube, ad revenue, affiliates, and sponsorships. So, you’re just one video away from changing the trajectory of your future. Be patient and don’t give up.

This interview has been cut and edited for clarity.

Email marketing is booming: last year, 52% of marketers said their campaign’s return on investment (ROI) doubled, while 5.7% of marketers experienced an ROI four times larger compared to 2022, a Statista report shows.

How can you create similar results for your business this year?

The effectiveness of email marketing comes down to a few key factors:

• Knowing your audience and its pain points and desires.
• Creating emails that respond to those specific needs.
• Getting your emails in the inbox, where your subscribers can interact with them.

As the CEO of a B2B email marketing company, I often hear from customers about their top challenges. A big one? Creating emails that really engage and drive results. Getting the content, length and audience targeting just right is tough.

Related: How to Get People to Open – And Read – Your Emails

Most of your prospects prefer shorter emails

If you’re struggling to make your emails more engaging, here’s an aspect you may be overlooking: just make them shorter. Recent data from a ZeroBounce report shows that 66% of consumers prefer short emails, and only 6% favor longer ones.

But keep this caveat in mind: For 28% of people, email length becomes irrelevant if the content is well-tailored to their needs and interests.

It’s no surprise that people prefer shorter marketing emails. When inboxes are clogged with messages, why would you opt for a long message instead of a quick note? Concise and direct emails respect your prospects’ time and have a higher chance of getting their attention. But while most people prefer brevity, the quality and relevance of your emails are what truly capture and retain interest.

The message is clear for the 28% who don’t mind the length: When an email resonates well with their needs or interests, they’re willing to invest more time, regardless of word count. This segment of your audience is receptive to more in-depth content that speaks directly to their challenges.

How to determine the right email length

So, how do you strike the right balance between brevity and substance? The key is to start with understanding your audience. Segment your email list based on behaviors, preferences and past interactions. This segmentation allows you to tailor your messages more precisely. Also, you probably send different types of emails. That aspect alone should guide your approach:

• Newsletters can be longer and cover several pieces of information in more depth.
• Drip campaigns can consist of a series of emails that gently push your prospects closer to a purchase. Those emails can be short — sometimes, a few lines followed by a call-to-action (CTA) is enough.
• Targeted campaigns, such as a discount or free offer, can have an engaging image paired with a couple of sentences and a catchy CTA button.

If you’re still unsure whether your email is too long, here are a few tips to save you time and make things easier.

Start with a clear goal

Every email should have a clear purpose. Whether it’s to inform, increase engagement or drive sales, your goal will dictate the necessary length. Don’t add fluff just to extend an email; keep it as long as necessary to fulfill its purpose.

Choose simplicity and clarity

Use simple language and clear CTAs. Marketing emails rarely benefit from any metaphors. Your email should guide readers smoothly from the opening line to the desired action without unnecessary detours.

Personalize to the last detail

Use what you know about your customers to tailor your emails. When marketing emails feel personal, people care more about the message and less about the length.

Test and adjust to what your audience likes

Studies can point you in the right direction in terms of consumer preferences, but only you can determine what your audience responds to the most. Before sending your next email, consider A/B testing different lengths. Then, analyze your metrics to see what performed best.

Improve your layout

Sometimes, the way information is presented can affect how we perceive the length of an email. Breaking text with relevant images or using bullet points can make longer emails appear more digestible and engaging.

Related: 4 Things You Can Automate in Your Email Marketing That Will Save You Time and Drive Sales

Ask your subscribers

Asking for opinions shows you care about serving your audience better, so why not include a poll in your next newsletter? Allow your subscribers to tell you how long they’d like your emails to be. Nothing beats direct customer feedback in helping you create more effective campaigns.

Bonus tips to increase email engagement

Here are a few extra tips to help your next emails get more clicks:

• Try to keep your subject lines between 30 and 50 characters. Not only will your subscribers process them faster, but keeping your subject lines short ensures they display well on all devices.
• Check your email list health to avoid bounces and the likelihood of landing in the spam folder.
• Assess your spam complaint rate – it should be under 0.1% to comply with Yahoo and Google’s new email-sending rules.

Also, remember your goal is to connect with your audience genuinely, no matter how many words it takes to get there. If your email ends up longer than you’d planned but addresses a topic many of your subscribers care about, don’t worry. Engaging content can often justify a longer read.