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Whether it’s important PDFs, presentations that you made for ongoing clients, or important contracts that would be detrimental to ongoing relationships if ever lost — there’s a lot of data your business needs to protect. That’s why it’s simply common practice for modern companies to have a number of verified and reliable cloud storage solutions.

If your team is in need of some space, here’s a great deal worth checking out. For a limited time only, you can get a lifetime subscription to 1TB of Koofr Cloud Storage for $119.97 (reg. $810) with code KOOFR. This single-payment deal features helpful access to a lot of space. A terabyte can hold roughly a quarter-million photos, 500 hours of HD video, and more than 6 million smaller file types like PDFs.

You can count on top-notch security when using Koofr because of advanced file encryption practices, the company says. They also have a zero-tracking policy, so you can rest assured that sensitive documents saved on Koofr will still remain private to your team or whoever you want to provide access to.

Koofr’s also great for companies because it’s compatible with other popular cloud accounts like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, so adding it to the mix should be easy.

For those who want a little more reassurance, just take a look at Koofr’s scores among the most reputable tech review sites out there, including a 4.6/5-star average on G2, Capterra, and GetApp.

Make sure to do your business a favor and secure this lifetime subscription to 1TB of Koofr Cloud Storage for $119.97 (reg. $810) with code KOOFR.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Over the past several years, inflation has affected everything in American consumerism, from grocery store prices to restaurant closures to wages.

Now, a new study is showing that inflation has even affected prices at the Happiest Place on Earth.

New data from Finance Buzz shows that prices for concessions at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, have increased an average of 61% over the past 10 years — more than the average increase in a single park ticket, which has gone up 56% over the past decade.

Related: A Fifth Walt Disney World Theme Park Could Be Coming Soon — Here’s What We Know

Some notable fan favorites have risen in price by a brow-raising amount, like the Dole Whip dessert, which has gone up 58%, and the iconic Mickey Mouse-shaped ice cream bar, which has increased 63% in the past 10 years.

The highest single item increase on the list is the bread service at Animal Kingdom restaurant Sanaa, which has more than doubled in price from $9.99 to $22 since 2014.

“Prices for every single item have risen by at least $1.50, with most going up by at least $2 since 2014,” Finance Buzz wrote in its study. “But while food costs have skyrocketed, the base price for the most affordable Disney World tickets has remained remarkably stable, going up just $19 from 2014 to 2024.”

The financial research source collected its data by taking current food and beverage prices from the Walt Disney World website and comparing them to the old Disney website using the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.

Earlier this month, Disney and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) reached a unanimous agreement in a preliminary vote to approve a $17 billion expansion program for the Florida establishment, which could potentially include the development of a fifth Walt Disney World park.

Related: Peltz Sells Disney Stock After Board Fight, Makes $1 Billion

“We’re already hard at work at basically determining where we’re going to place our new investments and what they will be,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in February during a Q1 2024 earnings call. “You can pretty much conclude that they’ll be all over, meaning every single one of our locations will be the beneficiary of increased investment.”

The Walt Disney Co. was up over 8% year over year as of Friday afternoon.

Every ChatGPT user, heed this — a game-changing lawsuit is about to turn the AI world upside down, and it will impact how you use AI moving forward.

Download your limited-time FREE chapter from, “The Wolf is at The Door,” and order your copy to conquer an AI-driven world today.

Too often, founders cite their shortened runway as a reason for not fully implementing the best strategic spending for their startups. This is becoming too common, especially as markets continue on a soft landing trajectory and interest rates remain high. The dilemma is simple — founders do not want to overspend, view their runway as too short, and feel they cannot build traction with VCs, crowdfunding campaigns or other capital raises. Founders know they must spend to gain the required traction, but it’s a volatile risk with unclear returns. As countless founders face this current dilemma, what are the best decisions to make next?

Related: 10 Growth Strategies Every Business Owner Should Know

Stop looking at the perceived length of the runway — start looking at strategy

The perceived runway is only what is currently in the bank and a projection, at best, of what financials will look like in the next few quarters. It does not factor in future growth, breakthroughs in funding, and, yes, even disruptions or setbacks.

With so many founders in angst about their perceived short runway, a step back is in order. First, review the MVP (minimum viable product). In its essential elements, is it genuinely viable? Is your startup a copy of others, or is it truly unique? Are the solutions or products offered going to solve problems, disrupt an industry or substantially help in ways not currently offered in the marketplace? If you’re not confident, stop and compass-check with outside resources.

What does the correct compass check look like for your startup? Start with a brand evaluation with a reputable brand strategist or innovator with noted industry experience. Why? Your problems with a short runway may simply be key messaging, a revised funnel strategy, or better personas of realistic investors or a customer base.

What are the best options for utilizing the right strategy?

Any startup that seeks investors, venture capital, crowdfunding or customers develops some business plans and strategies. When the runway is too short for any funding campaign, the natural tendency is to halt all marketing spending, go lean and create a dilemma of can’t spend to earn but can’t earn without spending. This is a false premise, yet it is too familiar.

How does a founder fix this with strategy, and what right spends are necessary on a perceived limited runway? First, start with the most critical elements in your ramp-up strategy:

• Plan out paths to become the best known — not just the best — at what you do.
• Ensure the funnel strategy works and correctly captures incoming inquiries quickly and efficiently.
• Ensure the customer journey process builds on itself to turn customers into advocates for your brand.

First, become the best known. This does not necessarily mean becoming the best. While it does not mean putting out an inferior product or service, too many get stuck trying to improve, not continuously promote, or promote correctly. With this, look internally. As the founder and your team, are you doing everything to utilize key messaging strategy? Does that strategy resonate with the right audience? This is so critical and so often missed. Too many spend too much and get this wrong or are too close to current messaging to see blinders.

Start here to fix the perceived short runway. If the key messaging will not reach the right audience, stop everything else, including current spending, and fix it immediately. Get outside help from the right strategist who can give expert and objective counsel to course-correct key messaging. Following this, use it to your advantage and lead with it. A better call-to-action strategy beats a new product almost every time.

Second, ensure the funnel strategy works. When you launch your new product or service as part of your startup, demonstrate to investors, VCs or your crowdfunding campaign how well the funnel works. If key messaging is right, but funnel strategy is what is causing angst with the perceived short runway, pause and evaluate. It is not enough to drive interest through messaging alone; the funnel must be as close to airtight as possible.

If a funnel strategy is already in place and key messaging is working, continuously analyze results. For product or service sales, implement surveys, get feedback, and respond to and act on reviews. Identify the rate of and reasons for customer churn and continuously improve. Ask customers for product or service feature requests and use this data to gauge and optimize feature affinity. Additionally, ensure that any changes to public-facing marketing assets, especially websites, social media, PR and email, align with the funnel strategy and do not pull your brand off course.

Third, ensure the customer journey process finds ways to build on itself, and finds ways to propel new and existing customers into advocates for your brand. This starts by making an almost seamless journey for customers coming through the funnel. From the basics of making the journey, value proposition, and process simplistic and straightforward, any brand needs to advocate for their customers before a customer advocates for the brand. It only takes one bad experience, or perceived lousy experience with no response, to push a customer and parts of an audience away.

Related: 5 Ways to Create Sustainable Funding and Get Your Business Out of the Hole

You took a risk with your startup; why give up on that risk now?

If the strategy is sound, trust it. Build on strategy. A perceived short runway partly represents disbelief in the strategy, execution, team, or product or service offered. With the proper steps of ensuring key messaging is correct and action-provoking, a funnel strategy that captures the right audience and moves that audience into decision-making, and the most straightforward customer journey, wins will build on themselves.

As an entrepreneur or a team leader, your Mac is the powerhouse of your business. To ensure your team’s optimal efficiency and productivity, consider a cleaning platform like BuhoCleaner. It’s designed to keep your team’s work computers running smoothly so you can focus on what really matters — your business.

For one week only, June 11 through 17, you can get this lifetime subscription to the BuhoCleaner for Mac Family Plan for just $11.97 (reg. $45). BuhoCleaner is a Mac cleanup software with a wide variety of cleaning and management features, including application removal tools, cache junk cleanups, duplicate file removals, and more.

With BuhoCleaner, users can visualize their desk spaces with an analysis tool that makes it easier to find and identify the files they don’t need. Buho is designed to be easy to use and simple for new users with all levels of technical knowledge, making it easy to deploy to fellow team members. It can help them clean junk files from their browsers and applications and offers the potential to free up a single user’s storage space four times with a single click.

To discover how BuhoCleaner earned a stellar 5/5 star rating on MacUpdate and Product Hunt, check it out while it’s on sale at a steep price reduction and see how it can help your business.

Don’t forget that during a special, limited-time price drop that runs through June 17 at 11:59 p.m. PT only, you can get this lifetime subscription to the BuhoCleaner for Mac Family Plan for $11.97 (reg. $45).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Multi-billion dollar AI community startup Hugging Face announced its fourth acquisition to date on Thursday, a $10 million buy of a small AI collaboration platform called Argilla.

Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue now says he’s getting acquisition requests from many more startups — at least 10 a week.

“This year, in particular, it has increased quite a lot,” he told Bloomberg.

^{Clément Delangue, CEO of Hugging Face. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images}

Hugging Face lets developers openly share and test AI models that anyone can use, and has partnered with companies like Google and Microsoft. The company claims to have over a million AI models, datasets, and apps on its platform.

After a $235 million August funding round, with investments from Amazon, Nvidia, Intel, and other big tech names, Hugging Face is now valued at $4.5 billion.

Delangue’s remarks that he sees more AI startups looking to be acquired could signal that the AI industry is consolidating, or entering the stage when competitors begin merging, per Bloomberg.

Related: Unicorn Founders Launch AI Business Credit Score Startup

Huge tech companies have been quietly acquiring AI startups recently. According to a February report from portfolio management company Stocklytics, Apple has made the most AI startup acquisitions compared to its peers, buying 32 startups last year and at least one more this year.

Google bought 21 AI startups and Meta acquired 18, per the same report.

AI stood out last year as one of the best-performing industries for unicorn, or billion-dollar valuation business, growth.

A February Morningstar report found that more than four of every 10 startups that became a unicorn in 2023 focused on AI and machine learning.

Related: Want to Start a Billion-Dollar Business? Look to These Two Industries

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.