Baruch Labunski

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Committing to building a culture of unwavering customer centricity can effectively transform your business for the better. From Fortune 500 companies to startups, companies that prioritize customer centricity stand out in the market. They understand that customers are more than just revenue sources—they are the foundation of business survival and expansion. A customer-centric culture places the customer at the heart of every decision, fostering trust, loyalty and long-term relationships. But how can businesses truly embed this philosophy into their culture? Below, 20 Newsweek Expert Forum members explore the most effective strategies to cultivate a customer-centric culture within an organization and delve into the reasons why these approaches are vital for sustainable growth.

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Give your employees the flexibility they need to thrive with these unique offerings and strategies. Numerous studies have found that employees not only value flexibility in the workplace, but they also thrive when they actually receive it. While hybrid and remote work arrangements have become increasingly commonplace, organizations continue to explore unique and uncommon ways to provide even more flexibility. Companies that do this are more likely to attract and retain a workforce that's both productive and highly satisfied. To help businesses support their teams, 20 members of Newsweek Expert Forum share out-of-the-box offerings and strategies to give employees the flexibility they crave.

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Leaning on the perspectives and expertise of the entire team can help ensure decisions are made with care. Leaders are often faced with critical decisions that can significantly impact a company's success. However, the process of decision making can often be clouded by preconceived notions and assumptions. To make the best possible choices, leaders must step back and evaluate their own biases—but they may not always be sure how to do so. Below, 18 members of Newsweek Expert Forum share top strategies to help leaders set aside their assumptions and approach critical business decisions with an objective eye.

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While business can sometimes seem like an extrovert’s playground, introverted leaders can network effectively with other professionals to build lasting relationships. As a leader, being able to make solid connections with professionals in and outside of one’s industry is key to running a successful business. Though introverted leaders may dread networking, the long-term benefits of cultivating both personal and professional business relationships can significantly boost a business and give a leader access to new opportunities.  From scouting potential contacts online to joining community organizations with a focus on their hobbies, there are numerous ways for reserved leaders to put themselves out there without it being too much of an obstacle. Below, 18 Newsweek Expert Forum members offer advice on how introverted leaders can overcome the challenge of networking while making it more natural and fun.

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Investing in the right tools early on can help a business achieve long-term success. In today’s highly competitive business environment, achieving business success comes down to the steps an entrepreneur takes in the early stages. For the B2B space in particular, the right technological investments early on can help not only build a reputable business reputation with potential customers, but also ensure that proper processes and procedures are put in place and maintained over time.  From systems to manage communications with customers to artificial intelligence technology that’s constantly evolving, there is a wide range of tech tools entrepreneurs can leverage for a new business venture. To help narrow down the selection, eight Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one tech tool they consider an essential early investment for successfully launching a brand-new B2B business.

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B2C outreach involves creativity and planning, and these tips will help your team achieve long-lasting results. Successful B2C outreach hinges upon a well-rounded strategy that engages and resonates with your target audience. To achieve this, there are several essential ingredients that must be carefully incorporated into your approach. Each factor plays a crucial role in driving meaningful connections and driving business growth. Here, 13 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one vital ingredient needed to craft well-rounded, effective B2C outreach and delve into why these ingredients are pivotal in capturing attention, fostering loyalty and generating lasting results.

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The long-term future of this technology and how it will affect business is hard to imagine because of its infinite possibilities, both good and bad.

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Cultivating a values-driven environment will help align team members' actions with the core principles of your business. Company values are the guiding principles that shape an organization's culture and define its identity. However, only having values in place is not enough. To truly embed them within the fabric of a team, it is crucial to reinforce and strengthen each member’s understanding and commitment. Below, 19 Newsweek Expert Forum members share effective strategies leaders can use to nurture a values-driven team. These approaches will help solidify the team's understanding of company values and foster a deep sense of commitment. 

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Adopting tried-and-true strategies for achieving ongoing success through hard work, smart planning and unwavering dedication can help leaders advance. In the pursuit of success, it can often appear as though some individuals are blessed with luck, stumbling upon triumph by chance. Yet, upon closer examination, it becomes evident that true achievement stems from a combination of unwavering dedication, meticulous planning and strategic execution. This begs the question: What are the powerful strategies that foster consistent and repeatable success?  Below, 19 Newsweek Expert Forum members explore key strategies that pave the way for sustained success and the underlying mechanisms that make them so effective.

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Engage seasoned professionals can empower aspiring individuals and foster lasting impact through mentorship, internships, education and networking. To maintain success, it is not only essential for leaders to focus on the present but also to invest in the future by empowering the next generation. By sharing knowledge, providing guidance and offering opportunities, experienced professionals can play a vital role in helping young talent thrive. Below, 17 Newsweek Expert Forum members explore various ways in which successful business owners and leaders can reach out and give the next generation a leg up. By actively engaging with and supporting the next generation, business leaders can foster a culture of innovation, inclusivity and continuous growth while leaving a lasting positive impact on future generations of professionals.

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Increasing the reach of job postings can be as simple as making a few changes to the required qualifications. Over the last few years, many businesses have begun recognizing the benefits of cultivating a workplace that welcomes diversity, equity and inclusion. This kind of environment not only helps the business to better cater to the changing needs of customers, but it also helps to attract and retain high-caliber talent that greatly contribute to the business’s overall success. Unfortunately, while employers are actively seeking diverse candidates, finding these applicants is proving difficult in a tight labor market. To help, 11 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one strategy recruiters can leverage to ensure their job postings are reaching a diverse group of candidates.

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An exceptional customer experience is the key to keeping current customers coming back as well as enticing potential customers to purchase. Many entrepreneurs tend to consider their products or services the most important part of their business. As a result, a significant amount of time, effort and money goes into developing what people may need or want.  However, the utility or desirability of an offering is only a small part of what actually entices customers to buy. Rather, a top-notch customer experience can be the differentiating factor that convinces current customers to keep purchasing and potential customers to give a business a chance. Luckily, making changes to a business’s customer experience can be a simple process. To help entrepreneurs ensure they are properly taking care of their customer base, 17 Newsweek Expert Forum members share “low-hanging fruit” ways for businesses to effectively improve their customer experience.

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Business leaders can make data-driven decisions that drive growth and success for their organizations by leveraging data and analytics. In the age of big data, businesses are faced with an overwhelming amount of information to process and analyze. To stay ahead of the competition, leaders must leverage data and analytics to make informed decisions and identify areas for improvement within their companies. By utilizing data visualization tools, predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms, leaders can gain valuable insights into customer behavior, market trends and business operations. Below, 14 Newsweek Expert Forum members shared several ways that leaders can use data and analytics to improve business performance, increase productivity and drive innovation.

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While failure does come with significant downsides, actively encouraging employees to take risks can be worthwhile. “Failure” has a complex meaning in business. On one hand, failure can mean unimaginable loss ranging from the waste of limited resources to the loss of one’s livelihood completely. On the other hand, failure can also be a harbinger for great personal and professional growth.  No matter how one feels about failure, the truth of the matter is that business is all about leveraging the lessons that come out of failure to innovate. Taking risks, building on failure and encouraging your employees to do the same is the key to becoming a major player in your market.  As experts, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum have directly experienced the benefits of cultivating a workplace environment that supports experimentation. Below, 15 of them share how leaders can encourage and foster a culture of innovation within their organization.

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Devising simple ways to make the customer journey more seamless can keep customers coming back long term. In today’s competitive business landscape, the devil is in the details. With so many businesses competing for customers in both online and brick-and-mortar spaces, setting a business apart boils down to the customer experience strategy. If done incorrectly, businesses risk inadvertently driving away current and potential customers and ruining their reputation for good.  However, if done with care and regard for the needs of customers, businesses can rise above their competitors, even if they are offering similar products or services. To help leaders create a competitive advantage, 17 Newsweek Expert Forum members discuss how leaders can improve their company’s customer experience.

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Focusing on how a potential offering makes sense for the business as a whole can help guide efficient product development. Before any new product or service is rolled out on the market, entrepreneurs put a considerable amount of thought into the process. From considerations regarding the effective use of resources to discussions of whether the offering will resonate with the target audience, these are just a few of the factors that impact decision making. While entrepreneurs strive to proceed with care, some still make the fatal mistake of getting too far into the development process without having a clear understanding of where this offering fits into the bigger picture. To prevent businesses from wasting limited time, effort and money, 13 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one question leaders should ask to determine whether a prospective product or service is in line with their company mission and goals. 

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To continuously drive business growth, leaders have to be more willing to lean on their employees and ask for help. At times, leadership can be a heavy burden. For some, being a strong leader means subscribing to the idea that a leadership role entails bearing the pressures of the position alone. And while this belief can and has led to gains, shouldering every aspect of a business on one’s own will only work to a limited degree of success. Instead, learning how to build, manage, delegate and lean on your team can positively impact the entire team and the business. To help, 14 Newsweek Expert Forum members offer strong leaders tips for successfully managing their staff to drive business growth.

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E-commerce businesses are a dime a dozen, but those that provide standout customer service are the ones that will ultimately thrive. In the competitive world of e-commerce, providing exceptional customer service is crucial for building a loyal customer base and staying ahead of the competition. However, with so many brands vying for attention, it can be challenging to stand out and provide a consistently positive customer experience. Below, a panel of 14 Newsweek Expert Forum members shared essential tips for e-commerce brands to better serve their customers. By implementing these tips, e-commerce brands can enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, ultimately leading to increased sales and business growth.

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Success in any industry, including technology, often depends on how well a company can keep up with the latest news and trends in its field. In today's rapidly evolving tech landscape, it's essential for organizations to stay up-to-date with the latest industry changes to remain competitive and relevant. Failure to keep pace with the latest trends and innovations can result in missed opportunities, loss of market share and ultimately, business failure. To stay ahead of the curve, organizations need to continuously educate themselves on the latest technological developments, anticipate emerging trends and be ready to adapt their business models accordingly. To help you do this, 15 Newsweek Expert Forum members shared some of the best ways for organizations to stay informed about industry changes in tech and explained why doing so is crucial for their long-term success.

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Rather than perpetuating the same old top-down power dynamics, leaders can instead prioritize employees' needs. The role of company culture in many businesses has changed in recent years. This has meant moving away from traditional power structures where leaders decided the business path forward to systems that focus on intentionally giving employees a seat at the decision-making table.  While these efforts have proved fruitful for attracting and retaining employees, fostering a supportive internal culture is an ongoing undertaking that must regularly be assessed. As experts, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum understand the key role that leaders play in maintaining company culture. Below, 15 of them share their best advice on how leaders can create and sustain a supportive internal culture.

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Reaching out to peers for support is a great way to work through negative feelings. The last few years have brought many changes across personal and professional lives across the globe. While some of the changes have been positive, such as the prioritization of work-life balance, other changes like persistent uncertainty are causing many professionals to feel overwhelmed.  As experts, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum are familiar with the toll professional life can have on a person. Below 14 of them offer coping tactics that can help reduce overwhelm and get professionals back on track.

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To set first-time leaders up for success, organizations have to create processes that offer support and flexibility. Whether a first-time leader has been promoted or is newly hired into the organization, the systems a business has in place are critical for that leader to overcome the obstacles they will inevitably face. As experts, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum are familiar with business procedures that can help new leaders feel supported. Read on as 13 of them offer recommendations on what organizations should do to build systems that help first-time leaders succeed in their roles.

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Adopting practices like mindfulness can be a great way to reduce stress and take back control of one's life. Between managing employees, monitoring the market and setting and achieving business goals, leaders have a lot of pressure on their shoulders. All of these responsibilities and expectations undoubtedly contribute to making stress a routine and ever-present part of the job for many leaders. While leadership and stress can go hand-in-hand, pursuing practices like mindfulness could help leaders better manage their stress and take back control. To help leaders prevent stress from negatively impacting their productivity and morale, 14 Newsweek Expert Forum members offer advice for how leaders can adopt or practice mindfulness on a regular basis.

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As markets evolve and more people embrace the digital world, entrepreneurs have to be willing to try something new in order to attract more business. In the past, generating new customer leads came down to a variety of approaches. These included paper-based marketing advertisements, cold calls, referral incentives for current customers and word-of-mouth. And as many industries digitized, these efforts also began to include online spaces like social media platforms.  While the medium has changed, at their core, marketing and sales have not. To stand out today to current and potential customers, organizations have to remain committed to continually providing products and services that address the needs and desires people have.  To help entrepreneurs attract more business, 11 Newsweek Expert Forum members each offer one suggestion entrepreneurs can leverage to find customer leads in a modern, novel way.

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Taking notes on how the world's largest and most innovative corporations operate can help businesses of any size emulate their success.  There are certain companies you hear about nearly every day, whether they're new or have been around for decades. These powerhouse companies find a significant problem that needs to be solved and develop innovative, pleasing solutions for customers. Many startup leads aim to achieve that kind of notoriety, and there is much to be learned from observing powerhouses like Amazon, Google, Microsoft and others. Below, 15 Newsweek Expert Forum members shared some important lessons they've learned by watching the strategies of other successful businesses. 

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In order to keep moving toward set goals, leaders must ensure that the organization's purpose is prioritized. In life, the only constant is change, and the same is true in business as well. While businesses are typically created around a vision or specific purpose, the evolving reality of running a business can cause leaders to gradually stray from the original mission. Purpose-driven organizations do work that benefits stakeholders on all sides, so having a guide when making decisions can help leaders manage change better and more efficiently. To ensure that their organizations remain focused on their mission, 15 Newsweek Expert Forum members offer advice on how industry leaders can keep purpose at the forefront of everything they do.

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Taking the less obvious path when it comes to marketing is a great way to make your business stand out from the crowd. Marketing strategies that persist do so because time and time again they’ve been proven to lead to good results. And when something is successful, it’s difficult to stop doing what everyone else is doing and step outside of your comfort zone to change things up. However, taking the road less traveled is a great way to make your business stand out from the crowd.  To help leaders embrace thinking outside of the box, 10 Newsweek Expert Forum members share unconventional promotions that did wonders for their business.

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Growing an Instagram meme page is not as straightforward as you may imagine, but it can yield a lot of money when done correctly. 

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No matter what industry an entrepreneur operates in, developing ways of keeping up with emerging trends will help ensure they remain in business for the long term. Staying knowledgeable about what’s happening in the business world isn’t as simple as it used to be. Whether an entrepreneur is operating in a local, national or international market, they have to be committed to learning, evolving and adopting new ways of doing business or else they risk being left behind. With digital platforms and technologies being created and improved upon daily, it’s essential to devise ways of keeping up with what’s going on in and outside of your industry. To help entrepreneurs keep up in a changing market, 12 Newsweek Expert Forum members share strategies they use to stay informed about industry trends.

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Shifting your marketing efforts toward e-commerce requires a well-thought-out strategy. If you're thinking of starting an online retail company or adding an e-commerce component to your existing business, a solid marketing strategy can set you up for success. However, marketing strategies for an e-commerce business differ from that of a brick-and-mortar store. There are also additional factors to consider, such as SEO, content marketing, email marketing and social media.  To help build an optimal e-commerce marketing strategy, eight members of Newsweek Expert Forum discussed what entrepreneurs should keep in mind as they adjust their strategy. 

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Developing a process to manage your sales pipeline helps ensure the business is constantly operating at maximum efficiency. The management of a business’s sales pipeline is continuous work that never really finishes. From prospecting potential customers and closing deals to checking in with customers and generating new leads, sales is a process in which leaders must take care to ensure there is a set structure in place for both finding new prospects and retaining existing ones. Investing time and effort into improving sales process management is a great way to increase efficiency, but knowing where and how to implement changes that will make a difference isn’t a simple task. To help, 12 Newsweek Expert Forum members share strategies for how leaders can effectively approach managing a business's sales pipeline.

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Offering resources and opportunities for employees to further develop skills helps ensure the creation of a supportive workplace.  Every employee starts out with certain skills that help them do their job, as well as the expectation that they’ll pick up other needed skills along the way. These skills can be learned in one’s own time or gleaned from a mentor; however, for an employee to truly progress and move to the next level, there needs to be support from leadership. To provide some guidance on how to do that, 11 Newsweek Expert Forum members share essential steps for creating a workplace that actively supports the personal and professional development of its employees.

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As burnout continues to negatively impact employees on all levels, it's essential to build in processes to mitigate it. Accepting a leadership role comes with the recognition that managing others will not be an easy endeavor. Between ensuring business goals are continually being set and met and taking care of the personal and professional needs of the employees working with you, being a manager can take a heavy toll. Combine these duties with the stress of the last few years and you’ve got a recipe for manager burnout. To help these leaders tackle and manage their burnout, 12 members from Newsweek Expert Forum each offer advice on how managers can reduce the stress and successfully get back in the game.

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For a business to succeed, entrepreneurs have to know how to effectively pitch and get stakeholder onboard with every new initiative. No matter how good a business idea may seem, every new initiative will not have complete buy-in from stakeholders at the start. No matter whether it’s investors, employees, partners or consumers, the onus is on the entrepreneur to present a worthy pitch, gain support and address concerns that may arise from the audience.  While this process may seem straightforward, the challenge lies in devising a plan to put any and all doubts from stakeholders at ease. As leaders, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum know that full support for business ideas is critical to success. To help, they offer strategies entrepreneurs can use to approach changing someone's mind and gaining buy-in from stakeholders.

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Creating an engaging workplace culture is all about putting structures in place to meet company goals and address employee needs. For a business to succeed today, an engaged workforce can make all the difference. With the workplace being more distributed across geographical areas than ever, establishing and maintaining a company culture that effectively engages all employees is a growing challenge. That’s why it is essential for leaders to adopt practices that balance the needs of the business with the desires of employees. Before making any internal changes to how the company operates, determining the best way to create an environment that supports employees is a great first step for ensuring employees feel valued. Below, 15 members of Newsweek Expert Forum provide tips for business leaders interested in keeping their employees engaged with the culture of the company.

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Inflationary pressures are already impacting business decisions.

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Now that websites and social media have become vital for businesses, leaders must develop an effective strategy for engaging their audiences on these platforms. Regardless of the industry an organization operates in, the marketing channel a leader chooses to use to contact current customers and prospects will have a direct impact on the success of their business. This is especially true now that websites and social media networks have become important components of interacting directly with stakeholders. With online interactions becoming essential to operations, learning how to contact and build relationships with customers is a hurdle business owners have to overcome. As experts, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum all have experience testing various channels for outreach and marketing purposes. Below they share how they best reach their target audience on their preferred marketing channel and why that method works so well for them.

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Establishing connections in larger markets can open up entrepreneurs to a wide variety of new business opportunities. When an entrepreneur is just starting out, connecting with the local community helps set their new business up for success. Establishing a loyal client base and developing connections are central to building a local presence in a small market, but growth may be limited if other markets aren’t considered as well. In fact, expanding to customers and investors in larger city markets can open up a breadth of new opportunities that will take a business to new heights.  However, it’s not easy to determine the most effective way to break into a large market. To help, a panel of experts from Newsweek Expert Forum share tips on how entrepreneurs can better reach clients and investors in larger market spaces.

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It's easy to choose a path based on preconceived notions, but business leaders must be as objective as possible when making decisions that impact their company. Objective decisions are vital to the success of a business. Sometimes, leaders have to make tough choices that may feel personal, like letting an employee go or hiring one candidate over another. Leaders may also be too close to the business to see a problem that needs to be fixed or a solution that might work better than a system already in place. These decisions and considerations contribute to a business's bottom line and are therefore important to carefully consider. Below, 15 Newsweek Expert Forum members give their best advice for making sure leaders let go of assumptions about their business and make decisions more objectively. 

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Shifting noncritical social media tasks to virtual assistants allows employees to focus more on other business initiatives. With business growth comes the need to maximize social media efforts to increase efficiency and elevate the organization’s online standing. One way to do this is by hiring a virtual assistant to take on social media tasks, such as scheduling posts or communicating with stakeholders online, thereby freeing up time for employees to work on other business initiatives.   Though virtual assistants are fast becoming a simple solution for offloading noncritical tasks, managers must be careful given the importance that’s placed on social media today. A skill mismatch or improper training can do more harm than good in the long term. Below, nine members of Newsweek Expert Forum share recommendations for managers to keep in mind as they use virtual assistants to grow their business’ social media presence.

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Metrics and data analysis are endlessly fascinating.

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Before moving your business to a new industry, it's best to get a full understanding of that current market. Moving your business into a new industry can bring with it the opportunity to expand your current business offerings or go in a completely different direction. However, before jumping into a new endeavor, it’s important to carefully think through each move and fully understand the potential consequences of what you do. While an entrepreneur may have experience in a given field, that experience may not translate well to a new setting. To help entrepreneurs make a successful change, a panel of Newsweek Expert Forum members share common mistakes entrepreneurs encounter as they attempt to pivot into a new industry.

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If you want a loyal customer base that keeps coming back, you need to put consumers at the center of everything you do. Many companies claim that their customers are their highest priority. While this is a nice thing to say, there's a difference between simply delivering what a customer asks for and truly being a consumer-centric organization.  Today's consumers expect that the businesses they buy from will go the extra mile to ensure an experience that exceeds their expectations. To help your company become more consumer-centric, 15 members of Newsweek Expert Forum members offered their best tips below.