Kira Graves

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Keep up to date on the tech industry with these tools, websites and media resources used by successful business leaders. The tech sector moves at a breakneck pace and new developments emerge daily that can dramatically shift market dynamics and competitive strategies. Keeping abreast of these innovations and updates is both a challenge and a necessity for industry leaders.  How do today's leaders do it? Below, 12 Newsweek Expert Forum members share their favorite resources to stay up-to-date in an ever-changing tech environment. Keep these reliable resources handy to stay above your competition.

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When you're feeling overwhelmed, try one of these go-to strategies to ground yourself. Work schedules can quickly become overwhelming, leaving professionals feeling lost in a sea of tasks and commitments. A set of strategies to find a calming center and regain control can be helpful when navigating the feeling of "busyness" that plagues so many professionals. To help, 19 Newsweek Expert Forum members share methods they use to help conquer stress and overwhelm and get themselves back on track. Read on for their practical steps to declutter your mind and schedule so you can move forward with clarity and purpose.

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Before agreeing to sell your business, make sure you understand how it will impact you and your company—both in the immediate future and the long term. Being approached with an offer to buy your business can be equally exciting and nerve-wracking. Whether you've received an unsolicited offer or have been considering selling in the not-so-distant future, it's important to approach this critical decision with due diligence and careful consideration. Below, 16 members of Newsweek Expert Forum share key factors to consider when another company is interested in buying your business. From the acquiring company's track record to your ultimate exit plan, assessing and understanding these elements can ensure you make the decision that's best for you and your organization.

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Viewing entrepreneurship as a process of trial and error can help leaders ensure they take the time to reflect on how the business is performing as a whole. While starting business requires a considerable amount of preparation, there’s no substitute for the amount of experience entrepreneurs gain from actually running a business. As leaders begin putting systems in place and setting the general ways of how the business will operate, certain habits become ingrained that cause more harm than good in the long run. Being so directly involved in everything the business does can prevent leaders from seeing the larger picture and the negative impact of these ingrained habits on the business. To help leaders more readily identify and change problematic behavior, 18 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one seemingly harmless habit in a business leader that might in fact be hindering their success.

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Motivating employees to see the benefit of looking at things from a different perspective can lead to business success. With the current workforce now consisting of Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials and, increasingly, Generation Z, these distinct generations all bring with them different ideas about how the day-to-day operations of a business should work. This can create a toxic environment of miscommunication and misunderstanding that negatively impacts a business’s ability to retain its employees and properly serve its customers. When these challenges arise, it’s vital that leaders develop a plan of action to connect and build strong relationships with employees, regardless of their age, generation or experience level. To help, 13 Newsweek Expert Forum members offer tips to help business leaders pull the different generations in their workforce together to the benefit of the entire organization.

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Creating harmony between marketing in all its forms can aid in creating a unified brand experience. To achieve success today, entrepreneurs must have a concrete plan for showcasing their brand to their target audience. With both online and offline marketing now being essential business elements, a unified brand experience ensures consumers know what your company is all about—regardless of where they come across your brand.  Despite this, some businesses may fail to see the importance of connecting both the online and offline marketing experience. To help businesses bridge the marketing gap, 11 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one effective strategy company leaders can leverage to connect their offline marketing to their online marketing.

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Before scaling distribution, it’s important that leaders have a plan in place to continually meet customer needs. In business, operating on the more conservative side is generally regarded as a smart strategy for entrepreneurs just starting out. However, for a business to grow and reach the next level of success, leaders eventually have to increase the scale of their goods distribution in order to reach and meet the needs of a bigger audience. As experts, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum have experience ramping up shipping operations and volume in a sustainable way. Below, they offer advice on how companies can seamlessly shift from a relatively small volume of shipping to a much larger scale of distributing goods.

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As a business grows larger, it becomes even more imperative that managers make time for connection with their team members. In today’s dynamic workplace environment, many businesses are now composed of in-person, hybrid and remote teams. While this presents communication challenges for leadership in companies of all sizes, engaging with and managing a dispersed and fast-growing team comes with its own set of obstacles. Implementing strategies that take employees into consideration can help managers effectively connect with their team members when one-on-one meetings are not always feasible. Below, nine Newsweek Expert Forum members offer advice on how managers of a rapidly growing company can ensure they regularly touch base with all their team members, regardless of their work environment.

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Creating a more imaginative internal culture requires making changes to how your business manages employee ideas and feedback. In business, the most effective initiatives often rise from the bottom up. While leaders are essential in shaping the larger direction of an organization, it takes the combined efforts of team members in every position to carry out set objectives successfully. Creating an internal culture of active encouragement and support for employees to express themselves and devise new ways of thinking results in a truly effective business. Below, 16 Newsweek Expert Forum members each offer strategic approaches business leaders can leverage to build a culture of curiosity and innovative thinking among team members at all levels.

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No matter how much success a company achieves, there will come a time when leaders have to make plans for delivering bad news. No one likes to be the bearer of bad news, but business leaders often have to take on that role in difficult times. How a leader chooses to communicate with stakeholders at all levels in these situations has a direct impact on how the organization will move forward.  Therefore, it’s important that leaders carefully consider their every move as they navigate tough conversations and determine next steps for the business. Below, 11 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one important step a leader should take when preparing to share bad news at a meeting with stakeholders.

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Mapping out a marketing strategy beforehand can help a business ensure its efforts are focused and tailored to potential customers. The right marketing strategy can propel a business to new and exciting heights. While many leaders tend to focus primarily on product or service development, taking the time to reflect on potential marketing strategies is equally as important, as it can help establish brand identity and effectively reach a target audience. The holidays in particular mark a time for giving, and customers are especially eager to learn about brands that may provide the gift they’re looking for. Crafting a well-thought-out holiday marketing strategy in advance ensures a business remains focused, thereby increasing the chances of successfully engaging prospects and converting them to bonafide customers. To help leaders create effective plans, 12 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one essential base to cover when developing an annual holiday marketing strategy for a business, as well as why these elements are important.

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For a successful international launch, conduct careful research into the laws, regulations, customs and culture of each new market. Businesses are increasingly considering international expansion as a key avenue for growth. However, navigating unfamiliar territories can be a daunting task for those venturing into new markets for the first time. Below, 18 Newsweek Expert Forum members share tips for how businesses can successfully navigate international growth. By prioritizing research and building strong local connections, business leaders can engage with new audiences with confidence.

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Putting yourself in the shoes of your ideal customer can be an effective way to ensure you remain focused on their needs and desires. A landing page is often the first interaction a potential customer has with your website and company. The wrong colors, not enough or too much information and a cluttered design can all be factors that turn potential customers away from a business. An appealing landing page, however, not only entices visitors to explore the website further but also can be essential in converting visitors to paying customers. Below, 12 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one way to ensure a landing page is appealing and optimized for conversions. From simplifying the design to reaching out to your target audience for feedback, making even small changes can lead to higher conversion rates.

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To create a brand that truly resonates with customers, focus on addressing and solving customer pain points. The first step in starting a business is having an idea for a product or service. While this is a key move, it’s also just one step in the ongoing marathon of establishing and maintaining a business. To build businesses that grow and become sustainably successful, entrepreneurs will also need to form detailed plans for how they will set their brand apart and communicate their offering on the market. The members of Newsweek Expert Forum have experience building and managing businesses and learning what actions do and do not yield fruitful results. Below, 14 of them share their tips to help entrepreneurs effectively define and establish their brand’s niche in the market.

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Before taking on any investors, take the time to do proper research and assess each investor’s expectations and needs. Securing the support of multiple investors can be a big boost to a business just getting off the ground. While the guidance and funding these investors offer are critical to building a successful business, entrepreneurs must also become adept at balancing competing feedback and expectations. To create truly positive relationships with investors, it’s key that entrepreneurs put processes in place to ensure all sides are aligned, have space to communicate openly and are dedicated to working toward common goals before accepting any funds. Below, 14 Newsweek Expert Forum members each offer one piece of advice to help entrepreneurs ensure that their investors feel heard and happy with how things are progressing.

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Even just taking a few routine tasks off of a leader's plate can have a huge impact on their efficiency. As a business grows larger, the amount of work a leader handles increases as well. Between attracting potential customers, nurturing customer relationships and managing all aspects of the customer journey, this leaves leaders with little time to work on the business rather than in the business.  Hiring a virtual assistant can be a great way for leaders to offload administrative and routine tasks while also positively impacting efficiency across the organization. Here, 12 Newsweek Expert Forum members share how retaining a virtual assistant has helped them streamline their tasks and become more productive.

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Before moving into a larger market, ensure you have a solid business strategy to engage online prospects. In today’s digital world, many companies have more flexibility when it comes to location. Entrepreneurs can set up shop in a smaller city and still find success through the connections they establish with local customers, investors and organizations. However, while operating in a small market can provide a number of business opportunities, being able to access “big market” resources and clients can unlock a new level of business growth. To catch the attention of potential customers and investors located in larger metropolitan areas, the right online strategy is essential. To help, nine Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one way entrepreneurs who have set up operations in smaller markets can attract clients and investors in larger city markets.

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In an increasingly digital world, knowing how to apply tools and technologies in your business is critical to keeping up with the market. While AI as a tool is not new, more and more businesses are looking to take advantage of it these days. From on-demand customer service and content generation to customer base management, there are many ways a business can leverage the power of AI to boost its ability to attract and retain customers.  As experts, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum have experience navigating the ongoing process of implementing and maintaining AI. Below, 10 of them discuss how businesses can effectively use artificial intelligence for customer acquisition and the positive impact it can have on the bottom line.

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To prevent a crisis from becoming even more of a problem, it's essential that leaders have communication plans in place. A crisis can showcase what a business is truly made of. In business, challenges can arise at any moment, and each and every step leaders take to tackle obstacles has a direct impact on brand perception. Communication in these situations is crucial to keeping stakeholders at all levels informed and maintaining calm in the midst of a storm. The right communication can result in increased brand loyalty from both internal and external stakeholders, but even just one communication misstep can cause irreparable damage to a business's reputation. To help leaders share information with care, eight Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one word or phrase businesses should avoid using when communicating during a crisis and what to say and do instead to drive forward movement.

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Inviting employees to share feedback and make suggestions can help ensure the entire team is in alignment. Today’s professionals are increasingly expecting jobs to offer flexible workplaces. While many business leaders are seeking to provide more remote and hybrid-friendly workplace environments, it can be difficult to let go of how things have traditionally been done for years and even decades. In particular, the potential impact on productivity is a significant concern for some leaders as they look to establish more flexible policies. To help, 13 Newsweek Expert Forum members each offer one tip for business leaders seeking to implement a flexible working schedule policy for the first time without impacting overall productivity.

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With inflation rising, businesses are being challenged to balance profit and customer satisfaction. Maintaining the delicate balance between profit and customer satisfaction is a constant challenge. These days, business owners find themselves in the tough position of needing to raise prices to maintain balance in a world plagued by inflation. In a competitive market, price changes can be a double-edged sword, potentially boosting revenues or driving customers away. To navigate this terrain successfully, it's crucial for businesses to identify the one sign that indicates it might be time to raise prices. To help, 18 Newsweek Expert Forum members delve into the intricacies of pricing strategy and explore the key factors that signal when your business should consider this significant step.

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Inviting employees to share their input in workplace changes helps ensure the creation of an inclusive and empathetic space. The idea of what constitutes a safe working environment has changed significantly in today’s global business environment. Where before the focus was primarily on physical safety, many organizations have evolved to now include well-being and psychological safety as well, resulting in increased productivity and decreased turnover.  While many businesses are committed to creating and maintaining a safer work environment, knowing where to start and what to focus on can be challenging. To help, 17 Newsweek Expert Forum members each offer one essential factor business leaders should consider when working to build a safer working environment in a business.

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Creating a workplace environment where all employees feel able to communicate their needs is critical to retaining your team. Every business goes through busy and stressful times. While many organizations are able to navigate and overcome these hurdles, it can result in leaders experiencing burnout. This is especially true for mid-level leaders as they tend to direct many different moving parts and interact with individual team members. Fortunately, with the proactive support of the executive team, there are tactics that can be utilized to mitigate or prevent burnout and reinvigorate mid-level leaders. To help, 20 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one way the executive team can help mid-level leaders get reenergized when they are feeling burned out.

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To make lasting, sustainable change, leaders have to be willing to throughly examine their existing culture and make needed changes. A business’s culture is its organizational backbone. As potential customers and employees have become increasingly interested in learning what a business is all about beyond its product or service offerings, culture can set an organization apart from its competitors on the market.  Leaders, however, have to be mindful of the culture that is created and preserved. Maintaining the wrong kind of culture is an action that can devastate a brand long term, but the damage can be reduced if leaders seriously commit to making a change. To help, 13 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one essential step leaders must take when they begin the work of cultural change.

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Putting time and effort into making improvements to your business’s SEO strategy is a worthwhile investment. With so many brands vying for attention in the digital space, attracting potential customers and retaining their attention can sometimes come at a high cost. To keep expenses down, many companies have turned to search engine optimization or SEO to boost their position in search results and drive more traffic to their website and content. Determining which small but necessary changes will be most beneficial requires thorough consideration of your target audience. To help, 12 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one tip that business leaders can leverage to improve their business’s SEO at little or no cost.

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Though an uncertain market can be challenging for entrepreneurs, it can also be an opportunity to grow. While market downturns can devastate companies across industries, they can also be full of potential. By leaning in on being agile and flexible, business leaders can effectively navigate uncertainty, find new opportunities and execute needed change.  As experts, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum members have dealt with their own share of market challenges. Below, 15 of them each share one way companies can look for new business opportunities in a market downturn and secure a bright future.

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When a partnership with a client isn’t working as well as it used to, it can be hard to let go of both the relationship and the steady work. While a steady supply of new clients is critical to helping a business get off the ground, returning customers play an equally important role in a business’s lasting success. Establishing a long-term partnership with a client can be incredibly beneficial on both sides, resulting in effective collaboration, increased efficiency and a deeper understanding of the other party. However, not all relationships are meant to last forever. When issues keep occurring and relations become strained or toxic, it’s time to take an objective look at the partnership to determine whether it should continue. Below, 15 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one warning sign that a partnership with a client has turned toxic and needs to be ended.

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Doing a thorough examination of their own habits can help leaders see which behaviors are holding them back. Leaders play an essential role in organizations, helping to establish workplace culture and acting as examples for employees to model their behavior after. When leaders have good habits, it results in increased satisfaction, productivity and morale in employees. However, when leaders have bad habits, even when the intention isn’t to set a bad example, it limits and decreases the amount of success a leader and business can achieve. To help leaders identify which habits they should consider eliminating completely, 20 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one seemingly harmless habit that can actually hinder leadership success.

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Though an investment of time, effort and money do make entrepreneurship easier, leaders should still expect to encounter challenges. The entrepreneurial journey is full of highs and lows for every business leader. And even when a leader has considerable resources, there is no way to completely avoid encountering business challenges. While these hurdles can completely shake a business, they can also double as valuable learning experiences that help entrepreneurs grow and develop their skills as leaders. Below, 17 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one specific business challenge they believe usually results in a great teaching experience and what lessons leaders can carry forward into the future.

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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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As we pivot into a world where adaptability and creativity are paramount, let’s not just raise children; let's cultivate innovators and foster a culture of entrepreneurship.

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Being in constant communication with customers can help businesses ensure they are following the right trends. Customer trends are constantly changing in response to societal, environmental and technological advancements. To continually meet and even surpass customer expectations, it’s critical that businesses keep up with and adapt to these emerging customer trends. However, with so many trends appearing regularly, it’s difficult for business leaders to know which trends are short-lived and which ones have the potential to disrupt the industry for good. This distinction is key, as the wrong investment in a particular trend can mean wasting limited time, effort and resources. To help, 12 Newsweek Expert Forum members offer advice on how a business can stay on top of emerging customer trends and leverage them wisely.

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The entrepreneurial odyssey, replete with its rollercoaster ups and downs, can truly flourish under the light of happiness.

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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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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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A growth mindset is the cornerstone of effective leadership in this ever-evolving business landscape.

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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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To attract and keep customers coming back for years to come, businesses have to maintain their human essence. As the old adage goes, "People buy from people." In today’s technologically-driven business landscape, entrepreneurs now have a multitude of ways to engage with current and potential customers across the world.  While changes like automation can increase employee productivity, streamline operations and boost the number of interactions that lead to sales, many businesses focus so much on the efficiency aspect that they don’t recognize the potential of losing the human touch, which is what initially entices customers to purchase and keeps them coming back. As experts, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum have experience making their brand more appealing to customers. Below, 16 of them share concrete ways any business can humanize its product or service offerings and why these actions are essential to building long-term relationships with customers.

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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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Seeking out and actively encouraging employees to share their opinions is critical to making the right business calls. Businesses of all sizes are constantly making decisions that have a considerable impact on the entire organization. The gravity of these decisions as well as the chances of conversations sparking disagreement and sowing team division may cause some leaders to limit discussions to a select few. Fortunately, safeguards can be put in place to add employees at all levels into the conversation, effectively limiting conflict, keeping discussions respectful and allowing individuals to offer insight without fear of negative consequences. To help businesses create space for various perspectives and set boundaries, 15 Newsweek Expert Forum members share approaches leaders can leverage to encourage vigorous, yet respectful debate in their organizations.

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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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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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Leaders often have many things and people depending on them. When every decision made can have far-reaching consequences, it’s not uncommon for some leaders to be stressed or apprehensive about making the wrong call. Rather than letting their negative emotions get the best of them, and potentially lead to important decisions being delayed, it’s crucial to determine what processes will produce the best decision possible for a given situation. As leaders themselves, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum are well aware of the importance (and downsides) of decision-making. To make the process easier, 14 members offer advice to help leaders better manage the paralysis and anxiety that can occur while making critical decisions.

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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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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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By providing ongoing support, leadership can ensure that a manager has the tool and resources to succeed. Great managers are critical to the success of an organization. These managers sometimes step into the role already possessing innate traits and experiences that will help them succeed as leaders, but management as a skill should also be taught. If an organization builds systems to develop and shape the skills of their talent on an ongoing basis, leadership decreases the chances of creating and perpetuating bad management behaviors that negatively impact the culture and operations of the business.  To help leaders ensure managers are performing at their best, 13 Newsweek Expert Forum members share specific actions they can take to increase the effectiveness of their managers.

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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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Ensuring stakeholders on all sides are regularly supplied with information is key for building and sustaining lasting relationships. A business is nothing without its stakeholders. Because stakeholders potentially encompass everyone from investors to employees, customers, volunteers and interns, entrepreneurs have the extraordinary task of determining how to best serve all of the stakeholders contributing to their business’s operations simultaneously. This is where clear communication can make a real difference. Only by establishing communication processes and procedures that cater to prioritizing and sharing information on all sides will a business be able to gain and retain the support and engagement of their stakeholders.  To help entrepreneurs establish communication systems that keep stakeholders in the loop, eight Newsweek Expert Forum members share strategies they’ve found effective.

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While a productive workforce is vital to a successful business, leaders must balance good management with giving employees autonomy. For many business leaders, having a hand in every aspect of their business has allowed them to ensure that each and every client is well taken care of. This method is an effective way to maintain high-quality products and services while also maximizing what each additional hire is able to contribute to the business.  However, if a leader is too heavy-handed, this management strategy can have an adverse effect internally over time, straining manager-employee relationships and negatively impacting workplace morale. A productive workforce is an essential component in building a successful business, but leaders must be careful not to become a hindrance to their employees. To help leaders adopt a management style that works with and not against employees, 12 Newsweek Expert Forum members each offer a piece of advice for increasing employee productivity without resorting to micromanaging.

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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 operating a business, the one thing entrepreneurs can undoubtedly expect is to encounter challenges. Even with a solid business plan, well-developed products or services and a network of established customers hungering for said business offerings, organizations have no guarantee of challenge-free success. In fact, if there is one thing a business owner can expect, it’s that they will encounter adversity.  Despite this fact, adversity should be regarded as an opportunity for businesses to regroup and innovate. Learning strategies for effectively handling and overcoming these obstacles can allow entrepreneurs to operate their business in an even better way than before. To that end, 13 Newsweek Expert Forum members offer advice below on how entrepreneurs can strategically leverage adversity for business success.

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Leveraging data from the past year as well as feedback from employees and customers can give businesses insight into what initiatives to explore next. With the end of 2022 fast approaching, many businesses are already deep into planning for 2023. And while a new year offers a chance to try something new, market instability and the looming threat of a potential recession are increasing the amount of pressure felt by business leaders. Luckily, they don't always have to start from scratch when it comes to finding fresh ideas. Looking back at the successes and failures of the current year can offer insight into what initiatives would be best to explore or where an organization can pivot if something isn't bringing in the desired results. However, it's also key for businesses to keep a close eye on markets and customers because they too can provide guidance. To offer further insights, 14 Newsweek Expert Forum members share additional tips for business leaders as they continue planning for Q1.

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Demonstrating the unique value your business offers can help set your business apart from the competition. A crowded market can present entrepreneurs with a number of challenges. In addition to building up the business and establishing connections with prospective customers, entrepreneurs also have to know how to navigate competition. Others in the market may offer similar or even the same products or services, so learning how to best appeal to potential customers helps set your business apart. When customers have a variety of choices, demonstrating the value your business can offer is essential to attracting and retaining those customers. To help, 12 Newsweek Expert Forum members share how entrepreneurs can approach differentiating their products or services in an oversaturated market.

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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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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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Feel awkward when you network? Try these tips to make it feel more organic and even fun. Many people network with the intention of trying to sell a business leader on their product or service, whether to get seed money or to try and create a partnership. Because of this, networking events may end up feeling awkward and uncomfortable when it's all about the hard sell. However, networking doesn't have to feel like you're "schmoozing." Business leaders can use these events to make real connections and build solid foundations for future business relations, all without pitching an idea. Below, a panel of Newsweek Expert Forum members offered their best advice for making networking more natural and fun to build long-lasting connections. 

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If you're having trouble staying on task, these actionable tips can help you refocus your attention. Everyone has struggled to focus at work at one point or another. Whether you're feeling tired, burned out or you're just too excited about an event later that week, sitting down at a computer or sitting through a meeting can sometimes be challenging. While feeling a little unfocused every now and then can be easily overcome, it's more problematic if you're constantly struggling to focus or losing interest in the work that you're doing. Luckily, there are ways to help you dial back in and find the focus you need to get the job done. Below, 15 members of Newsweek Expert Forum shared their best tips for someone struggling to focus.

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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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Keeping a close eye on customer behavior can help businesses stay on top of changing trends. Trends can come and go in the blink of an eye, and if a business isn’t paying close enough attention to its customers, leaders run the risk of losing current and future customers. Rather than waiting for new customer behavior trends to hit the company’s radar, being more proactive about learning and leveraging each trend in real time can give an organization an edge over its competitors. As business experts, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum are familiar with just how quickly customer behavior can change. Below, they offer advice on how leaders can effectively leverage customer behavior trends as they gain more ground.

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An exceptional leader is defined both by the accomplishments of their organization and their personal characteristics that contribute directly to that success. A business leader may be defined by the work their company does or the goals it accomplishes, but their individual status as a great leader comes down to the characteristics they possess that set them apart from others.  Leading a successful organization requires that leaders are able to effectively handle any circumstances the business may encounter, but this isn’t the only quality that matters. Below, 14 members of Newsweek Expert Forum each share one characteristic that is critical in a great leader and how that trait influences their ability to effectively lead.

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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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Each and every challenge brings with it the opportunity to learn and grow as an entrepreneur. When a leader is dealing with an obstacle, thinking of the lasting value of that business challenge isn’t usually what comes to mind in the heat of the moment. However, once a leader has had time to reflect, each and every challenge has the potential to positively impact their organization going forward.  Below, a panel of Newsweek Expert Forum members share specific challenges business owners faced and how leaders can use those experiences as a moment to learn and make lasting changes.