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Invest In Your Life Like A Billionaire Invest In Your Life Most people have the goal of becoming wealthy to create better lives for themselves and their families. But, how you invest in your life now can not only accelerate your success but have immediate results. Like anything else, the smartest way is to follow those who did it before us… In this case, billionaires. How to Get the Most ROI When You Invest in Your Life If you pay attention to those who have personal and financial success, they do things differently from the average Joe. THOSE DIFFERENCES ARE THE SECRET TO HAVING IT ALL. The most important of these is how they use the resources available to them. The best part is you don’t have to have tons of capital to invest in your life the same way. To start, you have to begin creating more of your most valuable asset… Buy Yourself More Time Many affluent individuals will say that time is more valuable than money. We all get the same 24 hours in a day. So the question becomes, how can you make yours more productive? Often billionaires do this by hiring the right people. However, there are less expensive methods… For example, block scheduling is a strategy that focuses your attention on a specific task, for a set period. In this instance, the investment is planning and prioritizing activities. Just make sure that you remember to prioritize people along the way as well… Invest in and Strengthen Relationships in Your Life The reality is that no one in the history of the world has achieved greatness on their own… NO ONE. Therefore, an impactful way to invest in your life is to make and maintain meaningful connections. Whether, it’s industry vets you can learn from… Like-minded people, you can partner with… Or, those who are rooting for you to win… Nurturing relationships is critical to reaching your full potential — even if you outgrow some of them. That said there is one investment in life that always pays off… The Best Way to Invest in Your Life is through Education Your contacts can open doors for you. But ultimately, it is up to you to deliver. FOR THAT REASON, MOVERS AND SHAKERS ARE ALWAYS LEARNING NEW SKILLS. Education is the number one way to invest in your future because no one can take it away from you. That means that in the event you lose everything, you can rebuild it all over again. Don’t Wait Until You Are a Billionaire to Invest in Your Life Look, there is no waiting to “start living your life.” News flash: you’re doing that right now. But are you making progress? There will always be excuses to put off taking the steps to initiate real success and happiness. Every billionaire had to start out with the first idea, the first dollar, the first pitch… Get yours and sooner than later you’ll be great.

Wayfair Keeps Earnings Up In a Shaky Housing Market Wayfair Earnings Anyone who keeps up with the housing market and its adjacent industries knows things have been well… stagnant. However, the earnings of the home goods retailer Wayfair are thriving, whereas those of others are struggling. So, how are they maintaining their profitability? The answer may surprise you… The Wayfair Game Plan to Strengthen Earnings Earlier, we asserted that decor and furnishing revenue was on a decline. In fact, sales of these goods saw a 5.1% decrease over the first nine months of 2024. Similarly, Wayfair’s earnings were on a downward trend for the last eight out of ten quarters… UNTIL THE COMPANY DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT. First, Wayfair CEO, Niraj Shah laid off 13% of the brand’s workforce in January. This was done to offset the previous overhiring. Next, the online juggernaut opened its first brick-and-mortar store in May to attract new customers. Wayfair did this to capitalize on shoppers’ preferences for buying products in person. Further, the company restructured its loyalty program to reward consumers for buying more, more often. Similarly, Wayfair’s real “secret” to higher earnings is how it runs its promotions — which they now run frequently… The Power of Great Retailer-Supplier Relationships Discounting your product to make more money sounds counterintuitive. AND NORMALLY, IT IS. A better strategy is to create more value for your customers. But as always, there are exceptions to every rule… In this case, the brand’s over 20,000 suppliers cover the costs of their discounts! Additionally, Wayfair’s numbers show that 70% of its earnings come from non-promotional items. In short, this means that Wayfair takes no loss for running sales. Then, its shoppers end up buying other products at full price. The best part is that everyone in this scenario wins, which is how you run a strong business in any economy

Can McDonald’s New Menu Boost Company Sales? McDonald's New Menu Recently, McDonald’s announced that it would add new “McValue” items to its menu. This offer is an extension of its $5 value meal introduced last summer. Despite the offer’s popularity, the fast food chain has — and still faces — major obstacles. This article outlines what items are included in the McValue deal. Then, we’ll let you decide if it’s enough to turn things around for the brand… Why McDonald’s is Doubling Down on New Value Menu Strategy Earlier, we noted how this offer adds to the restaurant’s value meal promotion. The campaign directly responded to intense scrutiny of McDonald’s rising prices on social media… THIS MEAL DEAL WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO LAST A MONTH AND HAS ALREADY BEEN EXTENDED TWICE! Understandably, Maccies wants to build upon this success and keep the momentum going. These are the specifics of what the brand is bringing to the table… What are the Deals on the McDonald’s New “McValue” Menu? According to CNN, the concept behind the latest menu bargains is simple… BUY ONE ITEM FROM PRESELECTED CHOICES AND GET ANOTHER FOR ONE DOLLAR. Customers can mix and match and can choose between breakfast and dinner items. Specifically, the breakfast items included are: Sausage McMuffin Sausage Biscuit Breakfast Burrito Or, Hash Brown For lunch, the chain plans to offer: Double Cheeseburger McChicken Sandwich Six-piece McNuggets And, Small French Fry The new McValue menu has not been finalized by the McDonald’s board. But, those close to the matter assert this proposal is “very likely to pass.” Despite positive feedback for this campaign, the Golden Arches was slammed with another issue… Is the McPrice-Slashing Making a Difference? Shortly after the summer promo, similar chains offered their versions of affordable combos to compete. Nevertheless, Mickey D’s maintained their lead in the fast food wars. However, diners stopped coming to the restaurant en masse due to a big problem affordability couldn’t fix… An e.coli outbreak associated with sliced onions from McDonald’s. The company released an official statement, but the damage was done. Now, the fast food giant has begun investing $100 million in marketing and support to locations affected by the outbreak. Whether one-dollar burgers and nuggets can recoup those losses remains to be seen.

Disney’s Streaming Revenue Promises Positive Outlook Disney Streaming Revenue The Disney Plus streaming service has been around for five years, but just got its revenue into the black. That said, the media platform is on trend to keep the House of Mouse afloat in 2025. So, how did this floundering brand entity learn to fly? Spoiler: there was no pixie dust used in this miraculous turnaround. Disney’s Streaming Revenue Wasn’t Always So Magical… As we mentioned earlier, Disney Plus premiered five years ago in November 2019. However, the platform was not the immediate hit that you would suspect… THE STREAMING SERVICE WAS LOSING AN AVERAGE OF $4 BILLION ANNUALLY UNTIL 2022! Via CNBC Historically, this has been the case for most streaming services since their inception. Notable examples include Paramount, NBC Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery. However, the tides are turning in the right direction. And for Disney in particular, it is due to specific, smart strategy changes… The Disney Magic that Turned Around Its Streaming Revenue Once the company saw that Disney Plus was struggling, leadership went into defense mode and adjusted focus. The brand’s first move was to pull back on creating original content for the platform. Doing so immediately cut millions of dollars in operating expenses. Next, Disney wisely partnered with other streaming companies like ESPN to add content without losing revenue… This had the additional benefit of adding more subscribers to its service and justified a higher cost per month. For Disney, this translates to a projected increased revenue of $875 million in 2025 from streaming. But on top of all that, the House of Mouse’s success is having a ripple effect across the industry… Will Streaming Industry FINALLY Have a “Happily Ever After”? Naturally, the other media platforms that partnered with Disney benefited from their collaboration. Nevertheless, competitors are copying the Disney playbook to similar success. (See the $77 billion NBA broadcasting deal.) These statistics are a stark contrast to the post-pandemic drop in streaming subscriptions. At this moment, Disney and other streaming services just may be on track for a fairy tale ending… As long as they continue to follow their successful actions

LinkedIn Wants To Fix The Jobs And Hiring Crisis LinkedIn Jobs Hiring Currently, both companies and candidates are frustrated with the hiring scene. Potential employees feel like they’re getting nowhere and employers feel qualified applicants can’t be found. But LinkedIn believes it can use new tools to address the jobs and hiring crisis. On top of that, they plan on fighting fire with fire… Issues Facing the Modern-Day Job Market Whichever side of the hiring fence you’re on, there are daunting challenges… Job hunters often complain of having to apply to hundreds of positions. Then, candidates are met with a long interview process — if they receive a response at all! As a result, those seeking employment have turned to using AI to find jobs. The purpose is to get the attention of companies which creates a new set of issues… For employers posting jobs and hiring via LinkedIn and other sites. IN SHORT, THESE CORPORATIONS ARE BEING FLOODED WITH APPLICATIONS — WHERE MOST ARE UNQUALIFIED! Therefore, HR departments have turned to tech to sort through resumes that are “inflated” with autogenerative tools. The result? A hiring process that becomes more congested at the end of the day. For that reason, LinkedIn has stepped in with the hope of unraveling this technological nightmare. However, the site is going to utilize artificial intelligence to do it as well… Can LinkedIn’s AI Tools Solve the Jobs & Hiring “Bugs”? Earlier this year, LinkedIn rolled out new features to help those job-seeking — as long as they’re premium users. A premium subscription allows you to: Ask a chatbot if a position matches your skillset. Access ChatGPT to adapt your cover letter for the job you’re applying for. Additionally, the platform will soon add an AI “job-matching” feature for all users. Head of Career Products at LinkedIn, Rohan Rajiv explained how this will aid the jobs and hiring crisis to Business Insider: ” [APPLICANTS] WILL STOP SWINGING AT EVERY PITCH… IT’S NATURAL TO MAKE QUANTITY AND VOLUME YOUR FRIEND. BUT THE GREATER THE VOLUME, THE TOUGHER THE MATCH.” The company’s idea sounds great in theory, but so did the other uses of technology in finding jobs faster… We just have to see how it works in practice.

Netflix Sued For Issues During Jake Paul And Mike Tyson Fight Netflix Fight Netflix is facing a fight of its own just days after airing the highly anticipated battle between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. The streamer is facing a class action lawsuit for the extensive technical difficulties that plagued the boxing match. Here’s what you need to know. Netflix’s Fight In Court Not long after Netflix aired the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson… A class action lawsuit was issued against the company for being ill-prepared to stream the boxing match on its site. The lawsuit brings claims for breach of contract and violations of consumer protection laws in Florida. The Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight on Netflix was the streamer’s biggest sporting event ever… With over 108 million viewers tuning in. However, soon after the fight began… VIEWERS ALL OVER THE INTERNET WERE UNABLE TO WATCH THE MATCH DUE TO EXCESSIVE BUFFERING, STALLING, AND SOME BEING UNABLE TO ACCESS THE LIVESTREAM ALTOGETHER. Netflix received over 97,000 official complaints relating to issues when streaming the fight. On X, “NetflixBroken,” “unwatchable,” and “#buffering” started trending. When faced with complaints about the fight, Netflix refused to issue refunds or discounts. The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages and seeks to represent anyone affected by the technical difficulties. “INSTEAD OF PROVIDING THE PROGRAMMING ITS VIEWERS PAY FOR EVERY MONTH, NETFLIX WAS COMPLETELY UNPREPARED AND UNABLE TO FIX THE ISSUES,” Ultimately, it’s clear that if Netflix can’t resolve issues with its fights… Netflix won’t just be fighting its servers…

Can Target Save Their Stores From Failure? Target Stores Not so long ago, shoppers flocked to Target stores in droves. However, the once-beloved brand has fallen in popularity over the past few years. Customer dissatisfaction is apparent in the chain’s continual decline in sales. This article examines why this is happening—and if anything can be done about it… Target Trails Behind Its Biggest Competitors’ Stores It is almost impossible to think about Target without thinking about its number-one competitor — Walmart. The two have been neck-and-neck for years trying to win the same customer base. AND RIGHT NOW, WALMART HAS THE CLEAR LEAD… The blue big-box chain has crushed Target in sales growth for 11 quarters in a row! This is not entirely shocking when you consider that Walmart is the biggest retailer in the U.S. Still, not only is Tar-jay losing to them in sales, but Amazon as well for discretionary goods. But, that hasn’t always been the case… Why Consumers Are Falling Out of Love with Target Stores As we mentioned earlier, Walmart’s chic counterpart used to be the public’s preferred retailer. Statistics and customer consensus showed people loved browsing Target for their affordable staples and varied inventory. Presently, patrons allege that shopping at Target stores is a far cry from what it used to be… Understaffed registers that result in long check-out lines… Lack of variety in items and in-demand items being constantly sold out… Or, worse those everyday products are locked behind glass. This practice is done to prevent theft and is notoriously also used by Walmart. Nevertheless, these unattractive attributes are probably caused by Target’s outdated modus operandi. Could a Strategy Shift Turn Things Around? The CEO of Target, Brian Cornell, summarized the weaknesses of the company in an investor call like this: “THERE’S SOME MACRO SHORT-TERM HEADWINDS THAT WE’VE GOT TO EMBRACE AND UNDERSTAND.” Via The Wall Street Journal In layman’s terms, Target stores are not keeping up with what the current marketplace needs. In the current economic climate, consumers are making fewer unnecessary purchases. This is a problem because the Target brand is built on “impulse buying.” In contrast, Walmart focuses on essentials — namely, food. The corporation is the largest grocer in the United States. By this fact alone, we can assess where the gap between the two retail juggernauts comes from. Further, Target is still recovering from its product ordering catastrophe in stores. In short buying too much of what no one was buying prevented them from ordering in-demand inventory. The good news is that these obstacles and shifts in strategy are not impossible. The brand just has to do it — quickly.

Top Spotify Podcasts Fight Against YouTube Dominance Top Spotify Podcasts Spotify wants its top podcasts to go head-to-head with YouTube’s hold in the podcasting industry. With a new plan to lure video podcasting to the platform… Spotify plans to become the number one place for content where people talk in front of microphones. How Spotify Plans To Use Top Podcasts To Dethrone Youtube As listening to and watching podcasts becomes a part of more people’s media diets… Platforms are fighting for control of this growing audience’s attention. Currently, about 31% of weekly podcast users get their episodes from YouTube. Only about 21% of podcast listeners use Spotify as their main platform for top podcasts. BUT SPOTIFY IS VYING FOR THE NUMBER ONE SPOT. Spotify recently announced a revenue-sharing program for creators who upload top video podcasts. Now, these creators will get a cut of subscription and ad earnings depending on how many views their podcasts get on the platform. While it might seem counterintuitive to focus on building infrastructure for top video podcasts… Spotify knows its platform will be more competitive against YouTube. The company also announced that the site will cut ads for premium subscribers who watch video podcasts. It might seem like watching a host talk into a microphone for an hour and a half makes bad content… But in reality, video podcasts provide a more intimate view of the content creator that audiences crave. As more and more video podcasts rise in demand, Spotify’s top priority is incentivizing creators to make more content for their platform. How Much Will Creators Make While Spotify’s top video podcasts don’t have to worry about how much money they’ll be raking in with the new changes… SMALLER PODCASTERS WILL NEED TO QUALIFY TO GET A CUT OF THE REVENUE. The company has not disclosed the rate at which creators will be compensated… But whatever money they make will be determined by how many views a video podcast receives. To qualify for the podcast revenue-sharing program, creators must: Upload and host original content through Spotify Have 10,000 hours streamed from at least 2,000 unique visitors in the past 30 days Have at least 12 episodes published. Spotify is banking that this new program will bring more top podcasts to video format, and with it, more viewers. After all, users have to pay more to watch podcasts ad-free on YouTube than they do on Spotify. Given the new program and its incentives… It won’t be surprising if Spotify climbs to the top of the podcasting game once again.

DOJ Hunts Down Visa in Antitrust Lawsuit Visa Lawsuit At the end of September, the U.S Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Visa. The DOJ alleges the largest payment network in the world is effectively a monopoly. But, is there any weight to these hefty claims? It depends on who you ask… Allegations of Visa Bullying Businesses On September 24, 2024, Attorney General Merrick Garland filed a lawsuit against Visa in New York. The antitrust case claims Visa caused additional fees to banks, consumers, and merchants. Merrick Garland included this in his official statement: “WE ALLEGE THAT VISA HAS UNLAWFULLY AMASSED THE POWER TO EXTRACT FEES THAT FAR EXCEED WHAT IT COULD CHARGE IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET. MERCHANTS AND BANKS PASS ALONG THOSE COSTS TO CONSUMERS, EITHER BY RAISING PRICES OR REDUCING QUALITY OR SERVICE. AS A RESULT, VISA’S UNLAWFUL CONDUCT AFFECTS NOT JUST THE PRICE OF ONE THING — BUT THE PRICE OF NEARLY EVERYTHING.” Via CNBC Some of that “unlawful conduct” includes penalizing banks for using other debit services with exclusionary agreements. These claims are bolstered by the fact that 60% of debit transactions are processed through Visa in the United States. But, the famous company is not taking these accusations lightly… Visa Discredits Lawsuit Naturally, the accused released their statement on the subject vehemently denying it. Visa’s general counsel, Julie Rottenburg submitted a public response: “Anyone who has bought something online, or checked out at a store, knows there is an ever-expanding universe of companies offering new ways to pay for goods and services. Today’s lawsuit ignores the reality that Visa is just one of many competitors in a debit space that is growing, with entrants who are thriving. We are proud of the payments network we have built, the innovation we advance, and the economic opportunity we enable.” Of course, all of these things will come to a conclusion in front of the judge. However, the DOJ says winning the case may have an interesting side effect… Could Department of Justice Vs. Visa Lawsuit Advance Tech? The DOJ filed as a part of its lawsuit against Visa that it also paid competitors in order to… “BLUNT THE RISK THEY DEVELOP INNOVATIVE NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT COULD ADVANCE THE INDUSTRY BUT WOULD OTHERWISE THREATEN VISA’S MONOPOLY PROFITS.” This has put Visa’s agreements with Apple, PayPal, and other service providers under scrutiny. We will have to wait until the resolution of this case to see if the allegations hold water. Or, if the ruling will change how Americans do business…

Will New Peloton CEO Make Bikes Cool Again? peloton bike ceo Exercise bike company Peloton is betting a new CEO will help turn the company around. After years of lacking sales, this new restructuring is the company’s best shot at a comeback. Can New Peloton CEO Save Their Bikes? Peloton has been facing some rocky roads in the past few years. Although, ever since rising in popularity as the pandemic ushered us indoors… The company struggled to recreate the indoor workout boom. After supply chain pressures and a plummeting valuation, the company decided to enact a new restructuring plan that would hopefully save them. PART OF THE PLAN TO SAVE PELOTON BIKES IS USHERING IN A NEW CEO. The new CEO of Peloton bikes, Peter Stern, is set to take over at the start of January. Stern, who worked as president of Ford Integrated Services… Also worked at Apple for more than six years, leading the growth of the company’s subscription-based services. As CEO of Peloton bikes, Stern will lead the company’s new shift into video content and expand its subscription service. After the Peloton announced the new CEO, tasked with saving their exercise bikes… COMPANY STOCK JUMPED 28% Ultimately, the new CEO of Peloton bikes definitely has his work cut out for him.