You can have the best product, the most dedicated team, and a track record that speaks for itself — and still lose clients to a competitor who is simply more visible. More talked about. More featured.

Business magazines are one of the most powerful visibility tools available to entrepreneurs today. A single feature in the right publication can do more for your credibility than a year of social media posts, paid ads, or cold outreach combined.

In my experience placing business owners in publications across the US, the entrepreneurs who get featured are not always the most successful ones in their industry. They are the ones who understand which publications matter, what those publications look for, and how to position their story to get noticed.

This guide covers the best business magazines for entrepreneurs in 2026 and gives you a practical roadmap for getting featured in them.

Why Getting Featured in a Business Magazine Still Matters

Before diving into the list, it is worth understanding what a magazine feature actually does for your business in 2026.

It builds credibility that money cannot buy. Anyone can run an ad. Not everyone gets featured in a publication with editorial standards. When a business magazine chooses to feature your story, it signals to your market that an independent third party found your work worthy of attention.

It ranks on Google. A well-written feature about your business published on a high-authority magazine website can rank on the first page of Google when someone searches your name or company. That is permanent, compounding visibility that works 24 hours a day.

It creates a credibility asset you can use everywhere. Once you are featured, that logo goes on your website, your email signature, your LinkedIn profile, and your pitch deck. “As featured in…” is one of the most powerful trust signals in business.

It attracts the right clients. The readers of business magazines are business owners, decision makers, and executives — exactly the people most entrepreneurs are trying to reach.

The Best Business Magazines for Entrepreneurs in 2026

1. Forbes

Forbes is the most recognized business publication in the world and being featured carries enormous credibility weight. Forbes covers entrepreneurship, leadership, technology, finance, and business strategy across every industry.

Best for: Established entrepreneurs with a strong track record, unique business insights, or a compelling personal story.

How to get featured: Forbes has a contributor network where approved writers pitch stories. The best path for most entrepreneurs is to be quoted as an expert source in an existing article rather than pitching a feature directly. Building a relationship with a Forbes contributor in your industry is the most reliable route.

Difficulty: High — Forbes receives thousands of pitches and the bar for coverage is significant.

2. Entrepreneur Magazine

Entrepreneur is one of the most widely read publications for small business owners and founders. It covers startups, growth strategies, franchise opportunities, leadership, and business culture.

Best for: Small business owners, franchise operators, startup founders, and entrepreneurs at any stage of growth.

How to get featured: Entrepreneur actively looks for real business stories with lessons other entrepreneurs can apply. Pitching a story about a challenge you overcame, an unconventional strategy that worked, or a milestone worth noting are all strong angles.

Difficulty: Medium — more accessible than Forbes but still competitive.

3. Inc. Magazine

Inc. focuses on fast-growing companies and the entrepreneurs building them. It is known for lists like the Inc. 5000 — the definitive ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

Best for: High-growth businesses, tech startups, and entrepreneurs with strong revenue growth stories.

How to get featured: The Inc. 5000 application is the most direct path to Inc. coverage. Beyond that, Inc. writers actively seek sources and experts through platforms like HARO. Being consistently helpful as a source builds relationships that lead to features.

Difficulty: Medium to high — growth metrics matter significantly to Inc. editors.

4. Fast Company

Fast Company covers innovation, business, and the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship. It has a strong focus on companies doing things differently — disrupting industries, building purpose-driven businesses, or solving problems in unconventional ways.

Best for: Tech entrepreneurs, innovators, purpose-driven businesses, and founders with a unique approach to their industry.

How to get featured: Fast Company responds well to pitches that connect your business to a broader trend or cultural moment. The angle needs to be forward-looking — what does your business say about where the industry is going?

Difficulty: High — Fast Company is selective and trend-focused.

5. Bloomberg Businessweek

Bloomberg Businessweek is one of the most respected business publications in the world, with deep coverage of finance, economics, technology, and global business strategy.

Best for: Businesses with financial or economic angles, companies operating at scale, and entrepreneurs with insights on market trends.

How to get featured: Bloomberg is primarily journalist-driven — they find their stories rather than accepting pitches from entrepreneurs directly. Being visible as an expert in your field through other publications, HARO, and LinkedIn increases the chances of a Bloomberg journalist finding you.

Difficulty: Very high — primarily for established businesses with significant scale.

6. CEO Medium

CEO Medium is a digital business magazine dedicated specifically to entrepreneurs, founders, and business leaders across the US. Unlike traditional publications that rely on journalists to find your story, CEO Medium works directly with business owners to craft and publish dedicated feature stories.

Best for: Entrepreneurs, small business owners, realtors, consultants, and founders at any stage who want guaranteed media coverage with a permanent, SEO-indexed article about their business.

How to get featured: CEO Medium offers feature placement packages starting at $999. You get a dedicated article written and published about your business, permanent indexing on Google, and syndication to additional outlets depending on your package.

Difficulty: Accessible — designed specifically for entrepreneurs who want coverage without the uncertainty of traditional pitching.

How to Get Featured in a Business Magazine: A Step-by-Step Approach

Step 1: Choose the Right Publication for Your Stage

Not every magazine is right for every business. Match your pitch to where you are:

• Early stage or local business: Start with regional business journals, industry trade publications, and digital magazines like CEO Medium where the barrier to entry is lower and the audience is targeted.
• Growth stage: Target Entrepreneur and Inc. where mid-sized business stories get regular coverage.
• Established business with scale: Go after Forbes, Fast Company, and Bloomberg Businessweek where the bar is high but the credibility payoff is enormous.

Step 2: Craft a Story, Not a Profile

Magazines do not publish profiles of businesses. They publish stories about people building businesses. The difference is critical.

A profile says: “Here is what our company does and how successful we are.”

A story says: “Here is a challenge we faced, how we approached it differently, what we learned, and what that means for other entrepreneurs in our space.”

Before you pitch any publication, identify the story angle — the conflict, the turning point, the lesson, the unexpected result. That is what editors are looking for.

Step 3: Research the Right Contact

Every major publication has editors and writers who cover specific beats. Pitching the wrong person is as bad as not pitching at all.

Spend 20 minutes on LinkedIn and the publication’s website identifying:

• Who covers your industry or business type
• What stories they have published recently
• What angles they seem to favor

Then personalize your pitch to that specific person and reference their recent work.

Step 4: Write a One-Paragraph Pitch

Your initial pitch should be one paragraph maximum. Include:

• Who you are and what your business does in one sentence
• The story angle in one sentence
• Why their readers would care in one sentence
• A soft ask — “Would you be open to hearing more?”

Do not send a full press release as your first contact. Send a pitch. If they are interested, they will ask for more.

Step 5: Follow Up Once

If you do not hear back within 7 days, send one follow-up email. Keep it short — one sentence reminding them of your pitch and asking if they had a chance to consider it.

If you still do not hear back, move on to the next contact. Persistence is good. Repeated follow-ups to the same person are not.

The Fastest Path to Getting Featured in 2026

If you want guaranteed coverage without the uncertainty of pitching editors who may never respond, working directly with a business publication is the most efficient path.

CEO Medium works with entrepreneurs and small business owners to publish dedicated feature stories that are permanently indexed on Google, written to tell your story the way it deserves to be told, and syndicated to additional outlets to maximize reach.

Once your feature is live, combining it with a press release distribution service can extend your reach even further.

Rather than spending months pitching editors with no guarantee of coverage, you get a published feature that builds your credibility from day one.

Final Thoughts

Business magazines remain one of the most powerful visibility tools available to entrepreneurs in 2026. A single feature in the right publication builds credibility, drives compounding traffic, and positions you as a recognized voice in your industry.

Start with publications that match your current stage. Build your story before you pitch. Personalize every outreach. Follow up once and move on.

And if you want to shortcut the process entirely, CEO Medium is here to make sure your story gets told.

Ready to get your business featured? CEO Medium publishes dedicated feature stories for entrepreneurs and business owners across the US. Packages start at $999. Get Featured Today or email info@ceomedium.com.

The post The Best Business Magazines for Entrepreneurs in 2026 (And How to Get Featured in Them) appeared first on CEO Medium.

Key Takeaways

• Focus only on channels that deliver measurable value
• Reuse and repurpose marketing assets instead of producing net-new material every time
• Use cost-efficient digital tools (social, email, SEO, AI image generation, etc.)
• Prioritize message clarity and consistent output over perfection

Why Cost-Effective Marketing Often Works Better Than “Big” Marketing

Marketing waste usually happens when business owners assume bigger budgets guarantee bigger results. But lean, structured plans often outperform large scattershot campaigns because every dollar is attached to purpose. When your efforts are narrow and precise, customer understanding sharpens, engagement rises, and conversion improves—without the financial bloat.

Budget-Friendly Visual Creation for Marketing

High-quality visuals used to require professional designers or photographers, but small businesses now have access to tools that drastically reduce production costs. An AI image generator gives you a way to produce custom on-brand visuals in minutes, helping you avoid expensive creative outsourcing while still elevating your marketing look. This tool lets you convert simple prompts into stylized images for campaigns, product features, blog posts, or ads. Using a text-to-image workflow also simplifies content creation, letting you produce a steady stream of visual assets that reinforce your brand presence without additional overhead.

Baseline Actions That Make Everything Else Work

Use this as a working reference as you build or optimize your plan:

• Identify your primary customer segments
• Rank channels by cost vs. value delivered
• Create a consistent publishing schedule (weekly minimum)
• Reuse successful content across formats (email, social, website)
• Track 3–5 key metrics only (CTR, leads, cost per lead, conversions, retention)
• Produce visuals using affordable tools instead of outsourcing
• Prioritize organic channels first (SEO, email, partnerships)
• Review performance every 30 days and refine

The Core Strategies That Keep Costs Low and Impact High

1. Nail Your Messaging Before You Touch Your Budget

When business owners clarify their differentiators—what they do, who it’s for, and why it matters—marketing costs drop substantially. Clear messaging prevents wasted ad spend, confusing offers, and mismatched audiences.

2. Build an Organic Foundation Before Paying for Exposure

Organic channels grow slower, but their compounding effect is unmatched. Examples include:

• SEO-driven blog content answering real customer questions
• Email newsletters with value-first updates
• Local business listings optimized across directories
• Partnership swaps (guest posts, shared promotions, bundled offers)

Once the foundation is strong, paid channels become amplifiers rather than crutches.

3. Recycle, Repurpose, and Atomize

One content asset can become many:

• A blog post → 3 social clips → 2 email snippets → 1 infographic
• A webinar → YouTube highlight → LinkedIn carousel → website FAQ

This approach reduces your workload while multiplying your touchpoints.

4. Use Data to Eliminate Guesswork

Every marketing action should lead to a metric. Look at what’s actually driving revenue and cut the rest. The simplest system is:

Result → Source → Spend → Adjustment

This prevents you from holding onto channels that “feel” useful but deliver little.

High-Impact Improvements Beyond Core Channels

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What marketing channels should I avoid when on a tight budget?
   Avoid broad paid advertising campaigns that target cold audiences; the cost per acquisition is typically too high without a strong organic funnel first.,
2. How often should a small business post content?
   Consistency matters more than frequency. Even 1–2 posts per week across your primary channels is effective when sustained.
3. Are paid tools worth it for small teams?
   Only if the tool replaces labor you would otherwise outsource or speed up your workflows by a meaningful margin.
4. How long until I see results?
   Organic channels typically show traction within 60–120 days. Paid channels show results immediately but don’t compound in the same way.

Additional Actions Worth Considering

Here’s a compact list to keep at your desk:

• Spend more time improving existing content than creating new pieces
• Use testimonials and customer stories—they have near-zero cost and high trust value
• Avoid doing everything on every platform; pick two
• Automate repetitive tasks (posting, email sequences, reminders)
• Join industry communities—visibility grows fastest where people already gather

Conclusion

Lean marketing isn’t about doing less; it’s about doing what works. When you prioritize clarity, consistency, and tools that stretch your creative power, you create a marketing engine that grows sustainably. Stay focused on high-impact channels, measure relentlessly, and let your efforts compound over time. Your budget—and your business—will grow stronger because of it.

The post How to Build a High-Impact Marketing Plan on a Small Budget appeared first on CEO Medium.

The British economy is still struggling to recover from the pandemic, according to the latest data. The economy is 0.5% smaller than it was before the pandemic, and experts say that the main reasons for this are the lingering effects of the pandemic and the tighter post-Brexit immigration rules.

The ongoing skills shortage is a major challenge for businesses, but it is also an opportunity for those who are proactive. Here are our top tips for businesses facing labor challenges in 2023.

UK industries with skills shortages

To begin, it is important to identify the industries in the UK that are most affected by the skills shortage. A recent study found that the country’s biggest shortfalls are in a variety of sectors, including:

• Transport and logistics: This sector is facing a shortage of skilled drivers, warehouse workers, and customs agents.
• Hospitality: This sector is facing a shortage of skilled chefs, waiters, and hotel staff.
• Manufacturing and construction: These sectors are facing a shortage of skilled engineers, carpenters, and electricians.

Invest in your workforce for long-term success

Recruiting top talent is a time-sensitive process, as there is only a limited pool of qualified candidates available. A recruitment agency can help you find the right people quickly and efficiently.

Recruitment agencies have wider referral networks as a third party, allowing them to identify candidates with the necessary work experience. They also focus on different industries, so you can locate an agency that meets your specific requirements.

Recruitment agencies can help you find new talent with the core skills to help your company reach its goals.

Invest in your workforce to boost your business
Often, the skills you need are already present in your workforce, but they may not be fully utilized. By upskilling your employees, you can give them the skills they need to take on new challenges and responsibilities.

Upskilling your workforce can be a great way to improve your business and the skills of your employees. By following these tips, you can make the upskilling process a success.

Organizations with more resources may even pay for their employees to enroll in external training programs offered by universities or colleges. This personalized investment in your workforce can build loyalty and even provide a valuable public relations opportunity.

Utilise Apprenticeship to train and upskill your workforce
Apprenticeships can be a long-term solution to skills shortages. They can help employers reach a wider talent pool and offer prospective employees a strong, high-quality alternative to the traditional university degree.

A multi-pronged approach to recruitment that includes building relationships with educational institutions can help businesses find top talent at the source.

Boost your marketing reach and visibility
A strong marketing strategy can make your company more attractive to prospective employees. This is because it can help to increase brand awareness and generate interest in your company. You can partner with local educational institutions, promote your job openings on social media and in the local press, and track your results to improve your marketing strategy and attract future employees.

Sources 

GDP – data tables – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)  

Immigration – Winckworth Sherwood LLP (wslaw.co.uk) 

UK employers struggle with worst labour shortage since 1997 | Business | The Guardian 

The post Overcoming Skills Gaps: A Guide for Businesses appeared first on CEO Medium.

Amp Up Your Online Presence

If you don’t have an online presence on a professional network, now is the time to create your profile. List your work experience, your achievements, and any relevant degrees you’ve obtained. Add a profile picture that looks polished and professional – no vacation or pet photos! Alternatively, if you’re starting your own freelance business to make ends meet, or if you’re worried about ageism, add your company logo on your profile instead of a photo of yourself. Reach out to former colleagues and clients, ask them to add a review of your work, and build up your network, adding people in your field that can vouch for your talents and competencies.

Get Freelance Gigs in Social Media Management

Whether your talents lie in copywriting, marketing, or website design, there are a ton of opportunities to make extra cash helping businesses promote their goods and services online. Many solopreneurs and smaller companies don’t have the time or expertise to design a professional site, keep up with a blog, and come up with marketing strategies. They’re often in need of social media managers to help them create content and publish effective posts on their channels. So if you know your way around the latest online trends and technologies, reach out to potential clients online or through your local chamber of commerce to find local prospects: Arm yourself with a portfolio of your work, and start networking with decision-makers to land some gigs.    

Become an Interior Designer

If you have a keen eye for detail and you like to keep up with the latest trends in furniture, decoration, design, and housing, consider lending your talents to people looking to beautify their space or make it more functional. To launch a new career in interior design, you can start by contacting companies in your area and see if they have openings for an assistant position, where you’ll be able to learn the ropes; once you have a few projects under your belt, you can go the solo route and advertise your services on online job boards, cold call potential clients, or reach out to businesses that may benefit from your expertise. 

Reach Out to Your Neighbors

After being laid off, it’s a good idea to keep busy while looking for your next opportunity. Staying socially active can help prevent anxiety, sadness, and frustration from creeping in, and you can even make money from talking to neighbors and friends that may need your help! Brainstorm side job ideas that don’t require a degree, such as pet sitting, dog walking, or delivering groceries with companies like Instacart. To widen your net, put flyers up at your local grocery stores and at the library with your contact information, and join local online groups to advertise your services. Once you have a few clients, ask them to post a positive review online and ask them for referrals. This extra money will help you weather the storm until you find your next position.         

Don’t let a professional setback bring you down! Keep yourself busy and make some extra money while you plan your next career move. You may even discover some hidden talents and a new passion you can turn into a rewarding job! 

Are you a solopreneur wanting to share your voice and reach out to millions of people? At ceomedium.com, we leverage the power of social media to help your business reach a wider audience. 

The post Getting Side Gigs When You’re Unemployed or Underemployed appeared first on CEO Medium.

What Is Data Analytics?

Data analytics uses raw data to answer questions, identify trends, understand past and current trends, and predict future trends. Analysts use software tools that gather data from many sources, including:

• Your CRM sales history
• Products or services sold
• Advertising methods
• Competitor’s sales and advertising performance
• Your website’s traffic
• Search engines
• Product or service pricing

These software tools use algorithms to process the raw data. There are four basic categories of data analytics:

• Descriptive — identify what happened
• Diagnostic — find out why it happened
• Predictive — if you do this, what might happen
• Prescriptive — what you should do to achieve your goals

Successful business owners and marketing experts use data analysis results to make better, more informed decisions.

How Can You Use Data Analytics?

Data analytics finds patterns that can help you grow your business. Today’s technologies allow companies to use real-time information gathered by data analytics to:

• Plan marketing strategies
• Find and retain customers
• Decide what products to retire or introduce
• Plan inventory amounts

Analysis will show you what products are popular and trending, allowing you to ramp up your inventory or develop new offerings. It will also tell you where and how best to reach customers who might buy those products.

Analytics become most useful when they are integrated within a Business Process Automation practice. This practice combines automation tools + business process management to create a holistic system where core business systems are continuously monitored, analyzed, and adjusted to increase efficiency and drive down costs. This finds its highest utility in complex systems undergoing digital transformation.

What Should You Include in Your Marketing Plan?

It’s important to include several things in your marketing plan:

• Target market
• Budget
• Strategies
• Sales goals
• A way to define your success

Your target market is the group or groups of people who are most likely to buy from your company. This could be as broad as defining either men or women or as specific as women ages 20–24 who live in small towns.

Experts agree that your marketing budget should be large enough to accomplish your goals but small enough that you can comfortably afford it. You’ll need to find out the best ways to reach those in your target market. Social media advertising is a must these days, but the best platform varies depending on whom you’re trying to reach.

Clearly defining the sales goals that you hope to reach with your marketing campaign can create motivation and innovation within your company. These goals need to be realistic but don’t be afraid to make them ambitious as well.

There are different types of sales goals, and your baseline for deciding if your marketing strategy is successful can vary depending on your goals. You can set a time span for measuring your success according to each platform you use, each group of campaigns advertising the same products or service on multiple platforms, or other ways that work best for you. Some common sales goals are:

• Increasing the amount of each sale
• Improving sales figures by a certain percentage
• Reaching sales quotas
• Forming successful sales teams
• Specifying a particular activity

Who Can Help You?

Small businesses and entrepreneurs often outsource several kinds of digital marketing tasks. You can choose a different company for each need or one to handle many of your projects. Some of these projects may include:

• Logo design
• Branding
• Website design and maintenance
• Social media advertising
• Professional product photography

Are You Ready to Get Started?

Savvy business owners use data analytics to make important decisions to help their companies grow, especially for marketing strategies. Many turn to outside experts to manage their marketing campaigns.

At CEO Medium, our mission is to cover the best stories of visionary entrepreneurs and influencers from around the globe and share their experiences with the world. For more information, please visit our website or contact us today!

The post Why Data Analytics is Important for Your Marketing Plans appeared first on CEO Medium.

Forgotten Marketing Approaches

While many businesses have focused their marketing efforts online, there is still plenty of room for more traditional means of advertising. People who view paper ads are more likely to remember which company placed the ad, yet research cited by Marketing Evolution shows that 85.4% of internet users search at least monthly for information online. 

Tried-and-true methods of marketing include postcards, flyers, coupons, stickers, billboards and yard signs. Paper advertisements can be paired with digital forms by including a QR code that can be scanned by potential customers for additional information on your company. 

Creating Catchy Slogans

SCORE notes that one way to ensure your organization stands out from the competition is to create catchy slogans. They help your business stand out from the competition and establish your brand. A slogan is essentially a catchphrase that is simple yet helps consumers remember your product and company name. Some steps to help you get started on establishing a memorable slogan include:

• Refraining from using too many or complex words
• Creating a list of words related to your company and industry
• Utilizing words that evoke emotion
• Testing a few potential slogans to see which is best-received

Providing Offers and Discounts

Nothing brings in new customers quite like the potential to save money. Offering promotions and discounts can help you build your client base. Quality goods and services help you to retain those consumers. Your company can advertise special offers or discounts both online and via traditional marketing methods such as flyers, local bulletins or papers and postcards.

When you speak with new customers, be sure to ask how they heard about your company. This can help you to identify where to focus your efforts on engaging even more clients in your target market. Perhaps you have been focusing efforts on email marketing when most of your current customers heard about you through their church bulletin ad section. 

Tools for Marketing, From Slogans to Logos

Do not fret if you are a marketing novice, there are plenty of tools available to help you design marketing materials to give your company an edge over the competition. The various design tools available can help you with everything from developing that perfect slogan to creating a brand image that sticks. This includes tools that give you the ability to generate a logo online, a handy way to quickly and easily come up with an eye-catching graphic that communicates your brand and vision. Other tools help you format paper and virtual advertisements in addition to creating videos outlining your enterprise’s unique product line and services.

Remember to use an array of marketing tools to reach the maximum number of people. Focusing too much on one type of advertising can limit your sales potential by restricting the number of individuals who see it. A marketing plan should be fluid and continuously analyzed to determine whether it is still relevant and working as intended.

Even though today’s consumers spend a lot of their time in front of a screen, traditional marketing can still bring in business for your company. Whether it is advertisements in newspapers or lawn signs in your neighbourhood, seeing physical reminders of your business tends to stick in the brains of potential clientele.

The best stories of visionary entrepreneurs and influencers are told on the CEO Medium blog. Read more informative and entertaining articles today!

The post Tried-and-True Marketing Methods and Why They Are Still Relevant appeared first on CEO Medium.

Dreams are materializing for you, circumstances are unfolding, and opportunities abound. The only question you need to concern yourself with is: What is it going to take for me to be a successful entrepreneur? 

Talent: Honed by Experience, Sparked by Passion

The fact you are poised to take the monumental step of starting your own business is evidence you have been cultivating the passion and knowledge necessary to compete in today’s hyper-competitive arena.

To decide what business is right for you requires a frank assessment of your skillset, resources, and experience. 

Running your own business requires executing tasks across a broad scope of business activities. Are you ready to tackle administration, logistics, sales, marketing, and accounting by yourself? If not, do you have a plan for employees, freelancers, or contract laborers to address the areas where you require assistance?

Capital is a critical resource to consider when you are attempting to time your launch. Around 37% of companies fail due to running out of cash. A comprehensive business plan is integral to establishing the progress benchmarks required to achieve profitability or qualify for additional funding.

Don’t forget to factor in the time you have available to dedicate exclusively to the business. New businesses are often initiated while still working. The scalability of the venture hinges on an accurate estimation of your available hours and those designated to assist you.

The New Marketing Paradigm

Technology has transformed the concept of marketing. The consumer today is armed with more relevant information, product knowledge, and buying opportunities than ever before. To enter any market as a new business requires a thorough understanding and implementation of market research.

First, study your industry to determine the exact level of competitive rivalry, the threat of new entrants, and the threat of substitution. Factor in buyer and supplier power to give yourself a detailed picture of your industry.

Perform a strength, weakness, threat, and opportunity (SWOT) analysis on your company to determine where you fit within the market.

Most importantly, understand your buyers. Use surveys and focus groups to reveal customer attitudes, demand, price points, and impressions of branding concepts.

Your ability to leverage knowledge and experience is the startup foundation you have been building. The jump-off point is clear when you have developed a compelling value proposition for your product or service that triggers customers to purchase.

Never Stop Learning

If your research leads you to delay your startup or revise your concept, consider going back to school for a specialized business degree. WGU.edu uses online curriculums and has managed to build a broader reach with convenient and comprehensive learning programs. Fortifying your skill set while continuing to plan your business, work your job, and tend to a family is certain to materialize as a competitive advantage down the road.

Timing is Everything

For more esteemed leadership consulting, visit Los Angeles’s premier business accelerator, CEO Medium.

The post Your Turn at the Helm of the Start-Up Ship appeared first on CEO Medium.

Share Your Work with the World

Attract Potential Business Opportunities

Increase Your Social Activity

Develop Authority and Leadership

Best SEO Practices for Designers and Content Creators

• Create unique and highly shareable content.
• Create a mix of content – blog posts, videos, and more.
• Write guest posts to attract quality backlinks.
• Build a unique tone of voice that your audience can relate to.
• Invest in a high-quality, responsive website.

Final Thoughts

The post SEO: The Champion of Marketing appeared first on CEO Medium.

It’s crucial to recognize that the dual dichotomies of male vs female and men vs women are not the same.  Here is where biology and psychology part ways:  We designate a person as male or female depending upon the sex chromosomes they carry and how these direct the formation of their genitalia and some hormones. 

In contrast, the experience of being a man or a woman is much more fluid; cultural concepts of what it means to be one or the other (or something in between) determine how an individual feels, acts, and consumes.

There’s no doubt that gender identity is a crucial component of a consumer’s self-concept. People often conform to their culture’s expectations about how those of their gender should act, dress, or speak; we call these sets of expectations sex roles. Thus, the state of being a man or a woman holds a much broader meaning, and our definitions of what it means to one or the other change radically across time and across cultures. 

Today we’re witnessing a particularly volatile shakeup, as our culture grapples with changing definitions.  At least in some parts of our society, it’s increasingly commonplace for a biologically born man to “act feminine” by wearing skirts and make-up, or for a biologically born woman to “act masculine” as she dons overalls and construction boots.  And that’s not to mention the legions of people who literally change their biological identity via operations and hormone injections. 

In this changing world, marketers adhere to the “old school” male vs. female dichotomy at their peril.  Just what does it mean to be male, female, agender, cis, feminine-of-center, FtM, genderqueer, third gender, or any one of numerous terms that vie today to replace the man/woman dichotomy of old? Marketers need to closely follow this conversation to be sure their messages and products sync with these evolving definitions.

This evolution is most pronounced among younger people.  Although 13% of the U.S. population as a whole identifies as non-heterosexual, a whopping 31% of Gen Z people do.  An oft-cited study by Wunderman Thompson reported that 82 percent of Gen Zers think that “gender doesn’t define a person as much as it used to,” and 56 percent say they know someone who uses gender-neutral pronouns (like “they,” “them” and “ze”). 

When brands loosen up their traditional market definitions of gender, they may encounter exciting new opportunities. Products and services that used to be solely the province of one gender may now be fair game for others as well. For example, Old Spice has long been known as the brand Dad keeps in his medicine cabinet, but young women who like the scent and the relatively low price are tuning into the deodorant as well. This resurgence is a bit ironic, because the first product the company introduced in 1937 was a women’s fragrance.

The old male/female dichotomy is collapsing all around us as so-called “gender binarism” starts to morph into a more fluid definition of gender roles.  More and more people instead are becoming “gender benders” who delight in bending traditional sex roles.  Dramatic changes in sex roles as the traditional male/female dichotomy disintegrates create the potential for huge new markets as we see emerging movements including androgyny, the growing third-gender and L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual and anyone else) population, and the increasing demand for “modest fashion.”  

Most social scientists have always viewed sexuality as a continuum rather than a dichotomy.  Masculinity and femininity are social constructions that vary across cultures and historical periods.  However, in Western culture we seem to have reached a watershed moment when people question even the anchor points of this continuum. 

The cage that separates men and women has never been more fragile.  Don’t get left behind as this gender revolution picks up speed.   

Michael Solomon is a Global Consumer Behaviour Expert and the author of The New Chameleons: How to Connect with Consumers Who Defy Categorization, published by Kogan Page priced £14.99

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Use AI for the Right Reasons

Separate the purpose of your business project from the reason you’re using AI, and make sure AI is not only necessary to achieve it, but the best means to doing so. Marketing departments can be keen to claim a product is “powered by AI”, but can find it harder to explain how that translates into benefits for a customer. Business leaders can be guilty of the same thing, wanting to use AI in projects for the sake of using AI.

Part of the difficulty in deciding whether AI is the right technology to solve a business problem is that it’s not necessarily clear what AI actually means, and boundaries with other technologies can be blurry. AI covers a diverse range of applications, several of which don’t have much in common. AI is often used to analyze data and forecast likely consequences of decisions, although this is also the territory of “Big Data”. Another common use is the automation of business activities that would previously have needed human input, for example, posting transactions to ledgers. Computer vision is a familiar type of AI, for example, recognizing objects or faces in-camera images. A version of this is document management, in which the contents of printed and hand-written documents are scanned and converted into computer content. Closely related to this is natural language processing, whereby computers extract the meaning from the text as well as audio speech. Robotics is the final type of AI in common use, from robot vacuum cleaners to self-driven cars.

In practice what you call the technology doesn’t matter as long as you have clarity on what you want to use it to do. Which brings us to the next tip.

Use AI for the Right Problem

There is almost no limit to the ways AI could be used in large businesses, and even SMEs have many potential opportunities to use AI. However, the reality is that most of the time it’s used to address a handful of types of problem.

One of the most common is improving our understanding of customers, both individually and collectively. AI can help generate insights about products customers prefer and ways they like to choose and buy them. It can also flag early signs of customer dissatisfaction and potential churn.

A less specific use of AI is making better decisions that rely on data. The type of decision can vary tremendously, but can cover anything from shortlisting CVs of prospective employees to setting the optimal discount to offer a customer. The key is decisions that can be made or improved by sifting through lots of data.

AI can be important in product development, potentially adding competitive advantage to features of a product or service. Many startups, with the advantage of agility and speed, have come to market on the basis of using AI to offer something larger, more established competitors can’t provide.

One of the biggest uses of AI in larger firms is intelligent automation, sometimes known as RPA (Robotic Process Automation), and allows AI to introduce step changes in efficiency, speed, and scale of tasks.

There are many other possible uses of AI in business, and an internet search for “AI Use Cases” will give you a sense of these. But most examples cater to large corporates with deep pockets, and smaller businesses need to approach AI differently from larger ones. An important starting point is deciding whether to build or buy, which is what the final tip is about.

Don’t Build AI Unless Really Necessary (Buy or Rent Instead)

Much advice for business leaders about AI focuses on overseeing the creation of effective AI business solutions. However, as the AI market has evolved, the option of buying pre-built AI solutions or configuring part-built AI applications has become increasingly common.

In fact, the introduction of AI features into commonly used software means many businesses have already started using AI without realizing it. For example, many CRM applications routinely use AI to help users target customers, design campaigns, and even draft emails. This means that the distinction between an AI business project and a regular technology business project is diminishing. As a result, once you have clarity on what your business problem is and how you want to use AI to solve it, you may well find the features you need have already been incorporated into mainstream software used in the same business area.

If that’s not the case, it’s also possible that a separate AI solution has already been built, and your AI business project is then about evaluating pre-existing solutions and adopting the one that most closely suits your needs. Most of these are likely to be available through cloud subscriptions, so it may even be possible to try different options and select based on actual use.

Was Rahman is an expert in the ethics of artificial intelligence, the CEO of AI Prescience, and the author of AI and Machine Learning. See more at www.wasrahman.com

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