Do Not Drive Boring Cars

©2025 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Life is too short to drive boring cars." – Most commonly attributed to Elvis Presley

I [Laurel Delaney] Loved the New Cracker Barrel Logo!

©iStock/marcnorman

I [Laurel Delaney] loved the new, fresh and updated Cracker Barrel logo. Yet ...   

Cracker Barrel is reverting to its old logo (as shown), fewer than 10 days after announcing a new, stripped-down version. The ensuing controversy has been at once a welcome distraction from other news and an outgrowth of all the most annoying impulses in American life.

Isn't it a shame when we can no longer do what is right for our businesses but must acquiesce to the Oval Office?

These Incidents Should Not Happen: Shooter Opens Fire in Catholic Church in Minneapolis (8/27/25)

©iStock/Jennifer Yakey-Ault

A shooter opened fire with a rifle Wednesday (8/27/25) through the windows of a Catholic church in Minneapolis and struck children celebrating Mass during the first week of school, killing two and wounding 17 people in an act of violence the police chief called “absolutely incomprehensible.”

Armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, 23-year-old Robin Westman approached the side of the church and shot dozens of rounds through the windows toward the children sitting in the pews during Mass at the Annunciation Catholic School just before 8:30 a.m., Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at news conferences. He said the shooter then died by suicide.

What is known about the shooter, Robin Westman.  A name change application for a minor born on the same date was approved by a district court in Minnesota in 2020, changing the name of a Robert Westman to Robin Westman, explaining the minor child "identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification."

More live updates here.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and survivors – kids, teachers and families.  Guns are unacceptable in our country, USA.

Hello World: Learn What Janet L. Yellen Says About Removing Lisa Cook as a Fed Governor in USA

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Janet L. Yellen, who was Mr. Jerome Powell’s immediate predecessor as Fed chair and later served as Treasury secretary under President Joseph R. Biden Jr., said she was “utterly alarmed” by the move [of Trump firing Lisa Cook].

“I feel this is now turned into an all-out assault on the Federal Reserve and an attempt by President Trump to really gain control over decision-making at the Fed,” she said. 

Read the full article at The New York Times reporting that Trump's firing of Fed Governor Lisa Cook will set off a long legal battle. Economists warn it could lead to higher inflation and government borrowing costs.

wegginar® with Duct Tape Marketing CEO Sara Nay, 9/3/25

©2025 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

Sara Nay, CEO of Duct Tape Marketing, will be presenting a wegginar® on Wednesday, September 3rd at 11 AM CT / 12 PM ET / 10 AM MDT:  "Take Back Control:  How to Lead Global Marketing in the Age of AI and hosted by Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® (wegg®).

Earlier this year, Sara presented to both Chicago chapters of the Women Presidents Organization, and she was a huge hit. Several members even went on to hire her to support their marketing strategies and AI implementation.  WPO is a partner to wegg.

But back to this exciting wegginar!  Thanks to wegg's generous sponsors, this session is free and open to all.  Sara will share practical, strategy-first insights designed to help business owners take charge of their marketing in today’s fast-changing landscape.

Sara will cover how to:

•  Lead with strategy, not tools.
•  Use AI to scale faster without losing your voice.
•  Compete globally without a massive team.
•  Automate the busywork, focus on high-value work.
•  Train AI like a team member, not a magic trick.

Looking forward to seeing you there.  Oh, and she has a great new book out, which I [Laurel Delaney] endorsed – buy it before her 9/3 wegginar so you can get a feel for her expertise – Unchained:  Breaking Free From Broken Marketing Models, https://unchainedmodel.com/.  It will certainly up your global game.     

If you’re ready to lead with vision and purpose while mastering strategy – global and AI included – this wegginar is designed for you.  Discover more (Sara's bio) and register now: https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/2025/08/06/take-back-control-how-to-lead-global-marketing-in-the-age-of-ai/.

See you there!

Today in Global Small Business: Global Superpower Maria Sharapova Is Competing in a New Arena and It's Not Tennis

©iStock/J2R

What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• Global superpower Maria Sharapova is competing in a new arena and it's not tennis.  
• US inflation warms up in June as tariffs boost some goods prices.
• As a native of Chicago, I [Laurel Delaney] say to Trump:  Back off.
• Quote of the week:  Donald Trump calling Republicans “the dumbest group of voters in the country."  – True or not true?
• Build your own chatbot to answers questions about your documents.
• How tariffs are gradually raising costs for American consumers.

Smile When You See a Butterfly

©2025 Laurel Delaney.  All rights reserved.

“If you smile when you see a butterfly, you have happiness in your soul.” – Diana Cooper 

Are We Using Artificial Intelligence to Do the Brainwork For Us?

©iStock/hapabapa

Back in the day, if we wanted to get just about anything done, we had to rely on our entire mental faculty to do so. Today, many of us are resorting to shortcuts. Instead of relying on our own intelligence, we use artificial intelligence to do the brainwork for us.

Is artificial intelligence slowing our brain functioning?  Find out here. Spoiler alert:  AI should always be treated as a complement to human intelligence.

Don't You Love Thomas Friedman's Opinion Pieces?

©iStock/mizoula

In Thomas Friedman's latest Opinion piece for The New York Times (8/19/25), he says:  

"I am really trying to be fair in analyzing the Trump-Putin-Zelensky-Europe drama that has been playing out the past few weeks. I am trying to balance President Trump’s commendable desire to end the murderous war in Ukraine with the utterly personalized, seat-of-the-pants, often farcical way he is going about it — including the energy that everyone involved has to expend feeding his ego and avoiding his wrath, before they even get to the hellish compromises needed to make peace.

For now, the whole thing leaves me deeply uncomfortable."

Dear readers, find out why.

Tough Obstacles To Ending the War in Ukraine

©iStock/TexBr

The simple fact that recent meetings between Trump and Zelenskyy, and the larger gathering of European leaders, was conducted in a friendly, co-operative fashion is itself notable given Zelensky's acrimonious White House visit in February and the sometimes contentious relations Trump has had with his European counterparts.

"If I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons," he [Trump] said in a Tuesday television interview.

But the path to heaven is narrow, as the saying goes, and there are still numerous obstacles to ending the war in Ukraine.

AI Is Used to Bring the Operating Cost of Fisheries Down

©iStock/Sasithorn Phuapankasemsuk

Because inflation continues to rise, the cost of all fisheries has become more expensive. The hope for the new FishVue AI technology is to help bring the cost of operating the fisheries down.

This new technology is coming to Alaskan fisheries thanks to a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The grant was to the Alaska’s Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) and the $488,000 will be used to develop technology to incorporate artificial intelligence into the existing electronic monitoring (EM) program.

Achieving cost-efficiencies continues to be a high priority for the fishing industry.

Today in Global Small Business: America's Busiest Gateway For Imports Sets a New Record

©iStock/MattGush

What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• America’s busiest gateway for imports from China set a new record in July, handling the equivalent of more than 1 million import containers for the first time.
• 6 takeaways from Trump's meeting with Putin.
• Trump shifts ceasefire stance and urges Ukraine to agree Russia peace deal.
• Quote of the week:  "It could be said that all armed conflicts are a ludicrous and shameful waste of lives, but World War I has a special place in the history of futility - a war without clear purpose, a war whose resolution would ultimately make the world a far worse place." – Scott Spencer
• Trump, Zelenskyy to meet at White House after Alaska summit with Putin fell short.
• In Alaska, Trump gives Putin more time to grind down Ukraine.

The Beautiful Part of the Cloud

©2025 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"The beautiful part of the cloud is, you know, it's unlimited capacity, in theory." – Eric Yuan

AI Openness: A Primer for Policymakers

©iStock/ko_orn

The policy paper, "AI Openness:  A Primer for Policymaker," explores the concept of openness in artificial intelligence (AI), including relevant terminology and how different degrees of openness can exist. It explains why the term "open source" – a term rooted in software – does not fully capture the complexities specific to AI.

Further, the paper analyses current trends in open-weight foundation models using experimental data, illustrating both their potential benefits and associated risks. It incorporates the concept of marginality to further inform this discussion. By presenting information clearly and concisely, the paper seeks to support policy discussions on how to balance the openness of generative AI foundation models with responsible governance.

How To Cope With All the Chaos Going On In the World

©iStock/Halfpoint

Uncertainty is a natural part of life, but it’s easy to feel completely overwhelmed when a lot of unknowns are coming your way at once—like, right about now.

Tariffs are being added and subtracted by the hour, causing wild swings in the global economy that could potentially cost you a ton of money. A ton of people who used to have jobs that seemed stable are now being fired. Plus, you’ve got whatever is happening in your personal life to deal with on top of worrying about a looming economic crisis.

Here are some tips from mental health pros that can actively help you cope with all the chaos going on in the world.

Global Entrepreneurship Reality Check

©iStock/Silver Place

Every February, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) publishes the iconic Global Report, offering stakeholders invaluable insights into the breadth and depth of global entrepreneurship.  The report serves as a comprehensive resource for understanding the state of the art of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial process worldwide.

Published annually, the report requires the time, expertise and resources of several hundred people around the world, including technical experts/researchers at top academic institutions and research institutes, dedicated sponsoring organizations (mainly governmental, but also international and private sector) and high-quality national experts across countries.

Why is the GEM research so prized?  Find out for yourself.  Access the report:  Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s 2024/2025 Global Report: Entrepreneurship Reality Check.

Sudden Departures of People in Critical Jobs Leave Companies With Holes

©iStock/Gregory Rodriguez

In recent months, immigrants working in manufacturing, food production and other industries have lost their jobs due to President Trump's immigration policies — not as a result of immigration raids, but because Trump ended Biden-era programs that had provided them temporary permission to remain in the U.S. and get jobs.

Those affected include more than a half-million immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who had been granted humanitarian parole for two years through a program known as CHNV — an acronym for the countries it covered. The changes also affect close to 1 million immigrants who were allowed into the U.S. after securing appointments at the U.S.-Mexico border via a U.S. government app.

See where things stand now but here's one important statement:  "The people is not illegal," [Michel Ange Lucas, who builds refrigerators for GE Appliances] says. "Politics made them illegal. But they was never illegal."

Today in Global Small Business: Can a 99-Cent Iced Tea Survive Trump’s Tariffs?

©iStock/duckycards

What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• “I hate even the thought of it,” Don Vultaggio, the founder and chairman of the AriZona Beverage Company, said of the prospect of raising the 99-cent price of a tallboy can of the company’s signature iced tea.
• Actions to take now because of the new tax law.
• The end comes (at least for now) on the de minimis rule for all US imports on August 29, 2025.
• Quote of the week:  "Take some time to relax and enjoy a glass of iced tea [while it is still 99-cents]. Sometimes the simplest moments bring the greatest pleasure." – Anonymous 
• The era of tariffs.
• How Kentucky bourbon went from boom to bust.

The Authentic Starbucks Experience

©2025 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"People around the world, they want the authentic Starbucks experience." – Howard Schultz

(Location:  Starbucks Reserve, Chicago)

Trump's Tariffs Are Forcing Global Small Business Owners to Raise Prices

©iStock/M.photostock

Many CEOs of small and medium-sized consumer product businesses in the U.S. say President Donald Trump’s tariffs could force them to raise prices before the end of the year.

Last week, Trump updated tariff rates for dozens of countries, ranging from 10% to 41% duties that go into effect starting Aug. 7. Goods that are considered to have been transshipped, or shipped through an intermediate country to disguise where they were originally made to avoid applicable duties, will be hit with an additional 40% rate.

U.S. businesses that stocked up on inventory earlier this year are now starting to run out, they say. When they reorder from their overseas manufacturers, they’ll need to pay steep import costs.

“I’ve been questioning, ‘What is the American Dream?’ because I thought I was living it,” a business owner says. “I served my country, I got an education, I bought a home, I started a business. ... This is not a dream anymore.”

Meet Lilli, McKinsey's Generative AI Platform

©iStock/Jacob Wackerhausen

“Knowledge is the life force of McKinsey,” explains Kitti Lakner, an associate partner and Lilli product leader. “But, despite numerous efforts over the years to bring it all together, we were still spending too much time hunting for the right information and firm experts when we needed them.”

It quickly became clear that generative AI (gen AI) offered an opportunity to not only help solve this thorny challenge but also completely transform the way we [McKinsey consultants] work with clients.

But why stop there?  They didn't.

U.S. Imports Slid in June on Higher Tariffs

©iStock/beingbonny

According to the Commerce Department, imports from other countries fell around 4 percent from the previous month as President Trump’s steep tariffs discouraged businesses from ordering goods.

Full article here.

The New Trade Reality – wegginar® With Specialists Kim Doyle and Jessica Wargo, Partners at Plante Moran

©2025 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

Between shifting tariff policies, an evolving trade landscape, and international tax changes in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, there are many moving pieces for taxpayers to keep track of.

During this wegginar® on Wednesday, 8/6/25 at 11 AM CT, "The New Trade Reality:  Taxes, Tariffs, and Small Business Success in 2025," Plante Moran’s international tax and global trade policy specialists – Kim Doyle and Jessica Wargo – will discuss the latest updates along with established planning strategies, keeping you on track and up to date.

To learn more and to register free of charge, visit: https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/2025/07/15/the-new-trade-reality-taxes-tariffs-and-small-business-success/

Today in Global Small Business: Global Expansion Simplified for SMEs

©iStock/Olga Ubirailo

What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• Global expansion simplified for SMEs.
• FAQs for tariffs and customs regulations.
• Shein’s and Temu’s prices will get hit even harder by the new de minimis rule.
• Quote of the week:  "Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great." — John D. Rockefeller
• How to sell on eBay in 2025.
• reddit member asks:  Etsy Sellers: How many of you ship worldwide? Is international selling that easy?

The Tool of Every Self-Portrait Is the Mirror

©2025 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"The tool of every self-portrait is the mirror.  You see yourself in it.  Turn it the other way, and you see the world." – Agnes Varda 

Who's Reading What at Deloitte Insights?

©iStock/Kravchenko Tetiana

From economic uncertainty to workforce tensions to generative AI, this quarter’s Top 10 most-read business insights reflect the mix of disruption and opportunity that’s top of mind for Deloitte Insights readers right now.

Scroll through the list to get fresh data, analysis, and perspectives to help you find the way forward.