This week, the crew on Small Business Breakdown discusses the future of small businesses as they look ahead to 2025.
Small business confidence is up right now but are owners feeling confident in the overall economy?
Check out what our panel of experts are saying about the immediate future of small business on this week’s episode of Small Business Breakdown.
Small Business News Roundup
Also, be sure to check out all the big headlines from the last week in our Small Business News Roundup …
TD Bank Survey Highlights Optimism in Tech-Driven Restaurant Industry
Despite ongoing challenges, the restaurant franchise industry is showing renewed optimism heading into 2025, driven by advancements in technology, a brighter economic outlook, and a strategic focus on customer and employee experiences.
Trump Picks Loeffler to Head SBA in Second Term
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler to be the next Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Trump made the announcement earlier this month on his Truth Social account. “I am very pleased to nominate business leader and former U.S.
Zoho Launches Comprehensive Payroll Solution and Enhances Financial Suite
Zoho Corporation today launched Zoho Payroll, an end-to-end solution designed to simplify payroll processing, ensure compliance, and eliminate operational silos for U.S. businesses.
Grok Expands Image Generation Capabilities with Aurora Model Release
xAI has unveiled an update to Grok’s image generation abilities with the release of a new autoregressive model, code-named Aurora. Available on the 𝕏 platform, the Aurora model is designed to deliver photorealistic rendering, precise text-to-image synthesis, and advanced multimodal input capabilities.
OpenAI Launches Sora Turbo, Expanding Video Generation Capabilities for ChatGPT Plus and Pro Users
OpenAI has announced the rollout of Sora Turbo, the latest iteration of its video generation model. Initially introduced in February 2024, Sora has now evolved into a standalone product available at Sora.com for ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers. The upgraded model delivers faster performance, higher resolutions, and enhanced tools for creative video production.
Wix Launches AI Site-Chat to Enhance Customer Engagement and Support
Wix just introduced AI Site-Chat, a feature designed to improve how businesses interact with their customers online. The tool, acting as a virtual agent, provides 24/7 support to website visitors by answering questions, offering personalized recommendations, and delivering real-time information, even when business owners are unavailable.
Omnisend Launches Beta for Upgraded Reporting Feature to Simplify Ecommerce Insights
Omnisend, the ecommerce marketing platform, has introduced a beta version of its upgraded reporting feature, aimed at streamlining how merchants analyze performance across email, SMS, and push notification campaigns.
Google VP Shows the Transformative Power of Art in Business
Can we improve our business brain by participating in art? My next guest did the research to confirm this On The Small Business Radio Show, I discussed this with Ivy Ross who is the Vice President, Design for Hardware at Google.
Leisure and Hospitality Workers See Post-Pandemic Wage Gains Amid Industry Shifts
The leisure and hospitality sector, one of the hardest-hit industries during the COVID-19 pandemic, has rebounded in both employment and wages, according to a report by ADP. Despite losing 8.2 million jobs in March and April 2020, the industry has not only recovered its workforce but has also emerged as a leader in wage growth since the pandemic’s onset.
Subway Introduces Fresh Forward 2.0 Design to Modernize Restaurants
Subway has announced the launch of its Fresh Forward 2.0 restaurant design, a revamped global image set to roll out in 2025. The new design builds on the original Fresh Forward concept introduced in 2017, aiming to enhance the dining experience, increase operational efficiency, and support franchisee profitability. Fresh Forward 2.
T-Mobile Launches New 5G Internet Plans for Homes and Small Businesses
T-Mobile has unveiled three new 5G internet plans designed to offer more value, enhanced features, and fixed pricing for home and small business customers. Starting December 11, customers can choose from Rely, Amplified, and All-In plans, which include benefits like Hulu, Paramount+, and advanced cybersecurity tools.
Small Business Breakdown: Is It Time to Get Serious About Crypto?
This week, our Small Business Breakdown crew ponders a question some may have thought about years ago: Is it time to get serious about crypto? With Bitcoin breaking the $100,000 plateau, many are starting to take cryptocurrency more seriously.
Alibaba Launches AI-Powered E-Commerce Design Tool “Pic Copilot” in the U.S.
Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group has officially introduced Pic Copilot, an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) e-commerce design tool tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the United States.
Shopify Merchants Hit $11.5 Billion in Record Black Friday-Cyber Monday Sales
Shopify merchants achieved record-breaking success during the 2024 Black Friday-Cyber Monday (BFCM) weekend, generating $11.5 billion in sales. This represents a 24% increase over last year, highlighting the growing influence of small and medium-sized businesses in the global holiday shopping landscape.
Cyber Monday Online Sales Hit Record $13.3 Billion, Driven by Mobile Shopping
Cyber Monday 2024 shattered records with U.S. consumers spending $13.3 billion online, a 7.3% increase year-over-year (YoY), according to data released by Adobe Analytics. The surge marked the largest Cyber Monday to date and highlighted the growing dominance of mobile shopping, which accounted for 57% of online sales.
Image: Envato
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