President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on Friday that he had a “very productive” call with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, and that “progress” has been made “on the approval of the TikTok Deal.”

A White House official told CNBC that the call began at 8 a.m. ET. Although the matter does not appear to have been finalized, Trump wrote that he can “appreciate the TikTok approval” and that the two leaders will meet again in November at the APEC Summit in South Korea.

“I just completed a very productive call with President Xi of China. We made progress on many very important issues, including Trade, Fentanyl, the need to bring the War between Russia and Ukraine to an end, and the approval of the TikTok Deal,” Trump wrote. “The call was a very good one. We will be speaking again by phone, appreciate the TikTok approval, and both look forward to meeting at APEC!”

Related: Billionaire Investor Frank McCourt Jr. Wants to Do More Than Buy TikTok — He Wants to Transform the Entire Internet. Here’s How.

Earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the “framework” for a TikTok deal had been reached with China. Then, Trump extended the deadline for a TikTok deal for another 90 days, until December 16, with an Executive Order. It is the fourth extension issued since Congress passed a law last year requiring TikTok’s parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance, to sell the popular app or face a ban in the U.S.

CNBC’s David Faber reported earlier this week that TikTok’s U.S. owners will consist of new and existing investors. Oracle, which has been TikTok’s U.S. cloud provider since 2022, will keep its agreement with the company, sources told Faber. CBS reports that the private equity firm, Silver Lake, is also involved. Reports noted ByteDance would keep an ownership stake.

Bids to buy the app have been submitted by a slew of notable business leaders, including the team of Kevin O’Leary, billionaire former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in “The People’s Bid.” AI startup Perplexity, Amazon, and Applovin all submitted separate proposals as well.

Related: President Donald Trump Suggests Canceling Quarterly Reporting: ‘This Will Save Money’

Every business decision reflects a value system, even if it’s not named outright. When sales drop, do you cut costs or beef up your sales team once you’ve confirmed your sales strategy still works? That choice reveals where you put your weight, i.e., what you prioritize when resources are constrained but the company still has room to maneuver.

For me, the answer is to invest in the right people. However, some organizations make the choice of never calling out which approach is driving their decision-making.

Instead of making a strategic choice, these companies operate from unnamed assumptions. This leaves their leaders in a precarious situation. When a crisis hits, some choose security while others choose growth, creating confusion and conflict. That is a value killer.

It’s people who create value, however you define it — be it profit, revenue, standards or culture — and the leader’s job is to give them the clarity they need to align their roles with organizational goals. So here is how to bring those values to the surface to create space for principled decisions, even when the right path isn’t easy or perfect.

Related: Why Profits Over People Is Destined to Fail

The cost of unnamed priorities

Decision-making can be a good gauge of how well an organization is aligning its priorities. The bigger the company, the higher the cost of people pulling in different directions. McKinsey found that fewer than half of the 1,200 global business leaders it surveyed described their decisions as timely, and many of their decision-making processes were ineffective.

Decision paralysis does not afflict companies because they lack data like sales, profit and headcount, but because they haven’t named their values or aligned their value within the company as part of their culture. When priorities aren’t explicit, people judge each other’s actions through their own value lens. Then they get frustrated when the other party is doing it differently.

There are exceptions. When survival is at stake due to looming bankruptcy or market crashes, the scope of decision-making narrows and cost-cutting becomes unavoidable. However, in most downturns, I have to align the whole team on what we should do. It’s then that I prioritize people over short-term profit concerns, not because I ignore financial results, but because empowered people build sustainable businesses over time.

When values clash

The tension between people and profit isn’t theoretical — it’s a lived reality on a daily basis. Corporate culture is basically an aligned value system that needs to be called out so everyone follows it to maximize effectiveness.

We need to see value systems not as obstacles, but as guiding forces. They help reveal what matters most when trade-offs feel murky. Think about these clashes of values, which companies of different sizes may face without clear priorities:

• Speed vs. quality: Do you ship fast or perfect the product before going to market?

• Innovation vs. efficiency: Explore new markets or optimize current operations?

• Customer satisfaction vs. margins: Absorb costs to build reputation or protect profitability of the current quarter?

• Centralization vs. autonomy: Head-office control or local decision-making?

Confronted with these kinds of tensions, I don’t aim to impose my values, but I also don’t believe avoiding the conversation serves anyone. Instead of choosing between competing values, the goal is to agree on the structure for how we balance them or prioritize one over the other under what conditions. Forget neutrality. Prioritizing and balancing values is not a 50-50 proposition. Instead, we first have to lean into conflict to create clarity.

Related: Holding True to Your Values Is an Essential Decision-Making Metric

Bringing values to the surface

The best approach to get everyone on the same page is practical, although perhaps sometimes uncomfortable. If I am on the management team and there’s disagreement between whether to cut costs or invest in more people, let that argument surface at the table so everyone can discuss it from their own perspective.

Cost-cutting is not necessarily anti-people. And investing in people is definitely not anti-profit for the long run. But it may feel the wrong way when decisions aren’t grounded in a shared value framework.

The safety versus speed crisis over at OpenAI showed how misaligned values can play out if leaders are divided. The board operated from OpenAI’s original nonprofit mission that put safety first, while CEO Sam Altman valued speed to market. When Altman was briefly fired in 2023, the chaos that followed — employee revolt and investor panic — put the organization at existential risk.

The resolution came only when OpenAI built a frame that let them hold both safety and innovation together. To avoid value killers like OpenAI’s one-time crisis, values need to be named explicitly. If there’s conflict over assumed values, this is your opportunity to build structures that hold them in balance.

Related: How Putting People Before Profit Fueled My Company’s Long-Term Success

Values as navigation tools

The lesson from OpenAI was that every growing organization faces moments when values seem to clash. In mission-driven companies especially, scaling brings tension between staying true to purpose and chasing market opportunities. Rather than avoiding that tension, it must be confronted.

This isn’t about moral superiority or choosing sides in some philosophical debate. The organizations that thrive are the ones that make their priorities explicit and have the agility to balance them when they appear to conflict. That’s what putting people first actually means: giving your team the clarity they need to navigate complex choices and create lasting value together.

Five years ago, I hit rock bottom.

From the outside, my life looked like a highlight reel: scaling social enterprises, writing bestsellers, sharing stages with world-famous leaders. But behind the curtain, I was exhausted, angry, and disconnected. My health was crumbling under chronic pain, brain fog and a complete loss of purpose.

The hard truth about burnout is this: you can look like you’re winning while you’re falling apart. I had pushed so hard, for so long, that I hollowed out from the inside. It wasn’t just overwork. It was a disconnection from what mattered — physically, mentally, spiritually.

That collapse became a turning point. Out of desperation, I started exploring a new path anchored in science and self-awareness. What I discovered was a trifecta: biohacking, longevity medicine and fulfillment. Together, they restored my energy and clarity.

In this article, I’ll focus on biohacking — because it was the gateway that reconnected me at the cellular level and gave me the foundation to rebuild.

Rediscovering energy

Biohacking is often misunderstood as a fringe obsession with gadgets and supplements. But at its core, it’s simple: creating the conditions for your body and mind to function at their best. Think of it as working on the smallest unit of life — your cells and microbiome — so they can repair damage, fight disease and fuel growth.

My journey started with the basics: sleep, nutrition and movement.

Years of neglect had left me with inflammation, lingering injuries and brain fog. Traditional medicine had no answers.

Everything shifted when I met Dave Asprey, the founder of the modern biohacking movement. His philosophy was simple: change your environment — inside and out — and you can change your life.

Dave’s story mirrored my own. At 28, despite outward success, he faced arthritis, prediabetes, cognitive decline and the biochemistry of someone twice his age. Determined to reverse it, he lost over 100 pounds, regained his energy and boosted his IQ. His journey sparked the creation of The Bulletproof Diet and the global biohacking community.

Related: Why Smart Entrepreneurs Are Betting Big on Biohacking

Rebuilding from the ground up

I began experimenting with practices that seemed too simple to be transformative: cold plunges, infrared light, grounding in nature, fasting, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and a complete diet reset. Slowly, my energy returned.

When I sought treatment for an old rugby injury that left me limping for years, I turned to regenerative medicine: stem-cell therapy and plasma exchanges. For the first time in decades, I walked without pain.

But the biggest breakthrough wasn’t physical. With energy came clarity. With clarity came purpose. For the first time in years, I could hear the quiet voice of what mattered most.

Lessons for entrepreneurs

So what does this have to do with building a company? Everything.

Entrepreneurs pride themselves on outworking everyone else. But exhaustion is not a strategy. Your body is your most undervalued asset, and when you neglect it, your business pays the price.

Here are five practices that changed my life — and can change the way you lead:

1. Own your mornings
   I used to wake up and dive into email. Now I guard the first hours of the day for myself: meditation, movement, and cold exposure. These rituals anchor me before the world demands my attention.

2. Treat recovery as fuel, not weakness
   Sleep, downtime, and therapies like hyperbaric oxygen aren’t indulgences. They’re performance multipliers. Recovery is what sustains high output.

3. Align biology with purpose
   Energy without direction accelerates burnout. Energy with purpose drives innovation, collaboration, and fulfillment.

4. Use stress as a tool
   Cold plunges, fasting, and breathwork are forms of “hormetic stress” — controlled challenges that build resilience. When you train your body to handle stress, you lead better under pressure.

5. Build rituals, not resolutions
   Change doesn’t come from hacks you try once. It comes from rituals you repeat daily. My 4:15 a.m. wake-up, morning oxygen sessions, and meditation aren’t experiments — they’re anchors.

Related: I Biohacked My Way to Better Mood, Sleep and Job Performance — and You Can, Too. Here’s How.

From burned out to fueled up

Looking back, burnout was the best thing that ever happened to me. It forced me to confront the unsustainable way I was living and leading.

It took all three pillars — biohacking, longevity medicine and fulfillment — to rebuild my health. Biohacking gave me a reset at the cellular level. Longevity medicine created a long-term plan. Fulfillment reconnected me to purpose.

Today, I lead with presence and energy. I show up better for my family. And I build from a place of alignment, not exhaustion.

The lesson is simple: when you restore yourself, you don’t just lead better. You live better.

As a founder, your instinct is to appeal to everyone. Investors. Customers. Partners. The whole world feels like your audience.

And that instinct is killing your posts.

The biggest mistake I see founders make on social media is trying to speak to everyone at once. The result? Your message hits no one with any power. Social media works when one person on the other side of the screen feels like you’re talking directly to them. And only them. That’s when they stop scrolling. That’s when they like, comment, DM and share.

If you’re writing posts for a crowd, you’re blending into the noise. If you’re writing for one person, you’re cutting through it.

Talk to the ONE.

Think about the last time you heard a great keynote. Thousands of people in the room, but it felt like the speaker was talking just to you. That’s the effect you need to recreate in your posts.

Related: Why Authenticity Is the Key to Making Great Social Media Content and Building a More Devoted Audience

Here’s how to do it

1. Use direct language. Say you. Not “teams,” not “leaders in general.” You.
2. Call out exactly who you’re speaking to. “As a founder…” “If you’re leading a small team…” Be very specific.
3. Match their language and tone. Talk how they talk. Tech founders read differently than family-run restaurant owners. Investors hear you differently than customers.
4. Anchor it in real experiences. Share stories your “one” will nod along to and relate to.
5. Ask questions. Keep it conversational. If you wouldn’t say it out loud to a friend, don’t post it.

The goal is connection, not coverage.

Related: 11 Social Media Secrets Every Business Should Be Using in 2025

Who is your ONE?

Before you write the post, get clear:

• Is this message for investors?
• Is it for potential customers?
• Is it for peers and other founders?

Pick one. Speak to them. Let everyone else listen in. Being direct isn’t enough. You also have to engage. Respond to comments. Ask follow-ups. Keep the conversation alive in the comment section. The magic of social media isn’t in the post; it’s in the dialogue that happens after.

Yes, it takes more effort to do it this way. But the payoff is real. You’ll start seeing responses from people who “get it,” and that’s how networks and brands are built.

By the way, this principle isn’t just for your social media work. It applies to everything: your website, your pitch deck and even how you write emails. If people don’t feel like you’re speaking directly to them, they’ll bounce. But when they do feel it? They stay. They engage. They buy in.

And here’s the kicker: when you start focusing on one person, you’ll be shocked at how many “ones” actually show up.

The ONE-Person Framework (fast filter before you post)

Run every draft through three quick checks:

O — Outcome:
What single outcome does your reader want right now? Name it in the first 1–2 lines.

N — Narrative:
Tell a tiny story (3–6 sentences) that proves you’ve been where they are.

E — Engagement:
End with an invitation that’s easy to answer: a yes/no, a choice, a “fill-in-the-blank” or “DM me ‘PLAYBOOK’ if you want the steps.”

If your post can’t pass O-N-E in under a minute, it’s still written for a crowd.

Bad vs. Better (same idea, three audiences)

Generic (bad):
“Founders, growth is about focusing on customers and raising capital efficiently.”

Investor-focused (better):
“If you write checks, here’s the only metric that matters for us this quarter: cash payback in < 9 months on the core offer. Want the cohort math? I’ll drop it in a thread if you ask.”

Customer-focused (better):
“If you’re a CFO tired of surprise SaaS overages, here’s how we cap your spend in 30 days without switching tools. Step 1:…”

Founder-peer (better):
“Bootstrappers: stop optimizing your logo. Ship a clunky v1 to 10 paying customers. Here’s the email I send to get those first 10 calls.”

Related: How to Market Yourself on Social Media in 4 Steps

Micro-examples you can steal

• Hook for investors: “If you care about repeatable revenue, look at this: 41% of logos bought a second product within 60 days. Here’s why.”
• Hook for customers: “If your onboarding still takes 14 days, try this 3-email sequence. We cut ours to 72 hours.”
• Hook for peers: “What actually moved MRR last month (and what was a total waste of time). Numbers and receipts below.”

A simple post template (fill in and ship)

1. Call the ONE: “If you’re a [role] who’s stuck with [pain]…”
2. Promise an outcome: “…here’s how to get [specific result] in [time frame] without [common objection].”
3. Proof/story: 3–6 sentences. Short, concrete, credible.
4. One clear step: “Start with [step 1].”
5. Engagement: “Want my checklist? Comment ‘CHECK’ and I’ll send it.”

The 30-minute weekly workflow

You don’t need a content department. You need a habit.

Monday (10 min): Pick your ONE for the week. One audience. One outcome.
Wednesday (15 min): Draft two posts. Use the template. Cut filler.
Friday (5 min): Show up in the comments for 5 solid minutes — answer, ask, invite DMs. That’s it. Consistency beats virality.

Comment strategy that actually builds business

• Reply fast to the first 10 comments. Speed signals presence.
• Ask back: “Curious — what’s the blocker on your team?” Pull the thread.
• Move the qualified ones to DM with a micro-ask: “Want the 5-step SOP? DM me ‘SOP’ and I’ll send it.”
• Close the loop publicly: “Sent!” Your audience sees you deliver.

This is how posts turn into a pipeline.

Quality metrics to track (ignore the vanity)

• Replies per 1,000 views (conversation density)
• Save rate (did this earn a second look?)
• Inbound DMs per post (real intent)
• % of comments from the ONE (are the right people talking back?)

If these four move up, you’re winning — even if views are flat.

Common traps to avoid

• Spray-and-pray topics. If your post could apply to anyone, it will land with no one.
• Jargon flexing. If the ONE wouldn’t say it out loud, don’t type it.
• Burying the lead. Put the outcome in the first two lines.
• CTA soup. One ask per post. Not three.
• Ghosting your comments. If you won’t show up after you post, don’t expect your audience to.

How to pick your ONE (when you serve multiple)

Rotate deliberately:

• Week 1: Potential customers
• Week 2: Current users (expansion/retention)
• Week 3: Investors/partners
• Week 4: Founder peers (recruiting, brand)

Write for one each week. Let the others eavesdrop.

A 5-minute edit pass to run through before you hit ‘post’

1. Highlight every “you.” Not enough? Rewrite.
2. Cut your first sentence. Start where the heat begins.
3. Swap abstractions for specifics. “Grow fast” → “Add $20k MRR in 60 days.”
4. Add one question. Make it answerable in one line.
5. Pick one CTA. Comment, DM or click — choose.

Related: The 8 Secrets of Great Communicators

Bring it home

Crowds don’t buy. People do. So pick your person. Speak their language. Prove you’ve been where they are. Invite a next step. Do this, and your posts stop sounding like ads to everyone and start feeling like help to someone.

Talk to one — and watch how many of your right-fit customers show up.

Here’s a stat that should make every small business owner sit up: 76% of people who perform a local search on their smartphone visit a business within 24 hours, and 28% of those visits result in a purchase.

That means when a customer searches for “best coffee near me” or “emergency plumber downtown,“ the decision is often made in minutes — not days.

Now add another layer: artificial intelligence. Once locked behind enterprise paywalls, AI is now available to every entrepreneur. From creating content and optimizing ads to automating customer support, AI is the great equalizer.

When you combine local marketing (reaching the right people in the right place) with AI automation, you create a formula that allows small businesses to compete and, in many cases, outperform big brands.

Related: Why Local Marketing Still Matters in the Digital Age

Why local marketing still wins in 2025

Consumers trust businesses that feel close to them. Local intent is powerful because it connects need with immediacy:

• 46% of all Google searches have local intent

• 50% of local searches on mobile lead to a store visit within one day

• Nearly 90% of consumers use the internet to find local businesses every month

That’s not a fluke; it’s a behavior shift. Customers don’t just want the cheapest or most famous option; they want the option that’s closest, fastest and most relevant.

Example: A family searching for “pizza near me” at 7:00 p.m. isn’t interested in Domino’s HQ — they’re looking for the local restaurant two blocks away.

For small businesses, local search represents an enormous opportunity to capture demand in real time.

The AI advantage for small businesses

Artificial intelligence is no longer a buzzword — it’s a growth driver. A U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey found that 98% of small businesses already use digital tools, and 40% are now leveraging generative AI.

Here’s where AI creates tangible impact for small businesses:

• Content creation: AI tools generate blogs, social posts and Google Business updates in minutes, saving both time and money.

• Ad optimization: AI-driven ad platforms automatically test headlines, images and targeting, improving ROI without requiring a full marketing team.

• Customer engagement: Chatbots and AI assistants handle FAQs, bookings, and inquiries instantly, ensuring leads never slip away.

• Data analysis: AI provides insights on customer behavior, seasonality and even pricing strategies, once available only to Fortune 500 companies.

Case in point: In Los Angeles, The Original Tamale Company used ChatGPT to create and narrate a lighthearted promotional video in under 10 minutes. The video went viral — 22 million views, 1.2 million likes and a huge spike in local customers. That’s the power of AI in the hands of a small business.

Related: 46% of All Google Searches Have to Do With Location, One Report Says — and Purchases Often Follow. Here’s How to Boost Your Business’ Visibility Locally.

Local + AI = The competitive equalizer

The real magic happens when you merge local marketing with AI tools.

• A neighborhood gym can use AI to analyze customer demographics and then run Google Ads targeting specific postal codes with offers like “1 Month Free for Downtown Residents.”

• A plumbing company can automate weekly Google Business posts that include trending local keywords, increasing visibility in map searches.

• A local café can use AI to personalize email campaigns, sending morning deals to office workers and weekend specials to nearby families.

Big brands often struggle with this kind of micro-targeting — they’re too busy running nationwide campaigns. Small businesses, however, can tailor every campaign to their local community, and AI makes it fast, affordable and scalable.

How to implement local + AI in your business

1. Audit your local presence:

• Make sure your Google Business Profile is complete and updated.

• Collect and respond to reviews regularly.

• Ensure your business name, address and phone number (NAP) are consistent across the web.

• Don’t overlook on-page SEO basics — optimize title tags, meta descriptions and local landing page content so search engines (and customers) can easily understand your relevance.

2. Use AI to automate smartly:

• Content: Generate local blog posts, ads and emails in minutes.

• Customer service: Add AI chatbots to handle common inquiries.

• Social media: Schedule posts with AI-generated captions and visuals.

3. Layer in local intent everywhere:

• Add “near me” keywords and neighborhood references to your content.

• Use geo-targeting in ads to hit your exact customer base.

• Create offers tied to local events, seasons or community milestones.

4. Measure, test and refine:

• Use free tools like Google Analytics 4.

• Explore AI-powered dashboards that track ad performance, keyword rankings and customer engagement.

• Double down on what’s working; tweak or drop what’s not.

The big brand blind spot

Large corporations have resources, but they also have limitations. They can’t always personalize at scale or connect authentically to communities.

That’s where small businesses win:

• A café can celebrate the local high school’s championship.

• A boutique can spotlight neighborhood artisans.

• A mover can post about serving families in a specific block or condo.

Big brands can’t match this hyper-local personalization, and when AI amplifies these touches, the impact is multiplied.

Even larger chains that rely on SEO for franchise models often struggle to create content that resonates at the neighborhood level, which is where smaller, locally focused businesses can win.

Related: Why This AI Tool Is the Game-Changer Small Business Owners Have Been Waiting For

The future favors the nimble

For decades, big brands had the advantage — bigger budgets, larger teams, more tools. But 2025 marks a turning point. Local intent plus AI gives small businesses the power to be faster, more relevant and more authentic.

You don’t need a million-dollar ad budget to compete. You need:

• A strong local presence.

• The smart use of AI tools.

• The willingness to act quickly while big brands are still figuring it out.

The future of marketing isn’t about being the biggest player in the game — it’s about being the smartest and most relevant option in your customer’s neighborhood.

NBA players, they’re just like us — when it comes to losing passwords, at least.

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant, 36, has been locked out of his Coinbase account for a long time, his agent, Rich Kleiman, told a group of conference attendees earlier this week.

“We’ve yet to be able to track down his Coinbase account info, so we’ve never sold anything, and this bitcoin is just through the roof,” Kleiman said Tuesday at CNBC’s Game Plan conference in Los Angeles. “It’s just a process we haven’t been able to figure out, but Bitcoin keeps going up … so, I mean, it’s only benefited us.”

Related: These Are the Two Words That Inspired NBA MVP Russell Westbrook to Achieve Greatness on the Court, in Business, and in His Community

Kleiman said that recovering Durant’s account has been in the works for a while, and it was a “user error” on his and Durant’s end. At the event, he blamed a forgotten password.

Durant, a 15-time All-Star, began buying Bitcoin in 2016, when it sold anywhere from $400 to $900, according to Investopedia. Decrypt reports that it was at $600 when Durant began his investment.

In a statement, Coinbase confirmed to Decrypt on Thursday that Durant has recovered his account.

Bitcoin is at $115,000 at press time, which is about 11,000% higher than when Durant first purchased it.

Durant has had a promotion deal with the crypto exchange since 2021, per Decrypt.

Related: Meeting the Right People Who Can Help Your Business Isn’t Easy — Even for an NBA All-Star. Baron Davis Has a Plan to Change That.

One of the most important aspects of someone’s credibility today is what Google reveals about them during a search. Most corporations and individuals understand the value of this and grasp the core concept, though they might not be familiar with the term itself.

Online Reputation Management (ORM) is the process of creating positive content, suppressing negative press and maintaining a strong online image for businesses and individuals.

Related: Your Business Is One Google Search Away From a Crisis

Why is ORM important?

ORM is essential for businesses and individuals in today’s hyperconnected world. Bad publicity usually results in damaged personal and professional reputations online. These issues can lead to being fired by an employer, getting divorced, losing new customers or even having a hard time raising the next round of funding.

Think of ORM as digital reputation. The internet doesn’t forget easily, and even a single negative article or viral post can overshadow years of good work. That means your Google search results are often the first “introduction” a potential client, investor or employer has to you.

Step #1. Monitoring

Several key elements of ORM help prevent potential disasters. The first is monitoring your online presence to see what people are saying about you or your company. Good monitoring could have prevented the situation above by allowing you to respond before the wave of cancellations and negative feedback.

The best course of action for this is to use a monitoring tool that helps you track your name online. These tools are often easier, cheaper and more effective than manually searching your name across various platforms. I’ve personally seen companies catch inaccurate information within hours and have it corrected before it picked up traction, saving them from what could have become a reputation nightmare.

Related: How to Better Manage Your Brand’s Reputation in the Digital Age

Step #2. Reach out to the source

After you identify negative search results that you want to delete from Google, the next step is to send an email or reach out via social media to each publication. This is a delicate method, and it’s important not to appear defensive, as that can make the situation worse, and things could go viral.

The success of this ORM strategy depends on the specific publication and editorial team: the bigger the publication, the fewer chances you have. Smaller blogs and community sites may be open to correction if the content is outdated, misleading or factually incorrect. On the other hand, going after a national news outlet rarely yields results.

Related: How to Calmly Confront Bad Reviews and Turn Them Into Growth

Step #3. Improving your reputation

The best method to fix your reputation is to use the right SEO and PR techniques to push down or bury negative search results in search engines like Google and Bing. By optimizing positive content with the proper SEO techniques, you can rank the positive content higher in search engines and reduce the visibility of unwanted articles, images or forums. On average, it takes 6–12 months to clean the negative search results.

A strong ORM strategy and persistence can sometimes remove or de-index certain negative pages from search results entirely, particularly if they violate platform guidelines or are misleading. In cases where de-indexing isn’t possible, internet suppression techniques-such as promoting high-authority content — can be used to overwhelm negative content with more relevant, positive search results.


Over time, Google’s algorithm begins to prioritize your new content. The key is consistency — one or two articles won’t shift results. But six or nine months of steady online reputation work can transform the first page of search results.

A law firm client I worked with had their reputation nearly ruined due to their arrest. By publishing client success stories, creating authoritative positive content and earning media mentions, we were able to push the false claims to page two within nine months and, as you know, very few people click past page one.

A case study of ORM in action

Wendy’s made a huge impact on its online reputation when its social media account rebranded to capitalize on trending memes at the time.

The Twitter account became known for “roasting” users, connecting trending Twitter phrases to their products, and using humor to build engagement. Although their ORM strategy can’t be conclusively tied to a sales increase, it clearly didn’t hurt.

Related: Grow Your LinkedIn Audience 10x With These Expert Tips

Bringing it all together

Online reputation management is the strategic process of improving the perception of a personal or business brand on search engines like Google. In a world where public perception is shaped by search engines like Google, ORM is no longer optional — it’s essential.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur raising your next round, a corporation protecting shareholder trust, or an individual applying for a new role, ORM is a long-term investment in credibility. If you don’t control your narrative, someone else will, and it may not be flattering. The companies and people who thrive online are the ones who understand that reputation isn’t just what you do offline; it’s what Google says about you.

Hundreds of franchise leaders converged on Washington, D.C., this week for the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) 2025 Advocacy Summit, a three-day event that blended education, networking and direct engagement with policymakers. The summit played out at a pivotal moment for franchising, as lawmakers weigh regulations that could redefine how the model operates nationwide.

At its core, the summit was about giving a collective voice to more than 800,000 franchise businesses. Through general sessions, workshops and Capitol Hill visits, attendees sharpened advocacy skills, spotlighted the model’s community impact and pressed for the American Franchise Act — legislation intended to clarify the joint-employer standard for franchisors and franchisees.

The event opened with forums and committee meetings, along with the launch of the second Franchise Ascension Initiative cohort — a program designed to elevate emerging leaders within the franchise community and give them a platform to grow their impact.

Related: Considering franchise ownership? Get started now to find your personalized list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.

Day 1: Setting the stage

The opening day featured forums, committee meetings and the launch of the second Franchise Ascension Initiative cohort, designed to elevate emerging leaders across the industry. New programming added momentum, including a TikTok Lounge focused on building brand reach through creative, digital-first campaigns. An Advocacy 101 workshop equipped attendees with practical tools for telling their stories and preparing for Capitol Hill meetings.

CNN commentator and political strategist Scott Jennings framed franchising as a unifying force at a polarized time when he spoke on the first day. “Franchising is one of the most remarkable success stories of the modern economy,” Jennings said, according to the IFA. “From your morning coffee to the hotels you stay in, franchises touch every Main Street in America.”

Related: 5 Essential Takeaways From the 2025 International Franchise Association Convention

Day 2: Policy in focus

Attention turned squarely to policy priorities on day two, centered around the American Franchise Act. In remarks to attendees, IFA president and CEO Matthew Haller outlined how the bill would bring long-sought clarity by setting a narrow joint-employer standard tailored to franchising. If enacted, it would affirm that franchisors and franchisees are separate employers unless one directly controls the other’s workers — reducing uncertainty for operators and their teams.

“Franchising thrives when entrepreneurs have independence and flexibility, but too often, inconsistent rules make it harder for them to grow,” Haller told Entrepreneur. “The American Franchise Act is about protecting the partnership that makes franchising work.”

Small-group sessions rounded out the day, as leaders compared notes on data, messaging and district-level economic impact to strengthen their case with lawmakers.

Related: She Moved to the U.S. at 17 and Worked at a Gas Station — Then Became CEO of a $1 Billion Brand

Day 3: Taking the message to Capitol Hill

The final day focused on action. Equipped with new training and a unified brief, franchise leaders fanned out across Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers and staff. Conversations centered on jobs, local investment and the importance of clear, consistent labor standards.

Participants emphasized how policy uncertainty translates into real-world decisions about hiring, expansion and reinvestment in their communities.

Related: How a Police Officer Started a Pet Care Business Making $3 Million a Year

Looking ahead

The 2025 Advocacy Summit closed with a practical playbook: Lead with real operator stories, reinforce them with local economic data and follow up methodically after Capitol Hill meetings. With labor and employment debates continuing, the franchise community leaves Washington aligned on a message and plan.

What began as a week of sessions and strategy now shifts to sustained district-level engagement. Attendees return home as advocates ready to keep the conversation going — and to make the case that franchising’s local ownership model remains a vital engine for Main Street.

Related: Congress Makes a Major Push for Franchise Independence With a New Bipartisan Bill

Airbnb’s growth has slowed in recent years, says the company’s CEO, Brian Chesky, but he has a plan to remedy the situation.

In an interview on Tuesday at the Skift Global Forum conference, an event for the travel industry, Chesky noted that Airbnb experienced 40% growth in 2022, but that number declined to 18% in 2023 and then 12% in 2024. For the second quarter ending June 30, revenue growth was at 13%.

“I’m not happy about where the growth rate is at the company,” Chesky said at the event. “I think Airbnb should be growing significantly faster. It should at least be growing in the teens, and I aspire to run the kind of company that’d be growing at more than 20% one day.”

Related: Airbnb’s CEO Says He Personally Manages 40 to 50 Employees as Direct Reports: ‘A Lot of Work’

The problem, Chesky explained, was that the company lacked the foundation for sustainable growth and needed to “rebuild” itself entirely earlier this year to open the doors to new businesses.

“That’s what we’ve been doing,” Chesky said. “The final stage is now we reinvent ourselves.”

In May, Airbnb redesigned its app to include a new feature that allows guests to book services (such as massages, photography services, spa treatments, personal training, private chefs, and beauty treatments) and experiences (such as watching a comedy show or going on a boat sightseeing tour with local hosts). Chesky said the company hopes to grow its core business, vacation rentals, while “layering on” these services and experiences.

Chesky said on Tuesday that he believes Airbnb‘s new offerings will be “multi-billion-dollar businesses” at some point, per Business Insider.

^{Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. Photo by Myunggu Han/Getty Images for Airbnb}

He also stated in the interview that he believes Airbnb’s growth will accelerate next year, despite Airbnb’s history of “decelerating” growth, and reminisced about the company’s “hypergrowth,” when it was first founded in 2008.

“We grew the company like a rocket ship,” Chesky stated at the event.

Related: Airbnb Will Be the Place to Find Work After AI Takes Your Job, Says Its CEO: ‘Nobody Wants a Robot Answering the Door’

Airbnb is also leaning into AI. In August, Chesky stated on an earnings call that Airbnb would become an “AI-first application” over the next few years. The company began using AI for customer service in April, which reduced human customer service interactions by 15%. AI now handles tasks at the company like canceling reservations and helping with travel plans. Airbnb plans to expand the agent this year and give it more advanced capabilities, like the ability to search through a reservation to find specific details.

Airbnb had a market cap of over $76 billion at the time of writing. The company has over 5 million hosts.