SEO is essential to boosting your company’s online presence and generating leads. When done right, SEO can be an incredibly effective strategy for growth. It can increase traffic to your site and generate more conversions than conventional marketing. That said, many businesses are unaware of just how many factors can detract from their SEO efforts. If you feel as though you’ve been doing everything right but have yet to see concrete results, this article is for you.

Related: 5 Powerful SEO Strategies for Small Businesses in 2025

SEO mistakes that can hurt your rankings

SEO is not exactly straightforward. There are multiple ways to achieve a better page ranking. However, this also means there are multiple ways to prevent a page from ranking. The following are common SEO errors that can be fixed quite easily… so long as you catch them:

Publishing duplicate content

Some businesses make the mistake of creating new content optimized for certain keywords by duplicating pre-existing content and simply changing a few words. Search engines will not rank pages like this, as their ranking systems are designed to give preference to unique, high-quality content. The best way to avoid duplicate content is by running all website content through similarity checking software before publishing it. This is especially important for websites with multiple pages on the same topic.

Failing to address keyword cannibalization

Keyword cannibalization happens when two or more pages on a website target the same keywords. This causes the pages to compete with each other in search results and prevents them from achieving a high ranking. Merging competing pages is an effective way of addressing this issue. For example, if your website has a page on “massage therapy” and a page on “massage treatment,” you may want to combine the pages into a single publication to prevent them from “cannibalizing” each other.

Abandoning content creation

SEO is an ongoing effort. It’s not a one-time project that you can implement and be done with. While certain optimizations, like improving page structure, are permanent, you need to publish new, SEO-optimized content on a regular basis to increase organic traffic. Businesses that choose to work with an SEO agency often set a monthly quota for website articles and product pages. That way, they have a consistent goal to work toward.

Related: I’m an SEO Expert — Here Are 6 Content Tips to Stand Out in Any Saturated Market

Strategies that can boost your SEO campaign

A successful campaign should invest in on-site, off-site, technical and content-related aspects of SEO, which all play an important role in building the authority of your site. Here are some of the most overlooked strategies in SEO:

Improving the quality of your content

While technical SEO is an essential ingredient in boosting your rankings, you are not going to get the results you want without investing in your content. Search engines like Google and their ranking systems prioritize reliable, relevant content that is helpful to readers. This means that everything you publish on your website should be accurate, easy to read and tailored to the search intent of your target audience. If your business operates in a highly specialized sector, hiring a technical writer is a good way to ensure the quality of your content. You can also elevate your blog posts, product pages and service pages by hiring a copyeditor.

Targeting relevant keywords with lower search volume

Only going after generic keywords with high search volume is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in SEO. Although keywords with high search volume have the potential to generate a large amount of leads, these search terms are highly competitive and often take time to rank. By targeting niche keywords that are relevant to your business, you are more likely to rank and attract a highly specific set of customers. To illustrate this point, let’s say you run a catering business. Instead of optimizing your content for a generic keyword like “best catering service,” you decide to target a more detailed query with lower search volume, like “catering service for children’s birthday parties.” Using this approach, you have a greater chance of achieving a high page ranking and attracting the right customers.

Prioritizing high-quality backlinks

Contrary to popular belief, not all backlinks are created equal. Getting backlinks from websites with high domain authority and a lower number of outgoing links will do more for your rankings than hitting up sites with low authority and hundreds of outgoing links. Effective strategies for landing high-quality backlinks include writing guest posts for other websites, creating content that other websites are likely to link to, and cold emailing other websites requesting a backlink to replace a broken link.

Related: How I Replaced a $2,000-a-Month SEO Agency and Built My Own Growth System as a Solo Founder

Increase your organic traffic with smarter SEO

Creating an effective SEO campaign means identifying areas that need improvement and embracing strategies targeting different factors that influence search engines’ ranking systems. A good campaign takes into account the importance of each type of search optimization and invests in it accordingly. Whether you own a small e-commerce business or a large enterprise with multiple locations, SEO is essential to growing your consumer base, and the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the U.S. with $3.9 trillion in assets, is cracking down on junior employees accepting other positions while working at the firm, according to a leaked email.

Private equity firms offer candidates jobs up to two years in advance of a start date. This extended timeline means that recent graduates often seek out high-paying private equity jobs before (or while) working as investment banking analysts at companies like JPMorgan.

Now, JPMorgan is warning incoming U.S. analysts that they will be fired if they accept a future-dated job offer within 18 months of joining the firm.

Related: JPMorgan Shuts Down Internal Message Board Comments After Employees React to Return-to-Office Mandate

The leaked email, sent by JPMorgan’s co-heads of global banking, Filippo Gori and John Simmons, to newly recruited analysts last week, reads: “If you accept a position with another company before joining us or within your first 18 months, you will be provided notice and your employment with the firm will end.”

The new policy is intended to remove any “potential conflicts of interest” and maintain the trust of the bank’s clients, the email explains. The memo also states that analysts can be fired for missing onboarding sessions and summer training.

The email added that, in return, JPMorgan would reduce the time it takes to get to the associate level, from three years to two and a half years, to promote promising talent more quickly.

Related: JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon Just Made a Big Announcement About His Retirement Timeline: ‘I Love What I Do’

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, 69, addressed the problem of losing talent to private equity late last year, calling the practice “unethical.”

“I know a lot of you work at JPMorgan, you take a job at a private equity shop before you even start with us,” Dimon said at a talk at Georgetown University in September. “I think that’s unethical. I don’t like it.”

Dimon said that the practice of job hopping to private equity puts JPMorgan “in a conflicted position” because junior analysts are already promised to another firm while dealing with confidential information at JPMorgan.

^{JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon. Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images}

Private equity typically pays more compared to investment banking. Associates at private equity firms make a median of $236,000 per year, including base pay and bonuses, according to Glassdoor data. In comparison, first-year analysts at JPMorgan make $100,000 per year in base salary, with pay rising to $105,000 for second-year analysts and $110,000 for third-year staff.

Investment banking hours are also longer than private equity hours, though JPMorgan began restricting junior investment bankers’ working hours to 80 hours a week in September. Private equity firms still require less office time, an average of 60 to 70 hours per week. The average U.S. workweek was 34.3 hours in May.

Are your paid marketing campaigns stuck, even though you’re investing more than ever? If you’re a business owner and your ads aren’t scaling the way you need, you’re not alone. Most campaigns stall because they miss one (or more) of the three critical pillars: the right audience, a compelling creative, and an irresistible offer.

Join us on July 9th at 2:00 PM ET for an actionable session with Jon Davids, Founder & CEO of Influicity. Discover how to create high-ROI campaigns with proven strategies, including:

• How to identify and target the right audience so your ads reach the people who matter most

• The secrets to crafting creative that stops the scroll, hooks attention, and speaks directly to your customer’s pain points

• What makes an offer so compelling people can’t help but click—and how to deliver on that promise

• How to fix your funnel so you’re moving prospects through the buying journey (instead of losing them at the start)

• Practical strategies for ad testing, scaling, and letting the algorithm work in your favor—without wasting budget

Stop wasting money on ads that don’t convert. Join us to get actionable solutions, proven frameworks, and real-world examples you can use to finally break through your paid marketing plateau.

About the Speaker:

Jon Davids is the Founder & CEO of Influicity, a modern marketing agency helping clients develop brand gravity through paid media, social, podcasts, and more.

He also reaches over 3 million people every month through his social content, newsletter, and top marketing podcast: Making It with Jon Davids. He’s the best-selling author of Marketing Superpowers, and one of the sharpest voices in the business of modern brand building.

And he’s been at this for a while. Back in 2004 as a broke college student, Jon bootstrapped an internet media company. He scaled and sold the business within a few years.

Then he discovered the early world of YouTubers and started brokering deals between brands and creators. Long before “influencer” was a job title. This led to the launch of Influicity, winning clients like Disney and L’Oréal with an influencer-first strategy.

By 2019, the agency expanded into content marketing, SEO, and podcast strategy, becoming a full-service growth partner for brands.

In 2022, Jon began sharing his insights via social and podcast. Building a community of founders and marketers hungry for real talk. This expanded rapidly and has given him a platform to educate and inspire millions of people around the world.

In 2024, he released Marketing Superpowers, the book he wishes he read before starting his first business.

Different companies have different hiring practices. You can have multiple stages with different-level individuals, or just one comprehensive test and final interview — it just really depends on the organization, priorities, urgency and the kind of role.

You might be able to streamline and customize things as much as you want, but after hiring hundreds of people, I’ve realized that there are three hiring non-negotiables regardless of your approach, industry and the position you’re offering.

1. Hire problem solvers, not know-it-alls

As much as it’s ideal, you are not building a team of perfect employees. You are building a team that can work effectively and adapt when needed. No one can truly know everything — not even AI, at this point anyway.

What you need then are people who have enough critical thinking to get the job done and navigate any problems along the way. It’s important to have people who are willing to learn and decide for themselves. At the same time, have team members who acknowledge their limits and know when to ask for help.

When someone doesn’t have a big ego, they’re more willing to try a different approach, even if it means getting out of their comfort zone. They’re also more inclined to admit when they’re wrong.

One can have as much knowledge about the job, but problems are still bound to happen. You need employees who have the initiative to think about and find solutions on their own or with their team. Not those who claim to know everything.

Related: There’s a Growing Demand For This New Type of Professional — Here’s Why Your Startup Needs Them, Too.

2. Hire team players who can also work on their own

You’re not just after people who can do their job right. You’re getting people who can work well with the rest of your team. This means looking for people who can handle projects with both autonomy and a strong sense of collaboration.

There will be times when they’ll need to split their work together with their coworkers, so it’s important that they know how to share that sense of responsibility. Hiring someone with this skill assures you that they know how and when to share the credit and give credit when it’s due.

When you have someone who cares about their own work and their team’s work as a whole, without stepping on anyone’s toes, the workflow stays steady and disruptions are minimized, whether the task calls for solo effort or group collaboration. They’re also all willing to chip in, as well as brainstorm and combine ideas.

3. Hire people for their growth mindset, not their current skill set

Hiring for potential doesn’t mean you’re merely hoping for the best. You need to hire for someone’s ability and desire to grow, learn and improve because these are hard to teach. It’s good to ask and see where your candidate wants to go in the future to have a good idea about their personal ambitions.

This can be in regard to their career in the next five years, whether they see themselves in a leadership role or work-life balance priorities, among others. Always keep in mind that when hiring someone, it’s unlikely that their ultimate goal is the job you’re offering.

When you have someone on your team with clear ambitions, they’ll be more responsible, pay more attention to detail and care more about their own work ethic.

Related: 3 Things I’ve Learned About Hiring and Firing After 35 Years in Business

Close them with the right communication

Knowing the right qualities to spot when hiring is just the first step. Knowing how to get them to say yes is just as important. In my company, OysterLink, for example, we make sure to discuss the following with every member we hire:

1. How this role will guide them along their own path

Now that you have a clear idea of where they’re going, it’s now your job to show them how being in your company will bring them closer to their goals.

Focus on how the job and the company will equip them with the right skills to thrive in the industry they would like to grow in. When they gain the right experience, they build a strong foundation — and that foundation not only benefits them but also strengthens your team.

2. How your company will support their growth

Once you’ve shown how the role fits into their long-term goals, the next step is to make it clear that their growth matters to you, too. As a hiring manager, the way you communicate, provide feedback and structure the hiring process reflects your company’s values — whether that’s clarity, care or a commitment to development.

Let candidates know that you’re not just filling a position — you’re invested in helping them succeed. When people feel genuinely supported, they’re more motivated, engaged and very likely to grow with you.

When you combine the right opportunity with the right message, you don’t just attract great talent — you earn their commitment.

The creator economy was worth $250 billion as early as 2023, according to Goldman Sachs. It was projected to double by 2027, indicating that there is still ample opportunity for individuals to generate their revenue streams online across various niches.

If you’re feeling uncertain about job security, you may want to consider developing a future-proof income online. You can train at your own pace from anywhere you like with the 10 short modules in The Ultimate 2025 Social Media & Freelancer Marketing Bundle. Even better, this e-learning bundle is available for just $24.97.

You’ll start by learning how to build a brand for yourself, and the Personal Branding Mastery: From Zero to a Branding Hero class walks you through that process. Then you can move on to Social Media Marketing Strategy with ChatGPT (Branding, Digital Marketing, Instagram Marketing, SEO).

Studies have shown that online audiences prefer videos over text and images, so you may want to consider focusing on this medium. You don’t have to worry about coming up with content. The Content Creation Ideas (Branding, Reels, TikTok, Pinterest, Social Media) course makes that a breeze.

The ChatGPT for Viral TikTok Videos (Branding, Social Media, Digital Marketing, Shorts, TikTok, Reels) module helps you with YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. However, there are courses for specific platforms, such as TikTok for Business & Social Media Marketing: Grow Your Business & Branding With TikTok. There’s also TikTok Growth Key Mistakes: TikTok Marketing and TikTok Business. YouTube-specific courses include YouTube Thumbnail Design Using Canva & ChatGPT and YouTube Mastery for Powerful YouTube Growth & YouTube Automation (YouTube Channel Success).

Blogs are great for affiliate marketing, and Blogging Mastery Using ChatGPT (Content Writing, Copywriting, Creative Writing, Storytelling) can help you with that. Plus, since all of this is to help you generate revenue with social media, you definitely want to check out the Freelance & Entrepreneur course.

These courses are offered by ExpertEase, a top educational platform that features industry experts designing courses specifically to help professionals advance in their careers. More than 50,000 learners worldwide have benefited from the actionable information provided.

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DeSario Turner didn’t have the classic take-this-job-and-shove-it moment — no dramatic resignation, no sudden business closure. In fact, she had a successful, stable career at Harley-Davidson, where she held a leadership role managing online ecommerce operations across the U.S. and Canada. She could have comfortably stayed in the corporate world indefinitely.

But Turner had other plans. She wanted ownership, autonomy and the chance to build something meaningful in her hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. So, in 2023, she opened a Smoothie King franchise and hit the ground running. “I knew that if I wanted the freedom and the life that I desire, just a paycheck wasn’t enough for me,” she says.

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

Image Credit: DeSario Turner | Smoothie King

Bikes to blenders

Turner spent nearly 18 years at Harley-Davidson, serving in various customer-facing roles that ranged from dealership support to managing North American ecommerce. During that time, she also explored several side hustles — from rental properties to vending machines — as part of a larger vision for long-term financial independence.

Turner wanted to go all-in on a business that aligned with her values and offered a product she believed in. When she discovered Smoothie King, the concept clicked. It combined health and wellness, community impact and a scalable franchise model — all things she felt passionate about bringing to her hometown.

After settling on the brand, she began the franchise application process in late 2021 while still working full-time and juggled both responsibilities for nearly two years. “That’s when it really kicked off; it was definitely a busy time,” she recalls. “But I had to make it happen.”

Related: She Was a Lawyer with No Restaurant Experience. Now, She’s Reviving an Iconic Restaurant Chain.

Record-breaking opening

Turner’s Smoothie King location in Racine shattered expectations right out of the gate, breaking the franchise’s record for first-week sales when it opened in 2023. Despite being in a market unfamiliar with the brand, her store generated more than $38,000 in its opening week and quickly became a go-to destination for health-conscious locals.

In addition to building a thriving business, Turner made it a priority to give back. She regularly partners with local schools, gyms and youth programs and donates smoothies for events, supports fundraisers and offers healthful catering options for student-athletes.

“She believed in herself, did the work and chose a location that gave her business the best chance to thrive,” says Katherine Meariman, VP of training and education at Smoothie King. “She understood from the start that there’s no better way to introduce Smoothie King to a new community than through authentic connection.”

By the end of her first year, Turner’s location had already crossed $1 million in net sales — a milestone that placed her store in the top 50 out of more than 1,200 locations in the system.

Related: 70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

Building for the future

Now, Turner has an eye on the future. Her 19-year-old daughter has stepped into a key leadership role at the store, managing day-to-day operations and learning every aspect of the business firsthand. But this isn’t just a job — it’s a long-term investment in her future. Turner is intentionally mentoring her daughter to one day take full ownership, passing down not just a business but a blueprint for independence, responsibility and generational wealth. “Ultimately, this is her business,” she says. “I’m showing her everything now so she understands what it takes — because it’s for her future.”

And the vision doesn’t stop there. With plans to expand and a second location already in the works, Turner is just getting started. Her advice to others considering the jump into business ownership like she did is simple. “Invest that current and energy into yourself and build something for you and your family in the future,” she says. “Go for it.”

Related: I Walked Away From a Corporate Career to Start My Own Small Business — Here’s Why You Should Do the Same

In this ongoing series, we are sharing advice, tips and insights from real entrepreneurs who are out there doing business battle on a daily basis. (Answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.)

Dan Graves is the Managing Member and CEO of Dirty Dill, the pickle-infused vodka that has seen phenomenal growth since its launch in 2022. “We started here in Colorado and are now in 10 states and will be in 12 by the end of the year,” he told Entrepreneur. Here he shares his brand’s story and his best advice to entrepreneurs looking to launch.

Please give us the elevator pitch for Dirty Dill.
It’s all about pickle shots! Pickles have been trending up for many years. Everybody’s making pickle chips and pickle almonds and pickle everything. But what we didn’t see a lot of, especially when we started, was pickle alcohol. A lot of easy drinking spirits are super sugary. We wanted to grab that health-conscious consumer who says, ‘Hey, I can drink a pina colada, but I know I’m not going to wake up feeling very good.’ So, we went the savory route to give consumers an alternative. And we also gave them our fun pickle mascot guy, who has really been great with helping us connect with customers on social media.

Credit: Dirty Dill

When did you launch?
We launched in March of 2022. That was our first month in the market. There were about two and a half years of just coming up with the idea, the branding, the name, formulating, getting a business plan and a go-to-market plan together. It takes forever to get licensed and all that stuff in this business.

Did you work in the spirits industry before this?
This was my entry. I was running a construction company. I’ve always toyed around with different entrepreneurial ventures. I tried to do some app stuff that didn’t work out. I think that’s what separates entrepreneurs, the willingness to take risks and say I don’t need to know everything, I just want to jump in and I’ll figure it out as I go.

Related: Cheap Trick’s Legendary Guitarist Rick Nielsen Invites Fans to Drink — and Invest In — His Award-Winning ROCK’N Vodka

Do you remember when the idea hit you?
Pickle shots have been a big thing in Denver bars for years. And I noticed that all of the bars made it themselves with just pickle juice and vodka. They’re always a hit, and they’re delicious. And I just remember being out one night, maybe in 2018 or 2019, and I said, “This needs to be packaged. This needs to be in liquor stores.” So we got to work on figuring out how to put this in a bottle and get it on shelves.

Any big surprises along the way of figuring out the business?
Yeah, I still run into surprises a few years in! One of the pieces that took some time to figure out was production. We want to be this multi-million-dollar pickle shot company, but how do you produce enough and get it into the bottle? We started early on with hand-pumping bottles and hand-pumping shooters, and it was exhausting work. We’d get done with the day and realize it wasn’t enough to fulfill orders, much less grow this thing. That’s when we realized we needed to put much more capital into production. This is a very capital-intensive industry.

Related: ‘What Really Gets Me Angry’: Bar Rescue’s Jon Taffer Shares the Small Business Practice That Drives Him Nuts

Did you get investors?
We were partially self-funded. We each put in a little bit of money to get the warehouse, get licensing, get branding going, and all that. And then we raised a little bit of money from some outside investors, a real estate group here in Colorado that was crushing it. But as I said, this is a capital-intensive company, so we quickly went through that money and it’s like, crap, it’s time to raise again. And so we’ve had multiple capital raising stages. It becomes a little easier, but it is still far from easy. I’ve learned that you can’t be afraid to ask people if they’d be interested in investing — you never know who is connected to whom and what opportunities might come of it.

Credit: Dirty Dill

What’s it like seeing your product out in the wild?
It’s one of the best feelings in the world when you start seeing it on the shelves. Then you start seeing it in the bars, and then you start taking shots with other people, and you see their reaction. And one of the coolest things was when we went out of state. Our first expansion was Illinois, and I remember I went to Chicago for a market visit and saw our product on the shelves of another state. That is one of the most motivating things you’ll have.

Your biggest advice to people thinking about launching their own business?
Dive in before you even know what you’re doing. Have the risk tolerance to say, “I’m gonna learn on the go. I’m going to learn more every single week, and that’s how I’m going to get to the next point.” You need to dive in, and you’re going to have some failures. You’re going to hit your head hard, but you’ve got to get up and fail forward.

Related: ‘You Know It When You See It’: The Co-Founder of Roseade Shares the Moment He Realized They Had the Drink of the Summer

Living a full life outside of our careers gives us many opportunities to continue growing. Outside interests beyond family and friends can expand our horizons and ideas of what’s possible. For me, that’s studying the art of car racing.

I appreciate how drivers are prepared from every angle, like prepping the car, assessing the competition and determining where and when to take risks. And I’ve found that the strategies deployed on the track translate well to running a successful business.

Race car drivers and entrepreneurs all want to move fast and win. Beating your business competition and other cars on the racetrack both require accelerating at the perfect time.

Case in point: Labor Day is now known as the time when Starbucks brings back its Pumpkin Spice latte. While that might feel early, Starbucks benefits from holiday weekend spending and while also tapping into the anticipation of the fall season.

Putting the right foundation in place

Pit Crew: Few things define teamwork as well as a pit crew. From the tactical direction of the crew chief to the strength of the tire changer and jack man, to the communication skills of the spotter, pit crews work seamlessly at remarkable speeds to prepare their car for the next lap and eventually the finish line. Your job is to be an agile crew chief.

This could mean empowering mid-level managers to make operational calls, much like a pit crew places trust in their jackman. Or giving your marketing team the ability to practice flexible spending so they can quickly capitalize on new opportunities. It’s also your job to set the tone, communicate objectives clearly and ensure everyone is aligned when it comes to roles, tactics, timelines and outcomes.

Tire Pressure: Tires are a foundational element of a car, much like a strategic plan is the foundation of a viable business. Tire pressure allows drivers to optimize their handling and achieve faster lap times — it’s all about the contact patch between the tires and the road.

If you don’t have the tire pressure right, you risk losing control during turns. Likewise, a strategic business plan gives you the ability to create alignment and achieve faster results without losing control when the unexpected happens. It gives you control and speed, and a clear view of what’s working and what’s not.

Competitive Intel: Successfully competing means knowing who or what you are up against. Each of your competitors has some advantage. Like race car teams, you need to know the track record of your competitors — where they have succeeded and faltered, the strengths and weaknesses of team members, the amount of fuel/capital they have — and use that intel to your advantage. Get educated. Tools like Crayon share real-time insights gleaned from your competitors’ digital footprints, while social listening platforms like Sprout Social offer competitor reports and performance tracking across social networks.

It’s not just about driving fast but driving smart. When you know the track inside out, you can clearly visualize winning the race.

Related: How to Gain a Competitive Edge: 4 Key Questions to Ask When Analyzing Your Competitors

Driving growth

Fuel Level: Think of motor fuel as your sales and marketing expenditures. You need to know how much fuel you have left in the tank. Do you front-load your pitstops (and sales/marketing expenditures) to start out strong and then conserve for the rest of the race? Or do you make more pit stops toward the end of the race (and end of the year), so you have enough fuel to get across the finish line?

A SaaS company might invest heavily in Q1 ad spend to acquire annual subscribers early. There’s no right answer here, as it depends on your revenue model and resources. But knowing what works best for your venture is critical for a successful year-end.

Related: 5 Strategies to Know As You Scale Your Business

Pacing: Perhaps one of the most important elements of car racing and running a business is determining your pace. As a track has different sections that require different speeds, so does the growth trajectory of your business. In racing, drivers often start at a moderate pace to preserve fuel and tire life on long races to avoid unnecessary wear and tear in those initial laps.

Running a business is a long race, so you need to balance moderate pacing with those “push to pass” moments, when you strategically fuel a burst of acceleration to overtake your competitors. This could mean launching a feature during a competitor’s PR crisis or offering limited-time pricing in a peak demand season. Other pacing factors can include funding levels, product/market fit, cost of customer acquisition, market timing, scalability and more. This is where you lean on your business strategy as a guide in determining your business’s optimal pacing.

Related: Delegating Doesn’t Mean You Lose Control — It Means You Maximize Your Impact. Here’s How to Do It Effectively.

Crossing the finish line

When you’re racing a car, crossing the finish line is the end of the race. In running a business, it means achieving sustainable, profitable growth. That feat takes all of the above strategies, combined with your leadership skills in risk management, adaptability and innovation. And most importantly, vision and conviction.

As racer Dale Earnhardt once said, “The winner ain’t the one with the fastest car. It’s the one who refuses to lose.”