We’ve all heard the promises that AI can revolutionize entrepreneurship through round-the-clock productivity, effortless scaling and businesses that practically run themselves. For some business owners, these promises have materialized into real time savings and lower costs. That’s why nearly 80% of businesses have adopted some form of AI. The challenge is that many founders who bought into the AI dream are now overwhelmed with endless notifications, dashboards and data being generated by the AI model.

The latest trend of Agentic AI is making this even worse. The problem is that many entrepreneurs have fallen for the automation illusion. They believed that buying the right tools, building workflows and handing tasks to AI agents would be the equivalent of traditional delegation. When you delegate to a person, you set the standard and then step away.

Related: Ask 3 Questions Before Using Any AI Tool to Grow Your Business

Why delegating to AI isn’t the same as letting go

This is where many entrepreneurs miss the mark with AI agents. They build automations that require review, feedback and approval. By automating without letting go, entrepreneurs reduce their role to nothing more than a digital paper pusher by creating additional work for themselves that human team members would have solved autonomously.

This scenario is real for many entrepreneurs. One of my clients — let’s call him “Tom” — was so proud of the effort he put into using AI to automate various parts of his digital marketing agency. He didn’t hesitate when it came to embracing the latest AI tools and systems. Soon, he had automated every aspect of the business, from content approvals to invoicing to onboarding forms. Or so he thought.

Just a month later, he was exhausted. His clients were confused, and his team was frustrated. It turns out that every automation still required his oversight since he hadn’t trained anyone to make decisions without him. Despite Tom’s attempts to be a tech-forward entrepreneur, he became nothing more than the business’s biggest bottleneck.

For any entrepreneur, this is the modern equivalent of medieval torture. The lesson here is that AI doesn’t replace the need for leadership in the business. If this sounds familiar, it’s critical to rethink the way you approach leadership for your new army of digital workerbees.

The 3 tests of leadership maturity

Success with AI isn’t measured by the number of automations you have deployed. True AI leverage is measured by the number of high-value tasks that can be executed without oversight from the business owner. To move from accelerated supervision to genuine automation, your leadership style must pass three critical tests.

The first test is the Decision Test. Ask yourself if someone else can make a judgment call without you. If the answer is no, you’ve simply outsourced a portion of the task. It’s critical to have Standard Operating Procedures (or SOPs) that the AI can follow. If you can’t clearly document the process, it isn’t ready for automation, and you run the risk of the workflow constantly needing direction.

The next test is the Ownership Test. If something goes wrong, who is responsible for fixing it? If the answer is you, your automation needs refinement. Mature leadership puts exception handling protocols in place to mitigate failure. Instead of having the AI come to you when it encounters an exception, provide it with instructions on secondary actions to avoid escalations.

The Visibility Test is useful for understanding if the outputs of your AI model support mature leadership. Getting notifications about every action that your AI agent makes only creates noise and distraction. Instead, focus on systems that help you understand the outcomes of those workflows.

Related: 7 Ways AI Made My Work Smarter — and Not Harder

The 5-step framework of intentional automation

As you can see, automation disguised as efficiency can expose cracks in your leadership style and processes. If you’re struggling with AI and automation making your life as an entrepreneur easy, this is a great place to start. Once you get your leadership house in order, you’re ready to shift from haphazard automation to a more strategic and intentional approach.

• Step 1: Map what matters most — It’s critical to focus your energy on where it matters the most. Look through your processes to identify bottlenecks and repetitive decisions or tasks that don’t need your input.

• Step 2: Design roles before rules — Figure out where you need human ownership in your processes. These will be activities that require traits like empathy, creative thinking and high-level strategy. Once the roles are established, you can build automation that supports those roles.

• Step 3: Document before you delegate — Both humans and machines need clear direction. Be sure to document any processes, procedures, and SOPs before delegating or automating them.

• Step 4: Automate boring and elevate brilliant — Your primary goal with automation is to free up your time for creating, strategy and building relationships. Of course, the reality is that not everything should be automated. Focus on automating rule-based and repetitive tasks, while delegating more complex activities to your team.

• Step 5: Measure output, not inputs — Too many entrepreneurs spend their time focused on what their team and AI agents are doing and not what they are achieving. Intentional automation requires placing your focus on outputs to ensure the processes you have in place are working effectively, or where they can be improved. You won’t get automation perfect the first time. Success with automation will require an iterative process of refinement.

Related: The Biggest AI Mistake Leaders Make Has Nothing to Do With the Technology Itself

AI agents and automation can accomplish exactly what they promise, but it requires the right leadership and approach. For Tom, he had all of the right intentions when it came to AI. But his approach was wrong. Over time, I helped him rebuild his system from scratch, focusing on intentional, strategic automation.

The result? His agency now operates like a well-oiled machine. Think of your role as that of the conductor of an orchestra. Each automation, process and person is a unique and valuable instrument. It’s your job to write the music, set the tempo and then step back and let the music flow.

We’ve all heard the promises that AI can revolutionize entrepreneurship through round-the-clock productivity, effortless scaling and businesses that practically run themselves. For some business owners, these promises have materialized into real time savings and lower costs. That’s why nearly 80% of businesses have adopted some form of AI. The challenge is that many founders who bought into the AI dream are now overwhelmed with endless notifications, dashboards and data being generated by the AI model.

The latest trend of Agentic AI is making this even worse. The problem is that many entrepreneurs have fallen for the automation illusion. They believed that buying the right tools, building workflows and handing tasks to AI agents would be the equivalent of traditional delegation. When you delegate to a person, you set the standard and then step away.

When the AI boom began, many leaders felt the rush. Tasks that once took hours suddenly took minutes. Hiring pipelines felt manageable again. Content became easier to produce. Naturally, leaders started asking, If AI can do all this, what else can we hand off?

That question is where things began drifting into territory I know well: culture, leadership, communication, coaching and motivation — the very areas I’m hired to speak and write about. And it’s also where some leaders started getting themselves into trouble.

I’m not an AI expert, nor do I pretend to be. But because I give presentations and lead trainings for franchise systems and frontline managers, I’m often pulled into conversations about tools promising to improve culture or performance. As AI hype grew, more tech companies approached me for endorsements of their platforms. Most position themselves as culture boosters or performance enhancers. I don’t take referral fees, so my opinions aren’t for sale — but I am curious. I’m always looking for tools that genuinely help the businesses I serve.

What concerns me isn’t the technology itself — it’s how some companies are applying it to the most human parts of their business.

Related: This Is the Invisible Force That’s Quietly Rewriting the Rules of Success

The AI tools that promise too much

One platform I was shown aggregates data across a franchise system and generates individualized recommendations for each owner and the field coaches who support them. If it detects high turnover and low customer satisfaction, it might suggest: “Improve company culture.”

Sure. And telling a basketball player to “score more points” is also technically good advice. But without how, it’s just noise.

I’ve also seen tools that attempt to gamify culture by awarding badges or prizes for compliments and internal communication. It’s an interesting idea — but culture isn’t something you win. It’s something you build. Culture is the shared beliefs, values, habits and behaviors that develop over time. It’s the social norms that define how people treat one another. A tool can support that dynamic, but it can’t create it or manage it.

Culture is emotional. It’s psychological. It’s human. AI doesn’t feel those things, which means it can’t teach people how to create them.

Where AI hiring misses what humans see instantly

AI has reshaped hiring — sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

My son recently applied for a job where the “interview” consisted of a prompt on a screen and a countdown clock. No conversation. No interaction. One take. He didn’t move on.

A few weeks later, the same company posted a similar role. He applied again — this time knowing what the process felt like. He wasn’t more experienced or more qualified. He was simply more comfortable performing for a two-minute video countdown. That’s what got him through. The system wasn’t measuring talent; it was measuring familiarity with the system.

Some of the best employees I’ve ever seen aren’t polished interviewers. They’re steady, loyal, humble and kind. If you sat across from them, you’d feel it. But a timed video prompt won’t pick that up. Nor will it create the psychological safety that helps candidates overcome nerves and show who they really are.

There’s a difference between collecting information about a person and actually understanding who they are. One requires data. The other requires being human.

Where AI helps — and where it hurts

AI is excellent at improving operations. It can organize schedules, track metrics, analyze trends, document procedures and surface insights that once took days to gather. I use AI myself for research and idea development.

But AI becomes a liability when businesses use it as a substitute for leadership — especially the parts that require emotion, judgment, nuance and humanity.

AI can’t read the look on someone’s face when they’re having a bad day. It can’t spot the quiet employee who’s actually your most reliable performer. It can’t coach someone through frustration or sense when a customer needs reassurance. It can’t build trust.

Leaders sometimes forget that the most important parts of their job are invisible: tone, empathy, encouragement and connection. AI can’t feel, so it can’t make anyone else feel anything either. And people can tell the difference.

Everyone loves to say they’re “in the people business.” But when you hand your most human responsibilities to software, you’re not in the people business anymore—you’re just in business. And people feel that too.

Related: 5 Reasons Why Emotional Intelligence Is the Future of Work

Let AI make you smarter, not colder

AI absolutely has a place in business — an important one. Use it to:

• Create job posts
• Streamline onboarding
• Track performance trends
• Organize schedules
• Automate reminders
• Document processes
• Summarize meetings
• Provide operational clarity

These are smart uses. But when it comes to coaching, hiring, motivation and culture, the responsibility still belongs to humans.

The highest-performing businesses I see — whether franchisees, franchisors, owner-operators, or corporate teams — use AI to increase clarity and speed and leaders to build trust, connection and meaning. AI can help your business run better. Only people can make it feel better.

AI will keep improving. It’ll get faster, smarter, and more intuitive. But it will never replace the elements of business that make employees stay, customers return, and companies grow.

If you say you’re in the people business, the real work isn’t finding ways to automate people — it’s finding ways to show up for them. AI can run your systems. People run your business. And the companies that remember that will be the ones that win.

When the AI boom began, many leaders felt the rush. Tasks that once took hours suddenly took minutes. Hiring pipelines felt manageable again. Content became easier to produce. Naturally, leaders started asking, If AI can do all this, what else can we hand off?

That question is where things began drifting into territory I know well: culture, leadership, communication, coaching and motivation — the very areas I’m hired to speak and write about. And it’s also where some leaders started getting themselves into trouble.

Three months ago, a founder contacted me in a panic. His ecommerce company had just received a demand letter alleging that his website violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. He had 30 days to respond with a remediation plan. “I thought we just needed to add that accessibility widget,” he told me. “Now our lawyer says we need to rebuild significant portions of the site. What do I actually need to do?”

I’ve had this conversation dozens of times. Between navigating my own website projects and consulting with businesses ranging from three-person startups to municipal governments, I’ve developed a clear understanding of what it actually takes to build and maintain ADA-compliant websites.

This guide is the resource I wish existed when I started: a practical, actionable roadmap that cuts through the confusion and gives you exactly what you need to know about tools, timelines and real costs.

Related: Ignoring This Website Essential Can Hurt Your Search Ranking — and Bring Legal Consequences

Understanding the standard: WCAG 2.1 Level AA

Before diving into implementation, let’s establish what “ADA compliant” actually means for websites.

The Americans with Disabilities Act doesn’t explicitly mention websites because it was enacted in 1990 — before the modern web existed. However, courts have consistently ruled that websites are covered under Title III as places of public accommodation. In April 2024, the Department of Justice published a final rule under Title II establishing WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard for state and local government websites.

While this rule specifically targets public entities (with compliance deadlines in April 2026 and April 2027), it provides clear guidance for private businesses: WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the federal standard.

WCAG 2.1 Level AA includes 50 success criteria organized around four principles:

1. Perceivable: Information must be presentable in ways users can perceive (visual, auditory, tactile)

2. Operable: Users must be able to navigate and interact using various input methods

3. Understandable: Content must be readable and predictable

4. Robust: Content must work with current and future technologies

Let me break down what this means practically.

The essential requirements: What you must fix

From my auditing experience, these are the most common violations and the most critical to address:

1. Color Contrast

• What it means: Text and background colors must have sufficient contrast ratios — 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text.

• Why it matters: Users with low vision, color blindness or age-related vision changes struggle to read low-contrast text.

• How to fix it: Use tools like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker. Adjust your color palette to meet minimum ratios. This often means using darker text on lighter backgrounds or vice versa.

• Time investment: 2-4 hours for small sites, 8-16 hours for complex sites

2. Alt text for images

• What it means: Every image must have descriptive alternative text that conveys the same information as the image.

• Why it matters: Screen readers announce alt text to users who can’t see images.

• How to fix it: Write concise, descriptive alt text for every image. Decorative images should have empty alt attributes (alt=””).

• Time investment: 15-30 seconds per image; multiply by total images

3. Keyboard navigation

• What it means: All functionality must be accessible using only a keyboard (Tab, Enter, Space, Arrow keys).

• Why it matters: Users with mobility impairments who can’t use a mouse rely on keyboard navigation.

• How to fix it: Test your site using only Tab to navigate and Enter/Space to activate. Ensure all interactive elements (links, buttons, form fields, dropdown menus) are reachable and usable. Implement visible focus indicators.

• Time investment: 20-40 hours for comprehensive implementation on complex sites

4. Form labels and error messages

• What it means: Every form input must have a programmatically associated label. Error messages must be clear and descriptive.

• Why it matters: Screen reader users need to know what each field expects. All users benefit from clear error guidance.

• How to fix it: Use proper label elements linked to inputs. Provide specific error messages (“Email address must include @”) rather than generic ones (“Invalid input”).

• Time investment: 1-2 hours per form

5. Heading structure

• What it means: Headings must follow a logical hierarchy (H1, then H2, then H3) without skipping levels.

• Why it matters: Screen reader users navigate by headings. Search engines use heading structure to understand content organization.

• How to fix it: Audit your HTML. Ensure one H1 per page (usually the page title), then H2s for major sections, H3s for subsections. Never skip from H2 to H4.

• Time investment: 4-8 hours for site-wide correction

6. Video captions and transcripts

• What it means: All video content needs captions for audio. Audio-only content needs transcripts.

• Why it matters: Deaf and hard-of-hearing users need text alternatives. Captions also benefit users in sound-sensitive environments.

• How to fix it: Use YouTube’s auto-captioning (then edit for accuracy), generate captions using tools like Rev.com or create them manually. Provide downloadable transcripts for audio content.

• Time investment: 5-10 minutes per minute of video for basic captioning

7. Link text

• What it means: Link text must be descriptive. Avoid “click here” or “read more” without context.

• Why it matters: Screen reader users often review links out of context. “Click here” doesn’t convey destination or purpose.

• How to fix it: Use descriptive phrases: “Download the Q3 earnings report” instead of “Click here.”

• Time investment: 2-4 hours for site-wide link text improvement

Related: 4 Resources To Make Your Website More Accessible

The implementation roadmap: 60-day plan

Based on projects I’ve managed, here’s a realistic timeline for getting a typical small business website to WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance:

Week 1-2: Assessment

Action items:

• Run automated scans using free tools (WAVE, axe DevTools)

• Manually review your top 10-20 most important pages

• Test keyboard navigation throughout the site

• Test with a screen reader (NVDA on Windows or VoiceOver on Mac)

• Document all issues by severity (critical, serious, moderate, minor)

Output: Comprehensive accessibility audit report with prioritized remediation list

Investment: 12-20 hours if doing internally; $2,000-$5,000 for a professional audit

Week 3-4: Critical fixes

Focus on: Issues that completely block access for users with disabilities

• Fix keyboard navigation (ensure all interactive elements are accessible)

• Add missing alt text to critical images

• Correct severe color contrast issues

• Fix form labels and validation errors

• Implement skip navigation links

Investment: 30-50 development hours; $3,000-$7,500 if outsourcing

Week 5-6: Comprehensive remediation

Focus on: Secondary issues and polish

• Complete alt text implementation

• Fix remaining contrast issues

• Correct heading hierarchy throughout the site

• Improve link descriptiveness

• Add captions to existing video content

• Implement ARIA landmarks and labels where needed

Investment: 40-60 development hours; $4,000-$9,000 if outsourcing

Week 7: Testing and quality assurance

Action items:

• Comprehensive keyboard navigation testing

• Screen reader testing on major browsers

• Automated scan to verify fixes

• User testing with people who use assistive technology (if budget allows)

Investment: 12-20 hours; $1,500-$3,000

Week 8: Documentation and ongoing processes

Action items:

• Create and publish an accessibility statement

• Document internal accessibility guidelines for content creators

• Establish a quarterly audit schedule

• Implement accessibility checkpoints in the content workflow

Investment: 8-12 hours; $1,000-$1,500

Real costs: Budget planning

I’m often asked what accessibility “costs.” Here’s what I’ve seen across different types of websites:

Small business website (10-20 pages, simple structure)

• Initial audit: $2,000-$3,000

• Remediation: $3,000-$8,000

• Total: $5,000-$11,000

Mid-size website (50-100 pages, moderate complexity)

• Initial audit: $4,000-$7,000

• Remediation: $10,000-$20,000

• Total: $14,000-$27,000

Large website (200+ pages, complex functionality)

• Initial audit: $8,000-$15,000

• Remediation: $25,000-$50,000+

• Total: $33,000-$65,000+

Ecommerce site (product catalog, transaction flows)

• Initial audit: $6,000-$12,000

• Remediation: $15,000-$35,000

• Total: $21,000-$47,000

These ranges assume starting from a typical website with moderate accessibility debt. Sites built with accessibility in mind from the start can often achieve compliance for 20-30% less.

Tools: What I actually use

I’ve tested dozens of accessibility tools. Here’s what I recommend based on actual utility:

For automated testing (free)

• WAVE (WebAIM): Browser extension that provides visual feedback on accessibility issues. Best for page-by-page review.

• axe DevTools: Chrome/Firefox extension with detailed issue reporting. Better for developers.

• Lighthouse: Built into Chrome DevTools. Provides accessibility scoring alongside performance metrics.

Critical reality check: Automated tools catch 30-40% of accessibility issues. They’re essential but insufficient. You must do manual testing.

For manual testing (free)

• NVDA: Free screen reader for Windows. Essential for understanding how screen reader users experience your site.

• VoiceOver: Built into macOS and iOS. Test with this if you’re Mac-based.

• Keyboard-only navigation: Use Tab, Enter, Space and Arrow keys to navigate your site without a mouse. Free and essential.

For color contrast (free)

WebAIM Contrast Checker: Quick, simple, accurate. I use this daily.

Colorblindly: Chrome extension that simulates different types of color blindness.

For ongoing monitoring (paid)

While I don’t recommend specific monitoring platforms (since needs vary significantly), look for services that provide:

• Automated scanning on a schedule

• Issue tracking and prioritization

• Integration with development workflows

• Real human QA, not just automated results

Budget $200-$500/month for small sites, $500-$2,000/month for enterprise.

What about accessibility overlays and widgets?

This is the question I get most frequently, so let me be direct: Accessibility overlay widgets do not provide compliance and often create additional barriers.

In 2024, over 1,000 businesses using accessibility widgets were sued — representing more than 25% of all website ADA lawsuits. The Federal Trade Commission fined accessiBe $1 million for making false claims about ensuring ADA compliance.

These widgets don’t fix underlying code issues. They attempt to patch problems on the fly, often introducing new barriers in the process. Professional accessibility consultants uniformly advise against them.

If someone is selling you a “one-line of code” compliance solution, they’re selling you legal risk, not legal protection.

The accessibility statement: What to include

Every accessible website should have an accessibility statement. Here’s what I include when developing them for clients:

1. Commitment: State your commitment to accessibility.

2. Standards: Note you’re working toward WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance.

3. Current status: Be honest about current compliance level.

4. Limitations: List any known issues you’re working to resolve.

5. Feedback mechanism: Provide a way for users to report barriers (email, phone, form).

6. Timeline: If you’re in active remediation, mention expected completion.

7. Contact: Provide specific contact information for accessibility concerns.

Be genuine. Don’t claim full compliance if you haven’t achieved it. Courts look more favorably on organizations making good-faith efforts with transparent communication than those making false claims.

Ongoing maintenance

Accessibility isn’t a one-time project. Websites change constantly. New content gets added, features get developed, and plugins get updated.

Based on my consulting work, plan for:

Monthly: Quick automated scans (1-2 hours)

Quarterly: Comprehensive manual review of new content (4-8 hours)

Annually: Full site audit (same scope as initial audit)

Ongoing costs: Budget $500-$2,000/month, depending on site complexity and update frequency.

When to get professional help

I’m pragmatic about DIY vs. professional services. Here’s when I recommend bringing in experts:

Get professional help if:

• You’ve received a demand letter or lawsuit

• You’re in a high-risk industry (finance, healthcare, education, government)

• Your website has complex functionality (advanced forms, custom interactions, video platforms)

• You need formal compliance documentation (VPAT, accessibility conformance report)

• Your team lacks accessibility expertise

DIY is reasonable if:

• You have a simple website (informational, low complexity)

• You have technical team members willing to learn

• You’re not facing immediate legal pressure

• You can commit the time needed for learning and implementation

Related: 12 Accessibility Tools Every Business Needs

The bottom line

I’ve guided organizations through accessibility implementation ranging from three-week emergency remediations post-lawsuit to 18-month comprehensive transformations. The pattern is consistent: Early investment saves money, time, and legal exposure.

Building accessibility into your website from the start costs 20-30% of what retrofitting requires. Avoiding a lawsuit saves tens of thousands in legal fees alone. And reaching 70+ million Americans with disabilities expands your market in ways that far exceed your investment.

If you’re building or maintaining a website in 2025, accessibility isn’t optional. The question is whether you’ll address it strategically and cost-effectively now or reactively and expensively later.

On June 27, 2017, the NotPetya malware caused massive problems for Maersk, which is the world’s largest shipping company and handles 20% of global trade. After just a few minutes, 76 ports and 900 ships were frozen. The destruction was massive as 4,000 servers, 45,000 PCs and 2,500 applications were severely damaged and required significant work to be restored to their former glory. The estimated cost of the damage is believed to be around $300 million.

Maersk showed strong resilience, and within a couple of weeks, their share price was up, and they renewed customer loyalty. Today, this story of resilience has become a Harvard Business School case study. It provides masterclass lessons in how one can turn turbulence into a story of success. All leaders can learn from this. If you handle disasters through innovation, care and honesty, you can turn them into a success.

Related: My Company Was the Target of a Cyberattack, and Yours Could Be Too

Phase 1: The strategic post-mortem — moving from blame to insight

Typically, a lot of companies will panic and then look for a scapegoat when faced with a crisis. Maersk opted to realize that the root cause of the problem was not just a virus. Leaders accepted that they were bang average in terms of how they handled cybersecurity.

The company also accepted that what happened may have been due to a cultural problem internally that needed to be fixed. While malware was a cause of issues, they also understood that their culture played a part, as security was seen as something that IT dealt with and not a core business thing.

They conducted a business process autopsy and identified what was critical. The autopsy helps a business to identify what is working, what is not working and what processes from internal business practices can be removed.

These days, the public generally understands that companies will go through data complications at some point. They will respect a company that proactively aims to improve its defense systems.

Related: So, You’ve Been Hacked. These are the Best Practices for Business Leaders Post-Hack

Phase 2: The strategic pivot — transforming insight into action

This is the time during which you turn defense into attack and develop core advantages. After what happened, Maersk took drastic action. It increased its security team from 28 to 150 people. Its security culture and long-standing safety culture were made a communal responsibility in the company. Their CISO, Andy Powell, said, “Security becomes part of everyday culture. Whatever you’re doing, you think safety, you think cyber.”

You can modernize the technology stack with purpose. After the crisis, you may have sufficient power to urge the company powers that be that investment in defense and improving defenses are needed. Maersk used multi-factor authentication systems, upgraded its OS and created geographically redundant backups. They adopted systems such as NIST, which can stop so-called “extinction events.” Investments such as this should not be presented as something that is optional and costly, but as something that will have great long-term benefits.

Maersk succeeded in strengthening customer trust and communication as it turned what could have been a defeat into a competitive advantage. Rather than trying to sugarcoat, they were very transparent and quickly informed customers of what was happening in the journey to recovery. Instead of telling customers, “we failed you,” they opted for a stance of “we are being tested, and we are in this together.”

Phase 3: Operationalizing resilience — building the “antifragile” organization

After a data disaster, your aim should not just be to recover, but you must also aim to build an “antifragile” organization that can come out stronger after a major challenge. An important step is to ensure that you fully internalize the lessons. When Maersk had to act, it did not just fix the problem. Instead, it embedded a new security system into its future planning. Accountability was added to all teams.

Resilience should not just be something you aim for or use in a one-time project. You need to regularly have drills within your teams in order to be prepared for a potential crisis. By doing the drills, the thought memory and muscle memory of the staff will also be ready to act when disaster does strike.

Your backup plans and data must be regularly tested. Communication plans must be regularly updated, and response team plans of action must regularly be reviewed and updated. The resilience and plans to achieve this must continuously be refined, given that IT is a fast-moving line of work.

Related: 4 Steps You Need to Follow to Make It Through Any Crisis With Your Company Intact

Through its legendary handling of a crisis, Maersk proved that developing good technology is not just vital to overcoming a disaster. It moved from being a victim to coming out of the disaster as a stronger industry leader through good on-the-ground planning and strategic improvisation.

Instead of viewing a crisis as a problem, one must rather think “how can we emerge from this as a stronger brand and company and use it to increase customer loyalty?”

On June 27, 2017, the NotPetya malware caused massive problems for Maersk, which is the world’s largest shipping company and handles 20% of global trade. After just a few minutes, 76 ports and 900 ships were frozen. The destruction was massive as 4,000 servers, 45,000 PCs and 2,500 applications were severely damaged and required significant work to be restored to their former glory. The estimated cost of the damage is believed to be around $300 million.

Maersk showed strong resilience, and within a couple of weeks, their share price was up, and they renewed customer loyalty. Today, this story of resilience has become a Harvard Business School case study. It provides masterclass lessons in how one can turn turbulence into a story of success. All leaders can learn from this. If you handle disasters through innovation, care and honesty, you can turn them into a success.

With nearly 900 pages and more than 100 tax-related provisions, H.R.1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law on July 4, 2025, has several important changes for small businesses to navigate. Payroll, employment tax and employee benefit changes are among the law’s key provisions, with some retroactively effective as of Jan. 1, 2025.

While the Department of the Treasury and the IRS are expected to provide further guidance on implementing certain provisions, there are steps small businesses can take now to prepare for potential impacts.

Tax credits for benefits offerings

For small businesses competing for talent, a comprehensive benefits strategy can help and often goes a long way in making employees feel valued. ADP’s latest benefits sentiment data shows that 78% of employees say they feel valued by their employer due to the medical benefits that are offered, while an even higher percentage (82%) feel valued by the non-medical benefits their employer provides. As you look for opportunities to extend employee benefits, consider the following changes:

• Enhanced childcare credit: For small businesses, the Act increases employers’ tax credits for qualified expenses for employer-provided childcare. Covered expenses generally include the employer’s direct payments to qualified childcare facilities or caregivers, the costs of starting and running on-site childcare and a more limited credit for childcare referral services. Additionally, the Act allows small businesses to pool their resources to provide childcare to their employees and for businesses to use a third-party intermediary to facilitate childcare services on their behalf.

• Increased paid family and medical leave credits: The employer tax credit for paid family and medical leave benefits was scheduled to expire at the end of this year. The Act makes the credit permanent. The Act also reduces the required length of employment for eligibility from one year to six months, increasing the number of employees covered. Beginning in 2026, employers will also be able to take a credit for amounts paid as premiums for qualifying insurance policies that pay employee wages for family and medical leave.

Related: 20 Tax Deductions Online Businesses Can Take to Save Thousands

Opportunities to offset R&D costs

As small businesses look for ways to increase agility and differentiate the products and services they offer customers, there are opportunities to help offset the costs associated with research and development (R&D).

• Expanded domestic R&D deductions: Instead of amortizing research and development costs over multiple years, the Act allows businesses to immediately deduct domestic R&D expenses starting in 2025. (R&D conducted outside the U.S. must still be amortized.)

Small businesses (with average annual gross receipts of $31 million or less) will generally be able to retroactively expense domestic R&D costs made after Dec 31, 2021. The retroactive deductions can also be taken as a catch-up deduction in 2025, spread over the 2025 and 2026 tax years, or the business can file amended tax returns for the applicable years. To qualify, the amendments must be filed before July 4, 2026. The Act also includes rules to coordinate the immediate deductibility of R&D costs with the federal research and development tax credit.

Prepare for income tax changes

In addition to changes to business tax, there are some key personal income tax provisions in the Act that can impact payroll and withholdings. Small businesses should prepare for the following changes, which may affect record-keeping and require communication with employees:

• New deductions for qualified overtime and tips: Overtime pay required by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act will become deductible up to $12,500 (or $25,000 if filing a joint tax return). Only the premium portion of the overtime is deductible – for example, if an employee’s regular rate of pay is $10/hour and they receive $15/hour for overtime, only the $5 overtime premium is eligible for the deduction. Additionally, for income from tips, the new deduction is up to $25,000 and includes tips received in cash, charged or received under a tip-sharing arrangement. In all cases, tips must be voluntary (meaning mandatory service charges are not eligible for deduction). The tips must be received in an occupation that customarily and regularly received tips as of Dec. 31, 2024 — a proposed list of these occupations has been released by the IRS. Certain professions — generally those recognized as a specified service trade or business, or SSTB, are not eligible for the tip deduction. Both deductions apply only to federal income taxes and begin to phase out when a taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds $150,000 (or $300,000 if filing jointly). Additionally, both deductions are retroactive and can be taken for the full 2025 tax year.

To help with any recordkeeping challenges, the Act provides a transition rule allowing for reasonable accounting measures to calculate eligible deductions for 2025. Due to the retroactive adoption of these deductions for 2025, the Department of the Treasury has released guidance providing that employers and payors are not required to provide employees and payees with estimates of qualified overtime and cash tips for 2025, but are encouraged to do so.

Separate guidance was issued in late November to assist individual taxpayers in estimating their deductions for 2025 by describing how they could use employment-related documents, such as pay statements and IRS forms, to derive their amounts of deductible overtime and tips if that information is not provided by their employer or payor Treasury and IRS are also expected to release finalized guidance on tipped occupations and qualified tips, as well as guidance to employers and payors for supporting these deductions for 2026-28.

Related: Switching to a C Corp Could Save Your Business Thousands — Here’s How

Stay focused on business growth

Staying on top of complex regulatory changes requires both proactive monitoring and reliable support. Accountants and trusted service providers can help interpret new regulations, provide guidance on appropriate actions and help identify relevant tax credit opportunities that might benefit your business.

As further guidance is issued for H.R.1, and as with all tax matters, work with your trusted tax advisors to stay on top of new requirements specific to your business. Having technology in place that monitors regulatory updates and integrates changes directly into payroll and HR workflows can help reduce risk and enable continuity as well.

With small business owners often pulled in many directions, building a strong support system — from the solutions you leverage to the advisors you engage — can help you stay focused on strategy and business growth.

With nearly 900 pages and more than 100 tax-related provisions, H.R.1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law on July 4, 2025, has several important changes for small businesses to navigate. Payroll, employment tax and employee benefit changes are among the law’s key provisions, with some retroactively effective as of Jan. 1, 2025.

While the Department of the Treasury and the IRS are expected to provide further guidance on implementing certain provisions, there are steps small businesses can take now to prepare for potential impacts.

Citizenship by Investment (CBI) is a legal procedure where the government of a state provides citizenship to a foreign national in return for a substantial economic contribution.

Instead of spending some years in a foreign land, acquiring the language and having some relation in the country, the person qualifies by making some sort of investment, often made in a government fund, a designated piece of property or a national project.

In the case of individuals, the attraction of the CBI lies in mobility and security. The additional passport may mean visa-free access to additional countries, or access to a different financial infrastructure or political stability to fall back on in a worst-case scenario.

On the other hand, countries engaged in the delivery of these passports see the opportunity created by the CBI as an important way to raise funds for the development of infrastructure or healthcare or even disaster relief.

This system worked for a number of years with remarkably little international intervention. As long as the programs were compliant with national law, sovereignty applied. This is no longer the view. It has been a number of years, however, since the Citizenship by Investment industry began to face close examination, especially from the European Union.

This situation has been outlined as a global “crackdown” in the world of CBI.

Related: Why Passports Are the New Portfolio Play for Wealthy Entrepreneurs

1. The new political reality for citizenship by investment

CBI programs have traditionally offered a mutually advantageous exchange: nations receive essential revenue, while investors gain mobility, stability and global access. However, this once straightforward model is now under significant pressure. The European Union has raised concerns about security, due diligence and risks associated with granting visa-free access to individuals without sufficiently rigorous background checks. Consequently, Brussels has issued a series of warnings, diplomatic pressures and policy demands that have reshaped CBI programs worldwide.

This shift signifies more than just regulatory oversight; it marks a fundamental redefinition of what CBI programs can offer and how they must operate. The message is clear: countries may continue to run their programs, but only if they transform them to align with international standards. For nations that depend on CBI for economic stability, the stakes are high. For investors, it signals something else entirely: the window of opportunity is narrowing.

2. How the crackdown is disrupting CBI-dependent economies

For many Caribbean jurisdictions, CBI revenue is not merely an optional bonus but a vital component of national income. These funds are essential for supporting public services, rebuilding infrastructure after hurricanes and ensuring financial stability in nations with limited economic diversification.

When the EU threatens visa restrictions or questions the integrity of a program, investor confidence can plummet almost immediately. Applications slow down, budgets tighten and governments face immediate pressure to address funding shortages.

The EU’s intervention also compels countries to implement additional layers of due diligence, increasing approval times and administrative costs. Nations that once prided themselves on efficiency and accessibility now endure lengthy processing periods designed to withstand external scrutiny. This diminishes competitiveness, particularly when investors seek quicker pathways.

European programs face similar challenges. Countries such as Malta are under constant pressure to introduce residency requirements, restrict eligibility and eliminate expedited pathways. Although these changes aim to enhance security, they inevitably reduce demand. For both Caribbean and European participants, the economic impact was significant and increasing.

Related: How Golden Visas and Second Passports Are Transforming Wealth Strategies

3. Stronger programs, strict rules, and a shrinking window

The EU’s pressure is driving the rapid evolution of CBI programs. Enhanced due diligence has become the standard, with governments utilizing international intelligence databases, third-party vetting firms and multilayered screening processes.

Investment options are being restructured to emphasize transparent, development-oriented contributions rather than speculative, real estate. Additionally, countries are releasing more detailed reports to demonstrate compliance and to rebuild trust.

These reforms are strengthening the industry, but they are also making programs more restrictive, slower and costlier to implement. The minimum investment thresholds are increasing. Family inclusion is becoming increasingly limited. The application requirements are expanding. What was available last year may not be available next year or even in the next six months.

This is why a growing number of investors are recognizing something crucial: the optimal time to secure a second citizenship is before the rules tighten. Opportunities that exist today may soon be restructured, priced higher, or closed. History has shown this repeatedly, from Cyprus’ closure to the reform of several Caribbean programs and the tightening of European pathways. In the realm of investment migration, delays can be costly.

4. The road ahead: A more regulated but urgently time-sensitive industry

Despite the global pressure, the demand for CBI continues to rise. Political instability, unpredictable markets and increasing mobility restrictions are driving more individuals to seek alternative citizenship for long-term protection and freedom.

What is changing is not desire but the landscape. Programs are becoming increasingly regulated, transparent and aligned with global compliance standards. The industry is maturing, which is ultimately a positive development.

However, this maturity comes with scarcity. As oversight increases, the number of accessible, affordable and flexible CBI options diminishes. Investors who delay may face higher costs, stricter requirements or fewer options. Those who act swiftly while opportunities are still available and within reach stand to gain the most. In a world where mobility, stability and global optionality are becoming essential assets, timing is no longer just a factor; it has become a strategy.

Citizenship by Investment (CBI) is a legal procedure where the government of a state provides citizenship to a foreign national in return for a substantial economic contribution.

Instead of spending some years in a foreign land, acquiring the language and having some relation in the country, the person qualifies by making some sort of investment, often made in a government fund, a designated piece of property or a national project.

Recent changes in U.S. tax policy include a significant shift in energy policy that has the potential to impact every entrepreneur.

Tax incentives that helped entrepreneurs and investors embrace various types of clean energy investments are disappearing quickly. These are significant incentives that include:

1. a 30% investment tax credit for solar, wind and other renewable energy systems
2. a production tax credit for energy produced by the systems
3. a 6% tax credit for EV charging stations

The recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act phases out these credits and many other incentives that have fueled clean energy investments over the past decade. These policy changes create a tight countdown clock for adjusting your business and tax strategies. You’ll need to act quickly to take advantage of existing benefits and create a plan for future energy-related investments.

Here’s a detailed action plan to help you navigate this transition and position your business for ongoing success.

Related: Which Candidate’s Tax Plan is Better for Small Businesses? Here’s What You Need to Know.

First, move quickly on any planned clean energy investments

If you’ve been considering installing solar panels, wind turbines or EV charging stations at your business or are interested in acquiring new property that could benefit from them, the key is to act fast. Under the newly enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the investment and production tax credits are only available on projects that are placed in service after Dec. 31, 2027, if construction begins within a year of the bill’s passage and the EV charging unit tax credits end after June 30, 2026.

While they last, these tax credits can mean the government will practically pay for your investment, and your business will enjoy the benefits of lower energy costs for years to come. For example, I’ve seen clients experience significant savings from installing solar panels on their business property and multifamily real estate investments.

In addition, entrepreneurs can once again couple these tax credits with 100% bonus depreciation. The recent tax law changes reinstated this powerful business incentive, which allows businesses and real estate investors to deduct the full cost of all kinds of equipment purchases, renovations and other property improvements in the year they are made instead of spreading them out over time. Full bonus depreciation applies to qualified purchases made after Jan. 19, 2025.

This means that on a $100,000 installation, you may be eligible for a $30,000 tax credit, plus be able to fully deduct the $100,000 price of the installation.

If a clean energy investment is part of your business strategy, prioritize that project now. Work with your accountant or tax advisor to ensure construction begins within the required timeframe to lock in these benefits.

Next, reevaluate your long-term energy strategy

Entrepreneurs and investors come to me and my tax education company, WealthAbility®, because they want to reduce or eliminate their taxes. But what they’re often surprised to learn is that I never advocate for making a business decision solely for its tax benefit. Don’t let the tax tail wag the dog. Business strategy always, always comes first.

That means that while tax incentives for renewable energy are on the way out, the operational and reputational advantages of investing in this area may mean they are still the right move for your business. I recommend entrepreneurs work with their team to evaluate their current energy usage, future needs and the costs associated with renewable energy investments without federal incentives. If they make good business sense, then move forward as you would with any other investment.

Remember, 100% bonus depreciation still applies. You may also find state or local tax incentives or even incentives from your utility company to further offset the investment.

Related: 6 Tips to Invest in Renewable Energy Now

Finally, reach out to your tax advisor for a strategic conversation

The shift in American tax policy away from incentives for renewable energy will present challenges to many entrepreneurs who had been counting on the tax benefits as part of their business plans. But the change also makes this a good time to step back and reassess both your business and tax strategies. By acting quickly to take advantage of existing benefits and focusing on long-term business goals, you can position yourself for success in this new landscape.

Schedule a meeting with your accountant or tax advisor to review your current and planned renewable energy investments. They should be able to help you ensure you’re taking full advantage of all available tax benefits before they expire. Too many entrepreneurs treat their CPA as a higher-level version of a bookkeeper. Instead, consider them a valuable business advisor who can help you create permanent, tax-free wealth. The earlier you bring them in on strategic decisions, the better your results.

The tax law is always changing. The elimination of clean energy incentives just happens to be one of the changes you’ll need to watch in 2025. Stay informed and flexible, and you’ll continue to turn tax changes into valuable opportunities.

Recent changes in U.S. tax policy include a significant shift in energy policy that has the potential to impact every entrepreneur.

Tax incentives that helped entrepreneurs and investors embrace various types of clean energy investments are disappearing quickly. These are significant incentives that include: