We Spent a Decade Building Virtual Worlds — What We Discovered Could Reshape the Future of Business

Over the past decade at Improbable and now with Somnia, I have worked on solving some of the hardest problems in the new digital age. We’ve learned a great deal from powering massively multiplayer video games, immersive virtual events and defense simulations so sophisticated they got me sanctioned by Russia…

But in the process of building tools for virtual worlds, we discovered something far more foundational: The infrastructure we needed for the metaverse turned out to be exactly what businesses need to operate in the AI era.

Like many, we expected that the surge of interest in the “metaverse” in 2021 would be a tipping point. After all, we’d been working on persistent virtual spaces since 2012. But the deeper we got into the problem, the more we realized the infrastructure wasn’t ready. Virtual worlds that allowed thousands of people to move freely across different platforms with their identity and assets intact simply weren’t feasible with existing systems.

Blockchain, on paper, offered the right ingredients: user ownership, decentralized control and the ability for different developers to build on shared standards. However, when we tried to use it for real-time interaction, it collapsed under the weight. These systems were too slow, too expensive and entirely unsuited to applications that needed responsiveness.

Imagine trying to run a Zoom call where every frame of video had to be verified by thousands of computers before it could appear on screen. That’s what we were dealing with.

Eventually, we faced a choice. Either continue building applications on infrastructure that couldn’t support them — or build the infrastructure ourselves. What we ended up creating, Somnia, started as a necessity for gaming. But it has become a blueprint for how business will operate in a future shaped by artificial intelligence, digital identity and real-time interaction.

Related: Is Metaverse the Future for Business?

The new demands of digital business

Three trends are colliding to reshape how modern organizations operate. First, AI is no longer just a chatbot; it’s an actor. Agents powered by large language models are starting to participate in digital ecosystems. In our testing, we’ve seen AI agents generate thousands of transactions per second simply through their interactions with each other and with users.

Second, digital ownership is shifting from a niche crypto concern to a mainstream expectation. People increasingly want control over their digital identities, possessions and reputations — and they want these assets to persist and travel with them.

Third, businesses are shifting from transaction-focused to relationship-focused models, where continuous engagement in digital environments drives loyalty and growth.

The infrastructure to support this convergence didn’t exist. So we built a system that could process over one million transactions per second, about 20,000 times faster than traditional blockchain systems. To put this in business terms: Imagine the difference between a corner store that can serve 50 customers a day and a Walmart Supercenter that can serve 50,000.

Beyond gaming: Business applications and cultural impact

This leap in performance has implications that go far beyond gaming and drive real business outcomes. Retailers can track inventory changes across thousands of stores in real-time for a fraction of a penny per update. Manufacturers can build secure, verifiable supply chains that don’t compromise speed. Financial institutions can process compliance checks, document verification and settlements with both transparency and efficiency.

But the bigger shift is cultural. As AI begins to automate routine tasks, we are entering what I call the “Fulfilment Economy,” as mentioned in my book Virtual Society: The Metaverse and the New Frontiers of Human Experience. This is not just about productivity. It is about meaning. People are looking for purpose, community and creativity in the digital environments where they now spend increasing portions of their lives.

AI helps by saving time and taking on the burden of process, allowing us to focus our energy on more valuable activities. These environments go beyond entertainment. They are places of work, collaboration, identity and economic activity. In many cases, AI agents will participate alongside us.

For businesses, this presents a strategic shift. When your users don’t just consume your products but contribute to and build on your platform, your role changes. You’re no longer just a provider; you’re a host. Your brand becomes part of an ecosystem — one that thrives on participation, portability and interaction. Supporting this shift requires infrastructure that can scale in real time, preserve ownership across environments and connect disparate platforms into a single seamless experience.

Related: The Future of Business in the Age of Technology

What comes next

Most business leaders aren’t thinking about blockchains, consensus algorithms or transaction throughput — and they shouldn’t have to. What matters is whether your company is ready for a world where intelligent agents transact alongside humans, where users carry persistent digital identities between services and where engagement happens in real time, not just during scheduled interactions.

The hype cycle around the metaverse may have passed, but the vision of shared, persistent, intelligent digital environments is more relevant than ever. What started as a solution for virtual worlds is now becoming the foundation for how businesses will deliver value in an interconnected, AI-driven future.

This One Leadership Move Will Transform Your Team’s Loyalty and Performance

For years, leadership development has focused on hard skills like operations, finance and technical know-how. But today, there’s growing recognition that soft skills — especially emotional intelligence (EQ) — are just as vital, if not more so. EQ isn’t just about being “nice” or managing conflict — it’s about cultivating trust, improving communication and building resilient, high-performing teams.

In a fast-changing workplace where expectations are rising and retention is a top priority, EQ has become a business imperative.

Self-awareness beats spreadsheets

Emotional intelligence starts with self-awareness. Leaders who understand their own emotions are better equipped to manage stress, give feedback and respond thoughtfully in challenging moments. And yet, many overestimate their emotional awareness. In a survey of more than 1,000 professionals, 20.6% of men and 17.1% of women believed they were more emotionally intelligent than their behavior suggested. That gap matters because blind spots in leadership often become pressure points across an organization.

Building EQ involves engaging both verbal and nonverbal communication skills. This means not only listening and adapting but also reading emotional cues, responding empathetically, and modeling openness. It’s less about control and more about connection.

Related: Stop Losing Your Best Employees with These 3 Retention Strategies

Don’t just know it — practice it

It’s not enough to understand EQ in theory. Like any business skill, it takes action to develop.

Leaders can strengthen their emotional intelligence by:

• Participating in coaching or mentoring programs
• Joining leadership development cohorts that include peer feedback
• Having real, honest conversations with employees about emotional wellbeing

The most effective organizations embed EQ into their culture, starting with hiring. When emotional intelligence becomes a hiring lens, companies reduce mis-hires and build more cohesive teams. Ask candidates how they navigate disagreements, respond to constructive feedback, or bounce back from failure. Their answers reveal more than technical skills ever could.

Emotional intelligence isn’t optional at the top

Leadership isn’t just about setting strategy — it’s about setting the tone. Executives who lack EQ often struggle to inspire trust or connect across teams. They may deliver results in the short term but fail to build sustainable momentum.

In contrast, emotionally intelligent leaders:

• Attract and retain top talent
• Understand team dynamics and resolve conflicts early
• Foster a culture of psychological safety and high performance

These leaders also lead by example. When executives participate in team trainings or feedback sessions, it sends a powerful message: growth is for everyone, not just junior staff.

Related: How to Create a Winning Employee Retention Strategy

Empathy is the new currency of culture

Today’s workforce expects more from leadership: more empathy, more flexibility and more humanity. They don’t just want a job — they want to feel seen, valued and supported.

When companies prioritize EQ, employees respond with higher engagement, better communication and deeper loyalty. That’s not just good for morale — it’s good for business.

The result? A workplace where people thrive, performance improves and culture becomes a competitive advantage.

EQ is the edge

Emotional intelligence isn’t a bonus trait — it’s a leadership essential. Developing it takes intention, but the return on investment is exponential. Stronger teams. Smarter hiring. Greater retention. Better results.

When EQ becomes the standard rather than the exception, everybody wins.

7 Ways Ecommerce Is Helping People Rebuild Their Lives

Ecommerce entrepreneurship is rarely about getting rich overnight.

Many who try this seek solutions to their everyday problems — high cost of living, burnout from their 9-to-5, family needs or simply more independence. With each passing day, ecommerce is becoming more and more the best solution to overcome these challenges.

Digging deeper, we conducted an email survey asking Sellvia store owners why they decided to start an online business. What really surprised us was the number of people who decided to participate in our study.

Many of these replies were truly heartwarming, touching and in some cases, even eye-opening. This highlights the importance and impact that ecommerce can have on the lives of regular people.

So, here are the seven most common challenges ecommerce helped solve, according to our survey respondents.

1. Finding financial stability

More than 64% of our surveyed respondents claimed that they started their ecommerce business for the simple reason that traditional employment wasn’t enough. For some, one paycheck fell short; others were limited by their health, age or they simply didn’t have any better options.

Ecommerce offered them something that nothing else could — a way to earn without needing any special skills, experience or big investments.

Many people who responded had similar backgrounds: juggling multiple jobs, living paycheck to paycheck, trapped in an endless cycle. Having the ability to start an online business from the comfort of their own home gave them hope and, more importantly, a feeling of fulfillment and self-empowerment.

For many, it was a reliable path to restoring their financial situation.

Related: Selling as a Founder Is Brutal — It Was Also the Reason We Reached $400M in Revenue

2. Finding time for family

About 38% of our surveyed respondents reported that they turned to ecommerce to find more time to spend with their families. Traditional 9-to-5 job schedules practically excluded them from being involved in the lives of their children. This is especially true for single-parent households.

Launching an online store that can be built and managed on your own terms allowed them to finally enjoy time with their families, while having an income source that worked seamlessly in the background.

For many, it was about convenience and about being present. Present for the most important moments that you couldn’t experience otherwise.

We heard from happy parents who were able to see those school plays, be home for dinner or care for their family members without worrying about losing income. This feeling of freedom gave them the emotional comfort they had long missed.

3. Leaving unpleasant working environments

Approximately 22% said that starting an ecommerce store helped them escape workplaces where they felt stuck, undervalued and simply unfulfilled. They were tired of low paychecks and the sense of life just passing by them.

In ecommerce, they found that they could make their own choices, become their own boss and finally create something of their own. Some highlighted that their whole mindset changed – they went from fearing Mondays to feeling excited about managing and updating their stores.

Related: Yes, I Was a Toxic Boss. Here’s How I Turned It Around

4. Turning hobbies into income

Almost 37% indicated that their main motivation was to pursue their passion. Whether it was fashion, sports or gadgets, ecommerce was the best way to monetize what they already loved.

In most cases, they referenced their stores as an “extension of self” — a reflection of their values, beliefs, and ideas.

The personal connection with their hobbies helped them create the best possible experience. That meant better branding, creative advertising, and much more meaningful customer relationships.

5. Getting ready for retirement

For around 20% of respondents, it wasn’t at all about building an empire or a full-blown business — it was about having a reliable income later in life. One that was flexible, didn’t require much time or huge investments.

Some retirees shared that the rise of inflation, fixed incomes and the desire to stay mentally active pushed them into the world of online businesses. Others said that they did not wish to rely solely on pensions or savings. Ecommerce gave them a way to create a steady and reliable income, all without clocking into a job or having to push themselves physically.

Related: The New Way to Retire: Start a Digital Business

6. Giving back to their communities

Almost 13% stated that ecommerce helped them create a way to support their communities. Some people focused on promoting artists and cultural representation. Others donated portions of their profits to causes they cared about, for example, youth mentorship or educational scholarships.

This idea of a “profit with a purpose” reappeared time and time again. For these ecommerce entrepreneurs, profit alone did not measure success – it was about the impact they could make.

Not only are purpose-driven businesses good for your inner well-being, but they tend to perform well too.

7. Pivoting following career failures

Roughly 19% of survey takers had gone through layoffs, having to retire early, or a declining demand for their profession.

That’s why they turned to ecommerce as a way to create their own path to financial stability.

There was a common trend among those in midlife – many spent years pursuing careers that eventually offered no long-term stability or growth. Whether it was due to automation, outsourcing or driven by age, their experience and expertise were no longer valued.

Ecommerce gave them a way to work and earn on their own terms.

The bottom line

What stood out most to us was that our study showed there wasn’t a great need for huge profits or online fame. It was the desire for freedom — the freedom to work without burning out, to be close to your loved ones, to have a steady and reliable income and to build a financially secure future on one’s own terms.

Ecommerce isn’t the magical answer to everything. But it can be one of the most practical, flexible and readily available solutions out there.

And for many, it all started with a single online store.

The Hidden Dangers of Using Generative AI in Your Business

AI, although established as a discipline in computer science for several decades, became a buzzword in 2022 with the emergence of generative AI. Notwithstanding the maturity of AI itself as a scientific discipline, large language models are profoundly immature.

Entrepreneurs, especially those without technical backgrounds, are eager to utilize LLMs and generative AIs as enablers of their business endeavors. While it is reasonable to leverage technological advancements to improve the performance of business processes, in the case of AI, it should be done with caution.

Many business leaders today are driven by hype and external pressure. From startup founders seeking funding to corporate strategists pitching innovation agendas, the instinct is to integrate cutting-edge AI tools as quickly as possible. The race toward integration overlooks critical flaws that lie beneath the surface of generative AI systems.

Related: 3 Costly Mistakes Companies Make When Using Gen AI

1. Large language models and generative AIs have deep algorithmic malfunctions

In simple terms, they have no real understanding of what they are doing, and while you may try to keep them on track, they frequently lose the thread.

These systems don’t think. They predict. Every sentence produced by an LLM is generated through probabilistic token-by-token estimation based on statistical patterns in the data on which they were trained. They do not know truth from falsehood, logic from fallacy or context from noise. Their answers may seem authoritative yet be completely wrong — especially when operating outside familiar training data.

2. Lack of accountability

Incremental development of software is a well-documented approach in which developers can trace back to requirements and have full control over the current status.

This allows them to identify the root causes of logical bugs and take corrective actions while maintaining consistency throughout the system. LLMs develop themselves incrementally, but there is no clue as to what caused the increment, what their last status was or what their current status is.

Modern software engineering is built on transparency and traceability. Every function, module and dependency is observable and accountable. When something fails, logs, tests and documentation guide the developer to resolution. This isn’t true for generative AI.

The LLM model weights are fine-tuned through opaque processes that resemble black-box optimization. No one — not even the developers behind them — can pinpoint what specific training input caused a new behavior to emerge. This makes debugging impossible. It also means these models may degrade unpredictably or shift in performance after retraining cycles, with no audit trail available.

For a business depending on precision, predictability and compliance, this lack of accountability should raise red flags. You can’t version-control an LLM’s internal logic. You can only watch it morph.

Related: A Closer Look at The Pros and Cons of AI in Business

3. Zero-day attacks

Zero-day attacks are traceable in traditional software and systems, and developers can fix the vulnerability because they know what they built and understand the malfunctioning procedure that was exploited.

In LLMs, every day is a zero day, and no one may even be aware of it, because there is no clue about the system’s status.

Security in traditional computing assumes that threats can be detected, diagnosed and patched. The attack vector may be novel, but the response framework exists. Not with generative AI.

Because there is no deterministic codebase behind most of their logic, there is also no way to pinpoint an exploit’s root cause. You only know there’s a problem when it becomes visible in production. And by then, reputational or regulatory damage may already be done.

Considering these significant issues, entrepreneurs should take the following cautionary steps, which I will list here:

1. Use generative AIs in a sandbox mode:

The first and most important step is that entrepreneurs should use generative AIs in a sandbox mode and never integrate them into their business processes.

Integration means never interfacing LLMs with your internal systems by utilizing their APIs.

The term “integration” implies trust. You trust that the component you integrate will perform consistently, maintain your business logic and not corrupt the system. That level of trust is inappropriate for generative AI tools. Using APIs to wire LLMs directly into databases, operations or communication channels is not only risky — it’s reckless. It creates openings for data leaks, functional errors and automated decisions based on misinterpreted contexts.

Instead, treat LLMs as external, isolated engines. Use them in sandbox environments where their outputs can be evaluated before any human or system acts on them.

2. Use human oversight:

As a sandbox utility, assign a human supervisor to prompt the machine, check the output and deliver it back to the internal operations. You must prevent machine-to-machine interaction between LLMs and your internal systems.

Automation sounds efficient — until it isn’t. When LLMs generate outputs that go directly into other machines or processes, you create blind pipelines. There’s no one to say, “This doesn’t look right.” Without human oversight, even a single hallucination can ripple into financial loss, legal issues or misinformation.

The human-in-the-loop model is not a bottleneck — it’s a safeguard.

Related: Artificial Intelligence-Powered Large Language Models: Limitless Possibilities, But Proceed With Caution

3. Never give your business information to generative AIs, and don’t assume they can solve your business problems:

Treat them as dumb and potentially dangerous machines. Use human experts as requirements engineers to define the business architecture and the solution. Then, use a prompt engineer to ask the AI machines specific questions about the implementation — function by function — without revealing the overall purpose.

These tools are not strategic advisors. They don’t understand the business domain, your objectives or the nuances of the problem space. What they generate is linguistic pattern-matching, not solutions grounded in intent.

Business logic must be defined by humans, based on purpose, context and judgment. Use AI only as a tool to support execution, not to design the strategy or own the decisions. Treat AI like a scripting calculator — useful in parts, but never in charge.

In conclusion, generative AI is not yet ready for deep integration into business infrastructure. Its models are immature, their behavior opaque, and their risks poorly understood. Entrepreneurs must reject the hype and adopt a defensive posture. The cost of misuse is not just inefficiency — it is irreversibility.

Why the Most Powerful CEOs Today Lead With Authenticity, Not Silence

The public perception of a CEO’s personal brand is paramount. People don’t care about performative social media posts, and are suspicious when leaders always say “the right things”. Instead, they want to know that the companies they invest in are led by authentic leaders who speak to their values, principles and vision for the future.

This era calls for authentic human branding. The most trusted companies are led by executives who bring clarity and transparency to the forefront, and don’t allow the necessity to look perfect to distract from the brand being real. These kinds of leaders breathe life into mission statements, anchor company values, and turn brands into movements.

The most successful CEOs understand that people follow people, not statements. Investors, employees and customers all want to feel connected to a leader who can actually be connected to. A real face behind the brand. When that connection exists, loyalty deepens, talent is attracted and market value rises.

The power of showing up

CEOs today aren’t just expected to lead their companies from a business standpoint; they’re expected to represent a vision for where the world is going. And the leaders who embrace that role, rather than shy away from it, are seeing powerful returns.

Satya Nadella at Microsoft. His leadership ushered in not only a new era of innovation but a deeply humanized culture shift. His personal brand, anchored in empathy and curiosity, became a beacon at Microsoft. Despite recent controversy, Satya has not tried to make the perfect statement; he remained true to his brand and called recent decisions “painful but necessary”. It wasn’t loud, but it was intentional.

Or consider how Richard Branson’s personality and values infused Virgin with a sense of adventure and purpose that no other brand could possibly replicate. His visibility wasn’t accidental. It was strategic, and it turned his personal credibility into a global brand asset.

These leaders didn’t wait for others to define their narratives. They stepped into the role with them. They’re real people with real stories, not actors who are playing a role. And in their authenticity, they’re able to hold onto trust from their consumers.

Related: How to Embrace Authenticity in a World Craving Transparency

Your brand is your legacy

A well-developed personal brand doesn’t just support your company; it shapes your legacy.

Some believe that legacy is measured in profit margins alone. But in truth, it’s measured in the culture you cultivate, and the fruits that are bred from it. Your story as a CEO, when clearly told and consistently shared, becomes the connective tissue between your vision and the people who bring it to life.

People are no longer just buying products or services. They’re buying into leadership and ideas. They want to see the person, not just the numbers. Real people care about who’s behind the curtain, and they want that person to be real, visible and principled.

That’s not pressure. That’s potential.

Visibility creates culture and confidence

When CEOs lead with clarity and grace, they don’t just create external alignment, but they also set the tone for their internal teams.

A visible, vocal leader provides employees with a sense of direction and purpose. It’s easier to rally around a mission when you know who’s steering the ship and why they care.

This is especially true for younger generations in the workforce. Sure, they’re looking for salaries, but they also care about shared values. And when leaders communicate those values publicly, consistently and with sincerity, they transform the company into a place people want to belong, not just work.

This visibility also creates confidence in times of uncertainty. In moments of crisis or transition, people look to leadership for guidance. And CEOs who are already present, trusted, and understood don’t have to scramble to build the perfect statement. The culture they’ve built will speak for them.

Conviction is a competitive advantage, while silence creates vulnerability

Some CEOs hesitate to step into the spotlight because they fear backlash or missteps. But authenticity doesn’t demand perfection; it demands clarity.

You don’t have to weigh in on every cultural flashpoint or chase every trend. What matters is choosing the moments that align with your values and showing up with consistency and conviction.

The belief that “no comment” is safe is a myth.

Always staying silent on societal or cultural issues doesn’t communicate neutrality; it communicates disconnection, caution, or worse, cowardice. In an era where brands are personified by their executives, what you don’t say can shape perception as much as what you do.

Consider the corporate fallout during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement or Pride Month. Brands that tried to split the difference, releasing hollow statements or avoiding the topic altogether, were often called out for performative allyship or outright hypocrisy. Some never recovered their credibility.

Contrast that with Nike, which embraced public risk by supporting Colin Kaepernick. The campaign sparked outrage and celebration in equal measure, but most importantly, it clearly told the market where Nike stood. That clarity did cost them. But more importantly, it deepened loyalty and sharpened brand identity.

Related: Why Personal Branding Matters More Than Ever for Successful Entrepreneurs

The opportunity ahead

The bar for leadership has changed. The expectations are higher, but so is the payoff.

Today’s CEOs have the rare opportunity to be more than operators of a business. They can be authors of a movement and agents of change.

And building that legacy starts with showing up, telling your story and sharing your perspective in a way that fuels authentic connection and inspires belief.

Business Travel Can Wreck You—Here’s What To Do About It

Andrew Herr spent years advising Navy SEALs, elite athletes, and Fortune 500 executives on how to maximize performance under pressure. From the battlefield to the boardroom, one problem kept coming up. “Travel wrecks me,” his clients told him.

And they weren’t exaggerating. According to industry data, 93% of long‑haul travelers report experiencing fatigue, malaise, and impaired concentration from jet lag.

That frustration led Herr to create Flykitt, a system designed to eliminate jet lag and help travelers stay focused and functional. It’s now used by professional athletes, executives, and anyone who’s tired of arriving in a new city wiped out before the work even begins.

Herr recently joined me on the One Day with Jon Bier podcast to explain the real reason for the lag in jet travel—and why the usual fixes rarely work.

The problem starts with cabin pressure

Jet lag isn’t just about adjusting to new time zones. It starts before you even land.

“When you’re flying, you’re usually going to about 8,000 feet of relative air pressure,” Herr explains. “That drop in pressure and the lower oxygen level cause inflammation, which lowers your energy levels, disrupts sleep, messes with your joints, causes anxiety, and stops your circadian rhythm from resetting.”

That’s why you feel so foggy and stiff after sitting on a plane, even if you didn’t fly overnight. “It’s not just the dry air,” he adds. “Flying causes your body to fight itself.”

Related: 6 Tricks to Tackling Jet Lag

Sleeping the whole flight isn’t enough

Travelers often think that as long as they sleep during the flight, they’ll rally once they land. But even beyond the inflammation, Herr warns that mistimed sleep–and even too much–can leave you just as jet-lagged. For example, if you sleep at the wrong time or too much, you won’t fall asleep the next night, and then you’re in trouble. To feel great, it’s about syncing your rest timing to work with your body’s internal clock.

In the Flykitt jet lag app, the algorithm calculates the ideal window to fall asleep, based on your flights, your arrival time, and your body’s rhythms, all personalized to you. “We guide you on optimal sleep timing and supplements to block the inflammation and get you to sleep the exact right amount on the plane,” Herr explains. “That helps you adjust smoothly to the new time zone when you land.”

The goal isn’t just to get rest. It’s about recalibrating your body to adapt from where you’ve been to where you’re going.

Caffeine isn’t the solution

Many travelers rely on coffee and other caffeinated beverages throughout the day to get them through but Herr says this can be the wrong tactic. When your body is inflamed and your sleep-wake cycle is out of whack, a lot of caffeine can amplify the problem. “It might even make it worse if you’re already inflamed or anxious,” he says. So, Flykitt includes a special circadian reset mix that includes just the right amount of coffee to optimize how you feel without overdoing it.

Flykitt will also roll out what Herr calls a “focus module”—a structured set of tools designed to support mental clarity and energy. It will combine short breathwork exercises, stress relief techniques, and brain-supporting supplements to help your system rebound naturally.

Related: Do You Drink More Coffee Than Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Other Creative Leaders?

Recovery can take longer than you think

Jet lag doesn’t hit all at once, and it doesn’t resolve itself after one night of sleep.

“What people notice is, even after they get to the new location, they still feel off,” Herr says. “They’re not sleeping well, they’re not digesting properly, they feel brain fog, and their mood’s off.”

Many travelers assume the body will naturally bounce back the next day. But Herr says that misconception leads to more problems. “Most people wait until they feel terrible to take action,” he says.

His advice: Don’t wait until you’re wrecked. Do the work upfront and avoid the crash. Flykitt’s recovery protocol starts the morning you leave and continues for 36 hours after landing.

Jet lag is not inevitable

Most travelers accept jet lag as just part of the deal. You fly long hours, you feel awful for a few days, you power through. But Herr says it doesn’t have to be that way.

“We’re finding people in a spot where their whole routine is disrupted, so they’re used to feeling terrible,” he says. “And when they feel the impact of what using the right tools at the right time can do for sleeping better, eating better, and managing stress, it clicks.”

Flykitt’s approach is built around that moment of clarity—when people realize they don’t have to lose days of productivity or enjoyment just because they crossed a few time zones.

“You can struggle through it,” Herr says. “But why would you when you don’t have to?”

Related: This CEO Says the Secret to Growth Is Knowing Who You’re Not For

Why Hustle Culture Is the Most Dangerous Lie Founders Still Believe

Death by overwork. In Japan, they call this phenomenon “karoshi,” a term coined to capture the ultimate cost of the “rise and grind” hustle culture — the human life.

With 70% of the C-suite reporting they’re seriously considering finding another career, turnover costs due to employee burnout have reached a staggering $322 billion globally. Add burnout being linked to a host of physical and mental health struggles, from depression to heart disease and it’s not a far reach to theorize that something isn’t working.

Undoubtedly, there’s always another goal to crush, but is it worth working until we quite literally…drop? Are our greater efforts leading to greater rewards, or are we simply paying a price we never intended to pay?

Related: Why Hustle and Work-Life Balance Are 2 Clichés I Wish Would Go Away

How did we get here?

While hustle culture didn’t happen overnight, by 2015, the average full-time worker in the United States was logging a 47-hour workweek. Somewhere between Silicon Valley tech startups, the explosion of the gig economy in the early 2010s and the rise of social media influencers, overwork became a normalized way of life. Not only did the emergence of startups like Apple and Facebook glamorize the full-throttle, no-excuses grind, but after the 2007-2009 recession, hustling felt like a lot more than a mindset — it became a survival tactic.

Wanting to prove our worth, we listened as influencers like Grant Cardone or Gary Vaynerchuk told us from their G-Wagons that the recipe for success was to grind harder. As our physical, mental and emotional resources were slowly sapped, what we once valued was forced to take a backseat. Wellness, relationships and sleep be damned. Just a little more hard work, more hours, more networking, more output, more…more. After all, our worth was measured in the number of hours we worked, wasn’t it? If hashtags were to be believed, #sleepisfortheweak.

Soon, we were a caricature of our former selves, swimming in a sea of sameness fueled by adrenaline, caffeine and the latest “self-improvement” mantra we picked up on TikTok. After all, if we were going to reach that unreachable dream, someone had to pay the cost.

Does hustle culture deliver what it promises?

Earlier this year, Elon Musk posted on X that “Very few…actually work the weekend, so it’s like the opposing team just leaves the field for two days! Working the weekend is a superpower.” Twelve hours later, the world learned that the DOGE employees were working a staggering 120 hours a week.

Was Musk right? Does working more hours give us superhuman powers, or does his “simple math” fail to add up? Let’s take a closer look.

• A Stanford University study found that overwork comes with diminishing returns. Logging more than 55 hours a week actually decreases your productivity.
• According to Gallup, the risk of burnout for engaged employees doubles when an employee works 45 hours or more per week, with the risk climbing even higher for employees who aren’t engaged in their jobs.
• After recognizing burnout as a global health issue in 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that working long hours can put you at a significantly higher risk of stroke and heart disease.
• According to another study, the life of an entrepreneur doubles your risk of depression and triples your chances of becoming an addict — all thanks to factors we’ve normalized, like the stress and isolation of the job.

Despite these alarming statistics, new findings show a shift is happening. While the Baby Boomers may still be stuck sipping on the hustle-culture Kool-Aid, younger generations like millennials and Gen Z are increasingly prioritizing healthier lifestyles and work-life balance over a bigger paycheck.

In fact, work-life balance is their number one priority when choosing a new job, with millennials leading the charge. In other words, they’re waking up and realizing there’s truth to Dolly Parton’s words: You don’t have to “get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”

Related: Hustle Culture Is Lying to You — and Derailing Your Business

How to de-hustle your way to a life worth living

I don’t know about you, but if my #alwaysbeclosing mantra has me so locked in that I’m on the fast track to barely recognizing myself, are all those late-night hours still the badge of honor I thought they were? If I hustle my way from an abundant life with loved ones to a one-man show, will my “success” really justify the cost of what I’ve lost? If relentless stress has my mental health nosediving, are soaring profits truly worth making short work of the one life I’ve got?

Seven years ago, I decided I was done being another mindless cog in the hustle machine. I’d taken a hard look at what I’d become and realized I no longer recognized the man in the mirror. I’d lost my authenticity, what made me…me. My creativity was sapped, and my work was essentially a carbon copy of my colleagues. My hustling hadn’t just cost my creativity — it had cost my company, my customers, my relationships and my well-being. It was time to de-hustle my life.

No, I didn’t decide to take up forest bathing or goat yoga, but I did integrate a set of “de-hustling” principles I still follow today. Adopting these hasn’t just transformed how I live, but they’ve been a game-changer in how I run my business. It turns out that de-hustling didn’t kill my business — it’s increased our revenue every year by at least 30%.

A real hustler operates like this:

• Works no more than 30 hours per week and often enjoys three-day weekends
• Prioritizes time with loved ones and themselves
• Keeps work as a second, third or fourth priority
• Explores diverse cultures and ideas to develop a richer intellect
• Rejects systems and recipes for chasing the dollar
• Operates with true strategy and purpose, where every action is connected to a measurable outcome
• Leads with empathy and compassion

In the end, adopting a living-first mentality isn’t about dreaming smaller or capping your potential. It’s about slowing down, ditching the autopilot of the grind and being intentional and efficient. It’s about caring for ourselves and choosing presence over the quick plateaus of performance. It’s about spending time with those we love and doing the things that make us feel alive. It’s about building a life and business without sacrificing what matters most at the altar of rhetoric disguised as self-improvement.

Welcome to de-hustling — where your life as a real hustler begins.

There’s a Hidden Cost of Overnight Growth — Here’s What It Is and Why Slow and Steady Wins the Race

A long time ago, in the days when my startup was still in its infancy, I craved what I saw other entrepreneurs enjoying: Major, explosive growth. The kind that snatches headlines and earns thousands — no, millions — of shares on social media. The kind of growth that fuels conference panels and cocktail hour gossip.

Now? I am so glad my company never had that.

As scintillating as a big launch day story can be, there’s a hidden cost to going viral too soon. Think about it: How many companies have you seen rocket into the stratosphere like a firework, only to flame out just as quickly?

At my company, Jotform, we recently had a major launch. In the months since we released our new product, the outcome has been exactly as I’d wanted: a slow, steady climb in usage. Why would I want that over a viral hit? Let me explain.

Related: Startup Culture Prioritizes Scaling Fast — Here’s Why That’s Actually a Huge Mistake

The pitfalls of explosive growth

To answer why an entrepreneur would hope for anything less than a runaway smash, let’s look back on what happened to the exercise bike company Peloton during the pandemic, when usage surged. The company reacted by pushing its manufacturing capabilities beyond its limits, causing quality and customer satisfaction to take a hit. When the pandemic finally waned, the company was left with a bloated inventory and supply capacity it no longer needed.

SaaS companies don’t generally have the issues associated with producing physical products, but the problems are often similar: When usage skyrockets overnight, your systems get tested in ways they weren’t designed for. Support tickets pile up. Bugs get exposed in the worst possible ways — publicly, and all at once. Teams scramble, often abandoning longer-term thinking in favor of short-term firefighting.

Even worse, early users drawn in by hype might not be long-term customers, which means the feedback you’re acting on isn’t actually helpful. Too much growth, too quickly, decimates your ability to listen closely and refine your product in response to real needs.

Improving your product gradually

One of the most valuable things about slow growth is that it offers you the opportunity to improve your product. At Jotform, we released our AI agents and immediately got to work tweaking them based on the feedback we received. I know what we’re doing is working, because I’m watching their use increase over time.

Steady growth gives you space to iterate, not just react. I understand it can be difficult to resist the urge to meet demand, but I caution against rushing. Writing for Harvard Business Review, Gary P. Pisano explains that “good growth strategists do not fall into the trap of thinking they can grow fast now and fix things later. They recognize that more-measured growth over a sustained period will lead to much better financial results than explosive growth for a short period of time.” I completely agree — the “move fast and break things” ethos is a recipe for overwhelm and loss of trust.

A more disciplined approach lets you catch issues early, optimize systems before they’re overburdened, and prioritize features that truly matter to your core users, not just the loudest voices. In our case, it meant identifying which use cases were gaining traction and which needed further support, all without burning out the team or breaking what we’d built.

Related: Don’t Be Fooled By Overnight Success Stories — Building a Business Takes More Time Than You Think. Here’s How to Play the Long Game.

Learn about actual customer use

When growth is gradual, you get something far more valuable than vanity metrics: insight into how people actually use your product. Not how you hope they’ll use it or how they describe it in a survey, but real behavior, in real environments. At Jotform, one of our biggest discoveries after launching our AI agents was that usage wasn’t just happening inside our platform. It was happening on users’ own websites.

We started seeing thousands of daily views coming from embedded agents — far more than we initially expected. That told us that customers weren’t just experimenting with the tool; they were integrating it into their businesses. We saw custom buttons, branded interfaces and even AI agents connected to WhatsApp. These weren’t casual users — they were adapting our product to their needs in creative, sometimes surprising ways. This information has been instrumental in helping us chart our path forward from here.

Building for the long-term

When you grow slowly, you don’t just learn more — you build better. You’re able to lay a strong foundation that can support future scaling, instead of racing to patch things together after the fact. At Jotform, that meant making smart decisions about infrastructure, support systems and product design based on real patterns rather than assumptions.

It also meant giving our team the time to build sustainably, without chaos. When the next wave of users arrives — and it will — we’ll be ready, not scrambling, because growth that lasts isn’t about the moment or the initial hype. It’s about what happens in the months and years that follow.

Why This Sports Festival Might Be the Most Ambitious Live Event in America

The digital revolution opened up a universe of opportunity for marketers. Millions can be reached in seconds with just a few clicks. But in a screen-saturated world, people crave something deeper: a real connection.

“Compared to a digital marketing campaign, live events may reach fewer people,” says Fanatics Events CEO Lance Fensterman. “But digital is shallow. It’s a quick scroll and move on. Live events are deep and immersive. They allow you to truly interact with fans and give them experiences they’ll never forget.”

Fensterman put that philosophy into action in his first year at Fanatics, leading the launch of Fanatics Fest NYC in 2024, a three-day festival that blends sports, culture and entertainment into one in-person experience. The inaugural event drew over 70,000 attendees last summer.

This weekend, Fanatics Fest returns to the Javits Center, with Fensterman at the helm once again, bringing together more than 500 athletes, celebrities and artists — including Tom Brady, LeBron James, Travis Scott and Kevin Hart — from June 20–22.

Fanatics Fest is an ambitious undertaking, but it’s in experienced hands. Before joining Fanatics, Fensterman served as president of ReedPop, where he helped turn niche gatherings into major pop culture events like New York Comic Con, ComplexCon and Star Wars Celebration.

“If you think about the early days of Comic Con, these were people who didn’t have a place,” Fensterman recalls. “We built this world where they were not just safe, but they were stars.”

Related: How Global Digitization is Transforming Sports

Focus on the fans

The sports world brings its own set of challenges, but Fensterman’s mission remains the same: bring people together around a shared passion.

“A consistent theme throughout my career has been giving fans what they want,” he says. “When you can do that, you create moments and experiences they’ll never forget.”

That fan-first mindset is especially important when navigating the diverse and often divided landscape of sports culture.

“Sports fans are tribal,” Fensterman says. “They group around specific teams or leagues.”

The self-described nerd likens it to Harry Potter houses, tight-knit communities with distinct identities. WWE fans, for example, are fiercely loyal but may be less inclined to engage with fans of other sports.

“When you look at other sports events, they’re largely organized by team or sport,” he notes, pointing to NBA All-Star Weekend and the NFL’s Super Bowl Experience. “We’ve tried to zoom out and show people there’s an entire world where sports, entertainment and culture intersect—regardless of tribe.”

Think of it like a music festival. You might show up for the headliner but end up discovering two side-stage acts you fall in love with — or years later, brag that you saw a breakout band before they made it big. That’s the kind of atmosphere Fensterman wants to create at Fanatics Fest.

“What you’re hoping is, someone comes because they wanted to see the New York Greats panel, but then they rediscover their love of card collecting, or they catch a simulcast of the Club World Cup and realize European soccer is actually really cool,” he says. “Those kinds of cross-pollination moments are exciting — when fans come for one thing and end up connecting with something entirely new.”

Related: ‘Nobody’s Ever Seen This Before’: How These 2 NYC Sports Icons Are Infusing Swagger into Next-Gen Eyewear

Control the chaos

The flip side of planning something this all-encompassing is knowing when to stop.

“Fanatics is the most ambitious organization I’ve ever been around,” Fensterman says, noting he was still making tweaks to the schedule the morning of our interview. “But we have to go pencils down at some point, because we have to physically build all of this.”

Once they’ve finalized the schedule, Fensterman and crew face the daunting challenge of escorting A-Listers through a raucous crowd of avid sports fans without incident.

“It’s all about giving fans a frictionless experience to access the things they love,” Fensterman says. “We don’t want talent or athletes sneaking through back corridors— we want them moving through the crowds. But the challenge is, how do you do that without someone like LeBron James getting overrun?”

No matter how meticulously Fensterman and his team plan, the only way to understand the logistics of a behemoth like this is to experience it. And after last year, they know what to expect.

“My focus is on making new mistakes,” Fentsterman says. “It’s about constant innovation–fixing what didn’t work last year, trying bold new ideas and creating a culture where people feel safe to experiment, take risks and push boundaries.”

Elevate the experience

This year’s Fanatics Fest is set to be four times bigger than last year’s event, with twice the staff — and with that growth comes a small bump in ticket prices. But Fensterman says the added cost is well worth it.

“We raised prices slightly this year because we felt there was room to do so,” he explains. “Even during economic downturns, it’s still a great value. Compared to the cost of a movie per hour, 10 to 12 hours of immersive entertainment is an affordable way for a family to spend the day doing something special.”

One of this year’s biggest additions is Fanatics Games, where a lucky group of fans will get the once-in-a-lifetime chance to compete against 50 of the biggest names in sports and entertainment in a series of skill challenges, with prizes up to $1 million in cash. The star-studded lineup includes LeBron James, Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, DJ Khaled, John Cena, Joe Burrow, Kai Cenat and many more.

Fanatics Fest 2025 is unlike anything the sports world has seen. From its star-studded lineup, to its mission of uniting fans across all sports, to its unique offerings like Fanatics Games, Fensterman and his team are ushering in a new era of sports events.

The only question now is how they’ll top it next year.

Upgrade Your Workflow With Two Essential Microsoft Tools for Just $55

More than 1.2 billion people worldwide use Microsoft Office, according to data from World Metrics. Some of these programs have been around since 1989, so they clearly have staying power. And now you can join this large pool of happy users for just $54.97 with The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License and Windows 11 Pro Bundle, on sale through July 20.

Outfit your PC with Microsoft Office and Windows 11 for just $55

Whether it’s your first time using the Microsoft Office suite of apps, or it’s been a few years (or decades) since you took advantage of their power, now’s the time to outfit your computer with Microsoft Office Professional 2021. Not only will you receive eight helpful tools, but you’ll also get a license for the latest operating system, Windows 11 Pro.

Boost your productivity with Microsoft Office essentials: Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, OneNote, Teams, Publisher, and Access. Don’t let the 2021 label fool you — this version includes three more apps than the 2024 release. It also lets you work on familiar interfaces, without having to deal with AI integrations.

Once you’ve explored all the new apps, you can enjoy a new operating system with this Windows 11 Pro license. It was made with the modern professional in mind, so it’s great for entrepreneurs. It also offers improved cybersecurity and DirectX 12 Ultimate, which improves your gaming experience.

Give your old PC a new lease on life with The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License and Windows 11 Pro Bundle, now just $54.97 (reg. $418.99) through July 20.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Top Founders Like Bill Gates Take Retreats — Here’s Why You Should, Too

I’ve spent years working with startups and scaling businesses, and one of several trends I’ve seen consistently create lasting impact is the strategic use of retreats. In more than 20 years of reporting and producing at TV stations, and editing and writing for different websites, I’ve actively participated in retreats organized by the organizations where I’ve advised or worked. At these gatherings, beyond the usual work-related content — I’ve hiked trails, done silent meditations and have taken part in metaphysical book reading groups.

After participating in company retreats, I can say that they are an excellent tool for growth. Although they sometimes feel like general vacations disguised as meetings or seminars, they often act as deliberate pauses, pushing the company forward. Besides strengthening team cohesion, they also help unlock new layers of creativity and clarity in decision-making.

Strategic retreats are becoming a key element in the strategies of growth-minded leaders, especially during the summer months, when a shift in pace can lead to transformative breakthroughs. More and more founders are starting to recognize the value of startup and company retreats. Here are five reasons why I think founders should schedule retreats.

Related: Open Conversations Are Often Stifled at Work — Here’s How to Break That Silence and Reach Your True Potential

1. Retreats build deep, lasting connections

I have built plenty of valuable connections in retreats I’ve attended. I have also seen founders, co-founders and company executives participate in retreats targeting people in those roles. Those experiences created new relationships and strengthened ones that existed already, and even led to eventual business deals.

Ups and downs are a given during the entrepreneurial journey, and your network is a huge basis for support. Most entrepreneurs have attended a mid-week networking event that lasts an hour or two and probably doesn’t result in new connections that truly help build their network. Unlike this more superficial networking, retreats give a more immersive experience that forges stronger bonds between participants, helping build a trusted support network that founders can rely on during tough times, where support and guidance may be needed.

These connections aren’t just limited to founders. Team members attending a retreat often develop stronger working relationships, too, as the programming at retreats provides them with a space for open conversations and interactions. Enjoyable activities and a relaxed setting can break down barriers and help employees build honest, deep connections they usually don’t find at fleeting networking events.

2. They cut distractions and help decision-making

One of the most underrated benefits of retreats is the clarity that comes from being fully present. They offer a rare opportunity for uninterrupted thinking — away from the constant buzz of notifications, meetings and operational fires. For founders, this means space to engage in deeper, more deliberate conversations about the direction of the business, without the usual digital distractions and mental clutter.

I have seen a clear pattern: My creativity improves when I unplug from the regular chaos. And this is in part because I’m away from the usual routine and fully invested in the workshops, group discussions or even outdoor adventures at a retreat.

These periods of seclusion give founders and employees the mental reset needed to engage in deeper strategic discussions, party games or even hackathons without as much pressure. The activities create inspiring experiences for workers to share.

So, it makes total sense to me why founders like Bill Gates take two-week-long retreats that he calls “Think Weeks,” to disconnect himself from work and gain fresh insight.

Related: Now Is the Best Time to Consider Offshoring At Least 1 Job at Your Company — Here’s Why.

3. Retreats help you share knowledge and solve problems

What sets retreats apart from traditional conferences or online courses is their emphasis on actionable learning in real time. Workshops and discussions in these retreats are often led by seasoned operators, investors and domain experts who’ve been in the trenches. They speak from experience, not theory. So, the advice tends to be specific, tested and immediately relevant.

Even more valuable is the knowledge shared founder-to-founder. Since everyone arrives with different challenges and skill sets, this naturally creates an exchange environment. You may hear how someone approached a failed product launch, restructured a team or rethought their pricing, and you’re just as likely to share your own playbook in return.

This kind of learning encourages founders to think more critically, adapt faster and lead more confidently, making it one of the perfect spots to get realistic insights on leadership and product-driven growth.

4. They promote better mental health and creativity

In my experience, retreats with founders have consistently proven just how powerful stepping away from the daily grind can be. For many of us, the constant context-switching and relentless pace of building something from the ground up leave little room for mental clarity or creative thought. But when you intentionally remove yourself from that environment — even temporarily — you create space to reflect, recharge and reconnect.

Many founders I’ve met echo this: The simple act of slowing down, surrounded by like-minded individuals, creates a mental reset that’s hard to replicate elsewhere.

Another point to consider is that retreats give you a chance to rest and not think about pressing problems. The expert-led workshops and guest speakers may spark new ideas or help you reframe persistent challenges. By the time the retreat ends, you return rested, strategically realigned and creatively recharged. You can come back to the issues and may be more likely to solve them.

Related: Effective Networking Requires Mastering These 5 Skills

5. Retreats help you find lasting mentorship and support

Some of the most valuable professional relationships I’ve built didn’t start in a boardroom or on LinkedIn. They started at retreats. There’s something uniquely powerful about the connections formed outside your usual work environment. They’re often like-minded colleagues who understand the hustle of building something from scratch.

Retreats create an ideal setting for these relationships to form naturally. Conversations are often less formal and more honest, transparent or grounded because there’s far less pressure to pitch or network. Whether it’s a fellow founder a few steps ahead of you or an investor offering off-the-record advice, connections often evolve into lasting mentorships. Someone you meet at a retreat may turn into a long-term sounding board that contributes directly to the sustainability and growth of your journey.

Should you keep arranging more retreats?

The short answer is yes. Beyond the lasting relationships formed, these shared experiences unlock new opportunities, challenge stagnant thinking and provide the support needed to tackle complex decisions head-on.

From an investor’s perspective, supporting retreats is a smart strategy. It builds stronger founder relationships, deeper trust and a more connected ecosystem where value extends beyond capital.

So yes, founders should keep planning retreats, not as a luxury, but as a strategic pause that fuels clarity, creativity and connection when it matters most.

How Do You Scale Without Burning Out? This Founder Asked for Help and Got a Wake-Up Call.

Many entrepreneurs hit a point where they reach the same hard question: I’m growing my business, but am I losing myself and what matters to me in the process?

For Alok Ahuja, CEO and co-founder of Trexity, a delivery and courier service, business is booming, and he’s thinking about expansion. But with that growth has come a quieter, more personal struggle.

“I am addicted to building, and I know sometimes that takes a toll on family,” Ahuja admits.

That’s where Entrepreneur Therapy, presented by Amazon Business, comes in. On this week’s episode, Ahuja comes into the session with specific questions for renowned health expert Dr. Drew Pinsky and veteran investor Kim Perell. He wants to know more about scaling Trexity into new U.S. markets. But he also confesses that he’s hoping for a little more than just tactical tips.

Related: 6 Hidden Costs of Scaling Your Business Too Quickly

“I’m more looking not just for support, but for a little bit of validation. I always kind of second-guess it. Are we doing the right thing?” he says.

Perell tackles the scaling issue first, advising Ahuja to start small in a market where success is likely and focus on truly owning that space. “Don’t try to cover the entire U.S.,” she says. “You need drivers and couriers in each local market.”

She recommends either partnering with someone who knows that region or hiring “an experienced executive who can act as the GM of that market.”

Dr. Drew then redirects the conversation to something deeper, flagging Ahuja’s use of the word “addicted.”

“I think it’s a common thing in people with entrepreneurship,” Dr. Drew says, warning that “there will be consequences from allowing that to go unchecked. And in my experience, typically, it’s your family.” Dr. Drew encourages Ahuja to be proactive about checking in with his family, rather than assuming everything is fine. “You really have to pay attention and ask,” he says. “I’m working hard here—am I around enough?”

Related: The 10 Types Of Workaholics: How To Spot Your Type, Understand What’s Driving You, And What To Do About It

Watch the episode to learn more about Ahuja’s challenges and the advice Dr. Drew and Perrell give to build smarter while staying grounded at home.

Entrepreneur Therapy is presented by Amazon Business. Smart business buying starts with Amazon Business. Learn more.

The U.S. Added Over 1,000 New Millionaires a Day in 2024. Here’s How That Compares to the Rest of the World.

The number of millionaires in the U.S. grew last year, setting the U.S. apart as a world leader in global wealth.

UBS, an investment bank and financial services company, released its annual global wealth report on Wednesday, looking back at wealth trends in 2024. The company defined a millionaire as anyone with a net worth of at least $1 million.

UBS found that the U.S. added over a thousand new millionaires per day on average in 2024, far more than the 380 new millionaires per day experienced in China, which was in second place. Altogether, there were 379,000 new millionaires in the U.S. last year, followed by China’s 141,000. The two countries made up more than half of the 684,000 new millionaires overall.

Wealth growth in North America was “driven by a stable U.S. dollar and upbeat financial markets,” according to the report. Financial markets did well last year: The S&P 500 was up by more than 23% in 2024, and the Nasdaq was up nearly 29%.

Related: This Self-Made Millionaire Who Lived in a Trailer Park Before Starting a Business at 19 Reveals Her ‘Superpower’ — and 1 Quality That Sets Successful People Apart

UBS found that the U.S. has the greatest number of millionaires in the world, more than Western Europe and China combined. The U.S. has 23.8 million people in the seven-figure club, the highest out of any other nation, and holds almost 35% of the share of global personal wealth. China comes in second with 6.3 million millionaires and close to 20% of the share of personal wealth.

Countries such as Japan, France, Germany, the U.K., and Canada have over two million millionaires as of 2024.

In sum, there are almost 60 million millionaires in the world who control a total of $226.47 trillion in assets.

Related: Barbara Corcoran Says If You Want to Become a Millionaire Do This 1 Thing: ‘I Out-Try Anyone’

UBS expects the number of millionaires to keep rising, and an additional 5.34 million people to become worth seven figures by 2029, a 9% increase from 2024.

“Over the next five years, we expect North America and Greater China to be the main drivers of global wealth growth,” the report reads.

A separate report from Henley & Partners and New World Wealth, released last month, shows that the number of liquid millionaires in the U.S., or those with assets of more than $1 million, has increased by 78% in the past decade.

This Founder Noticed a Stark Change at a Local Pride Parade — and Says It Creates a ‘Real Opportunity’ for Small Businesses

A few weeks ago, Tanner Graham, co-founder and CEO of creative brand agency General Idea, noticed a glaring development while attending a Pride parade in small-town Pennsylvania: Major corporations that would typically march, from blue-chip banks to insurance, pharmaceutical companies and beyond, were absent.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of General Idea. Tanner Graham.}

 ”It was definitely a very different tone this year,” Graham tells Entrepreneur. “Those Fortune 500 companies that in the past few years have strongly expressed their support for LGBTQ+ initiatives and showed a clear support of Pride initiatives have retracted [that support].”

Related: Here are 4 Proven Strategies to Champion LGBTQIA+ Beyond Pride, All Year Long

Instead, Graham witnessed small and local businesses step in to march and maintain the momentum established in years past.

“It creates a real, new opportunity this year, and probably for the next several years.”

Since the 2018 founding of their full-service, luxury beauty and fashion-focused agency, Graham and General Idea co-founders Ian Schatzberg and Semjon Doenhoff have always centered diversity, equity and inclusion. The five leaders that make up General Idea’s C-suite all identify as LGBTQ+.

Graham sees large companies’ decrease in support for Pride and LGBTQ+ initiatives as a chance for small businesses to increase their own efforts.

“There’s a real opportunity to be leaders,” Graham explains, “because as the bigger companies and especially the publicly traded companies have had to turn down the volume [on their LGBTQ+ initiatives], it creates a real, new opportunity this year, and probably for the next several years to come.”

Related: 3 LGBTQ Entrepreneurs Share How Being Out and Proud Fuels Their Business

Graham calls on small business leaders to concretely and consistently commit to their values.

General Idea is a certified member of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), which includes annual membership fees to support their network of initiatives. The agency has also made donations to the Transgender Law Center for several years and continues to support LGBTQ+ causes in 2025 through donations to Ali Forney Center, which provides life-saving services to LGBTQ+ youths, and SAGE, a national advocacy and services organization that looks out for LGBTQ+ elders.

Graham says leaders should not only communicate company values outwardly but also show their teams and organizations why it’s so important to stand up for their beliefs.

“Diversity [brings] the best ideas, the most forward-thinking ideas.”

As the General Idea co-founders first considered how to develop a modern marketing agency and provide the best service for their clients, they focused on hiring people with skillsets that would complement each other within the current and shifting marketing landscape, Graham says.

“Diversity [brings] the best ideas, the most forward-thinking ideas,” Graham explains. “Ultimately, as marketers, our goal is to speak to a diverse range of customers. We didn’t set out to necessarily create an LGBTQ+ C-suite, but at the same time, it felt like a snowball effect. The people that we got to know and decided to bring into the agency and elevate into running their departments happened to be diverse in that regard, and it’s worked really well for us.”

General Idea has partnered with celebrity brands like Savage X Fenty, Ariana Grande and Swarovski over the years.

In addition to its C-suite, General Idea has about 50 employees. The company prioritizes hiring “exceptional” thinkers and creators who work hard and have a strong appreciation for culture and an ability to tap into current trends and future opportunities, Graham says.

Related: Diversity Is Not the Same to Everyone. Here’s Why That Matters

General Idea hires also must have a knack for finding solutions — because that’s at the heart of the business.

 ”Every client comes to us because they have a problem to solve,” Graham says, “whether they need to sell more products or connect with new audiences, so for us, first and foremost, it’s about understanding what those problems are and getting to the core of that. And a lot of times, it’s not so clear at the beginning.”

Graham notes that General Idea doesn’t bill itself as an advertising agency, though depending on a client’s needs, advertising might be part of a “multi-pronged” solution.

Related: Why Diverse Leadership Is a Competitive Advantage — and How Women Can Lead the Shift

“Our most rewarding projects sometimes are the projects that come in thinking they’re one thing and then end up resulting in a different type of output,” Graham says, “because it means that we’re not taking these briefs and problems at face value, but rather we’re partnering with our clients [and] shepherding them into what we believe will create the best possible result.”

“We really want to create an environment that empowers people to feel safe.”

In a moment when certain companies are being “quieter around what their values are,” Graham and General Idea see their commitment to LGBTQ+ issues and diversity at large as a path forward — and one that will prepare them and their team to keep up with a “rapidly” evolving marketing domain and “completely different world” wrought by AI.

“We really want to create an environment that empowers people to feel safe, [to] feel like they can express their beliefs and be who they are,” Graham says. “We want to create opportunities for people to thrive within those senses of security.”

How to Make Smarter Decisions Under Pressure, From an ER Doctor Who’s Done It for 20 Years

What happens when you ask someone who makes life-or-death decisions daily to break down leadership? You get insights into the ultimate high-pressure environment.

Dr. Dan Dworkas is an MD-PhD, emergency room physician, adjunct professor at the USC Keck School of Medicine, author, podcast host, and medical director for the Mission Critical Teams Institute. Dan has spent the last 20 years studying the way human beings make decisions under pressure and how we work in small teams. His work focuses on how pressure affects our decision-making, our ability to harvest information and how small teams work together in stressful situations.

Related: This Neuroscientist-Turned-Entrepreneur Says Leaders Should Be a Little Naive — Here’s Why It Works

In this interview, we asked him to distill decades of emergency medicine and research into seven fundamental questions about leadership. His answers reveal why he believes leaders are temporary stewards, the power of systematic curiosity, and how his perspective has shifted from individual performance to team systems.

Q1: What is the role of a leader from your perspective?

Dworkas: I think leaders have two roles. First, you’re trying to do the mission that your team is here for right now, and second, you’re trying to build better for the future. You always have to see both of those roles. How do I succeed right now, and how do I train my team to be better tomorrow?

Q2: What’s the one thing that every leader needs to know?

Dworkas: There’s this great banjo player, Earl Scruggs, who says it’s a wild world we live in, but we’re just passing through, right? So every leader needs to understand that they’re just renting that seat. Their main job is to get folks ready to do better than they can do.

Related: What Makes a Great Leader vs. a Great Manager? Here’s Why You Need to Understand the Difference.

Q3: What’s your most important habit?

Dworkas: Curiosity. Being curious about myself and being essentially a scientist of myself. You’re always pushing, always experimenting and always trying to get better.

Q4: What’s the most important thing for building an effective team?

Dworkas: Purpose. Making sure everybody understands what your mission is, which is usually some version of saying that answer to that first question. Here’s our job today, and here’s our job tomorrow.

Q5: What’s the biggest mistake you see other leaders make?

Dworkas: I’m gonna talk about myself, not other leaders, right? The biggest mistake that I make is not pushing as hard as I could on that curiosity, leaving things to chance as opposed to really doing more experiments.

Q6: What’s the best way to deliver bad news?

Dworkas: That’s something I do a lot as an ER doctor, right? We have a big protocol for that. The idea is essentially, hey, I’ve got some bad news today, you’re not going to like this. And then I’m going to tell you what the bad news is, and then I’m going to sit. And I’m not going to say anything. And I’m going to let the space happen and let the person process.

Q7: What’s something you’ve changed your mind about recently?

Dworkas: I think when I started a lot of this journey, I was really hyper-focused on how I could perform better under pressure, because I thought a lot of it was about me and what I needed to change. The more time I’ve spent in this universe thinking about applying knowledge, the more I realized it’s a lot about the team and the system, and it’s a lot about what you do before and after the moment of the bang.

The full interview with Dr. Dan Dworkas can be found here: