Roberta Boyea on Starting Over at Almost 50
November 4, 2026
Roberta Boyea was working four jobs when she decided something had to change. She was approaching 50. She had been a teacher. What she did
Entrepreneur
Beyond the Kitchen and The Reinvention of Celebrity Chef Suzanne Lossia
September 22, 2026
Holiday Influencer Campaigns Start Earlier in 2026
September 22, 2026
Meet Sue Phillips, the Fragrance Expert Behind the Scent
September 19, 2026
Jeremy Parsons Is Turning the Messiness of “Life” Into Music That Matters
September 15, 2026
Elvira Kalnik: The Diva, the Dreamer and the Art of Refusing to Choose
September 12, 2026
Influencers Expand Business Roles Through Startup Investments
August 28, 2026
Influencers including Alix Earle, Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Sofia Richie Grainge are taking financial stakes in consumer brands, according to a recent report. The deals give creators a role beyond paid promotion, with investments spanning wellness, beverages, beauty and other consumer businesses. Key Takeaways Alix Earle has invested in Gorgie, SipMargs, Poppi and Cymbiotika. Earle joined Cymbiotika as an investor alongside Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner. Sofia Richie Grainge invested in self-tanning brand Dolce Glow. Hannah Bronfman has backed more than 70 startups, including Kindbody, Topicals and Ceremonia. Influencer investments now include consumer brands, technology companies and creator platforms. Alix Earle Expands Her Brand Investment Portfolio Influencer investors include Alix Earle, who has built a portfolio of ownership stakes across beverage and wellness companies. Her investments include Gorgie, SipMargs, Poppi and Cymbiotika, according to a report published August 26. Earle joined Cymbiotika as an investor in August 2026. The San Diego-based supplement company said she would work with the brand while continuing to reach audiences across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Earle’s earlier investment in Poppi provides a notable example of an influencer holding equity before a major corporate transaction. PepsiCo acquired Poppi for $1.95 billion in May 2025 after
How badsoma Turned a Solo Project Into a Six-Piece Band
August 21, 2026
Most bands form first and look for songs later. badsoma worked in the opposite order. The project started as the solo outlet of Armin Fard, an Iranian-American multi-instrumentalist and songwriter writing in Los Angeles while the city’s underground scene reassembled itself after the pandemic. It is now a six-piece indie rock band in which every member has a hand in the material. The expansion of badsoma happened through friendships, shared classrooms, and the ordinary overlap of a local scene where the same faces keep appearing in the same rooms. Nobody was recruited to fill a slot. Each arrival changed what the band sounded like. From One Songwriter’s Outlet to a Collaborative Band Authorship is the clearest marker of the change. Every member contributed writing to badsoma’s self-titled EP, which moved a solo catalog into shared hands. The songs pair personal narrative with environmental and social undercurrents, and the writing tends to blur the line between private experience and public concern. Six writers in one room is a harder way to make a record than one writer with session players. Arrangements get argued over. Parts survive because somebody defended them, not because a bandleader assigned them, and the version that reaches
LeBron James Launches Golf-Focused YouTube Channel
August 21, 2026
LeBron James has launched a new YouTube channel centered on golf, with episodes following his playing and learning experiences. The first installment features former Cleveland Cavaliers teammates from the team’s 2016 NBA championship roster, giving James a long-form digital platform focused on an interest outside basketball. Key Takeaways LeBron James launched a YouTube channel dedicated to golf on August 15, 2026. The debut episode features Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Richard Jefferson, Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye. The group played a three-on-three golf match at Castle Stuart Links in Scotland. New episodes are scheduled for monthly Saturday releases. The channel had surpassed 500,000 subscribers by August 19, 2026. LeBron James Launches a Golf-Focused YouTube Channel James introduced the new channel on August 15 with a long-form video centered on golf and a reunion with several former Cleveland Cavaliers teammates. The project follows James as he plays and learns the sport, with future episodes planned around his experiences on golf courses. The channel’s first video moves James’ YouTube activity into a subject separate from basketball. Rather than focusing on NBA games, basketball analysis or highlights, the new series documents his interest in golf and his experiences playing the sport. The debut also
The Home Operating System Every Aging Parent Needs
August 20, 2026
Fee Gentry is helping families organize home safety, caregiving, daily support and communication before a preventable problem becomes a crisis. For many families, caring for an aging parent begins with a series of small favors. One adult child schedules medical appointments. Another handles home repairs. A neighbor checks in during the week. Someone else organizes medications, delivers groceries or provides transportation. Each task may seem manageable on its own. But as an older adult’s needs change, those disconnected responsibilities can quickly become an informal care system with no clear structure, shared plan or central point of accountability. Fee Gentry, co-founder of Handled Home Solutions, believes families need a better way to organize life inside the home. She describes that approach as a home operating system, a coordinated framework that helps families manage safety, care, communication, household needs and daily routines while protecting an older adult’s dignity and independence. “Aging at home should not mean that families are left to figure everything out as problems arise,” Gentry said. “The home needs a system that supports the person living there and the people helping care for them.” When the Home No Longer Works the Way It Once Did Most homes were not
Behind the Highlight Reel, Lisa L. Baker Wants High Achievers to Redefine Success
August 20, 2026
By: Lisa Baker Media You know the feed: the promotion post, the stage photo, the “#unbothered” caption. Former Fortune 500 executive Lisa L. Baker knows what it means to look successful from the outside. Now, through her new program Beyond Success™, she’s asking what’s actually happening off-camera. Every industry has its own version of the highlight reel. In business and leadership circles, it looks like the milestone post: the new title, the keynote stage, the team photo captioned “so proud of what we built.” It’s real, but it’s also curated, and it rarely shows what’s happening underneath it. Leadership coach Lisa L. Baker spent more than two decades building exactly that kind of resume, holding senior roles at Citigroup, Microsoft, and Synchrony before starting her own firm, Ascentim®. From that vantage point, on both sides of the camera, she noticed something a lot of accomplished people don’t say out loud. Hitting the milestone doesn’t automatically make you feel like you’ve arrived. That gap between external success and internal fulfillment is what led Baker to create Beyond Success™. The 12-week program is now accepting applications at the program site, and it’s aimed squarely at leaders who look, from the outside, as
Creator Economy Hiring Expands Across Major Consumer Brands
August 5, 2026
Creator economy hiring expanded as several major brands and creator-focused companies announced new influencer marketing and digital creator positions. The latest recruitment activity reflects continued investment in creator partnerships, content strategy, and social media operations across multiple organizations. Key Takeaways Major brands announced new creator economy and influencer marketing openings. Creator-focused companies expanded recruitment across marketing and partnership teams. New roles span creator partnerships, social media, and digital content operations. Hiring activity demonstrates continued organizational investment in creator engagement. Multiple employers are recruiting professionals with influencer marketing experience. Creator economy hiring continued to gain momentum after several major consumer brands and creator-focused companies announced new openings for influencer marketing, creator partnerships, and digital content roles. The recruitment activity includes organizations such as Universal Music Group, L’Oréal, and LTK, which have expanded hiring for teams responsible for managing creator relationships and social media initiatives. The latest openings demonstrate that companies continue to build internal capabilities dedicated to working with digital creators. Rather than relying exclusively on external agencies, many organizations are recruiting professionals to oversee creator partnerships, campaign execution, community engagement, and branded content development. Creator Economy Hiring Expands Across Major Brands Several employers released new job listings covering influencer marketing
Joel Yi on Why Many Companies Get Stuck in AI Testing Mode
August 4, 2026
A familiar pattern has emerged across industries. A company gets excited about artificial intelligence, launches a pilot, runs some trials, and then never quite moves beyond them. Joel Yi, the founder of DeployAIBots, has a name for this condition. He calls it testing mode, and he believes it is where many companies can quietly get stuck. Joel Yi describes testing mode as the state of ongoing experimentation. A business tries artificial intelligence in small, contained ways, treating each attempt as a test rather than a commitment. The pilots generate activity and discussion, but they rarely graduate into systems that carry real operational weight. The company stays busy with AI without fully using it, mistaking the motion of experimenting for genuine adoption. The distinction is central to how Joel Yi sees the market. He divides companies into those that have committed to artificial intelligence and those that are still testing it. The committed group restructures its operations around the technology and may begin seeing more practical benefits. The testing group keeps the technology at arm’s length, running trials that never become infrastructure. According to Joel Yi, the companies that make the commitment to change are often better positioned to move forward,
Why Rohan Gurram Believes Creators Should Think Like Founders
August 1, 2026
By Targe Media A creator can have millions of followers and still own very little. Their audience may live on someone else’s platform. Their income may depend on brand deals. Their content may perform well while the business behind it remains fragile. Rohan Gurram believes creators need to think differently. Through RG Creators, Gurram is encouraging creators to approach their careers with the mindset of founders. That means understanding what they own, how revenue is generated, who needs to be on the team, and what could survive if a platform disappeared tomorrow. “Attention is valuable, but attention alone is not a business,” Gurram said. “Creators need to decide what they are actually building around it.” For many creators, growth begins with content. They post consistently, develop a voice, and build an audience. Then the decisions become more serious. Which deals are worth taking? What should become a product? Which ideas deserve investment? What should stay personal, and what should be delegated? Gurram sees those as founder questions. A founder thinks beyond the next sale. They consider ownership, cash flow, team structure, customer trust, and what the company could become over time. Creators face the same responsibilities, even if they do
Brands Expand Creator Programs for Nano-Influencers
July 29, 2026
Major brands are expanding creator programs that allow social media users with as few as 500 followers to participate in brand campaigns and earn rewards. The initiatives involve companies including Target, Little Spoon, SoulCycle, and American Eagle, reflecting changes in how brands recruit and support emerging creators. Key Takeaways Major brands have expanded creator programs to include smaller social media accounts. Some initiatives accept participants with as few as 500 followers. Rewards include gift cards, free products, discounts, and affiliate opportunities. Several programs encourage creators to complete branded social media activities. Brands are broadening creator partnerships beyond traditional influencer campaigns. Major retailers and consumer brands are expanding creator programs for nano-influencers, opening new opportunities for social media users with as few as 500 followers to participate in brand campaigns and earn rewards. Companies including Target, Little Spoon, SoulCycle, and American Eagle have introduced or expanded creator advocacy initiatives that invite emerging creators to promote products through everyday social media content, reflecting changes in influencer marketing strategies and content discovery. The initiatives differ from traditional influencer partnerships that have typically focused on creators with large audiences. Instead, participating brands are encouraging smaller creators to complete social media activities, engage with branded
Dr. Connor Robertson’s AI Delegation Framework:Whatto Automate, Delegate, and Keep
July 22, 2026
Not every task should go to AI, according to Dr. Connor Robertson, founder of Elixir Consulting Group and host of The Prospecting Show. Not every task needs a human, and not every task requires the founder personally. In his view, the businesses that scale efficiently are the ones where the right work goes to the right resource every time, with the sorting done deliberately rather than by habit. The Four-Quadrant Decision Matrix Robertson sorts any task on two axes: how predictable it is, and how much judgment it requires. High predictability and low judgment gets automated. High predictability and high judgment gets delegated to a trained human. Low predictability and low judgment gets systematized before it is automated. Low predictability and high judgment stays with the founder. In his experience, most founders have too many tasks sitting in that last quadrant because they have not built systems to move them into the other three. Tasks AI Handles Better Than Humans Robertson points to anything repetitive, rule-based, and high-volume as work that should go to AI: first-draft generation from defined templates, data formatting and consolidation, rule-based routing, pattern recognition at scale, and initial research and summarization. A human doing these tasks,
Trust in the Age of AI and Why Personal Reputation Has Become a Valuable Asset for Modern Leaders
July 21, 2026
Artificial intelligence has transformed the way people search for information, discover experts, and make important decisions. Search engines are no longer the only gateway to knowledge. Millions of professionals, investors, students, and business owners now turn to AI platforms to compare companies, evaluate specialists, understand complex topics, and identify trusted voices before making financial or personal commitments. This shift is changing the very nature of reputation. For decades, professional credibility was built primarily through referrals, networking, media interviews, and search engine visibility. Today, those signals remain important, but they are increasingly supplemented by another layer of digital authority: the ability to be consistently recognized across reliable publications, educational resources, professional communities, and authoritative online sources that artificial intelligence systems can understand and connect. As AI-powered discovery becomes part of everyday decision-making, experts across industries are rethinking how they communicate their knowledge. Visibility alone is no longer enough. The emphasis is moving toward credibility, consistency, and demonstrated expertise. This evolution is reflected in the work of entrepreneur, educator, and international advisor Yelyzaveta Burtova, whose career illustrates how modern reputation is built not through self-promotion, but through sustained contributions across multiple fields including education, entrepreneurship, international advisory services, and community leadership. The
Why Serge Tagro Believes Fashion Brands Need Media Strategy, Not Just Social Media
July 20, 2026
Photographer: Zuli Photography (RunwayDiamonds fashion show in London) By: Lara Silver International fashion producer Serge Tagro says the brands that succeed globally are not always the loudest online. They are the brands that build credibility through editorial media, professional storytelling, and long-term digital authority. Every fashion entrepreneur wants visibility. Some focus on Instagram. Others invest in TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, or emerging platforms that promise rapid audience growth. Social media has undoubtedly transformed the fashion industry, allowing designers and luxury brands to communicate directly with millions of people around the world. Yet Serge Tagro believes one of the biggest misconceptions in modern fashion is the idea that social media alone can build a lasting brand. After years of producing international fashion events and working with designers, photographers, magazines, filmmakers, and luxury brands through RunwayDiamonds, Serge Tagro has reached a simple conclusion. Attention creates awareness. Authority creates trust. And trust builds successful brands. “People often confuse visibility with credibility,” says Serge Tagro. “One viral post may introduce a designer. It doesn’t automatically make that designer an authority.” Why Fashion Brands Need More Than Social Media Social media remains one of the most effective communication tools available to modern businesses. It allows fashion
Royston G King Reviews the Making of a Cross-Industry Entrepreneur
July 15, 2026
What often strikes people working through his pieces is how difficult his career is to file under a single heading. The entrepreneur has operated across media, publishing, education, and reputation, and the instinct to ask which of these is his real business tends to miss the point. The businesses are varied, but the underlying preoccupation is singular. Here, Royston G King reviews the making of a cross-industry entrepreneur, and the argument he builds is worth following closely. That preoccupation is credibility. Each of his ventures, in a different way, deals with how trust is built, signaled, and sometimes faked in a digital marketplace crowded with claims. Seen this way, the range is not scattered but coherent. Media, publishing, education, and reputation are simply different vantage points on the same question, which is how anyone comes to be believed online. This coherence is one of the things many of his pieces eventually identify. A reader expecting a portfolio of unrelated ventures instead finds a set of businesses circling a common theme. The variety is a feature, not a lack of focus, because the problem King is interested in shows up everywhere that reputation matters, which is to say almost everywhere. It
Royston G. King on Email Marketing and the Follow-Up Systems Businesses Neglect
July 8, 2026
In an era obsessed with social media and paid advertising, email marketing is frequently overlooked, and according to Royston G. King, that neglect is a costly mistake. Email and the follow-up systems around it remain among the most reliable and profitable tools available to a business, precisely because so many businesses fail to use them well. The fundamental advantage of email, in the framing Royston G. King uses, is ownership. Social media audiences are rented, the platform controls the relationship and can change the rules, limit reach, or disappear entirely. An email list is owned. The business controls the relationship directly and can reach its audience reliably without depending on a platform’s algorithm. This ownership makes email one of the most durable assets a business can build, and building it deliberately is part of how a company can master scaling without becoming dependent on platforms it does not control. Royston G. King emphasizes that the value of email lies not just in broadcasting promotions but in building relationships over time. The businesses that succeed with email use it to provide ongoing value, nurture trust, and stay present in their audience’s attention, so that when the prospect is ready to buy,
AI And Influencer Fatigue Push Brands Toward Creator Trust
July 3, 2026
Influencer fatigue is changing how U.S. brands evaluate creator campaigns. As AI-made content becomes more common and sponsored posts compete for attention across crowded feeds, marketers are placing more weight on creator trust, disclosure, audience fit, and whether a partnership appears credible to followers. Key Takeaways Influencer fatigue is pushing brands to look beyond reach and review audience trust signals more closely. AI tools can help creators produce faster, but they may also make content feel more generic without clear human context. CreatorIQ reported that average annual influencer marketing budgets rose 171% year over year in its 2025-2026 report. The FTC continues to emphasize clear disclosure when creators have a brand relationship. Smaller creators may become more useful when their audiences expect direct, specific recommendations. Influencer fatigue is becoming harder for brands to ignore as sponsored content fills social feeds across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other platforms. The concern is not that audiences have stopped following creators. It is that many followers appear more selective about which recommendations they treat as credible. Harvard Business Review reported on December 8, 2025, that influencer marketing had grown into a $24 billion industry, while trust concerns were rising. The report cited