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jollibee 5th ave Duke of York ‘ceased all contact’ with spy-accused man after concerns raisedMILPITAS, Calif. , Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Global semiconductor equipment billings increased 19% year-over-year to US$30.38 billion in the third quarter of 2024, while quarter-over-quarter billings registered 13% growth during the same period, SEMI announced today in its Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics (WWSEMS) Report . "The global semiconductor equipment market recorded robust growth in the third quarter of 2024 driven by investments aimed at supporting the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence as well as production of mature technologies," said Ajit Manocha , SEMI President and CEO. "The growth in equipment investments was spread across multiple regions seeking to bolster their chipmaking ecosystems, with North America posting the largest year-over-year gain while China continues to lead in spending." Compiled from data submitted by members of SEMI and the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ), the WWSEMS Report is a summary of the monthly billings figures for the global semiconductor equipment industry. Following are quarterly billings data in billions of U.S. dollars with quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year changes by region: The SEMI Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) provides comprehensive market data for the global semiconductor equipment market. The subscription includes three reports: Monthly SEMI Billings Report, a perspective on equipment market trends Monthly Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics (WWSEMS), a detailed report of semiconductor equipment billings for seven regions and 24 market segments SEMI Semiconductor Equipment Forecast, an outlook for the semiconductor equipment market Download a sample of the EMDS report . For more information about the report or to subscribe, please contact the SEMI Market Intelligence Team at mktstats@semi.org . More details are also available on the SEMI Market Data webpage . About SEMI SEMI ® is the global industry association connecting over 3,000 member companies and 1.5 million professionals worldwide across the semiconductor and electronics design and manufacturing supply chain. We accelerate member collaboration on solutions to top industry challenges through Advocacy, Workforce Development, Sustainability, Supply Chain Management and other programs. Our SEMICON ® expositions and events, technology communities, standards and market intelligence help advance our members' business growth and innovations in design, devices, equipment, materials, services and software, enabling smarter, faster, more secure electronics. Visit www.semi.org , contact a regional office, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and X to learn more. Association Contact Samer Bahou /SEMI Phone: 1.408.943.7870 Email: sbahou@semi.orgMIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Dolphins announced Friday morning that they’ve waived wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., a move that ends his brief career with the team after just nine games. Beckham, the once-spectacular player who was most famous for the one-handed touchdown catch he made while with the New York Giants, would end his time with the Dolphins with just nine receptions for 55 yards and no touchdowns. Beckham, according to a NFL Network report, is hoping for a better opportunity elsewhere. That report said Beckham and the Dolphins “mutually agreed to part ways.” Coach Mike McDaniel confirmed that account. “Conversations led us to determine it was the best for both parties,” to part ways, McDaniel said Friday. McDaniel said he wasn’t surprised by Beckham’s desire to leave because they’ve had an open line of communication all season. “When you communicate transparently, I can kind of know where’s he’s at,” he said. McDaniel, whose team faces the Houston Texans on Sunday, said he has no regrets about signing Beckham. “No regrets,” he said. “My only regrets are we’re not talking more about the Texans.” Beckham, who signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Dolphins, missed the first four games this season while on the physically-unable-to-perform list. He’s still owed $200,000, according to NFL Network. Beckham, who has battled a few knee problems in recent years, didn’t have his first practice with the Dolphins until Oct. 3 because he was recovering from an offseason knee procedure. Beckham, a 2014 first-round pick of the Giants out of LSU, was supposed to fill the role of No. 3 wide receiver for the Dolphins, playing the slot position to form a dynamic threesome alongside Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. But that never happened. When Beckham spoke after his first practice he hinted his life had numerous recent complications. “I think a lot of people don’t know exactly what I was going through,” Beckham said. “Ending the season, there was a lot going on in my life, personal life, businesses, all of that. It just kind of had me in a place where football wasn’t exactly a priority. “Then, I had to have a small clean-up, like, of the knee, and just kind of going through that free-agency process, my agent and I went back and forth on whether we do it right after the season or we wait until free agency happens. I just feel like I waited too late.” Beckham’s acquisition was a hopeful reach. Last season with Baltimore he had 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns and there was a thought he could post similar numbers playing with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and in a system created by coach Mike McDaniel. But that was his best season since 2019, when he totaled 74 receptions for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns in Cleveland. That ended a stretch during which Beckham, known as OBJ, posted 1,000-yard receiving seasons in five of his first six years in the league. Beckham spent his first five seasons with the Giants, where he rose to spectacular popularity. Then it was three seasons with Cleveland, one year with the Rams and last year with Baltimore. Beckham’s best stretch with the Dolphins was the three-game run of the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders. During that stretch he totaled seven receptions for 45 yards. Beckham, 32, is the third player over 30 whose signing didn’t work out for the Dolphins, joining edge rusher Shaq Barrett, 32, who suddenly retired before training camp and recently asked to be reinstated to the league, and safety Marcus Maye, 31, who was released a few weeks ago. Defensive lineman Calais Campbell, 38, is an example of a veteran whose signing worked out well. Campbell has been one of the Dolphins’ top performers this season. The other players over 30 signed in the offseason are safety Jordan Poyer (33) and edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah (31). ©2024 South Florida Sun Sentinel. Visit at sun-sentinel.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

5 ways to tell if you’re on track for retirement — and 5 things to do if you need to catch up, according to experts

Sustainable roots, sustainable future

NoneNEW YORK , Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Rowley Law PLLC is investigating potential securities law violations by MoneyLion Inc. (NYSE: ML) and its board of directors concerning the proposed acquisition of the company by Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ: GEN). Stockholders will receive $82.00 and one contingent value right worth $23.00 for each share of MoneyLion stock that they hold. The transaction is valued at approximately $1 billion and is expected to close in the first half of Gen Digital Inc.'s fiscal year 2026. If you are a stockholder of MoneyLion Inc. and are interested in obtaining additional information regarding this investigation, please visit us at: http://www.rowleylawpllc.com/investigation/ml /. You may also contact Shane Rowley, Esq. at Rowley Law PLLC, 50 Main Street Suite 1000, White Plains, NY 10606, by email at info@rowleylawpllc.com , or by telephone at 914-400-1920 or 844-400-4643 (toll-free). Rowley Law PLLC represents shareholders nationwide in class actions and derivative lawsuits in complex corporate litigation. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit http://www.rowleylawpllc.com . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alert-rowley-law-pllc-is-investigating-proposed-acquisition-of-moneylion-inc-302328082.html SOURCE Rowley Law PLLC

The 2024 college football season was an adventure for Utah State, to say the least. There were many frustrations and hardships along the way, from the unexpected dismissal of head coach Blake Anderson less than one month prior to the start of fall camp, to the tragic death of cornerback Andre Seldon Jr., to a myriad of season-ending injuries. All of these trials and stumbling blocks mounted and were a big reason why the Aggies will not be going bowling for only the second full season since 2012. Indeed, it’s been the kind of season that weighs heavily on coaches, players and fans alike. And yet, through it all, there was one pretty big silver lining for the Aggies in ’24 and that was their coaches and players refused to throw in the towel. Don’t get me wrong, a four-win season is anything but gratifying, but a lot of teams in USU’s situation would have only won a game or two. The Aggies could have completely folded once they were eliminated from bowl contention, yet found a way to win their next two games in convincing fashion and nearly go 4-1 during their final five outings. Last Friday’s season-concluding 42-37 road loss to a good Colorado State was a blown opportunity of epic proportions, especially considering USU held a seemingly comfortable 30-13 lead entering the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, the Aggies refused to quit against the Rams, despite facing a 42-30 deficit with 1:37 left in the contest. Instead, USU pieced together a nine-play, 75-yard drive to paydirt, capped off by a 2-yard pass from backup quarterback Bryson Barnes to Otto Tia with 14 seconds remaining. The Aggies then proceeded to recover the ensuing onside kick to give themselves a glimmer of hope. There were several missteps during that game and throughout the ’24 campaign, for that matter, for the Aggies, but they remained united throughout the process, interim head coach Nate Dreiling asserted during his postgame press conference. “The locker room is incredible,” Dreiling said. “The fact that this team was able to stay together is remarkable and that has little to do with me, (but) it has to do with this locker room and the senior class and them wanting to prove people wrong. I told them all, ‘they hold a special place in my heart and I’ll forever be in their debt for continuing to show up because quitting’s easy, but not one person in this locker room or building even thought about doing that.’ So, that doesn’t happen today in college football and that’s something we’ll be proud of for the rest of our lives.” It was a season full of growing pains for Dreiling, who was actually vacationing in Dublin, Ireland, in early July with his wife, Alexa, and celebrating her remission from breast cancer when he received an unexpected phone call from Utah State Athletics Director Diana Sabau. Just like that, Dreiling — who arrived in Logan this past winter as USU’s defensive coordinator — was a head coach for the first time in his career and the youngest FBS head coach at 33 years of age, to boot. It was an extremely formidable task for Dreiling, who has certainly made some mistakes along the way, but has always done a very good job of taking ownership of the program and helping to keep the locker room intact. And the native of Victoria, Kansas, has been easy to work with along the way. I, for one, have appreciated his candor and pleasant nature when answering questions during his weekly and postgame press conferences. Dreiling was put in a very difficult situation, no doubt, and I believe he’s attempted to manage the program to the best of his abilities, plus he has been personable throughout it all. I’m definitely curious how this Aggie defense would have performed had that been Dreiling’s sole focus throughout the season. USU’s defense was virtually non-existent at the tail end of the 2023 campaign and struggled mightily for the lion’s share of ’24. But the Aggies made some significant strides on that side of the ball late in the season — despite missing nine players that were starters or second-stringers to various injuries — and performed well for three quarters against a now-8-4 CSU squad. The assistant coaches on the defensive side of the ball — Bobby McMillen (inside linebackers), Ced Douglas (defensive line), Kwame Agyeman (safeties) and Jalen Ortiz (cornerback) — did an admirable job of helping some of the younger players develop, plus helped some of the veterans peak. For example, the metamorphosis of senior edge rusher Cian Slone has been fun to watch unfold. Jaden Pearson, a graduate junior linebacker who has also played at Utah, Air Force and Reedley (California) College, spoke highly of this Aggie coaching staff. “This current coaching staff ... this was the first coaching staff I’ve ever had that really made it fun in the facility in terms of like just coach-to-player relationships,” Pearson said during last Monday’s weekly press conference. “I felt like I could talk to them about anything. My previous institutions, it was a little bit more uptight, which isn’t a knock to them, that’s just how they ran their ship. But I feel like this was a lot more fun, it was a lot more loose and I felt a lot more camaraderie come these last couple of weeks. And whether they stay, whether they go, I’m just thankful that I was able to be coached by them. They’ve really helped me a lot in my player development and as a man.” Likewise, USU’s offensive coaches have done a good job. Season-ending injuries to All-American wide receiver Jalen Royals and all-conference tight end Broc Lane, coupled by an at times injury-hampered standout tailback Rahsul Faison, didn’t prevent the Aggies from ranking seventh among all FBS programs in total offense (467.7 yards per game). It was a balanced offensive attack for USU, to boot, as it finished the regular season ranked in the top 25 nationally in rushing and passing yards an outing. Cooper Bassett is a rising star as an offensive line coach, Kyle Cefalo continues to excel as a wide receivers coach and proved he could be an offensive coordinator this season, Jimmy Beal did a great job with the running backs room, tight ends coach DJ Tialavea continues to endear himself to high school recruits throughout the Beehive State and be invaluable to this program and Hayden Kingston showed some good progress in his first season as a quarterbacks coach. Nick Paremski, who has been at USU since 2021, is one of the best special teams coordinators in the country. He has done a remarkable job mentoring athletes such as punter Stephen Kotsanlee and long snapper Jacob Garcia — two guys that left an indelible mark on the program. This coaching staff, just like any — even those employed at current Top 25 teams — had their share of miscues throughout the season, but I feel like these coaches were able to traverse obstacle after obstacle and, to their credit, stay the course. And, because of that, this program is still in pretty good shape, regardless of what the future entails.

(The Center Square) – Although it remains unclear how many Democratic Senators will vote for the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, some House members in the party have explained why they voted yes, despite a controversial provision restricting military-funded transgender surgeries for minors. The nearly $900 billion bill passed the House 281-140 Wednesday, with 200 Republicans and 81 Democrats voting in favor versus 124 Democrats and 16 Republicans voting against it. Most of the NDAA consists of bipartisan agreements, such as pay raises for service members, strengthened ties with U.S. allies, and funding of new military technology. But a critical point of contention is a Republican addition that would prohibit the military’s health program from covering any gender dysphoria treatments on minors that could "result in sterilization.” The must-pass bill is so critical that nearly 40% of House Democrats voted in favor–but not without expressing their disappointment. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., condemned Republican colleagues who, she said, “chose to sully this bill with political culture wars;” nevertheless, she voted in favor. “While it doesn't address everything we asked for and consider important, including the full ability of parents to make their own decisions about healthcare for their children, it marks a rare moment of productive bipartisan agreement on what is arguably the most crucial legislation we take up as a body each year,” Houlahan said. The bill’s provision does not forbid service members’ children from receiving transgender therapy. It forbids the military’s health insurance provider, TRICARE, from covering treatments on minors that “may result in sterilization.” Reps. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, and Terri Sewell, D-Ala., also voted in favor of the bill despite their displeasure at the ban. “The NDAA is a hugely important bill. We had to pass it, which is why I voted yes,” Landsman posted on X Friday. “However, the anti-trans language that was attached to it was mean and awful and should never have been included.” “I have serious concerns about some remaining provisions that were placed in the bill for political purposes,” Sewell said Wednesday. “Still, the responsibility to support our service members and provide for our national security is one that I do not take lightly, which is why I ultimately chose to support the bill.” Besides the importance of annual military funding, another reason some House Democrats assented to the legislation is because they were successful in axing other House Republican amendments, such as a plan to eliminate reimbursements for service members who travel to obtain abortions. The Senate is expected to pass the bill within the next few days, after which President Joe Biden is expected to sign it into law.Special teams miscues prove costly for Bears in overtime loss to Vikings

AP News Summary at 6:48 p.m. ESTWASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has named billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain, a prestigious posting for the Republican donor whose contributions this year included $2 million to a Trump-backing super PAC. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening, announced he was selecting Stephens to be the U.S. ambassador to the Court of Saint James. The Senate is required to confirm the choice. “Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full time. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top Diplomat, representing the U.S.A. to one of America’s most cherished and beloved Allies,” Trump said in in his post. Stephens is the chairman, president and CEO of Little Rock, Arkansas-based financial services firm Stephens Inc., having taken over the firm from his father. Trump has already named many of his nominees for his Cabinet and high-profile diplomatic posts, assembling a roster of staunch loyalists. Over the weekend, Trump announced he intends to nominate real estate developer Charles Kushner , father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France. During his first term, Trump selected Robert “Woody” Johnson, a contributor to his campaign and the owner of the New York Jets football team, as his representative to the United Kingdom.

Consumers in the United States scoured the internet for online deals as they looked to take advantage of the post-Thanksgiving shopping marathon with Cyber Monday. Even though e-commerce is now part and parcel of many people's regular routines and the holiday shopping season, Cyber Monday — a term coined in 2005 by the National Retail Federation — has become the biggest online shopping day of the year, thanks to the deals and the hype the industry has created to fuel it. Adobe Analytics, which tracks online shopping, expected consumers to spend $13.2 billion Monday — a record, and 6.1% more than last year. That would make it the biggest shopping day for e-commerce for the season — and the year. Online spending was expected to peak between the hours of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Monday night, per Adobe — reaching an estimated $15.7 million spent every minute. For several major retailers, a Cyber Monday sale is a dayslong event that began over the Thanksgiving weekend. An Amazon Prime delivery person lifts packages while making a stop Nov. 28, 2023, in Denver. Amazon kicked off its sales event right after midnight Pacific time on Saturday. Target's two days of discount offers on its website and app began overnight Sunday. Walmart rolled out its Cyber Monday offers for Walmart+ members Sunday afternoon and opened it up to all customers three hours later, at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Consumer spending for Cyber Week — the five major shopping days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday — provides a strong indication of how much shoppers are willing to spend for the holidays. Many U.S. consumers continue to experience sticker shock after the period of post-pandemic inflation, which left prices for many goods and services higher than they were three years ago. But retail sales nonetheless remain strong, and the economy kept growing at a healthy pace. At the same time, credit card debt and delinquencies are rising. More shoppers than ever are also on track to use "buy now, pay later" plans this holiday season, which allows them to delay payments on holiday decor, gifts and other items. Many economists also warned that President-elect Donald Trump's plan to impose tariffs next year on foreign goods coming into the United States would lead to higher prices on everything from food to clothing to automobiles. A FedEx delivery person carries a package from a truck Nov. 17, 2022, in Denver. The National Retail Federation expects holiday shoppers to spend more this year both in stores and online than last year. But the pace of spending growth will slow slightly, the trade group said, growing 2.5% to 3.5% — compared to 3.9% in 2023. A clear sense of consumer spending patterns during the holiday season won't emerge until the government releases sales data for the period, but some preliminary data from other sources shows some encouraging signs for retailers. Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, noted that discounts from Thanksgiving onward "exceeded expectations" and online spending throughout Cyber Week is on track to cross a record $40 billion mark combined. U.S. shoppers spent $10.8 billion online on Black Friday, a 10.2% increase over last year, according to Adobe Analytics. That's also more than double what consumers spent in 2017, when Black Friday pulled in about $5 billion in online sales. Consumers also spent a record $6.1 billion online on Thanksgiving Day, Adobe said. Meanwhile, software company Salesforce, which also tracks online shopping, estimated that Black Friday online sales totaled $17.5 billion in the U.S. and $74.4 billion globally. Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks in-person and online spending, reported that overall Black Friday sales excluding automotive rose 3.4% from a year ago. A United Parcel Service driver sorts deliveries July 15, 2023, on New York's Upper West Side. E-commerce platform Shopify said its merchants raked in a record $5 billion in sales worldwide on Black Friday. At its peak, sales reached $4.6 million per minute — with top categories by volume including clothing, cosmetics and fitness products, according to the Canadian company. Toys, electronics, home goods, self-care and beauty categories were among the key drivers of holiday spending on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, according to Adobe. "Hot products" included Lego sets, espresso machines, fitness trackers, makeup and skin care. Other data showed physical stores saw fewer customers on Black Friday, underscoring how the huge crowds that were once synonymous with the day after Thanksgiving are now more than happy to shop from the comfort of their homes. RetailNext, which measures real-time foot traffic in stores, said its early data showed store traffic on Friday was down 3.2% in the U.S. compared to last year, with the biggest dip happening in the Midwest. Sensormatic Solutions, which also tracks store traffic, said its preliminary analysis showed retail store traffic on Black Friday was down 8.2% compared to 2023. Grant Gustafson, head of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic Solutions, noted that in-store traffic was getting spread across multiple days since many retailers offered generous discounts before and after Black Friday. "Some of the extended Black Friday promotions really ended up leading to a little bit of a softer day-of traffic than expected," Gustafson said. In 2024, staying small on purpose seems to be paying off big for small businesses. They're keeping operations small and targeting niche, highly specialized customers. And some business owners find this strategy results in more time, energy, and money to intentionally capitalize on unique, small cap opportunities. The data tells the story of growth in small businesses for the year. According to NEXT , the Small Business Administration (SBA) reports awarding 38,000 SBA 7(a) loans under $150,000: double the amount they awarded in 2020. Here are the related small-business trends paying off in 2024. Commercial real estate agent Ryan Beckenhauer of Market Real Estate in Boulder, Colorado, has noticed that small businesses are growing smaller, and that their office and warehouse spaces are starting to reflect that as they shop for business space. In commercial real estate, many small business owners gravitate toward industrial condos and other flexible spaces. These are small-scale industrial spaces with a 90:10 or 80:20 split of warehouse to office. "More individuals are leveraging skills acquired at larger organizations to venture out on their own," explains Beckenhauer. And he goes on to say that they don't need a large commercial space as they make that leap to start a business. His clients include engineers, consultants, builders and other tradespeople. Beckenhauer's clients like the flexibility of being out of an office and being close to their inventory and workshop space. "The clients want to see and touch the finishes," he says. Small business owners both rent or buy these spaces. But he's seeing his clients opt to own industrial condos to stabilize costs due to rent increases in Boulder. And because these spaces are smaller, it can be easier for new buyers to qualify for financing. Mariana Alvarez, owner of Controller Works , an online bookkeeping and advisory firm, has noticed that small business owners outsource financial support services because they don't want to increase headcount. "Outsourcing gives them the possibility of having access to the knowledge and the skills of a CFO without having to pay for the salary," she says. "They don't have to manage or deal with the workload, employment taxes , and all that comes with it," says Alvarez. Additionally, many small business owners in fields like construction are family-owned, and this makes it easier for business owners to hand off delicate financial work to a trusted person with financial experience. Every small business has recurring tasks that can benefit from some level of artificial intelligence automation . And Alvarez sees a lot of value in using AI for small business bookkeeping. She explains that you can automate the data entry on Quickbooks. "When you create rules, as long as you create the rules correctly, it pretty much does itself," says Alvarez. From there, you can lean on financial experts to help you analyze the data and make more informed decisions. She uses AI as a background resource when guiding her accounting clients. "I believe that we still need the human-to-human interaction that comes with more perspective for financial analysis," she explains. According to the SBA , 77% of consumers feel that human interaction is still required for a positive customer experience. People turn to small businesses every day for a human experience. According to Arvind Rongala, CEO of Edstellar , small business workers can show up for their customers but still use AI for routine tasks like customer queries. "This balance allows companies to scale their operations without losing the personal touch that makes them unique. It's important to remember that AI isn't there to replace the human element—it's there to enhance it," he says. "By really focusing on one very small weakness that Amazon has, I've been able to carve out a successful business by offering something different," says Lou Harvey owner of Tank Retailer , a retailer of commercial water and fuel tanks. "When you read our customer reviews, many of them actually mention me by name because of how much we focus on customer service and go the extra mile." One of Harvey's most successful business strategies this year has been to lean into his small, niche market and offer the kind of customer experience that large retailers like Amazon don't. "Any small weaknesses that Amazon has (however small those weaknesses may be) needs to become a strength of a smaller business focusing on a niche market," says Harvey. Harvey has his company's customer service phone number front and center on the website to help earn customer trust. "I prominently feature our phone number, and a real person always answers the phone (usually it's me)," says Harvey. Lucie Voves, CEO and founder of Church Hill Classics , an online, woman-owned diploma framing company that uses sustainable materials, has noticed an uptick in customers seeking services from a business on a mission. "This year, we've seen a growing inclination for consumers to actively seek out and support small businesses owned by women and minorities," says Voves. When consumers shop small, they choose to make their dollars count. "Customers are fueled by a desire to promote social impact through purchasing power," says Voves. Long gone are the days of online retailers "building it and they will come." In 2024 we've seen more small businesses than ever turn to social commerce to sell directly on social media platforms like Instagram Shopping , Facebook Marketplace , and TikTok . Small business owners are turning toward influencers, social media ads, and organic content to target their customers. Mike Vannelli of Envy Creative creates online ads for businesses, and he has seen his clients succeed on TikTok of late. "I've seen businesses, especially in retail, use TikTok's short-form video format to make their products go viral. Think of it as word-of-mouth marketing on steroids," says Vannelli. He uses the platform's algorithm to push a company's content to the right audiences, and it works because TikTok loves storytelling. "I know small brands that use behind-the-scenes videos, customer testimonials, and even playful challenges that tap into trends to humanize their products and build trust," explains Vannelli. To stand out on TikTok, he says, smaller brands need to embrace authenticity and emotional connection. Show your team, share your journey, and involve your community in content creation. This story was produced by NEXT and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.

Mariyana Spyropoulos promises to modernize Cook County court clerk’s office

KSU wrests Cusat students’ union after 30 yearsConsumers in the United States scoured the internet for online deals as they looked to take advantage of the post-Thanksgiving shopping marathon with Cyber Monday. Even though e-commerce is now part and parcel of many people's regular routines and the holiday shopping season, Cyber Monday — a term coined in 2005 by the National Retail Federation — has become the biggest online shopping day of the year, thanks to the deals and the hype the industry has created to fuel it. Adobe Analytics, which tracks online shopping, expected consumers to spend $13.2 billion Monday — a record, and 6.1% more than last year. That would make it the biggest shopping day for e-commerce for the season — and the year. Online spending was expected to peak between the hours of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Monday night, per Adobe — reaching an estimated $15.7 million spent every minute. For several major retailers, a Cyber Monday sale is a dayslong event that began over the Thanksgiving weekend. An Amazon Prime delivery person lifts packages while making a stop Nov. 28, 2023, in Denver. Amazon kicked off its sales event right after midnight Pacific time on Saturday. Target's two days of discount offers on its website and app began overnight Sunday. Walmart rolled out its Cyber Monday offers for Walmart+ members Sunday afternoon and opened it up to all customers three hours later, at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Consumer spending for Cyber Week — the five major shopping days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday — provides a strong indication of how much shoppers are willing to spend for the holidays. Many U.S. consumers continue to experience sticker shock after the period of post-pandemic inflation, which left prices for many goods and services higher than they were three years ago. But retail sales nonetheless remain strong, and the economy kept growing at a healthy pace. At the same time, credit card debt and delinquencies are rising. More shoppers than ever are also on track to use "buy now, pay later" plans this holiday season, which allows them to delay payments on holiday decor, gifts and other items. Many economists also warned that President-elect Donald Trump's plan to impose tariffs next year on foreign goods coming into the United States would lead to higher prices on everything from food to clothing to automobiles. A FedEx delivery person carries a package from a truck Nov. 17, 2022, in Denver. The National Retail Federation expects holiday shoppers to spend more this year both in stores and online than last year. But the pace of spending growth will slow slightly, the trade group said, growing 2.5% to 3.5% — compared to 3.9% in 2023. A clear sense of consumer spending patterns during the holiday season won't emerge until the government releases sales data for the period, but some preliminary data from other sources shows some encouraging signs for retailers. Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, noted that discounts from Thanksgiving onward "exceeded expectations" and online spending throughout Cyber Week is on track to cross a record $40 billion mark combined. U.S. shoppers spent $10.8 billion online on Black Friday, a 10.2% increase over last year, according to Adobe Analytics. That's also more than double what consumers spent in 2017, when Black Friday pulled in about $5 billion in online sales. Consumers also spent a record $6.1 billion online on Thanksgiving Day, Adobe said. Meanwhile, software company Salesforce, which also tracks online shopping, estimated that Black Friday online sales totaled $17.5 billion in the U.S. and $74.4 billion globally. Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks in-person and online spending, reported that overall Black Friday sales excluding automotive rose 3.4% from a year ago. A United Parcel Service driver sorts deliveries July 15, 2023, on New York's Upper West Side. E-commerce platform Shopify said its merchants raked in a record $5 billion in sales worldwide on Black Friday. At its peak, sales reached $4.6 million per minute — with top categories by volume including clothing, cosmetics and fitness products, according to the Canadian company. Toys, electronics, home goods, self-care and beauty categories were among the key drivers of holiday spending on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, according to Adobe. "Hot products" included Lego sets, espresso machines, fitness trackers, makeup and skin care. Other data showed physical stores saw fewer customers on Black Friday, underscoring how the huge crowds that were once synonymous with the day after Thanksgiving are now more than happy to shop from the comfort of their homes. RetailNext, which measures real-time foot traffic in stores, said its early data showed store traffic on Friday was down 3.2% in the U.S. compared to last year, with the biggest dip happening in the Midwest. Sensormatic Solutions, which also tracks store traffic, said its preliminary analysis showed retail store traffic on Black Friday was down 8.2% compared to 2023. Grant Gustafson, head of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic Solutions, noted that in-store traffic was getting spread across multiple days since many retailers offered generous discounts before and after Black Friday. "Some of the extended Black Friday promotions really ended up leading to a little bit of a softer day-of traffic than expected," Gustafson said. In 2024, staying small on purpose seems to be paying off big for small businesses. They're keeping operations small and targeting niche, highly specialized customers. And some business owners find this strategy results in more time, energy, and money to intentionally capitalize on unique, small cap opportunities. The data tells the story of growth in small businesses for the year. According to NEXT , the Small Business Administration (SBA) reports awarding 38,000 SBA 7(a) loans under $150,000: double the amount they awarded in 2020. Here are the related small-business trends paying off in 2024. Commercial real estate agent Ryan Beckenhauer of Market Real Estate in Boulder, Colorado, has noticed that small businesses are growing smaller, and that their office and warehouse spaces are starting to reflect that as they shop for business space. In commercial real estate, many small business owners gravitate toward industrial condos and other flexible spaces. These are small-scale industrial spaces with a 90:10 or 80:20 split of warehouse to office. "More individuals are leveraging skills acquired at larger organizations to venture out on their own," explains Beckenhauer. And he goes on to say that they don't need a large commercial space as they make that leap to start a business. His clients include engineers, consultants, builders and other tradespeople. Beckenhauer's clients like the flexibility of being out of an office and being close to their inventory and workshop space. "The clients want to see and touch the finishes," he says. Small business owners both rent or buy these spaces. But he's seeing his clients opt to own industrial condos to stabilize costs due to rent increases in Boulder. And because these spaces are smaller, it can be easier for new buyers to qualify for financing. Mariana Alvarez, owner of Controller Works , an online bookkeeping and advisory firm, has noticed that small business owners outsource financial support services because they don't want to increase headcount. "Outsourcing gives them the possibility of having access to the knowledge and the skills of a CFO without having to pay for the salary," she says. "They don't have to manage or deal with the workload, employment taxes , and all that comes with it," says Alvarez. Additionally, many small business owners in fields like construction are family-owned, and this makes it easier for business owners to hand off delicate financial work to a trusted person with financial experience. Every small business has recurring tasks that can benefit from some level of artificial intelligence automation . And Alvarez sees a lot of value in using AI for small business bookkeeping. She explains that you can automate the data entry on Quickbooks. "When you create rules, as long as you create the rules correctly, it pretty much does itself," says Alvarez. From there, you can lean on financial experts to help you analyze the data and make more informed decisions. She uses AI as a background resource when guiding her accounting clients. "I believe that we still need the human-to-human interaction that comes with more perspective for financial analysis," she explains. According to the SBA , 77% of consumers feel that human interaction is still required for a positive customer experience. People turn to small businesses every day for a human experience. According to Arvind Rongala, CEO of Edstellar , small business workers can show up for their customers but still use AI for routine tasks like customer queries. "This balance allows companies to scale their operations without losing the personal touch that makes them unique. It's important to remember that AI isn't there to replace the human element—it's there to enhance it," he says. "By really focusing on one very small weakness that Amazon has, I've been able to carve out a successful business by offering something different," says Lou Harvey owner of Tank Retailer , a retailer of commercial water and fuel tanks. "When you read our customer reviews, many of them actually mention me by name because of how much we focus on customer service and go the extra mile." One of Harvey's most successful business strategies this year has been to lean into his small, niche market and offer the kind of customer experience that large retailers like Amazon don't. "Any small weaknesses that Amazon has (however small those weaknesses may be) needs to become a strength of a smaller business focusing on a niche market," says Harvey. Harvey has his company's customer service phone number front and center on the website to help earn customer trust. "I prominently feature our phone number, and a real person always answers the phone (usually it's me)," says Harvey. Lucie Voves, CEO and founder of Church Hill Classics , an online, woman-owned diploma framing company that uses sustainable materials, has noticed an uptick in customers seeking services from a business on a mission. "This year, we've seen a growing inclination for consumers to actively seek out and support small businesses owned by women and minorities," says Voves. When consumers shop small, they choose to make their dollars count. "Customers are fueled by a desire to promote social impact through purchasing power," says Voves. Long gone are the days of online retailers "building it and they will come." In 2024 we've seen more small businesses than ever turn to social commerce to sell directly on social media platforms like Instagram Shopping , Facebook Marketplace , and TikTok . Small business owners are turning toward influencers, social media ads, and organic content to target their customers. Mike Vannelli of Envy Creative creates online ads for businesses, and he has seen his clients succeed on TikTok of late. "I've seen businesses, especially in retail, use TikTok's short-form video format to make their products go viral. Think of it as word-of-mouth marketing on steroids," says Vannelli. He uses the platform's algorithm to push a company's content to the right audiences, and it works because TikTok loves storytelling. "I know small brands that use behind-the-scenes videos, customer testimonials, and even playful challenges that tap into trends to humanize their products and build trust," explains Vannelli. To stand out on TikTok, he says, smaller brands need to embrace authenticity and emotional connection. Show your team, share your journey, and involve your community in content creation. This story was produced by NEXT and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.

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