A Business Owner’s Guide to Venmo | Business News Daily

July 30, 2026July 29, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Venmo makes it easy to split a check with a friend or even pay back your roommate for your share of the rent. But Venmo isn’t just a peer-to-peer payment app; it’s a major part of the B2C world as well. In fact, PayPal Holdings Inc., which owns Venmo, has made the platform an acceptable payment method on nearly every mobile site where PayPal is accepted.

If your small business is looking for an alternative to PayPal, it’s worth examining what Venmo can add to your company. Below, we break down everything you need to know about Venmo, from how it works to frequently asked questions

Business Banking Services Your Bank Should Offer | Business News Daily

July 30, 2026July 29, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Choosing the best bank for your business is similar to hiring the best job candidate. Your bank must have the right attributes and abilities to help you, the business owner, reach your goals and move your business forward.

When opening a small business bank account, some helpful add-on services may entice you. However, while some features may be included at no extra charge as part of a bank’s business services, others come with additional fees.

We’ll explain the business banking services you may need and share tips for choosing the right banking partner to help you grow your business.

How to Work the Night Shift And Stay Healthy | LifeHack

July 29, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In my early twenties, I loved the night shift. It was great to be able to sleep all day and stay up all night, plus the added bonus of there being less traffic during commutes and no lines at Starbucks.

Roughly 20% of the full-time workforce in the United States is involved in some form of shift work. While a few true night owls might prefer this schedule, working the night shift can be challenging for some people.

So if you’re wondering how to work the night shift and stay healthy, there are several tips and tricks for doing so. While it can be really difficult to stay on top of it, it does not mean that it’s impossible.

Bedtime Procrastination: Why You Do It And How To Break It | LifeHack

July 29, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Do you remember those childhood nights when you wished to stay up late like your parents did? The allure of one more game with your favorite toys, another episode of the cartoon you loved, would often necessitate a grown-up escort to your bedroom. It’s funny to think about it, but our habitual delaying of bedtime seemed to start early.

As we’ve grown older, this bedtime procrastination hasn’t ceased. In fact, it’s escalated. Can you relate to this? Plopped on the couch, eyes half-closed, one part of your brain screams that you should be sleeping, but the other part is whispering just one more episode, one more chapter, one more level on that game. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Ever pondered why we knowingly indulge in this habit? Why do we continue to delay sleep, particularly when we’re fully aware of its importance, especially during late-night hours?

Can this startup cool NYC’s sweltering subway stations? | Fast Company

July 24, 2026July 23, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

On a hot summer day in New York City, walking into a subway station can feel like descending into a sauna, improbably even hotter and muggier than the air outside. Unlike more modern subway stations around the world, New York’s century-old stations lack air conditioning—with staircases open to the outside air, AC would be inefficient and ineffective. And while you can blissfully cool off on the air-conditioned trains, they’re also making the problem worse: Cooling the cars means constantly pumping hot air into the tunnels and stations.

At the East Broadway station on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is launching a pilot to test a potential new solution. Tucked into arches in the ceiling and hidden behind grates, a radiant cooling system will passively pull heat from the air to cool the station with minimal energy use. In the future, the same type of system could send the heat that’s captured to nearby buildings to heat hot water, saving even more energy.

Inside PepsiCo’s digital twin revolution | Fast Company

July 24, 2026July 23, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Reconfiguring a factory used to mean shutting it down, making costly bets, and hoping the design worked in the real world. PepsiCo found a way around that. Rather than rely on engineering blueprints to solve the problem, the company used a specialized laser to scan the facility and create a digital representation that was accurate to within a millimeter. It then used this 3D model to simulate the current manufacturing process and identify production bottlenecks. This exercise gave engineers a blank canvas to experiment with new layouts that would help expand and speed up production—all before touching a single machine.

“What you’re trying to do is optimize every part of the space, from the hardware and the software to how people navigate through the space,” says Athina Kanioura, PepsiCo’s CEO, Latin America, and global chief strategy and transformation officer. “We’re taking every data point within the design of the physical infrastructure to create millions and millions of simulations to design the perfect building.”

What Italy Can Teach Us About Work/Life Balance | AllBusiness.com

July 23, 2026July 22, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As an American expat who has been living in the south of Italy for the past three years, I’ve picked up on several differences in the way Italians value work compared to the American point of view.

You’ve already heard of la dolce vita…it turns out it’s a part of the culture that Americans could stand to emulate. Here are a few of the practices and mindsets I’m working to adopt in my new home.1. You Are Not Defined by What You Do

Go to a cocktail party in the U.S. and inevitably, one of the first things a stranger will ask you is: “So, what do you do?”

We’re obsessed with our jobs, and we wear them as masks that define us. Italians, on the other hand, don’t identify themselves by the work they perform. In fact, it’s rare that I talk about work with friends here.

Italians, instead, are more keen to talk about what they’re into. Often, this means what they ate or what they’re planning to eat! They also talk about the animals they’re raising, the weather, and the latest gossip.

I think Americans could stand to dissociate a bit from their work. After all, we are comprised of many things, and work is but one component!

10 Frequently Asked Questions About Domain Names | AllBusiness.com

July 23, 2026July 22, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The choice of domain name is one of the most important decisions a business owner will make in establishing an online presence. Whether you are launching a new business or re-evaluating your digital strategy, understanding the fundamentals of domain names is essential. Below are ten of the most frequently asked questions about domain names, drawing on articles from http://www.allbusiness.com and research assistance from AI.

1. What Is a Domain Name?

A domain name is the human-readable address used to identify a website on the internet. Every computer on the internet has an Internet Protocol (IP) address—a unique string of numbers such as 165.166.0.2. Because remembering numerical IP addresses would be nearly impossible, computer scientists created the Domain Name System (DNS) to assign a readable name to each numeric address. The result is that instead of typing a string of numbers, users simply type a name like “Amazon.com” to reach a website.

Every domain name consists of two main elements: the actual name (such as “Amazon”) and a top-level domain (TLD) such as “.com,” “.org,” or “.net.” Together, these form the complete web address.

Visa Unveils AI Financial Assistant to Elevate Customer Banking Experience | Small Biz Trends

July 22, 2026July 21, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In a transformative leap for the banking sector, Visa has unveiled its AI Financial Assistant, a value-added service designed to integrate artificial intelligence into mobile banking apps. This innovation not only enhances consumer trust but also aims to empower small businesses with direct access to actionable financial insights.

As more consumers turn to AI for financial guidance—over 66% according to recent surveys—banks remain the most trusted institutions for managing personal data. Michele Herron, Visa’s Senior Vice President, noted, “Consumers are already turning to AI for financial advice—but banks have the full financial picture.” By utilizing AI Financial Assistant, banks can elevate their roles from mere transaction facilitators to dynamic financial hubs.

How does this impact small business owners? Here are the key benefits that small businesses can leverage from this new service.

Cushing Crude Oil Inventories Dip, Impacting Prices and Storage Capacity | Small Biz Trends

July 22, 2026July 21, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Amid fluctuating oil prices and recent data indicating a significant decrease in crude oil inventories in Cushing, Oklahoma, small business owners may want to keep a close eye on how these developments could impact operational costs. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), storage facilities at Cushing fell below 20 million barrels recently, raising some concerns about supply levels and pricing dynamics.

Crude oil storage is critical for maintaining the balance of supply and demand in the market. Facilities depend on nuanced operational standards that dictate what constitutes effective storage. “Storage facilities require a minimum volume of product to remain operational, which can vary between different facilities,” explains the EIA. If levels dip below the threshold—a point referred to as “tank bottoms”—facilities cannot effectively function, which could lead to market instability.