Why Personal Development Programs Fail (And What Actually Works) | LifeHack

February 3, 2026February 1, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

You’ve done the courses. Read the books. Downloaded the apps. Filled out the worksheets, journaled the gratitude, and visualized the outcomes. You have a shelf full of personal development programs, each one promising to be the one that finally changes everything.

And yet here you are.

Not that the programs were useless. They worked for a while. You felt the surge of motivation after finishing that online course. You had clarity for three weeks after that retreat. The habit tracker made perfect sense until it didn’t, and then it sat in your drawer, a monument to another abandoned attempt.

The frustrating part isn’t that you don’t know what to do. You probably know more about personal development than most people will ever learn. You understand the importance of goals. You’ve heard about atomic habits, mindset shifts, and morning routines. You could give a decent TED talk on productivity frameworks.

Best Apps for Habit Tracking: 5 Tools That Actually Work | Lifehack

February 3, 2026February 1, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

You’ve downloaded habit apps before. Set everything up on a motivated Sunday, felt that spark of possibility, then watched it all collapse by Thursday when life got in the way.

The culprit isn’t your willpower. It’s that most habit trackers obsess over streaks without addressing why you break them. A red X on a calendar doesn’t tell you what went wrong or how to recover. It just makes you feel like a failure.

The apps that actually work do something different: they build systems around your psychology, not against it. Here are five that understand this.

Should You Send a Late Account to Collections? | Business News Daily

February 2, 2026February 1, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The decision to send someone to collections is one that should be given serious consideration. Federal law governs how you and the collection agencies you hire can and cannot attempt to collect a debt.

In this guide, we explain the rules you should follow to keep your business out of hot water when pursuing unpaid debts, and we walk you through sending someone to collections while complying with the law.

How to Avoid International Marketing Mistakes | businessnewsdaily.com

February 2, 2026February 1, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Expanding your business internationally can be an exciting step for any entrepreneur, but marketing your product or service abroad requires adequate research and preparation. To succeed in foreign markets, businesses must tailor their messaging to resonate with local cultures rather than simply translating words directly.

Without the proper considerations, marketing to a foreign audience can have disastrous outcomes. Sending the wrong message can discourage consumers from buying your product and could lead them to boycott your business altogether.

Mariko Amekodommo, CEO of international marketing and consulting agency Mariko Communications, said that one of the most common marketing mistakes businesses make when taking their company international is not understanding their market and audience.

“There can be a cultural gap from one country to the next where campaigns, slogans, and initiatives don’t resonate or make sense to the end user,” Amekodommo said. “Companies can avoid basic marketing mistakes, like slogans that don’t translate appropriately, by putting in the due diligence to research and understand the new market.”

What carbon capture is and why it’s not an ideal climate solution | Fast Company

January 30, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Power plants and industrial facilities that emit carbon dioxide, the primary driver of global warming, are hopeful that Congress will keep tax credits for capturing the gas and storing it deep underground.

The process, called carbon capture and sequestration, is seen by many as an important way to reduce pollution during a transition to renewable energy.

But it faces criticism from some conservatives, who say it is expensive and unnecessary, and from environmentalists, who say it has consistently failed to capture as much pollution as promised and is simply a way for producers of fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal to continue their use.

Trump’s anti-EV rules aren’t stopping California’s electric truck boom—yet | Fast Company

January 30, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Wes Lowe uses so much Claritin that he started an Amazon subscription to avoid running out. His kids take two asthma medications. This reflects the normalcy of pollution in California’s San Joaquin Valley, where residents breathe some of the dirtiest air in the nation.

Lowe lives about 20 miles outside of Fresno, in the valley’s heart. More than a dozen highways, including Interstate 5, run through the region, carrying almost half of the state’s truck traffic. The sky is usually hazy, the air is often deemed hazardous, and 1 in 6 children live with asthma. “You don’t realize how bad it is until you leave,” Lowe said.

Compensation for AI Employees Is Skyrocketing | AllBusiness.com

January 29, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Over the past decade, compensation for artificial intelligence (AI) professionals has surged at an unprecedented pace, reshaping the talent market and redefining what employers must offer to attract and retain top-tier technical talent. As companies across nearly every sector race to integrate machine learning, automation, and generative AI into their operations, the demand for skilled AI engineers, researchers, and product leaders has vastly outstripped supply. The result is a compensation environment that is not only highly competitive, but increasingly aggressive.

What makes this shift especially striking is how rapidly it has accelerated. Even five years ago, AI roles commanded above-average compensation, but nowhere near the levels seen today. Now, seven-figure packages for senior AI experts are not only possible, they’re becoming increasingly common.

This surge is driven by a unique convergence of market forces: the explosion of generative AI capabilities, a shortage of qualified talent, escalating corporate reliance on AI strategy, and the emergence of new startup and investment ecosystems flush with capital. Together, these factors are pushing AI compensation to historic highs, with no signs of slowing down.

15 Smart Strategies for Naming Your Startup | AllBusiness.com

January 29, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Choosing the right name for your startup is one of the most important early decisions you’ll make as a founder. A compelling, clear, and memorable name can help your brand stand out, attract customers, ease marketing, and avoid legal headaches down the road. Conversely, a confusing or poorly chosen name can make growth harder, block discoverability, or even force a costly rebrand later.

Here are 15 smart naming strategies to guide you—from brainstorming to legal checks—to help you choose a name that works now and scales with your business.

1. Keep It Simple, Clear, and Easy to Spell

If people struggle to spell or pronounce your name, they may not find you online, which means lost website visits, missed word-of-mouth referrals, and lower discoverability. Avoid intentionally misspelled or overly stylized names (even if they seem cool at first).

Gasoline Prices Set to Drop Nationwide in 2026, Stabilizing in 2027 | Small Biz Trends

January 28, 2026January 26, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As gas prices are a significant concern for small business owners, recent forecasts from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) promise some relief. According to their latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, retail gasoline prices are expected to decrease by 6% in 2026. While this may sound like great news, regional differences and underlying factors present both opportunities and challenges that small businesses must navigate.

The forecast indicates a general decline in gasoline prices across the United States, with an average drop in 2026 before a slight increase of 1% in 2027. Despite this uptick, prices in 2027 will still remain below the levels seen in 2025, except for the West Coast, where higher gasoline margins due to a reduction in refinery capacity may keep prices at 2025 levels.

DocuSign Unveils AI-Driven eSignature Features to Simplify Agreements | Small Biz Trends

January 28, 2026January 26, 2026 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In a move set to streamline the often tedious process of agreement handling, DocuSign has rolled out innovative AI-driven eSignature features aimed specifically at smoothing out the kinks for both signers and businesses. These enhancements promise not only to clarify confusing legal jargon but also to significantly cut down on the manual workload often associated with contract preparation—key points that may particularly pique the interest of small business owners.

The San Francisco-based company unveiled these advancements powered by their Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM) platform, targeting two common pain points in business agreements: dense legal language that complicates understanding and the cumbersome task of document preparation. The new features are intended to foster clarity and speed, ultimately benefiting small businesses that frequently navigate the complex landscape of contracts.