Author: Dailyusastory

To Nik Sharma, companies that pursue short-term profits at the expense of branding face long-term hurdles. They often rely on advertising to gain sales and then struggle when the cost becomes prohibitive. His agency, Sharma Brands, counsels the opposite: Create a positive name identity first. Affordable acquisition and retention follow. He and I recently spoke, addressing brand strategies, successful companies, and more. The entire audio of our conversation is embedded below. The transcript is edited for length and clarity. Eric Bandholz: Tell us about yourself. Nik Sharma: I run Sharma Brands, a growth agency. We primarily focus on pre-launched brands…

Welcome to our weekly roundup of human-crafted AI news. This week OpenAI handed out API goodies. California’s AI safety bill got killed. And NVIDIA surprised us with a powerful open model. Let’s dig in. Here come the agents OpenAI didn’t announce any new models (or Sora) at its Dev Day event, but developers were excited over new API features. The Realtime API will be a game-changer for making smarter applications that speak with users and even act as agents. The demo was really cool. There have been rumors about OpenAI going the “for-profit” route and awarding Sam Altman billions of…

Corporate gifting is more than handing out branded mugs or pens—it’s about building and nurturing relationships with employees and customers. If you sell a product that would make great corporate swag or a gift for employees to celebrate the holidays, an event, or a professional milestone, corporate gifting could unlock a new wholesale opportunity. But how do you get your product on the radar of companies looking for gift ideas? One way is to partner with design studios that specialize in corporate gifting. That’s Chloe Sapienza’s expertise. She’s the founder of Telescope, a studio that sources and designs corporate gifts…

Complex issues require complex analysis. If you want to delve into dense, industry-specific topics, you’ll need a more substantive medium than a blog post or a TikTok video. One way that experts discuss complex subjects is through the use of white papers. White papers communicate expertise, valuable insight, thought leadership, and in-depth explorations of topics. Small businesses and ecommerce companies can create white papers to educate and persuade colleagues and customers alike. Here’s a primer on writing white papers, plus a white paper template to get you started. What is a white paper? A white paper is a document that…

With more than 27 million ecommerce sites, it’s more important than ever to stand out in this crowded marketplace. One way to do so is by using the value chain framework to identify opportunities to lower costs or improve quality. Here’s how you can conduct your own value chain analysis to gain a competitive advantage in the fast-growing ecommerce landscape. What is a value chain? A value chain is a sequence of steps that allow a company to bring a final product or service to a customer. Value chains encompass all the company’s business activities that add value to a…

Have you ever embarked on a major project only to find your colleagues have different ideas about how to execute it? Then you understand the importance of a scope of work. Defining what a project entails and the steps to get there is an essential part of the project management process. Here’s how a scope of work template can help you align with vendors, partners, or employees. What is a scope of work? A scope of work is a document that outlines how you’ll complete work on a project. A good scope of work promotes alignment between project stakeholders, so…

Businesses inevitably face challenges. Whether it’s declining profits, high employee turnover, or rising production costs, some problems are too important to ignore. But how can you know what exactly is causing a problem? To determine this, you might want to perform a root cause analysis. Learn about root cause analysis, discover how you can conduct one to identify the underlying issues impacting your company, and gain access to a template to get you started. What is a root cause analysis? A root cause analysis (RCA) is a problem-solving process designed to help you identify root causes creating issues for your…

Scientists say the average person makes about 35,000 decisions per day. While you may not deliberate long over which socks to wear or how much coffee to pour, you’ve likely found yourself mulling over the choices that matter most. As an ecommerce business owner, you’re likely faced with impactful decisions every day. But how do you know which choice is best when faced with complex business decisions and several options? When faced with these types of difficult choices, you can use decision-making tools to take the right direction. One of these tools is a decision matrix. Learn more about how…

Dreaming of writing a book? While you might envision your manuscript being scooped up by a big publishing house like Penguin Random House or Simon & Schuster, the reality is that you’ll need to get an agent to get your work in front of those publishers—and they accept only a tiny fraction of the manuscripts they receive. Don’t let that discourage you. Self-publishing is a powerful alternative for getting your story into readers’ hands. In fact, some of today’s bestsellers, like The Martian and Fifty Shades of Grey, started as self-published books before inspiring blockbuster movie adaptations. According to WordsRated,…

Whether you’re a business owner or an individual creator, developing a TikTok strategy takes a little planning and a lot of experimentation. After creating your TikTok content, you’ll need to find the best times to post on TikTok for maximizing engagement from TikTok users. Luckily, data can help you reach the right audience at the right time. Find out how to analyze your own TikTok data to discover the optimal posting schedule for your social media calendar and specific target audience. How to find the best time to post on TikTok Create a TikTok Business account Open your TikTok analytics…