Author: Dailyusastory

Lori McDonald is a pioneering B2B ecommerce developer, having founded Brilliance Business Solutions, an agency, in 1998. In February she acquired Norsland Lefse, a direct-to-consumer food manufacturer. Now revving up Norsland with new tools and strategies, she has agreed to share the journey with us. In July, she discussed her rationale and goals for purchasing the business. In this conversation, she addressed customer feedback, holiday sales preparation, and more. The entire audio of our conversation is below. The transcript is edited for length and clarity. Practical Ecommerce: In February, you acquired a D2C food manufacturer. Give us a rundown of…

Starting a new company comes with a host of legal hurdles, including your overall business structure. For instance, you may choose to conduct business as a limited liability company (LLC), partnership, franchise, or sole proprietorship. In many cases, regulations place certain restrictions on the legal name of your business entity, limiting your ability to build a company with a memorable name and marketable brand. That’s where a “doing business as” (DBA) registration comes in handy. In this article, we’ll discuss the meaning of DBA and the process of changing your company name via DBA filing, plus some reasons small business…

OpenAI, the company behind the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, has introduced its latest artificial intelligence model, OpenAI o1, designed to excel at complex reasoning tasks in science, coding, and mathematics. This new model aims to tackle some of the limitations seen in previous models by improving how AI “thinks” before generating responses. In a statement, OpenAI explained that the o1 model was trained to spend more time deliberating over problems, mimicking the way humans reason. “We trained these models to spend more time thinking through problems before they respond, much like a person would”, – the company said. This approach,…

As Gen Z’s favorite social network continues to grow in popularity, even among other generations, TikTok continues to be the source for trends that transcend the app. Every day, TikTok users flock to the social platform to see what’s hot in fashion, music, food, and pop culture. TikTok’s straightforward interface and unique algorithm create a revolving cycle of TikTok trends—some that fade quickly and others with staying power.  For brands, catching the wave of a big TikTok video trend can translate to engagement, brand awareness, and even sales. But jumping on every trend isn’t a sound social media strategy. Getting…

Big American companies like Microsoft and Walmart are C corporations—that is, their income is taxed under Subchapter C of the US Internal Revenue Code. But many of the benefits enjoyed by large, multinational business entities can be effectively leveraged by a small business owner too, especially those who want to garner investment in their business by issuing stock. Don’t let the business structure jargon commonly seen online and in the media deter you from learning about the many benefits of establishing a C corporation. This guide will cover what a C corp is, and why it might be the right…

If you’re starting a business, you need to plan for the worst. You’re managing your Instagram account and a fellow business you’ve interacted with in the past asks you to check a link for them. You click on it and realize too late that it’s a spoof of the account you’re familiar with and it’s a phishing scam. Now what? A business continuity plan is a vital document that outlines the steps an organization must take to ensure its critical functions continue to operate during an unforeseen disruption.  Learn about the key components of an effective plan, best practices for…

TL;DR Show your product in action with professional lifestyle images to create an emotional connection. Focus on benefits, not features—make customers feel how the product improves their life. Answer key questions: Why choose your product over others? Why will they love and trust it? Use comparison charts to cross-sell complementary products and upsell premium versions. Keep A+ Content visual-heavy: 80% visuals, 20% text for maximum engagement and simplicity. This is literally our team’s reaction when we see poorly made A+ Content. The design and product have so much potential, but it’s completely wasted. Instead of boosting conversion rates by 10%,…

Brands are always fighting for customer loyalty in highly competitive markets. Some seven out of 10 US consumers consider loyalty programs a leading factor in sticking with a brand. Most loyalty programs fall into one of four categories: points, tiers, paid and value-based. Learn how loyalty programs work and how they can help your business, plus discover examples to inspire your own loyalty strategy. What is a loyalty program? Loyalty programs reward a company’s repeat customers with discounts, free offers, and other incentives to encourage customers to make repeat purchases. How do customer loyalty programs work? With a loyalty program,…

When it comes to social media, few platforms have the reach of Facebook. Despite the rise of newer social apps, Facebook users still outnumber users of other platforms, meaning that no matter what business you’re in, chances are you have lots of potential customers to sell to on Facebook and Instagram. Surveys show a growing number of online shoppers make purchases via social commerce⁠—that is, directly on social media platforms—rather than through an ecommerce platform. If you want to sell on Facebook but don’t know where to start, this step-by-step guide is for you. Ways to sell on Facebook Facebook…

Around 50% of Americans believe in conspiracy theories of one type or another, but MIT and Cornell University researchers think AI can fix that. In their paper, the psychology researchers explained how they used a chatbot powered by GPT-4 Turbo to interact with participants to see if they could be persuaded to abandon their belief in a conspiracy theory. The experiment involved 1,000 participants who were asked to describe a conspiracy theory they believed in and the evidence they felt underpinned their belief. The paper noted that “Prominent psychological theories propose that many people want to adopt conspiracy theories (to…