When you go on a hike, the trail might seem like something organic — like it’s always been there and no one person planned how it would look. The reality is that creating hiking trails takes an entire team of planners and builders. And if they do their jobs right, it will feel like they were never there.
5 small biz freebies to save you some cash, from shipping materials to logos
Owning or working for a small business is full of joys: Seeing your business take off, working closely with a small team and watching your ideas flourish.
It’s not all a walk in the park, though. Small teams, limited budgets and not enough time in the day can make things challenging.
When every dollar counts, you have to take advantage of all the freebies you can get. Here’s a list you should take advantage of now.
Shipping materials
Need to ship something out? The United States Postal Service offers free shipping materials. Get free boxes, forms, stickers, envelopes and cardboard tubes. The USPS also provides templates for creating your mailing pieces.
If you want to save on shipping costs, you can do that, too. You’ll find information on bulk mailings, shipping rates and classes of mail.
Office software
Microsoft Office is pricey. You don’t need to pay for it if you know about this free alternative: LibreOffice. It’s a free, open-source office suite compatible with Microsoft Office files. Since it’s open-source software, the program is continually updated at no charge. Tap or click for details.
LibreOffice offers six programs that will feel instantly familiar to you if you’ve used Office before. Writer, Calc and Impress are equivalent to Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. They have most of the same features. You just might need to poke around to find some of them.
Even better, LibreOffice can open and edit the documents you made in Office and save new files in Office formats. Download Libre Office here.
Custom logo
If your branding could use a makeover, check out logobee. Its free web-based platform, Logo-Maker, has hundreds of templates that you can customize with your brand name, colors and slogans.
Ready to hire? Find great candidates the way Kim does
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Every small business has its own unique needs. And, despite the uncertainty of the world right now, one thing that remains unchanged is the importance of having the right people on your team.
Some business owners turn to free job boards or sites like Craigslist. That’s a big mistake. You never know what you’re getting from sites like that. They simply don’t have the tools or screening systems in place to find quality employees, and you’ll never get back the time you waste doing that work yourself.
Meet the F-47: America’s mind-controlled fighter jet
The F-47 will team up with AI drones to handle threats in real time. No pilots needed.
🧠 Mind over matter: It’s been a year since Noland Arbaugh became the first Neuralink patient. I chatted with him last year, and he’s so positive. The procedure was done in Phoenix. The team just shared a video of how the N1 Implant helps him control gadgets just by thinking. Check it out here.
1,000 pieces of content
Available on each Delta flight. That includes 300 movies. A six-person team swaps 20% to 25% of the lineup every 30 days, so frequent fliers don’t get bored. Honestly, I don’t think airplane jokes are funny; they’re just really Boeing.
Deep dive: OpenAI’s Deep research is ready to go for Plus, Team, Enterprise and Edu subscribers. You’ll get 10 deep research queries per month that pulled detailed info from multiple sources. Try it: Select Deep research in the Composer.
5,000 year old
Mummies smell woody, spicy and sweet. That’s what a team of human sniffers (yes, it’s a real job) say. Ancient Egyptians used special waxes and balms to keep their pharaohs and nobles smelling nice. BO in the afterlife was a sign of corruption. I heard they also liked wrap music.
How to earn $25 million a year on eBay
Linda Lightman started by selling her kids’ video games on eBay in the ’90s. Today, she operates a 100,000 sq. ft. warehouse with a dedicated team, all thanks to her eBay success. Plus, updates on Apple’s AI developments and tax credits for EVs.
Laptop catches fire on plane
It started smoking inside a passenger’s bag. Plus, the RiteAid hack, and AT&T data breach. We also talk to Elliston Berry and Anna McAdams, a mother-daughter team fighting deepfake revenge porn.
Apple and Google team up to fix their stalking problem
Stalkers are using AirTags and other Bluetooth trackers to follow people. When two major tech rivals work together, you know it’s serious.