When ads become content: The new norm for Gen Alpha

Unlike any generation before, Gen Alpha never experienced a time without pervasive digital influence. Social media is where entertainment and ads mix, sometimes reaching children who might not fully understand they’re being marketed to.

In the past, a child hearing, “No, you don’t need that,” from a parent learned to manage impulses tangibly and productively. The store aisle was a controlled environment, and adults helped set limits that felt real and immediate. 

But today’s reality is different, and on social media, that kind of guidance doesn’t exist for Gen Alpha. Children as young as age 8 or 9 are bombarded with powerful, direct and highly engaging visual corporate messages that turn products and commercial lifestyles into objects of near-obsessive admiration. For today’s young generation, the line dividing entertainment from advertising has effectively vanished. Corporate messages no longer knock before suggesting consumerism; now, they live inside the content itself with very little oversight or regulation.

Teens see thousands of targeted online ads every day

Children are uniquely vulnerable to marketing because their skills at critical thinking and impulse control are still developing. The constant stream of familiar faces, stories and product placements on social media can light up the same pleasure centers that drive adult buying habits, conditioning young minds to crave and consume in ways that can become deeply ingrained and addictive. 

Advertising for children has evolved into a multibillion-dollar industry. According to estimates shared by UNICEF, a typical 14-year-old encounters around 1,260 advertisements daily on social media. 

Brands track children’s online behavior using sophisticated algorithms and data analytics, allowing them to deliver personalized ads that target kids’ interests and emotions. This constant, tailored exposure creates strong desires in children, who then repeatedly ask their parents to buy the products—a phenomenon known as “pester power.” Parents, often giving in to avoid conflict, complete the cycle with the final purchase. 

Kids’ spending power reaches $101 billion annually in the U.S.

According to DKC, parents of kids ages 8 to 14 estimate that 42% of household purchases are swayed by their children, with Gen Alpha directly controlling $101 billion of consumer spending power. The average child in this age group has $67 a week to spend, equaling $3,484 a year—almost 50% more than in 2024, according to Axios. Gen Alpha is drawn to highly visual, interactive and community-driven entertainment. Popular platforms like YouTube, TikTok and gaming streams dominate their screen time, with many preferring short, snackable content that fits into their fast-paced digital lives.

Gen Alpha thrives on popular cultural messages that flow naturally into their everyday conversations. Living and breathing online culture, their social norms create a clear divide from Gen Z in the digital realm. This generation rejects straightforward marketing altogether. They want to see their purchases woven into stories they can follow and engage with. 

How brands speak directly to Gen Alpha through storytelling

To reach Gen Alpha, brands are moving beyond traditional ads to create immersive, narrative-driven content. MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) is one of the world’s top digital influencers, and among the wealthiest, proving how a single creator can build a brand worth hundreds of millions. As of 2025, his net worth is estimated to be at $1 billion, with annual earnings reportedly exceeding $100 million through YouTube ad revenue, sponsorships, merchandise and his own product lines. His success is a prime example of how creative content and smart marketing can lead to massive earnings. 

With over-the-top challenges and jaw-dropping generosity, MrBeast keeps his young fans glued to the screen. But look closer, and you’ll see brilliant marketing at work. From slick sponsorships to subtle plugs for his own brands, like Feastables and MrBeast Burger, every view is a sales opportunity.

While viral TikTok trends generate quick buzz, they rarely foster lasting loyalty. Instead, brands are becoming full-fledged media creators, producing original, high-quality videos and collaborating with influencers to build enduring digital communities that resonate with young audiences.

In today’s social media landscape, advertising has transformed into a sophisticated creative industry. Leading directors and social creators craft compelling stories that connect deeply with Gen Alpha, blending cinematic artistry with cultural relevance. This approach makes brand messages feel authentic and engaging, speaking directly to a generation raised entirely within the digital world.

For Gen Alpha, connection with brands isn’t transactional; it’s relational. This generation demands narratives that resonate and communities that feel real. Marketers today face a paradox with this demographic though: They must build relationships through storytelling and community, yet do so with heightened awareness that this audience is uniquely impressionable. Responsibility here isn’t a box to check—it’s a continuous, evolving commitment to respect the boundaries between engagement and exploitation in an environment where those lines so often disappear.

Photo by LightField Studios/Shutterstock

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Start early

There are multiple ways to contribute to your company without leading it. A year or two before you leave, reflect on which path will best fit your own needs—as well as your company’s. “Have open conversations early on,” says Trina Aguirre, founder and CEO of Executive Exit Plan. “People are sometimes fearful or guilty about leaving. But a lot of times, companies will want their advice.”

David Radin, creator of Time Management in the Age of AI and CEO of Confirmed, agrees that making decisions in advance and getting everyone on the same page is essential. As a Dale Carnegie consultant, he coaches clients with succession planning and works with founders and executive teams. In his experience, “If you wait until a company changes hands, it’s too late.”

While you’re still in your role, you can make an impact on your company by creating processes to help it operate easily with new leadership and go in the direction you envision once you step down. Developing these processes includes procedural documentation and cultivating the skill sets of people who will assume new responsibilities, says Radin.

Consider your options

One way to step down without stepping away entirely is to serve on the company’s board. “If you’re a CEO or already on the board, you can negotiate continuing to be a board member or becoming a board member if you’re not one already,” says Aguirre.

Some people, often retiring CEOs, choose not to be on the board. Instead, they might coach and hire their successor. “If you’re leaving on good terms and know you’re leaving 18 months in advance, you can train someone in the company or search for the person to replace you,” explains Aguirre. As a former payroll director turned career transition strategist, she helps high-achieving professionals—especially women—build profitable exit strategies from corporate careers. She encourages her clients to specify how long they will train successors, how long they will be available to their successors after leaving, and what they will receive in exchange.

Retiring individuals might also negotiate a contracting or consulting role with their company to wean themselves into retirement. In this case, you should start negotiating your compensation 18 to 24 months in advance and secure a written contract.

Depending on your preferences, you might choose to volunteer after stepping down from your role. You can volunteer to train other leaders, help with fundraising or remain involved in initiatives that you implemented within your organization, Aguirre suggests. If you are leaving your company in the middle of a campaign, it’s likely the board will offer you compensation for staying to finish the campaign.

Maintaining ownership by owning the stock but handing over leadership to someone else is another option, says Radin. A final possibility is becoming a brand ambassador who attends public events on the company’s behalf. If you have pre-existing relationships with business leaders and politicians, this role can be especially compelling for you and your company.

Present your case

Whichever route you choose, you’ll need approval, so start documenting your contributions to the company so that you can present an offer the board can’t say no to. Be strategic when explaining how your involvement is in the best interest of the company, Aguirre recommends. For instance, if you want to be a brand ambassador, don’t say, “I don’t want to leave. I’m attached.” Outline the benefits for the company. You can say, “I have relationships already from being the face [of the company]. I’ll leverage those connections to advance our mission.”

HR is not the decision-maker if you want to be a brand ambassador, Aguirre says. “Talk to the highest person in the company, or talk to whoever is taking over—whoever is perceived to be the decision-maker and can advocate for you.” You will probably present to the board too.

Remaining on the board after leaving the company also requires the board’s approval. Come to this meeting with a proposed succession planning contract, including the specifics of how you want to stay involved. “Highlight [the] incentive of [an] orderly transition,” Radin says. “They might only say yes if they think you add value that they don’t have or if you’re decreasing their risk.”

In cases where your company is being acquired, identify who is in control. “Sometimes high-level employees are decision-makers. Sometimes there’s an acquisition team,” Radin explains. If you want to stay involved, you need to talk to whoever is actually negotiating the deal. “It’s in both parties’ best interest for you to be as involved as they need you to be involved,” Radin says. “So you can ask the person you’re negotiating with, ‘What role do you want me to play?’”

If you’re interested in coaching, contracting, consulting or leading a campaign, hammer out the details in a written contract at least a year before your departure. Compensation for your time and assets should be part of this conversation. “[It should] never just be a verbal agreement,” says Aguirre. “Sometimes smaller firms don’t run by the book and do verbal side agreements because they’re friends, and that usually doesn’t work out… you need it in writing to have leverage.”

Step in without overstepping

Self-reflection is required throughout this process. “Why do you want to be involved?” Radin asks. “There are compelling reasons, like you don’t want to retire, you want to support the mission, you want to support people succeeding you or you have a package where you’re still compensated. But you need to ask yourself this.”

Knowing your reasons for staying involved will help you be careful about what you’re offering, Aguirre says. You should ensure that your proposed involvement is really what you want to do and that it aligns with the goals you have after leaving your company.

Mentally preparing to not be in charge anymore is important too. “You’re in control of the company in your mind, and when another leader takes your place and you still want to help, it’s not easy to let go,” Aguirre says. “The lines are blurred unless there’s a clearly defined plan for what you’re doing, for how long and what results you are delivering.”

She recommends finding someone to confide in, such as a therapist, as leaving a high-ranking leadership role can be challenging. “If you’re a CEO, that role is tied to your identity, so stepping down can be like mourning a loss,” she says.

Of course, stepping down also offers new opportunities and the potential to remain involved in some way. “If you believe it’s possible, it can happen,” Aguirre says. By starting early and developing a strategic way to present what you would like to do, the succession planning process can be incredibly rewarding.

Photo by hxdbzxy/Shutterstock. This article originally appeared in the July issue of SUCCESS+ digital magazine.

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Is there a way to test a product or idea without committing to a full-scale product launch that is both expensive and time-consuming? Thankfully, there is: it’s called a minimum viable product (MVP). What is MVP? Let’s take a look under the hood of these customer information magnets.

What Is a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?

What is the meaning of a minimum viable product? Let’s break it down in straightforward terms. A minimum viable product is the simplest iteration of a product—or feature—used to validate customer demands before a full release. The core idea of an MVP was designed by the founder of Lean Startup Co., Eric Ries. He describes an MVP as creating something that gives a team the largest amount of validated knowledge of its customers for the least amount of effort. 

The key behind this product management schema is to build a product that you can sell to customers to learn about their behaviors. In startup ecosystems, MVPs are extremely helpful information-gathering tools because they typically have a low cost for creation and can give you critical customer resources. Finding out what your customers want can help a startup raise funds faster.

Tech companies also use MVPs often because developing software—such as an app—is expensive. Why take a risk that could cost thousands of dollars when you can release a single feature and see if the idea sticks? Also, money saved in the beginning stages can be funneled into product development if customers love the MVP you’ve created.

Why MVPs Matter in Product Development and Startups

For startups and companies that rely on strong products to generate revenue, MVPs can give them the necessary information to build something after their idea is validated. They can provide a quick go-to-market strategy for startups that have investors itching to see their dollars at work by getting a product out into the open for customers to try—rather than taking months or years to develop a full-scale product launch. 

In addition to idea validation, MVPs can also reduce business waste and energy. For instance, Dropbox, the software program that synchronizes files across multiple devices, started as an MVP. In an interview with Tech Crunch, CEO Drew Houston explains that Dropbox had a number of technical hurdles to overcome in order to be viable. Trying to share files across multiple platforms required deep integration in programs like Windows, Android, Macintosh, iPhone, etc., which would have taken massive work hours to pull off. 

Instead, Houston made a simple, self-narrated video to show the features of his idea without creating a full product. “It drove hundreds of thousands of people to the website. Our beta waiting list went from 5,000 people to 75,000 people literally overnight. It totally blew us away,” he told TechCrunch. 

As a result, thousands of users flocked to his website. Dropbox saved time by not launching a full idea without customer validation. This MVP of his idea also successfully tested user demand. The proof was in the pudding, so to speak, and Dropbox went on to be a highly successful tech company. 

But is creating an MVP just as easy as making a simple video or a cheap product? No, not at all. In fact, there are a number of steps that go into creating the best MVP possible.

How to Build a Minimum Viable Product

Each MVP design is different for each business. However, because all MVPs are focused on uncovering customer information at their core, they generally follow a common build pattern. Here are some typical steps to building an MVP.

1. Research the Market

Though an MVP does help you with market research, you’ll also need to do some digging into customer pain points before you create something to solve them. It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. Start by asking questions about what issues you’re seeing in your markets. Maybe you’re in a large city and you hear lots of tourists struggling with navigation issues. Or, you might do some competitive research on other products in your area of expertise to see how you can improve. You could conduct a 1:1 interview to learn about what issues potential customers are facing or create an online survey, for example. 

You need to find your potential customers and their pain points in this step, so you can begin to think of which features are necessary for your MVP.

2. Differentiate Your Idea From the Competition

While you might have looked at your competitors in the last step, now you want to hone in on what they’re creating in light of what problems you can solve. Are there gaps in your competition’s products where you can solve an issue? Is your market saturated with similar ideas? If so, how can yours stand out? 

In a few words, you need to find out what makes your product different from the others. This key point discovery will guide your development process. This way, you can create an MVP that both solves customer pain points and doesn’t blend in with the other options. Too much similarity with the competition and your MVP won’t stand out enough to get picked up and tested. 

From another angle, you’re trying to come up with a value proposition. What makes your product valuable to customers? 

3. Prioritize Features

By this point, you likely have a number of potential features you want to include in your MVP to solve the customer pain points you’ve identified. Resist the temptation to solve every problem you find. Remember, you’re trying to create a minimum viable product, not a Swiss Army knife that solves everything. 

To do this, make a list of all the features you and your team have come up with. Divide the features into three categories: high, medium, and low priority. High-priority features are those that solve the biggest problems or customer needs. Medium priority features might help solve the major problems, but they aren’t necessary in all cases. Finally, low-priority features are only nice-to-haves—bells and whistles that make your idea look good. Those can be discarded entirely. 

4. Launch Your MVP

Now that you have a full list of core features, it’s time to launch your MVP. Make sure to only use minimal resources to do so, as you want low costs to maximize ROI. That said, you also don’t want to release a product that will fail for customers. That could cost you your brand’s reputation. 

As part of the launch, it’s a good idea to gather a group of testers who can try out your MVP, either before or as part of your initial launch. They can give you valuable feedback that you can use in other product iteration steps. 

Feeling overwhelmed or unsure how to launch an MVP that will actually bring you clear customer insights? Join a group of expert entrepreneurs and startup executives at The SUCCESS® Mastermind for coaching and advice. 

Common MVP Formats and Examples

MVPs come in various types, styles, and formats. Here are some common examples to help you decide what MVP type will suit your goals best.

Core Feature Prototype

This is a stripped-down version of the full product, such as a basic app or website. It contains only the critical features the product or service requires to fulfill customer needs. 

Example: Spotify’s initial MVP was a simple desktop app focused solely on music streaming. This allowed early testing of its core concept before adding features like playlists or mobile support.

Promotional Landing Page

A minimal landing page outlining the product concept can measure interest and collect user sign-ups or inquiries. Adding an email sign-up or other information-gathering system can also provide you with a potential list of test users later.

Example: Buffer used a landing page to promote its core service concept, gathering customer feedback and interest before the idea was even in development.

Short Concept Video 

A short video showcasing the product’s purpose and functionality to assess viewer interest and engagement can help validate an MVP quickly. Especially in an age where video-focused platforms are becoming more popular (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, YouTube), this is an extremely inexpensive way to test an idea. All you need is your smartphone.

Example: Dropbox’s 2007 explainer video demonstrated its file-syncing idea, driving thousands of sign-ups before the product was fully built.

Concierge MVP or Manual Service Products

This option is designed to deliver the product’s service manually to simulate the experience that mimics what the automated software would do. This type of MVP format is perfect for tech companies developing an app, for example. It allows them to show off the capabilities of a costly idea (e.g., an app) without using resources and funds to develop it fully.

Example: Shoe retailer Zappos started as a concierge MVP, with the founder manually buying shoes from stores to fulfill online orders, testing demand for online shoe retail.

Crowdfunding Campaigns

Launching a campaign is a simple way to evaluate market interest and secure early funding from potential users. This MVP format is ideal for startups and businesses with investors.

Example: Oculus Rift’s Kickstarter campaign tested demand for VR headsets, raising millions and validating their concepts and features.

User Surveys 

Collecting direct input from potential customers through questionnaires or forms to gauge interest and identify needs can give you insights into how a product or service would perform without actually delivering it. This method is especially cost-effective for small businesses.

Example: Slack used surveys during its beta phase to understand how teams used the tool. This helped shape its messaging and collaboration features.

Pros and Cons of Releasing a Minimum Viable Product

Depending on your business context, using an MVP might be a prudent idea. Or, it might be one that doesn’t quite fit. Here are some pros and red flags of MVPs to help you make that call. 

Pros

• Reduces initial product spending: Instead of spending large amounts of capital upfront to create an ideal product, MVPs give businesses the opportunity to gather information with limited spending. Because they are creating a less fleshed-out product, it costs less and takes fewer resources to launch. 
• Mitigates risk: Launching a full product not knowing how your customer base will react is risky and could put your profits at risk. Using an MVP allows you to avoid developing products that won’t make the cut with consumers. 
• Gives early feedback: For startups, especially, getting feedback from customers early can help show investors progress in the marketplace. MVPs allow them to do so with limited buy-in. 

Cons

• Requires high amounts of customer knowledge: To create a successful MVP, a business needs to know exactly what its customers need. This can require a large amount of focus on customer or market research. Some businesses might not be able to do this due to time and/or resource constraints.
• Carries the risk of reputational damage: MVPs are designed to launch quickly, but this can be a double-edged sword. If an MVP is created with sub-par features or fails in the hands of a consumer, a brand’s reputation could be damaged. If expectations that the product is still in development aren’t communicated clearly, this could also give consumers the impression that a brand doesn’t create quality products. 
• Has the potential of being copied: Getting a simple idea to market as soon as possible is a strong way to get customer feedback quickly. However, it also gives the competition an idea to develop more fully. If a competitor takes your successful MVP idea and develops a full product off of it, they could end up taking your client base away from you before your product is refined. 

When and How to Iterate Beyond the MVP

An MVP is a short-term launch to get important customer feedback before you scale to full product development. But what do you do once you have all that feedback in hand? 

For starters, you need to analyze what consumers said about the idea. Was it positive, negative, or a mix of both? Are there any features that customers are looking for that you can add to the MVP? 

If you received mostly positive feedback on your first iteration, it might be time to add more features to the product or enhance already existing ones to better align with customer needs. 

If the feedback received was overwhelmingly positive, that could be a strong sign to build a full product as soon as possible. Clear signs of market demand can point to a strong need that only a fully developed product can fulfill. This means investing more resources and capital into the project and potentially moving on to more testing. In some cases, it may even be wise to branch out to new markets altogether to access a larger customer base.

Finally, if the MVP was a bust, that’s OK. All that means is the idea might not have been a good market fit, and it needs to be set aside. Choosing not to proceed with a poor project, rather than trying to rebuild it from the ground up, can save massive time and resources. 

Making Your MVP Work for You 

What is a minimal viable product? It’s something that could potentially take your business to the next level. While effort, research, and decision-making are necessary for creating an MVP, the results can be well worth it by what you gain. Whether it’s a hit that points to a successful full-scale launch, a growth process to help you continue developing your idea, or it’s a bust that helps you pivot to a new idea, there’s much to learn from launching an MVP. Weigh the pros and cons, consider your resources, and decide if taking your idea from concept to MVP is the right step for your business. 

If you’re thinking of taking your MVP or startup idea to the next step, or want more resources on building a successful business, check out SUCCESS® Coaching. Our roster of expert leaders in multiple niches can help your MVP keep momentum while scaling into a full product or guide you through difficult decisions to abandon an idea altogether. 

Running a business is always better—and more fulfilling—with others working alongside you.

Photo courtesy of Chay_Tee/Shutterstock

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RECODemand, a consulting firm built by experienced real estate agents, is taking an approach that focuses on quality. Rather than simply pushing for more leads, RECODemand concentrates on helping real estate and mortgage professionals attract and convert high-quality leads. They do this using webinar funnels, a digital marketing strategy that scales trust and engagement.

The real cost of low-quality leads in real estate and mortgage marketing

Agents and loan officers may start their lead generation journey with good intentions but the wrong tools. They might invest in social network homes’ list ads, expensive pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, generic social media posts or rely on broker-fed customer relationship management (CRM) systems filled with cold leads. The time spent on cold calling unresponsive prospects or chasing “maybes” can be overwhelming.

If those efforts fail, agents might turn to tactics like calling old phone directories, contacting acquaintances or attempting to convert grocery store shoppers. According to RECODemand, these inefficient strategies can lead to burnout, lost opportunities and minimal returns.

RECODemand believes that many real estate and mortgage professionals may not realize that time spent chasing poor leads means missed opportunities: it’s time that could have been spent nurturing high-quality prospects. RECODemand maintains that leads generated without trust often view agents as just another salesperson trying to close a deal, not as a trusted advisor.

How RECODemand’s webinar funnels improve real estate and mortgage lead generation

RECODemand offers a fresh approach by helping agents and mortgage professionals build webinar funnels, a digital evolution of the time-tested in-person seminars. These online webinars are designed to educate buyers and sellers about the real estate and mortgage processes in a clear, transparent way. This aims to foster trust before any sales conversation occurs.

Unlike typical sales webinars, RECODemand’s funnels prioritize value-driven education, potentially turning prospects into informed clients who feel confident moving forward. As the RECODemand team explains, “Nobody else is taking the time to properly educate buyers and sellers. That’s why our clients immediately stand out.”

From burnout to business growth: the power of one webinar per week

The strength of the RECODemand system lies in its leverage. Instead of spending hours on one-on-one calls, agents run a single weekly webinar. This system requires only about 90 minutes per week to manage once set up, freeing agents to focus on closing and other high-impact activities.

The mindset shift: leading with help, not pressure

According to RECODemand, the biggest shift agents and mortgage professionals must make aren’t just technical, they’re mental. Agents may believe that success comes from being loud, aggressive or relentlessly chasing leads. In today’s market, however, authenticity and education win.

“Most real estate or mortgage marketing is just sell, sell, sell,” says the RECODemand team. “But people don’t want to be sold to, they want to be helped.”

RECODemand shares that by providing valuable information through webinars, agents can position themselves as trusted guides instead of pushy salespeople. This aims to build stronger relationships and higher-quality leads, which could lead to better conversions.

Industry trends: why webinar funnels are a strong option in lead generation

The real estate and mortgage industries are evolving rapidly. Rising ad costs and increased competition can impact traditional lead generation.

Meanwhile, the rise of AI-generated content and influencer marketing can make it harder to build authentic connections. RECODemand asserts that webinar funnels offer a scalable way to build authority and trust through direct education and engagement, cutting through the clutter.

Striving to transform lead generation strategy

If you’re ready to break free from the cycle of bad leads, wasted time and burnout, RECODemand’s webinar funnel system aims to offer a path forward for real estate and mortgage professionals.

More information is available on their homepage at www.RECODemand.com or connect on LinkedIn to stay updated with industry insights, case studies and expert tips that can help you grow your business.

Photo by Mike Jones.

The post The Hidden Cost of Bad Leads: How RECODemand’s Webinar Funnels Help Real Estate and Mortgage Professionals Generate High-Quality Leads appeared first on SUCCESS.

Whether you’re a CEO looking for a successor or filling other leadership roles, this expert-backed, step-by-step guide will help you identify the best leaders for your organization. Plus, experts share their best advice on training successors, so they can lead with confidence.

How to Identify Potential Successors

Step 1: Recognize What Roles Need to Be Filled

“Leaders can anticipate and recognize which roles need to be filled by consistently reviewing both short-term and long-term objectives,” says Bobbie Weichselbaum, CEO of E. Gluck Corporation, a global fashion watch manufacturer. “Regular evaluations of current teams can reveal any missing core competencies or areas that are overburdened.”

Weichselbaum also suggests talking to employees to discover “pain points” within the company, where new leadership or talent could benefit.

“Once a need is identified, leaders can create detailed job descriptions and offer cross-training opportunities to ensure the team remains agile and capable of adapting to change,” she says.

When a CEO is transitioning out, Shama Hyder, the CEO of Zen Media, recommends breaking down the CEO’s job into different operational functions and looking at succession as a distributed model.

“It might not be one person. It might be, like, three different people with different goals and different areas of competencies,” says Hyder. “I think you start looking at it as competencies and what you need filled. Then, it’s like any other job that you are trying to fill.” She says that this could take the pressure off of finding one “perfect” person to assume the CEO position.

Step 2: Pick Out Promising Candidates 

The best place to start your search for successors is within your own company. While hiring externally may end up being the best choice for your business, promoting internal candidates “fosters growth and loyalty,” says Weichselbaum.

“A leader should begin by looking within the company for high performers—those who not only meet but exceed expectations,” she says. “It’s important to also consider individuals who demonstrate leadership qualities, even if they haven’t yet held a formal leadership role.”

If it’s not possible to promote internally, special consideration is needed when hiring external talent.

“When hiring externally, it’s critical to find candidates who not only have proven experience in the relevant field but also align with the company’s values, culture and work ethic,” she adds, saying that individuals who aren’t in alignment will struggle regardless of their skill set.

Step 3: Evaluate Each Candidate

When determining the right candidate for a leadership role, numerous factors should be taken into account.

Experience & Background

Looking into your candidate’s experience will give you a good understanding of what they will bring into the role, who they are as an employee and what skills they may have developed during their career.

When evaluating a candidate’s experience, ask these questions:

• Have they been in any leadership positions in the past?

• What specifically about their background makes them suited for the position?

• Is there anything about their experience or background that could be problematic once they step into the position? Are these things trainable?

• How much training would this candidate need to be ready to assume the role?

“A candidate should have a deep understanding of the competitive landscape and be familiar with industry best practices and trends,” says Weichselbaum.

Skills

Now that you have identified the roles that need to be filled and what skills are required to excel in those roles, look at your candidates’ skills to see if they are a good fit.

“When identifying the appropriate candidate for a role, it’s essential to evaluate both technical skills and soft skills,” says Weichselbaum. “Hard skills, such as industry-specific knowledge or technical abilities, are foundational. However, equally important are communication, adaptability and problem-solving skills.

“If necessary, companies can invest in targeted training programs to help current employees develop specific skills for a new role,” she says.

Past Performance

Past performance is a key indicator of how the potential successor will perform in their new role, according to Weichselbaum. “How well have they worked within their teams? Do they show initiative and have they consistently met or exceeded expectations?” she says.

To be able to look back at the employee’s past performance, Hyder emphasizes the importance of documentation. “Document everything,” says Hyder. “When things happen with certain people, document them so you can start to see patterns—the good and the bad, everything. A mistake is a mistake. So, like, things happen, but repeated mistakes show you a pattern.”

Personality

A candidate can look great on paper, but if they don’t have the personality for being a leader, they could be ineffective in their new role.

Great leaders will be passionate about the growth of their company or teams. They are wonderful communicators and even better listeners, and they have the ability to inspire subordinates and gain their respect easily.

“Candidates should also be open to feedback and show a willingness to improve based on constructive criticism they receive from their leaders,” says Weichselbaum.

How to Train Successors for the Job

“Training for potential successors should be structured, hands-on and ongoing to effectively prepare them for leadership roles,” says Weichselbaum. “Regular performance reviews, along with peer feedback, help assess leadership effectiveness and areas for improvement.”

She stresses the importance of providing successors with shadowing opportunities and mentorship throughout the entire process. 

“Shadowing is a vital aspect of the training process, allowing the employee to learn firsthand from current leaders, observe their management styles and understand decision-making processes. This mentorship ensures that the employee receives continuous guidance and support as they grow into their new role.”

She also notes that a development plan of 12 to 36 months is generally enough time to train the successor for the position, and the process should start with “exploration and assessment, then gradually move into hands-on training.”

“The plan should allow them to shadow and progressively take on more responsibility, building up their skills and independence. The goal is for them to eventually transition into a leadership role where they can function autonomously while continuing to receive support and guidance,” she adds.

Small Business Considerations

In a small company, bias and claims of bias within the decision-making process are more likely to occur. To avoid this challenge, Hyder recommends that small and family-owned companies bring in an external adviser to ensure an unbiased process.

“One of the things that I recommend is bringing in an outsider, someone who can be objective, because you’re just gonna be too close to it, especially if family is involved,” she says.

According to Weichselbaum, succession planning within a small business is largely the same as in a larger organization, though the process will be more informal with a smaller pool of candidates, and chosen successors will have more frequent opportunities for hands-on training.

“The principles of identifying potential, providing training and offering mentorship are still crucial,” she says. “Even in smaller businesses, taking the time to evaluate needs, identify talent and provide development opportunities ensures a stronger, more cohesive team.”

Key Takeaways

Succession planning often isn’t a breeze and can be tricky to navigate, but dividing the process of identifying quality candidates into steps will help you move forward. Start by recognizing what roles need to be filled and look for gaps in skill sets within your organization. Compose a list of candidates and evaluate each one based on key factors such as their experience and skills, along with their personality and past performance.

“It’s important to remember that not every potential successor will be the right fit. Always have a backup plan to ensure continuity and stability within the organization,” says Weichselbaum.

Giving successors at least a year of mentorship and training will ensure they step into the role with confidence to lead your organization, while also allowing other employees to get used to their leadership.

“Gradual transitions into new roles are key to ensuring smoother adaptation. Abrupt changes can cause instability,” she says. “Succession planning is not a one-time event—it’s an ongoing process. Continuous support and coaching remain essential throughout this journey.”

This article originally appeared in the July 2025 issue of SUCCESS+ digital magazine. Photo courtesy of Ground Picture/Shutterstock.

The post Next in Line: How to Identify and Train Your Successor appeared first on SUCCESS.

Yet, along with these modern challenges, some have remained unchanged, including securing funds. Funding is often one of the biggest obstacles startups face, especially those in their early stages. Even before the real search begins, startup founders must decide how to source the funds. From self-funding, loans and crowdfunding to angels and VCs, the options are diverse and impact the overall funding strategy. 

However, not every option suits every startup. This article will clear the clouds of doubt and help you gain the knowledge and techniques you need to get funding for your startup.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting funds for your startup can be important for various reasons. If you are starting from scratch, you’ll need money for fundamental reasons like product development and staffing. Later, funds help with research and development, scaling operations, expanding to new locations, diversifying the business and reaching other myriad milestones. 

The funding journey of a startup usually has the following stages or funding rounds, depending on your current stage of business:

Pre-seed 

Pre-seed is the earliest funding round, and it usually happens when a startup has just commenced operations or is planning to do so. This round marks the first sums of money that go into the company, usually from personal savings, friends, family members or angel investors who believe in the founder(s) and their business idea.

Seed 

Once a startup has started gaining momentum, i.e., showing continuous increases in sales, revenue or customer base, it can be the perfect time for a seed round. It is the first official round of funding where angel investors and venture capital firms can chip in significant amounts to improve the product, boost operations and hire more staff if needed. Seed rounds give startups the first strong push forward.

Series A

A startup exhibiting promising performance after its seed round and a solid strategy for long-term growth is ready for a Series A round. This is the first major funding round that involves bigger investors and greater funds. This round usually attracts more venture capitalists who see the company’s high growth potential and invest significant amounts to help scale its operations. 

Series B and Beyond

With a successful Series A round, a startup has already established its presence and potential among investors. Series B and consecutive rounds usually focus on further scaling and expanding the business. This can include many goals, such as launching new products, diversifying into a new industry, growing to more locations, acquiring other companies, etc. Investors participating in these rounds are ready to invest more money in the hopes of getting larger returns.

How to Prepare Before Seeking Startup Funding

To maximize your chances of convincing investors to fund your startup, you must go in prepared with everything they would like to know about your business. This includes:

A Business Plan

A business plan is your business’s blueprint. It should describe your product, its unique selling propositions (USPs), the problem it solves, the target customers and competitors and the business model you’ve planned. The point is to give investors all the key insights they need to understand your business.

Market Research

Foundational market research is necessary to validate your business idea, so make sure you have relevant data to support your business’s potential. This can be any industry trends indicating the growing need for your product, statistics suggesting a growing base of your ideal customers or anything similar. 

Financial Projections

Doing in-depth market research will also help you understand your product’s potential success in the market. For example, you can estimate the number of potential customers in an untapped market or region and project sales and revenue figures. Investors will require this info to better understand your business.

Pitch Deck

Once you have your business plan complete with the model, market research and financial projections, the next big task is to pack everything into a powerful pitch deck presentation. It shouldn’t be too long—usually 10-15 slides—but it should effectively and clearly summarize everything for your potential investors. 

Proof of Concept

A proof of concept (POC) is a trial or demo of the product or service your startup plans to offer. If your startup has yet to develop a product, a POC is very important to convince your investors that your business idea not only looks good on paper but can actually work. Depending on your product, your POC can be a live demo, a pilot project or a limited version of an app—basically, anything that shows the viability of your idea.

Where to Get Funding for a Startup

Where and how you get funds for your startup largely depends on which stage of business you are in and how much funding you need. That said, here are some of the most common sources of getting funds for your startup.

1. Venture Capitalists (VCs)

VC firms are the most common sources of funds for any startup. They work by pooling money from many affluent individuals, pension funds, insurance companies and other sources, and investing it in companies in exchange for equity. These firms only invest in startups that have a high growth potential. So, while they can help you with huge sums of money, your business must be promising enough to attract venture capitalists.

Ideal for	Early-stage and growth startups
Pros	Provide large sums of money; Offer strategic guidance; Improve credibility
Cons	Demand equity (ownership); May push for quick returns; Take away control and freedom
Examples	Sequoia Capital, Accel, Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz

2. Angel Investors

Angel investors are high-net-worth individuals, such as businesspeople and celebrities, who invest their money in startups in exchange for a share of ownership. Some are also industry experts who can offer valuable guidance and connect you with other investors and people who can help your company grow.

Ideal for	Pre-launch and early-stage startups
Pros	Access to valuable connections; May offer expertise and guidance; May improve credibility
Cons	Demand equity; Can take away some control
Examples	Peter Thiel, Jeff Bezos, Naval Ravikant

3. Crowdfunding Platforms

Crowdfunding platforms are online websites that can help you raise money for startups by gathering small amounts of funds from many people, mainly regular people who like your startup idea or product. Crowdfunding can be a good way to generate funds without giving away any ownership.

Ideal for	Pre-launch and early-stage startups
Pros	Possible without diluting equity; No need to pay back like loans; No credit history required
Cons	May not raise significant amounts; Business ideas risk getting copied
Examples	Kickstarter, Fundable, Indiegogo, Patreon

4. Incubators 

If your business is in a very early stage, or if it’s just an idea, an incubator program may be a good place to find support and guidance. Incubators are often backed by universities and government agencies and help founders build ideas, develop a product and business model and grow their company. They also offer office space and equipment, access to investors and, in some cases, even direct funding or grants.

Ideal for	Pre-launch and early-stage startups
Pros	Offer support, resources and guidance; Access to investors and connections; Access to workspace
Cons	No direct funding in most casesGrowth may be slow
Examples	Capital Factory, StartX, TechNexus, Seedcamp

5. Accelerators

Accelerators also offer various forms of support, mentorship and funds to help startups grow. However, unlike incubators, accelerator programs only support early-stage startups that are already in business and have launched at least one product. They usually work by hosting short cohorts—usually a few months long—that help startups with the resources, guidance and funds to expand and scale faster.

Ideal for	Early-stage startups
Pros	Help startups scale quickly; Offer extensive training; Offer direct funding
Cons	Demand equity in exchange for funds; May put pressure to scale quickly
Examples	Y Combinator, TechStars, SOSV, AngelPad

6. Small Business Loans

Business loans from banks and credit unions can be another way to fund a startup. Depending on your business stage, you may need a well-defined business plan, revenue figures, financial projections and other relevant info to apply for a startup funding loan. If you have trouble securing a loan, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) can guarantee your loan for amounts as high as $5.5 million.

Ideal for	Early-stage and older startups
Pros	Equity remains intact; Uniform repayment structure; Timely payments increase credit score
Cons	Securing a loan can be difficult; May demand collateral or a guarantee
Examples	Small business loans from Rapid Finance, TD Bank, Bank of America, etc.

Tip: You can use SBA’s Lender Match to find SBA-guaranteed loans.

7. Business Grants

Grants are sums of money you don’t have to pay back. They can offer you funding without asking you to dilute your equity or repay the money. You can apply for startup funding grants via private organizations or individuals or even government agencies like the SBA. Eligibility rules vary across grant providers. Some offer grants to businesses with a specific cause, while many support founders from specific communities.

Ideal for	Early-stage and older startups
Pros	No need to pay back; No equity dilution; Improves the startup’s credibility
Cons	Fierce competition; Complex eligibility rules
Examples	The Amber Grant for Women, Comcast RISE, the Pride Grant

8. Friends and Family

If you just need some seed funding to set the wheels of your startup in motion, you can start the search with your friends and family. Getting loans from people who personally know you can be easier and less stressful, as no complex legal rules and paperwork are involved, and you can get your funds at low or even zero interest rates.

Ideal for	Pre-launch and early-stage startups
Pros	Minimal paperwork required; Quick and convenient; Low or no interest rates
Cons	Puts personal relationships at risk; Not suitable for large funding needs

9. Bootstrapping

Instead of seeking funds from others, you can also self-fund your business. This is called bootstrapping. Since it’s your money, you retain complete control over your business. You can use funds from your savings or liquidate your investments to fund your startup. Withdrawing from your IRA or 401(k) account is also an option, but be wary of doing that, as it can attract hefty taxes.

Ideal for	Startups with low initial capital requirements
Pros	No equity dilution; No need to convince others; No need to repay
Cons	Personal savings may take a hit; Limited funding; Slower growth
Examples of Bootstrapped Companies	Github, GoPro, Zoho, Zerodha, etc.

10. Other Funding Sources

Aside from the common routes of funding for your startup, you can also opt for other options, such as:

• Personal business loans
• Business credit cards
• Microloans from Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and nonprofits
• Online business loans

While you usually can’t expect to receive huge amounts of money from these sources, they can still give you a head start if other options are not feasible. 

Best Funding Strategies for Startups in 2026

According to a 2021 report, 38% of startups fail due to a lack of financing. That’s roughly two out of five startups that go out of business because they run out of cash and funding. 

Of course, cash flow problems can arise due to a myriad of reasons. Yet, one reason for failing at funding is simply having a poor funding strategy. So, while we hope your startup keeps growing, here are some good strategies to follow while seeking funds:

Use AI tools for Pitch Building

AI pitch-building tools can help you create interactive pitch deck slides—complete with compelling visuals, graphs and text. Tools like Gamma, Beautiful.ai, Decktopus and Plus AI are some of the best examples. 

While you research your VCs, competitors and the market, these tools can save you a lot of time creating presentations and help with interactive visual storytelling, which is essential for any pitch deck.

Use Online Platforms to Connect with Investors

Even before you start convincing investors, you must first complete the challenging task of finding them. Luckily, there are many platforms you can use to connect with angel investors and VCs. Some of these platforms are:

• AngelList
• Crunchbase
• Vestbee
• OpenVC

These platforms can match you with investors that align with your funding needs, industry and other specifics of your business. You can also connect with angel investors and VCs directly via LinkedIn and other social networking sites.

Focus on Sustainability and Impact

Consumer focus on sustainability and social impact has increased globally, which is why investors are actively favoring ESG-focused businesses. This is your cue to focus on the environmental, sustainability and governance (ESG) aspects of your startup. 

The more practical steps you take in this direction, the better you can present yourself as a startup that cares about its customers’ preferences and the planet at large. Of course, you’ll still need to prove your business potential. But being a sustainable and impact startup can be another reason why someone may want to invest in you.

Incorporate AI into Your Business

McKinsey’s State of AI survey reveals that 78% of businesses use AI in some way. It’s no surprise that investors are also becoming AI-savvy. Incorporating AI into your business is not an option anymore. 

Regardless of whether your business has an AI product, try to employ AI capabilities in key aspects—be it for boosting operations, improving customer experience, marketing and sales or any other key aspects. Just like ESG, AI can offer another competitive edge to attract investors to your startup. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Looking for Startup Funding

Finding success in startup funding depends on many factors. But some mistakes can make it much harder for you to secure funds. So make sure to avoid these common mistakes when looking for funding for your startup.

1. Asking Too Soon

The prospect of a well-funded startup is enticing. But you must also get the timing right. Many founders rush to seek external funding even when the business lacks a strong base. This can lead to misallocation of funds, over-hiring and premature expansion and scaling, which can increase losses. And let’s not forget that diluting equity too early often means overdiluting equity, which is never a good situation to be in.

How to avoid: 

• Try to build a strong business model and a minimum viable product (MVP) before seeking external funding.
• Ask only when it’s necessary and only as much as necessary.
• Avoid excessive dilution if you’re in an early stage.
• Seek guidance from experts, incubators or accelerators about funding readiness.

2. Not Knowing Your Numbers

Numbers can make or break any pitch deck. So, make sure you’ve got all the figures relevant to your business. Your potential investors deserve to know your company’s financial figures, customer data and future projections, as well as the market research and stats that back your business’s potential. If your pitch lacks such key numbers, it will not sit right with your potential investors.  

How to avoid:

• Compile important financial data, company details and market trends. 
• Include the important ones in the pitch deck.
• Keep more data handy to be prepared for unexpected questions. 

3. Incorrectly Valuing Your Startup

Overvaluing your business can make investors hesitant to invest. Even if you succeed in one round, an incorrectly high valuation will pressure your business to clock higher revenues than are realistically possible, impacting successive funding rounds. On the other hand, undervaluing your company will make it more prone to equity dilution and loss of control.

How to avoid:

• Arrive at a valuation only after careful financial and competitor analyses. 
• Factor in past financial performance (if it exists).
• Don’t rely too heavily on future projections. 
• Follow proven methods like the Berkus method, cost-to-duplicate method, etc. 
• Be open to negotiations with investors. 

4. Not Preparing the Pitch Deck Well

In some cases, you may only get 10-15 minutes to pitch your company to investors. Yet, many founders make the mistake of not preparing their pitch well. They may include a lot of non-essential details, take too long to come to the important points or, worse, miss out on details that actually matter to investors. 

How to avoid: 

• Try to get to the essential details within the first few minutes. 
• Include key stats and interactive visuals.
• Avoid cluttering slides with too many details. 
• Add information on the target market size, company figures and team strengths 
• Practice your pitch well to make it strong and effective.

5. Over-Relying on a Single Funding Source

Another common startup funding mistake is depending too much on one type of funding source. Many startups focus almost exclusively on private investors like VCs. But having them as your only funding source means you are always looking to dilute more equity and give away control of your business to outsiders. 

How to avoid:

• Explore multiple funding options depending on your funding needs. 
• Try to have a mix of loans, private investors and self-funding.

Securing the Right Funding for Your Startup

While VCs and angel investors are two of the most widely known sources of funds, they may not suit every startup, and not every startup may even need them. What works for your startup depends on your startup’s unique funding needs and business goals, which may vary across different stages. So, analyze your situation to decide the best funding options for your business and prepare accordingly.

Photo by PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

The post How to Fund a Startup: Tips & Strategies for Success appeared first on SUCCESS.

Are employees and travelers ready to forgive and forget? And what does it take to rebuild trust and reputation at this scale?

Profit returns, but problems remain

According to CNBC, Boeing reported shining numbers for Q2 this year, with an 81% sales increase in the commercial airplane unit and a 10% increase in revenue in the defense and space unit. That translates to over $17 billion, but that doesn’t mean the company is out of the woods yet.

New chief executive, Kelly Ortberg, who was brought in to revive the company’s reputation, said, “Change takes time, but we’re starting to see a difference in our performance across the business,” in a note to staff.

Ortberg plans to save Boeing by rebuilding its corporate culture and focusing on passenger safety to regain public trust. But there’s still a long way to go. 

Worker confidence is at an all-time low

Bjorn Fehrm, an aeronautical and economic analyst at industry consultants Leeham Company, said to the BBC, “People in Boeing don’t believe in words from top management any more.”

Sam Mohawk, a QA investigator at a Washington Boeing factory, came forward in 2024 to blow the whistle on what he described as a “broken down” system. 

At West Coast factories, 33,000 unionized workers went on strike in mid-September 2024, per Reuters. The strike ended in November when 59% of workers accepted a 38% pay increase over four years and a 401(k) match increase. The strike cost Boeing $5.5 billion, according to Anderson Economic Group.

Now, 3,200 unionized workers from Missouri and Illinois factories are threatening to strike. According to Fox Business, they rejected a contract with a 20% wage increase over four years, a $5,000 ratification bonus and more vacation/sick days.

The strike threatens the 10% revenue increase in the defense manufacturing unit, but Boeing is in a position of weakness. Its fragile state poses an opportunity for skilled manufacturing workers to improve their contracts. 

A drastic increase in wages and benefits for workers could slow down Boeing’s profits just as it’s reviving them. But how the company handles this looming strike could ripple into public perception. 

Sacrificing speed for safety

Boeing’s most recent strike could lose public favor. It could also reinforce the perception that the company is chaotic and disorganized.

Beyond company politics, Boeing still needs to restore the public’s faith in the safety of its aircraft. It’s using third-party validation of quality systems, which is expensive but integral to rebuilding credibility.

Spurred by the January 2024 incident, the company has implemented a “systemic overhaul of its quality and safety protocols,” per AInvest.

Boeing’s 2025 Safety and Quality Plan includes four pillars: workforce training, process simplification, defect elimination and safety culture elevation. The company is strategically slowing down its manufacturing to assure people that it values safety over speed and revenue. Only time will tell if the public can trust again.

Delivering planes—and on promises

While the reduced Q2 earnings showed promise, this is just the beginning of Boeing’s turnaround. 

Its comeback depends on stabilizing the delivery of planes like the 737 MAX and the 2026 arrival of the 777X. At the end of 2024, Boeing had 8,700 planes in its order backlog, meaning plenty of revenue if it could deliver on its safety and manufacturing promises. 

However, the potential strike and continued distrust among workers and the public stand in the way of success. Transparency and accountability are crucial. It won’t happen overnight, but with a careful and genuine approach, Boeing can once again be a dominating brand. 

Boeing’s climb back to the top must be slow, steady and safe, much like its new manufacturing processes.

Photo by Falcons Spotters/Shutterstock

The post Can Boeing Soar Again? What Its Comeback Could Mean for American Jobs and Confidence in the Skies appeared first on SUCCESS.

“At eXp, our mission has always been to empower agents and entrepreneurs to achieve more than they ever thought possible,” Sanford says. “With SUCCESS+, we are bringing that same agent-centric, innovative mindset to the broader personal and professional growth space, harnessing AI to deliver personalized learning, meaningful connections and opportunities for everyone to level up faster than ever before. We see SUCCESS+ as a platform where today’s leaders, creators and partners can collaborate and grow side-by-side with those who aspire to join them.”

SUCCESS+ is the foundation for a thriving global community of growth-minded individuals, teams and partners, offering unmatched value, connection and support through:

• AI-personalized learning paths, content and coaching 
• An all-access digital library of both classic and cutting-edge SUCCESS® resources 
• Live monthly masterminds, coaching and expert Q&A sessions 
• Full access to SUCCESS® magazine and SUCCESS+ magazine
• Early access to exclusive in-person and virtual events 
• Member pricing on workshops, certifications and unique experiences 
• Direct connections with global thought leaders and a thriving, supportive community 

“The future of achievement is tech-powered, collaborative, and deeply personal,” said Kerrie Lee Brown, SUCCESS® Enterprises’ VP of publishing and editor-in-chief. “By fusing trusted wisdom with intelligent technology, SUCCESS+ puts every member and every partner in control of their own growth journey, and positions SUCCESS® as the premier platform for the next generation of achievers and industry leaders.”

With the global personal development market exceeding $50 billion and demand for real-time expertise, trusted partnerships and collaborative solutions at an all-time high, SUCCESS+ stands out by combining legacy authority with next-generation technology and a dynamic partner ecosystem delivering ROI, credibility and impact for individuals, entrepreneurs, teams and industry leaders.

The new SUCCESS+ platform will roll out globally over the next 90 days, with new features, partnerships and member-driven experiences designed to help every user realize their definition of success and every partner amplify their impact. To discover SUCCESS+ and join a global movement of achievers and thought leaders, visit https://www.success.com. 

About eXp World Holdings, Inc.

eXp World Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPI) (the “Company”) is the holding company for eXp Realty® and SUCCESS® Enterprises. eXp Realty is the largest independent real estate brokerage in the world, with nearly 81,000 agents across 28 countries. As a cloud-based, agent-centric brokerage, eXp Realty provides real estate agents industry-leading commission splits, revenue share, equity ownership opportunities, and a global network that empowers agents to build thriving businesses.  For more information about eXp World Holdings, Inc., visit: expworldholdings.com. 

SUCCESS® Enterprises, anchored by SUCCESS® magazine, has been a trusted name in personal and professional development since 1897. As part of the eXp ecosystem, it offers agents access to valuable resources to enhance their skills, grow their businesses, and achieve long-term success. For more information about SUCCESS, visit success.com. 

Safe Harbor and Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements reflect the Company’s and its management’s current expectations but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could impact actual results materially. Such statements include, but are not limited to, expectations regarding the launch and global expansion of the SUCCESS+ platform, anticipated adoption and impact of AI-driven personal growth tools, strategic partnerships, and Glenn Sanford’s leadership role in advancing the SUCCESS® brand. Actual results may differ materially due to various factors, including but not limited to market adoption of new technology platforms, competitive developments, strategic execution risks, changes in consumer or partner demand, and other risks detailed in the Company’s filings with the SEC. We do not undertake any obligation to update these statements except as required by law.

Media Relations Contact:

eXp World Holdings, Inc.

mediarelations@expworldholdings.com

Investor Relations Contact:

Denise Garcia

investors@expworldholdings.com

The post Glenn Sanford Rejoins SUCCESS® to Lead AI-Driven Revolution and Redefine What It Means to Achieve appeared first on SUCCESS.

Though we could be looking at any number of Shakespearean tragedies, the above is a loose plotline for the HBO show Succession. While the show is fictionalized, there are dysfunctional families and dysfunctional companies everywhere. Often, the two coalesce in a dystopian reality that makes for great entertainment but terrible business. It also gives the false impression that families that go into business together will only ever implode their relationships with their clients, their shareholders and each other.

In truth, well-educated leaders understand that the unpredictable and shocking final episode of Succession is what it looks like when you don’t have a succession plan—something that should be in place long before the head of the company passes away or Dr. Phil is called in for an intervention.

In real life, effective succession planning can save companies, not destroy them.

No one knows this better than Ivan Lansberg and Devin DeCiantis, who co-wrote The Enduring Enterprise as a tribute to the work they do together at Lansberg Gersick Advisors, an advisory company dedicated to serving the world’s leading family enterprises.

“One of the things that’s so unique about succession is just how predictable and inevitable it is,” DeCiantis says. “Not all risks are going to present themselves in such an obvious way to every single organization.”

“This is one of the reasons why we’re out there talking about this,” he adds. “We want more people to attend to this proactively rather than reactively.”

Yet reactively is how many companies—including family-run ones—respond.

Why do so few companies think about succession planning?

“Despite the fact that we’ve been at this now for 30 years, warning [people] that this is an important thing to do,” Lansberg says, “lots of very sophisticated companies globally don’t have good succession plans.”

Domestically, data from PWC’s 2023 US Family Business Survey reveals that in 2021, only 34% of family-run businesses had a robust, documented succession plan in place. So what’s preventing so many businesses from proactively creating succession plans if they’re so important?

The answer, Lansberg says, is layered—particularly when it comes to family businesses.

“Many entrepreneurs launch into building companies, and at some point in their development… limitations of their own biology come in and hits them in the face, and they start wondering, ‘How are we going to continue this enterprise? And how do I pass it on to my kids or not?’” he says. “Wrestling with that question becomes a very important feature, not just for the family’s continuity as an enterprising family but for all of the families that live off the enterprises that… [these] founders create.”

Still, broaching topics of death and hierarchy aren’t things that most families are naturally hard-wired to discuss.

“If you do the mental experiment of sitting with your parents to talk about what’s going to happen with the family when they’re no longer with you, it’s a scary proposition,” Lansberg continues. “It raises the question of how we’re going to deal with life without them, but it also erases all of the uncertainties of… my kids being greedy. Are they pursuing other objectives and not caring about us, and so forth and so on.”

Succession planning takes time

Another issue is one of obsolescence. According to Lansberg, reinvention is often necessary for a company to survive in the current marketplace. This can include bypassing blood lineage by bringing in non-family executives who may be able to offer fresh perspectives that can move the business forward. But most families may avoid these discussions out of fear.

“The sum total of all of these factors leads many companies to get caught flat-footed at the very moment when these issues need to be clarified and thought through,” Lansberg says. “And unfortunately, because of that, many end up failing.”

Scrambling can easily be avoided, DeCiantis adds, but disaster prevention takes concerted effort.

“It behooves any organization that desires long term success to… be more proactive and not just wait for the heart attack or the final episode of an HBO series to inspire them to attend to something that actually does take a considerable amount of time,” he says. “Succession planning isn’t something that you sit down to at 3 [p.m.] on a Friday afternoon and finish at 4 [p.m.] and call it a day, and you say, ‘Okay, I’ve got the plan, [so] let’s go and execute this now,’ and by Monday morning, there’s a new regime in charge.”

Which companies are doing it right?

In their book, DeCiantis and Lansberg show family business leaders across the world who they say have gotten succession planning right. In addition to highlighting notable family-run companies like Kikkoman, Samsung and the New York Times, the duo have profiled global companies that are still standing strong after surviving military coups, war, economic challenges, terrorist conflicts, technological shifts and political instability.

Here are just a few notable examples:

Toraya

One marker of success that DeCientis and Lansberg have seen replicated around the world in many cultures and industries—as well as in this company in particular—is submitting to the patronage of a powerful political entity. For instance, Toraya’s founding family has been making Japanese sweets (wagashi) for the Imperial House for over four centuries.

“Toraya was the preferred sweet maker to the Imperial House,” DeCiantis says. Because the family’s wagashi became desirable to the crown early in the first generation, he adds, they were given an imperial crest, which cemented their lifelong relationship to the now constitutional monarchy.

“[Toraya’s] success was so tied to the Imperial House that when [the capital] moved from Kyoto to Tokyo in the 1800s… Toraya [moved] with them,” he adds. “Their success is vested in the integrity that comes with the blessing of the Imperial House.”

CEMEX

Another enduring enterprise in the book is CEMEX, a pioneering Mexican family business founded by the Zambrano family in 1906. DeCiantis and Lansberg say that the family navigated economic upheavals and global market expansions to transform the company from a regional cement firm into a global leader in building materials.

IKEA

Founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, the Swedish startup leveraged its early mail-order business to become a global leader in home furnishings. It also deployed modular strategies in business and ownership to overcome significant economic challenges and shifting market dynamics and maintain its commitment to affordable, high-quality, resilient designs.

Looking to the future

For companies that are hoping to weather the storms of unpredictability—whether they’re economic, political or familial—Lansberg and DeCiantis say that while being rooted in tradition has its merit, growing with the times is a more direct route to success.

“You have to think about the company… you want to build, not the one that exists today,” Lansberg says, “and then break down the skill sets you need to be able to succeed at that company.”

DeCiantis adds that success in succession is possible—“You just need to be intentional and patient and invest the time [and resources] necessary to get it right.”

This article originally appeared in the July 2025 issue of SUCCESS+ digital magazine.

Photo by dotshock/Shutterstock.com

The post Succession Planning Isn’t Like the TV Show appeared first on SUCCESS.

Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta and OpenAI are now pouring billions into these futuristic centers, all competing to control the foundation of next-generation computing.

Let’s examine where these tech giants stand in the race to build AI data centers.

Amazon

Amazon may not be the first name that springs to mind when it comes to cutting-edge AI interfaces or conversational chatbots, but its role in the AI revolution runs far deeper than many realize. Through Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company is one of the world’s largest providers of cloud infrastructure, powering the backend of countless AI applications. It is investing tens of billions of dollars in data centers, custom silicon chips and high-performance computing to meet the surging global demand for AI workloads.

Amazon Web Services is spearheading Project Rainier, an ambitious AI data center initiative designed to meet the soaring demands of cutting-edge AI workloads. With over $100 billion planned for investment in 2025 alone, Project Rainier is set to supercharge advanced AI models like Anthropic’s Claude by dramatically boosting computational power.

The project spans multiple U.S. locations, including a massive campus in Indiana made up of 30 data centers that together consume more than 2.2 gigawatts of energy—enough to power a small city. What’s powering this network is hundreds of thousands of Trainium2 chips, all linked up with Amazon’s cutting-edge NeuronLink and EFAv3 high-speed networking tech.

Anthropic, Amazon’s $8 billion AI partner, is the primary user of Project Rainier’s resources. They’re using the platform to train their Claude models, which demand five times the computing power of their previous setups.

Microsoft & OpenAI

Microsoft is gearing up for one of the biggest infrastructure investments in tech history, planning to pour $80 billion into AI development in 2025 alone. At the heart of this push is the $500 billion Stargate Project, a flagship initiative built in partnership with OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank.

What sets Stargate apart is its use of closed-loop liquid-cooled superclusters, specially designed to handle the massive computing power needed for cutting-edge AI models. These custom-built clusters are fine-tuned to support intense AI workloads, powering everything from training to real-time inference for the next generation of large language models.

Construction is now well underway, with major sites in Texas and Ohio progressing and others in the pipeline. If fully built out, Stargate could become one of the largest AI training complexes on the planet, with a footprint spanning millions of square feet and consuming gigawatts of electricity. Although current AI systems like GPT-4 rely on Azure’s existing infrastructure, Stargate is expected to take over once operational, offering the scale needed for the next leap in model complexity.

Initiatives such as Stargate matter not only to tech giants like Google and OpenAI but to the broader advancement of the United States in AI. With their enormous potential, projects of this scale could propel the U.S. to the very top of AI innovation worldwide. About 16 U.S. states have expressed interest in hosting data centers for Microsoft and OpenAI’s Stargate project.

Google

Instead of chasing GPUs on the open market, Google has been building its own. Its custom Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), now in their fifth generation, are at the heart of the company’s data center strategy. Combined with hyperscale, AI-first facilities fine-tuned at every level, Google’s infrastructure isn’t just vast, it’s purpose-built. That vertical integration gives it something rivals don’t have: full control from chip to software.

Google has already rolled out AI-optimized data centers across the U.S., Europe and Asia. Recent expansions, including some in the UK, are being designed specifically for workloads like its Gemini models—a huge language system that requires far more power than your average cloud task.

Google’s builds are among the greenest in the industry. According to Google’s latest environmental report, nearly 96% of the company’s electricity consumption in 2024 was attributed to its data centers—a figure that’s rapidly increasing. The company’s electricity use more than doubled from 14.4 million megawatt-hours in 2020 to 30.8 million in 2024. Google customizes its cooling systems at each campus by assessing local energy and water availability, prioritizing carbon-free power and eco-friendly water alternatives to limit climate impact today and tomorrow.

Meta

Meta’s approach to AI infrastructure is uniquely shaped by its focus on building the metaverse and highly interactive AI experiences. Unlike companies primarily training large language models, Meta’s AI workloads often involve massive real-time data streams—think virtual reality environments and personalized content recommendations—which require highly distributed computing power.

To support this, Meta has developed its own specialized data centers known as Tents. These modular, flexible structures are designed for rapid deployment and scalability, allowing Meta to expand AI capacity where it’s needed most quickly.

Meta’s Ohio facility, Prometheus, is scheduled to go online in 2026 as one of the largest AI training hubs globally, featuring server tents and targeting a power draw exceeding 1 gigawatt. Meanwhile, Meta’s Hyperion project in Louisiana is in early stages but promises to be even bigger, expected to consume up to 2 gigawatts by 2030, with room to grow to 5. Spanning over 4 million square feet and nearly 3 square miles, Hyperion’s scale will rival many small cities.

Where do these companies stand in the AI data center race?

In the race to build the future of AI infrastructure, Microsoft and Amazon are clearly leading, not just in investment but in ambition. Amazon has committed over $100 billion through Project Rainier, while Microsoft, backing OpenAI, is advancing with its massive and unparalleled $500 billion Stargate initiative. This isn’t just capital deployment, it’s a bid to control the operating core of AI innovation. Both benefit from an unparalleled level of expansion and technological horsepower rooted in data and infrastructure capabilities that were established long before the AI era.

But winning this race is not just about spending. Google, with its vertically integrated stack, from custom TPUs to hyperscale, and environmentally-optimized facilities, may actually operate more AI compute than any other company, even if it remains quieter in the headlines. Meta, while investing less than its peers and targeting specific market gaps, offers unique strengths through its modular “Tents” and focus on real-time AI tailored to immersive and personalized experiences. 

The AI data center race is not just about who gets there first or makes the most noise. It is about who can build for what comes next with the clearest eye. The true winners will be those who can scale wisely, act quickly, and do more than just pump in more cash.

Photo by Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

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