(NewsUSA) - When it comes to home flooring, solid American Hardwoods™ have been our gold standard since the nation’s founding—and they still are. Few materials can match the durability of oak, walnut, maple, ash, and other favorite species, which can be sanded and refinished for decades, outlasting kids, pets, foot traffic, and trends—and somehow looking better for it. They’re also remarkably practical, available in multiple widths, grades, and finishes, and easy to install. “American hardwoods are grown, harvested, and milled right here, giving architects and builders a reliable, high-quality supply,” notes Ian Faight of the American Hardwood Information Center. “Nothing rivals hardwood’s warmth and natural variation, and as a low-emission, renewable resource, it supports healthier interiors and everyday well-being.” Here are six examples of what it can do for your home.

In East Greenwich, Rhode Island, this low-slung modern home by Estes Twombly + Titrington Architects blends into its riverside setting. Inside, hard white maple runs underfoot through the kitchen, dining, and living area—an expanse of 5-inch-wide boards from Vermont Plank Flooring, finished with the company’s Killington Peak stain, which draws out the wood’s warm, golden-brown tones. Clear-finished maple window frames, trim, and cabinetry continue the material palette, grounding a light-filled, sustainably minded interior. 

Circled by a delicate wrought-iron balustrade, a flight of select-grade ash treads winds gracefully up the custom spiral stair in a new shingle-style house by Arnold Design Group in Charlestown, Rhode Island. The light-toned wood from Vermont Plank Flooring gives the traditional architectural element a clean, modern look—one that extends to the landing, which comprises 7-inch-wide boards in the same wood, some laid in a herringbone pattern with walnut accent borders for added visual interest. A clear, low-sheen Craftsbury finish plays up ash’s naturally pale, subtly striped grain throughout. 

Architect Stephanie Horowitz of ZeroEnergy Design used old-growth white oak, quartersawn for extra stability and a distinctive ray-fleck grain, for the flooring in a house in Wellesley, Massachusetts, constructed to rigorous green-building standards. The dining room’s solid white-oak table, left with its natural splits and knots intact, echoes the floor’s warm tone underfoot, while wire chairs and vintage milk-bottle prints keep the look from feeling precious. True to the house’s eco-minded design, the flooring is not covered by rugs or carpet, which Horowitz avoids as sources of dust and allergens. 

In a 19th-century Boston townhouse renovated by Stern McCafferty Architecture + Interiors, roughly 4,000 square feet of select-grade walnut from Vermont Plank Flooring runs throughout, including this child’s bedroom, where a built-in daybed nook is wrapped in birch-tree wallpaper. Milled in 6-inch-wide planks and finished on-site with Hartland—a water-based, satin-sheen treatment—the wood comes from black walnut trees, slow-growing natives of the eastern U.S. prized for their fine grain and rich, chocolate-brown heartwood. The flooring honors the home’s history while giving the interior a cleaner, more contemporary feel. 

In a whole-house renovation in Dighton, Massachusetts, natural character-grade white oak from Hull Forest Products extends into unexpected territory: the primary bathroom, where 8-inch, live-sawn planks run past the vanity toward a freestanding tub and glass shower. It’s a bold choice, but a sound one—white oak's tight, tyloses-blocked cell structure resists moisture better than many woods, and its density and dimensional stability help it withstand humidity and heavy foot traffic. Even so, area rugs and prompt spill cleanup remain essential. Finished on-site with clear, water-based polyurethane, the reward is underfoot warmth and beauty nothing else can match. 

On a Rockport, Massachusetts, peninsula, Ruhl Studio Architects raised an existing house on concrete pilings—both to clear flood requirements and to give the upper level unbeatable ocean vistas. Red oak from Vermont Plank Flooring, laid in 6-inch-wide boards and finished with low-sheen Waltham stain for its warm white overtones, gives the open kitchen, dining, and living space a light, airy foundation. Designed for three generations under one roof, the house pairs the flooring with white-painted poplar walls and steel stairs for a clean, resilient backdrop to the million-dollar view. 

Visit www.hardwoodinfo.com for more about using American hardwoods in your home.

Interview with Kelly Williams, Podcast Host, Author and Wellness Coach, Kelly's Coaching

(Featured) - The podcast host, author and wellness coach discusses burnout, boundaries, movement breaks, mindset and box breathing as tools for sustainable self-care.

Interview with Kelly Williams

Edited by Jenn Moon, Editor at Featured News · Nov 12, 2026

As a podcast host, author, and wellness coach in the professional training and coaching field, how do you describe the wellness perspective you bring to your work?

The wellness perspective I bring to my work is rooted in the belief that true wellness encompasses the whole person: mind, body and spirit. Growing up as an ice skater and dancer, movement was a significant part of my identity. When I experienced a knee injury, it affected much more than my physical health. It also challenged me emotionally and mentally because something that had brought me such joy and defined me suddenly became difficult.

Through physical therapy, I began the process of healing physically. But I also discovered that healing required something more. I had to shift my mindset, embrace a growth mindset and incorporate mindfulness into my everyday life.

That experience taught me that wellness is not just about recovering from an injury or overcoming a difficult season; it's about learning to adapt and become more self-aware as we grow through life's challenges.

Today, as a podcast host, author and wellness coach, I bring that philosophy into everything I do. I encourage people to look beyond the physical aspects of wellness and pay attention to their emotional health, mindset and daily habits.

My goal is to help people understand that wellness is a journey, not a destination, and sometimes our greatest growth comes from the moments that challenge us the most.

What experiences led you to build a career around helping people create more sustainable wellness habits?

After my knee injury, I realized wellness should be realistic, intentional and sustainable. It’s about making small, consistent changes that become part of how we live, not something we do temporarily. Wellness is about changing how we think, how we approach challenges and how we care for ourselves. Sometimes, our greatest challenges become the experiences that allow us to help others.

Which personal experience most changed the way you define wellness, and what practical lesson from it still guides you today?

The personal experience that most challenged the way I define wellness was realizing that my injury was affecting not only my physical health but also my mental and emotional well-being. I had to recognize that healing involved more than just recovering physically; it also required changing my mindset, staying positive and learning to be patient with myself. This experience taught me that wellness is about the connection between mind and body.

The practical lesson that guides me today is to take care of my mental health just as much as my physical health. I remind myself to focus on what I can control, embrace the healing process and maintain a positive outlook. I understand now that wellness is not simply being free from injury but also learning how to care for myself mentally, physically and emotionally.

How has navigating your own busy professional life influenced the boundaries or routines you encourage others to build?

Navigating my own busy professional life has taught me how important it is to establish healthy boundaries and create routines that protect my overall wellness. I tend to overwork and sometimes feel like I need to do everything, but I've learned that constantly being available can lead to stress, exhaustion and burnout. Because of this, I encourage others to set boundaries, such as not checking emails before bed, taking weekends off to rest and recharge and learning to say no when their plate is already full.

The biggest lesson I've learned is that you cannot do everything, and you don't have to. Rest is productive, setting boundaries is not selfish and protecting your personal time is essential to maintaining a healthy work-life balance. I encourage others to prioritize themselves just as much as they prioritize their professional responsibilities.

What has your personal relationship with stress taught you about noticing early signs of burnout before they escalate?

My personal relationship with stress changed when I was balancing my professional responsibilities while also building my own business and handling all of my marketing. I was trying to do everything myself, and eventually, the constant pressure caught up with me. I experienced a period of burnout and elevated blood pressure, which forced me to slow down, rest and give myself time to rejuvenate. This is when I founded my Elevate Wellness Program and published my book, "Elevate Wellness: A Guide to Inner Balance," on Amazon.

My biggest lesson is that building a business means very little if I sacrifice my health in the process. I now encourage others to create balance, set boundaries and remember that rest is just as important as hard work.

You often emphasize progress over perfection; what experience made that principle meaningful to you, and how can readers practice it this week?

One of the most important lessons I've learned is to embrace progress over perfection. When I worked with a coach myself, I learned the value of focusing on the process rather than expecting immediate results. Instead of trying to accomplish everything at once, we worked on setting realistic goals; taking small, intentional steps; and recognizing progress along the way.

That experience changed my perspective because I realized that meaningful growth takes time, patience and consistency. Not every step will be perfect, and results won't always happen as quickly as we would like. Today, I apply this lesson in both my personal and professional life, and I encourage others to do the same. It's not about how quickly we reach the finish line; it's about staying committed to the process and celebrating the progress you make along the way.

How has your own experience with movement, such as walking, stretching or brief exercise breaks, shaped the way you make wellness feel accessible for busy people?

My own experience with movement has shaped the way I encourage others to make wellness simple, realistic and accessible. When I worked a desk job and spent eight hours a day sitting, I realized how much my body needed movement. I didn't always have time for a full workout, so I started incorporating quick movement breaks throughout my workday. I quickly realized that even a few minutes of movement could make a difference in how I felt physically and mentally.

Today, I encourage my clients to incorporate five- to 10-minute movement breaks every one to two hours throughout the day. These could include stretching, walking or quick Pilates movements. My biggest lesson is that even a little movement can make a difference.

What role has mindset played in your personal wellness journey, and what simple practice helps you reset when you begin to overthink?

Mindset has played a huge role in my personal wellness journey. Through my experiences with injury, burnout, stress and balancing my professional life with building my own business, I've realized that I cannot always control what happens, but I can control my mindset, my choices and the steps I take toward feeling better. I've also learned to give myself grace, be patient with the process and focus on progress rather than perfection.

One simple practice that helps me reset when I begin to overthink is stepping away, taking a few deep breaths and reminding myself to focus on what I can control in that moment. Sometimes I take a short walk, stretch or give myself a few minutes of quiet. This helps me clear my mind and refocus.

Looking back on your journey as a wellness coach, what is one small habit that has had an outsized impact on your well-being and that readers can start today?

One simple habit that has made a positive impact on my well-being as a wellness coach is practicing box breathing (4-4-4-4). With a busy life and the demands of running my own business, I sometimes need to take a break to pause, slow down and reset. Here’s a simple practice I encourage my readers and clients to try today:

• Breathe in through your nose for four seconds.

• Hold your breath for four seconds.

• Slowly exhale for four seconds.

• Hold for four seconds before repeating.

Try this for a few rounds without forcing your breath.

Sometimes you just need a few seconds to pause, breathe and reconnect with yourself.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I have truly enjoyed this interview and the opportunity to share a little about my personal wellness journey. My hope is that everyone takes away the importance of getting to know your body, listening to what it needs, and recognizing when it’s time to pause, relax and slow down. We often get so caught up in our busy lives that we forget to take care of ourselves. Give yourself grace, prioritize your health and remember that taking care of yourself is never time wasted.

About the expert

Kelly WilliamsPodcast Host/Author/Wellness Coach at Kellys Coaching

This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

This story was produced by Featured and republished with permission. Experts featured here are members of Connectively, Featured's expert network.

Small offices on Macs taught me to stop treating them as exceptions

(Jens Hagel) - Several IT providers had turned down one of our clients because its staff work on Macs, and looking after offices like that changed how I think about managing devices.

By Jens Hagel

Edited by Jenn Moon, Editor at Featured News · Nov 12, 2026

A while back, a 20-person company got in touch with us. All Mac users. They had been to a few other IT companies before coming to us. One even told them straight up, they didn't want to work with Macs.

I get it, but I don't think it was a good decision. I have been working in the IT sector for small to medium-sized businesses in northern Germany since 2004. I have learned more about device management from Mac offices than from most of our Windows clients.

Why they say no

I think most IT companies use software, scripts, etc., that are tailored to Windows. We also did. We only have a limited amount of hardware/software that we use because that is how you give good answers when you have a small team.

Managing a Mac for a business can require additional setup. There are some things you have to change and different ways to update, etc. Someone has to know where these things are. I think for an IT company that only has a few Macs in their customer base, it is easier to say no.

These companies are most likely not even making an IT decision. These are probably agencies or companies that enjoy using Macs. You wouldn't want them to change their work style just because your IT company doesn't want to learn.

What an office full of unmanaged Macs looks like

We had an advertising agency that came to us. 14 people all using Macs. They stored their files on a Linux server, which was in a small server room that in the summer was 38 degrees Celsius. Around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. They used mobile air conditioners to keep it cool. Only one man knew how to manage the server, and he was 76 and almost retired. He stored backups on Blu-rays that he believed would last 100 years. The managing director said he just wanted to be able to go on vacation and not worry about the server breaking.

The Macs were not a big issue. They were all set up manually and treated as personal computers. Nobody knew what was managed on what machine or what would happen if a Mac was stolen.

We took their files and put them on Microsoft 365/SharePoint. Managed their Macs through Apple's business enrollment platform and Microsoft Intune. That server room is now a storage room.

Managing a Mac

Much like Windows, you have your company device that is stored in a central database. Then you have a program that can manage that device.

Apple Business holds the enrollment records for company Macs. Microsoft Intune can then manage those devices. If you purchase your Mac through Apple or an authorized reseller and have it assigned to your company in Apple Business, it can automatically enroll in your mobile device management (MDM) and receive its settings when first turned on. Microsoft has a great article on how to set up your Mac with Intune. Intune can also be configured to require FileVault encryption during setup on supported Macs.

This means your user can unbox a laptop. Sign into their work account and have email and programs ready to go. Your company can manage that device if it gets lost.

When we created kjello, we wanted to support Macs as a normal device. Just like a user can choose a Windows laptop, they can choose a Mac. Both will set up when first turned on.

When I will say no

There are some situations where I will tell my customers that Macs are not the best choice for them.

There is some software that only works on Windows. Accounting programs and some machine controls come to mind. If you need to run these programs on a Mac, you are going to have to find a workaround. Every workaround you add is another thing that can fail. I would not switch a company over to Macs just for IT.

You will need someone on your team that knows both systems, which for an IT company means more knowledge. I think it's worth it, but I can see why some may not want to take on that extra knowledge. Just don't turn away your customers that use Macs.

The last thing I will say is when purchasing your Macs, if you buy a Mac from a store one Saturday, it may not be automatically added to Apple Business. You can add it later, but it's more work. I have found that if you don't do it when you buy the laptop, it may never get added. Always tell your customers to purchase through a vendor that will add the device to your company.

About the author

Jens Hagel

Jens Hagel is the founder and owner of hagel IT-Services in Hamburg, Germany, which he started alone from home in 2004. He has spent more than 20 years running IT for small and midsize companies in northern Germany and now builds kjello, a platform for managed workplace IT.

This story was produced by Featured and republished with permission. Experts featured here are members of Connectively, Featured's expert network.

Building a career in the sandwich generation

(Sue Sweenie) - By Sue Sweenie

Edited by Jenn Moon, Editor at Featured News · Nov 12, 2026

I successfully raised three children while working remotely for over 20 years. My youngest is now 13 years old. For nearly a decade, I also cared for a parent with vascular dementia until his passing earlier this year.

Those few sentences describe my place in the sandwich generation. That statement does very little to explain the juggle of caring for loved ones at very different stages of life while trying to maintain my sanity, let alone a career. I have deep respect for anyone in this situation. I can attest to the fact that this will, in fact, challenge you. I can also tell you that this experience has made me a stronger person.

As my children have grown, they've needed me in different ways. Meanwhile, my father's needs increased substantially as his vascular dementia progressed. Somewhere between those changing needs, there is work to do, a career to build, bills to pay and a person, like myself, who needs some breathing room.

Remote or part-time work made a difference

Working remotely (for decades thankfully) allowed me the opportunity to raise my children while continuing to work. Working from home gave me flexibility that would have been much harder to find with a daily commute.

That extra time in my day made a huge difference for me. Full-time work took the back burner and my part-time work paid the bills and allowed me the flexibility to handle the daily hiccups, struggles, and needs of my father, my kids and sometimes my own health. Working from home and working part time still means working — working hard. Deadlines are still deadlines, and work still needs to be done. Sometimes I have felt like I was so fortunate, that I needed more to prove, so I worked longer and harder.

For a caregiver, the workday also exists alongside family needs that do not always fit neatly into a calendar. Being nearby can help, but it does not offer another set of hands or add more hours into the day. Each day felt like a race to accomplish the laundry list of appointments and tasks while ensuring everyone was "happy."

When people talk about remote work, they often focus on convenience. For me, working remotely made my career possible alongside raising my family. As caregiving responsibilities grow, flexibility becomes even more vital.

The responsibility follows you into the workday

Much of the conversation about caregiving focuses on the tasks. There are appointments, arrangements, decisions and daily needs — and don't forget emergencies. I remember spending each Sunday just dreading how I would fit in the two to three visits a week with my father to ensure he was ok, calling him at night to ensure he took his medication, asking for time off for his medical appointments and so on. I also had this intense dread when I went to sleep at night because I just never knew what phone call would awaken me. Would he fall again? Would he call with a crazy story that made no sense and I would have to calm him down? I lay awake most nights recounting my days with him with sadness as I witnessed him lose his ability to remember who people were, where he lived and how to groom himself.

Caring for a parent with advanced dementia adds an emotional weight that a schedule cannot fully capture. You are helping someone you love whose abilities and needs are continually evolving. You are witnessing someone lose their ability to do things they once loved. You are watching them lose their "spark." That burden does not disappear when you open your laptop. You have to refocus and get your work done.

At the same time, a 13-year-old still needs a parent, as did my older children. Raising children does not end when they start getting older. Their needs change, and being present still matters. Sometimes even more. Teenagers need rides. They need parents at their games. They need your help with daily struggles still.

This is where the juggle becomes difficult to explain. You may have enough time to complete a task and still feel stretched by everything else you are responsible for. An open hour on a calendar does not always mean an available hour of energy. It means you can breathe for an hour and gear up for what’s next.

Wanting a career still matters

Caregiving can take up so much space that your career goals start to feel like something foreign to you. You yearn to work and have an identity beyond mom, daughter, wife and friend.

A career can provide income and a sense of identity beyond the people you care for. Those things have value and offer a distraction, including during years when family responsibilities are especially demanding.

There may be seasons when career growth looks different. There were years where I had to reconsider my hours and pace. For the final years with my Dad, my career was stalled as he became the priority. Bills could wait because I knew my time with him was limited. I was thankful for that time with him, but I was barely keeping my head above water in so many ways.

Support has to work on an ordinary Tuesday

For employers, I encourage you to support your caregivers by starting with clear expectations and honest conversations about how work gets done. Give consideration to each situation individually. Ask questions and offer flexibility.

Which hours require consistent availability? What needs to happen live, and what can be handled during off-hours? If something interrupts the day, what is the plan for communicating and covering urgent work?

Have a firm plan in place for when "life happens." Managers can ask what would help without expecting someone to share every private detail of a parent’s illness or a child’s needs.

Flexibility should also extend to development. An employee who needs an adjusted schedule may still want to be challenged, to be considered for promotions and so on. Don’t assume that because they are asking for a part-time schedule or more remote days that they aren’t as serious about their career path. It just means they are juggling a lot and trying to make the best of it.

Making room for the person doing the caring

Raising three children while working remotely and caring for an aging parent has given me a different perspective on what it means to sustain a career. It is a rollercoaster that you know you are on and just have to ride it out.

The sandwich generation deserves a place in the conversation about careers. Many of us are trying to keep contributing professionally through years of substantial responsibility at home. We need room to remain caregivers, parents and people with a future of our own.

About the author

Sue Sweenie

Sue Sweenie is a Marketing Manager based outside of Boston, MA. She is a trusted business partner who specializes in media relations, marketing strategy and personal branding. She is the author of "Branding You" and "Girls Don't Take Karate," both available on Amazon.

This story was produced by Featured and republished with permission. Experts featured here are members of Connectively, Featured's expert network.

Interview with Abhinav Gupta, Founder, Profitjets

(Featured) - The Profitjets founder discusses choosing broad roles, questioning unusual figures, learning revenue models, and turning analysis into useful decisions.

Interview with Abhinav Gupta

Edited by Jenn Moon, Editor at Featured News · Nov 11, 2026

As a founder with experience building an accounting and advisory firm and providing CFO services, could you introduce yourself and explain the perspective you bring to career development in accounting?

I’m a chartered accountant (CA) and the owner of an outsourced accounting firm. We provide full finance function services for businesses, including bookkeeping, payroll, and tax, as well as high-level finance function services like CFO services. I’ve learned several valuable lessons in my career, and these are the ones I’d want to highlight for young accountants. The first is that the technical side of accounting gets you a job and keeps you employed, but to build a career, it’s important to understand the story the numbers tell. I spent the first few years of my career believing that the goal of accounting was to ensure accuracy. I’ve since learned that there’s more to the role. The goal of accounting is to identify and document relevant information. It’s the judgment and recommendations accountants make that ultimately propel the organization forward. The numbers help identify the areas where a founder needs to take action or make a change.

What were the key steps in your journey from becoming a CA to founding an accounting and advisory business, and how did those experiences shape your approach to the profession?

Starting a CA practice and other businesses has been an extension of my learning. In my earlier years, I developed my technical skills extensively. I believe one must invest time in understanding the business. Accounting is the numerical representation of business activities and, by itself, is not complex. The most challenging and interesting part is understanding the business and its implications.

Recognizing this motivated my first step into the world of entrepreneurship. Running businesses has been a roller coaster, but it has been enjoyable. My combined entrepreneurial experience broadened and enhanced my perspective on the practice.

A CA is a regulated professional and, as such, is perceived as practicing strictly in accordance with the letter of the law. However, in the field, compliance caveats abound. A CA is eminently capable of becoming a trusted advisor to clients in the true spirit of the profession.

For someone choosing their first accounting role, what signs have you found indicate that an opportunity will provide meaningful hands-on learning?

The most important indicator of a job’s long-term impact is the extent to which it affords a broad view of its function. A job that helps you learn how the monthly close is performed, along with reconciliations, statements, and other accounting functions, is more valuable. I am also interested in how your work is reviewed. If you are lucky enough to have a more experienced person working with you to show you the right way to do things, you will have learned something valuable. A long title and a prestigious employer will not hurt, though. A good indicator is whether you will see the number in question. Preparing a report, for example, on accounts receivable aging gives you some know-how, but seeing how a more seasoned person uses that number gives you the rest of the lesson.

You have said that practical judgment becomes increasingly important in finance; how can a new accountant begin developing that judgment in their first year?

There’s a distinction to be made about judgment. People are pretty quick to determine whether an entry is wrong. Determining the meaning of an entry is where judgment starts. The habit to build is to look at figures and question the ones that seem odd rather than blindly assuming the entry is correct. Usually, figures that seem odd are “odd” for a reason. Figuring out why a figure is odd is where the learning opportunity lies. The second habit is comparison. The habit worth building is determining what led to changes from one month to the next. This comparative habit helps build a sense of judgment when a figure seems to be wrong. With time and practice, judgment becomes pattern recognition.

How can an early-career accountant learn to connect routine financial information with the underlying operational decisions of a business?

The way to be the best in accounting is to find the reasons behind the entries in the ledger. Cost lines move for a reason. Often, the business has made a decision that causes an increase or decrease in a cost line. A creative accountant will view the ledger as a log of decisions. Once a decision has been made to hire an employee, that employee will need to be paid, and a cost line will change. An accountant will have to explain the decisions made by the business. This will truly add value to a business if the accountant understands what actually happens in it.

From your experience across startups and different industries, what is one way a junior accountant can build commercial awareness beyond their technical accounting responsibilities?

One habit: Learn revenue models before reviewing the chart of accounts. The junior accountants who peel the onion most quickly at the firms where we work are the ones who can distill revenue models. Each industry, and often each company, has idiosyncrasies in its revenue models that affect the structure of its financial statements. It is important to understand where and when cash is received and spent. Understanding various margins and what constitutes a healthy month are also critical. You can correctly post journal entries without comprehending any of the above. You can develop your knowledge of the business beyond the numbers by understanding how the numbers impact the business. Often, people in the back and middle offices treat each client the same and copy and paste their knowledge about the business to new clients.

What communication habit has made the biggest difference for accountants who need to turn financial analysis into clear, useful guidance for non-finance colleagues?

I think the most important communication habit is the ability to tell a story using business numbers. This means going beyond the data and accounting jargon to describe the story the numbers convey, including what the numbers mean for the business and the next course of action. I also believe that asking clear, simple questions at the right time, combined with active listening — especially with members of the management team and employees — improves financial communication and strengthens workplace relationships. The goal of any financial communication should be to adequately equip a person to make an informed decision, rather than to display knowledge and prowess in financial matters.

As a founder and finance leader, what does taking ownership look like in practice for an accountant who does not yet have seniority or formal decision-making authority?

Taking ownership is about more than just designation and seniority. As an accountant, taking ownership means managing the work you oversee. It means following up on tasks and not ignoring or postponing work because of pressure or distractions. More importantly, it means staying alert, identifying mistakes, reporting them, and not concealing them. While doing all this, it’s important to keep the big picture in mind and not get lost in the details. Questions like, “What am I doing?” and “Am I doing this correctly?” should be at the back of your mind. Don’t blindly follow instructions. Understand the reasoning and rationale behind them. You might not be authorized to make final decisions, but the importance of sharing your ideas and doing work related to decisions can’t be overstated. I have seen this accountability positively influence people’s careers and the work they do.

Looking back on your own career, what is one early-career choice you would encourage aspiring accountants to make to build flexibility and long-term opportunity?

I would suggest that accounting students learn about the broader business world rather than focusing purely on finance. Early in my career, I learned a lot about the effects of financial decisions through my interactions with business owners. Additionally, this provided me with opportunities to consider other avenues beyond the scope of traditional accounting, including starting my own business. I believe the best accounting and business students are curious and proactive; they say yes to opportunities that make them uncomfortable. Mastery of the basic concepts of business gives a person the opportunity to evolve and diversify their career.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Thank you for this opportunity.

About the expert

Abhinav GuptaFounder at Profitjets

This story was produced by Featured and republished with permission. Experts featured here are members of Connectively, Featured's expert network.

Interview with Hannah Ray, Life, Career + Business Coach, TAKE Coaching Amsterdam

(Featured) - The TAKE Coaching Amsterdam coach discusses identity beyond job titles, burnout’s early signs, support and listening to instincts.

Interview with Hannah Ray

Edited by Jenn Moon, Editor at Featured News · Nov 11, 2026

Hannah, as a Life, Career + Business Coach with a background in marketing and advertising, how does your earlier career shape the way you support people through change today?

It means that I can bring a deeper understanding of what it is like to work in a high-pressure environment — and one that can very heavily define your sense of self and success. Knowing what it means to make a career change from industries like this means that I understand and can hold space for the messy human stuff that shifts and needs addressing underneath the career change. My marketing background also means that I can move into a “strategic mode” in my coaching to complement the more reflective approach I have, which enables the conditions and frameworks to support people in taking actual steps and making moves, as well as learning how to position themselves effectively when looking for new roles.

What led you to move from marketing and advertising into coaching, and how did that transition reshape your own definition of meaningful work?

I had always been more interested in people than in advertising, and I spent most of my advertising career feeling resistant to writing slides and selling. I preferred qualitative research groups, having deeper conversations about meaning with colleagues and holding an idealistic hope for what I could achieve in such a capitalist industry. After landing my dream advertising job, I realized that the same feelings were still there, and I knew I needed to explore another path into something more focused on people and deeper, more human conversations than business strategy.

You have spoken about redefining safety as alignment rather than familiarity; what practice helped you recognize the difference in your own career transition?

For me, familiarity was working in a “cool” industry, earning a set salary each month and climbing an agency ladder until you perhaps became an agency founder or head of strategy. I realized this was largely familiar because I’d seen my parent and many family friends do it, and I’d gone to a university where that seemed to be the norm. However, when I started to investigate what I was naturally good at as well as what I actually enjoyed doing, I realized that coaching would be better aligned with my skills, personality and values. Starting my own business, creating my own salary and working intensely with people one-to-one were not familiar to me or things I had done before, but they felt much more right. The practice of inquiring and listening to myself, validating what I heard and then creating a version of success from that is what helped me recognize what it felt like to feel safer in my own understanding of myself.

When a career change challenges someone’s sense of identity, how do you help them reconnect with who they are beyond their job title?

We step back and talk about what they actually care about in life, what they enjoy doing and who they feel they really are versus how they think they need to be perceived. We do a lot of re-exploring and disconnecting from the “shoulds” of life. This can feel both disorienting (because it can sometimes make them feel more detached from their current work) and really liberating and special — like they are finally taking space to see themselves and be seen.

What is one early sign of burnout you learned to take seriously, and what action would you encourage readers to take when they notice it?

Consistent feelings of physical aversion to work. It’s one thing to feel like you have a day when you can’t really be bothered; it’s another to have months of consistent niggles or a physical pull to be away from your work. If your body is quietly whispering “ew,” “no” or “I can’t” over and over again, it’s something I would take seriously. Maybe it just means a mismatch in the workplace environment or a need to switch up your relationship with your role. Other times, it can be a sign that you’re moving toward burnout, in which case some deeper exploration of your well-being and patterns is worthwhile.

What has your experience building a coaching business taught you about asking for support instead of trying to do everything independently?

It’s vital if you want to run a sustainable business and feel well and like yourself while doing it. I think that doing some things independently has been a brilliant way to prove to myself that I can do things and learn new things, and it’s also been very mentally stimulating for me. There are other things — mostly those I’ve felt alone or very unmotivated about, and therefore continuously put off — where finding help has been a real necessity. Additionally, a really important part of being a coach is self-regulation and continuous professional and ethical development so that I can be present, effective and safe for my clients. So, it’s nonnegotiable to connect with other coaches for supervision and with other founders for relatability and inspiration.

For someone facing a career or life transition, what is one way they can begin practicing self-trust and inner leadership this week?

When you notice an instinctive thought or feeling arise, don’t push it away. Give yourself five minutes to notice it. Ask yourself: What is this feeling? What is this thought? What is it making me want to do or how is it making me want to respond? What might it actually be trying to tell me about my wants, needs or values? (You can use an “emotion wheel” for this if you need a bit of extra help naming things — a simple Google search will bring one up.) When you practice listening to yourself more, you can start to develop a more trusting relationship with yourself so that you can lead yourself more intuitively and courageously.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

People often think of career changes as finding a new job or taking on a new role, but they can also be more nuanced or deeper. They are often more about what is happening in life around our work — like becoming a parent or losing a parent, starting or ending a relationship, moving countries, feeling older, wanting more balance and energy, or wanting to find more meaning and purpose. They are often more about embracing or grieving patterns and parts of ourselves that we've been living and working by and that now require a different approach.

About the expert

Hannah RayLife, Career + Business Coach at TAKE Coaching Amsterdam

This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

This story was produced by Featured and republished with permission. Experts featured here are members of Connectively, Featured's expert network.

(NewsUSA) - General James L. Jones, USMC (Ret.) and Sergeant Major Alford L. McMichael, USMC (Ret.) today, on Veterans Day, announced a first-of-its-kind membership organization built to reward America’s Veterans, Service Members, and military families for their service.

Guided by a mission to keep Veteran families strong, Veteran Strong aims to honor military service with more than a thank you. Veteran Strong is about building your credit, building your savings, and providing educational, training and job placement opportunities to build your family’s future. Members will have access to exclusive benefits that protect your family, and personal support through every stage of life.

By bringing together and serving a community of 30 million Veterans, Service Members, and their families, Veteran Strong will harness their collective buying power to deliver exclusive value and meaningful savings that members can’t get anywhere else.

At the heart of that mission are two founders whose decades of military leadership and shared commitment to our nation’s heroes have brought them together once again to give back to those who have served and sacrificed for our country.

General Jones is a decorated four-star Marine Corps General whose military career spanned more than four decades. A Vietnam Veteran who served as a rifle platoon and company commander, General Jones later served as Commandant of the Marine Corps, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (NATO), Commander U.S. European Command and National Security Advisor.

Sergeant Major McMichael is the 14th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. He served as the senior enlisted advisor to the Commandant and one of the Marine Corps' highest-ranking leaders. Later, he became the first-ever Senior Non-Commissioned Officer for Allied Command Operations at NATO.

Jones and McMichael served together at the highest levels of military leadership. When General Jones was Commandant of the Marine Corps, Sergeant Major McMichael was his top enlisted advisor. Afterward, the two continued their service together at NATO. There, General Jones personally asked Sergeant Major McMichael to postpone his retirement to become the Alliance's first Sergeant Major of NATO’s Operational Forces, helping establish NATO's enlisted leadership program. Today, their decades of brotherhood and commitment to service continue through Veteran Strong.

"As a proud Veteran, I believe we have an obligation to serve those who have served our country long after they leave the uniform behind,” said General Jones, Co-Founder of Veteran Strong. “For many Veterans and military families, the transition to civilian life brings a new set of challenges – from building financial security to caring for their families and planning for the future. We want Veteran Strong to be something military families can count on not just today, but as their needs change over time. At Veteran Strong, your service has its benefits."

"As an enlisted Marine, I learned that leadership isn't about rank – it's about responsibility," said Sergeant Major McMichael, Co-Founder of Veteran Strong. "For me, that responsibility has always meant protecting the people I served alongside and making sure they knew someone had their back. That's the commitment we bring to Veteran Strong. We want every Service Member and Veteran to know they're not navigating life after service or having to figure all of that out alone. We’ve got their backs."

Beginning January 2027, members can access the exclusive benefits listed below, including:

• Experian: Helping Veterans protect and build their credit with free financial wellness tools and resources designed to improve their credit score and safeguard them against identity theft and fraud.
• Siebert Financial: Offering free financial education, investment tools, and $0 online trades. Providing Veterans resources to help them manage their money, get on the road to savings, and build long-term wealth.
• ADT: Offering Veterans free home security equipment to help keep their homes and families safe.
• Agero Roadside Assistance: Keeping military families protected on the road with free roadside assistance and emergency support.
• NewDay USA: Helping Veterans and military families achieve the American Dream of homeownership.
• Georgia Military College: Helping make higher education more affordable for military families through exclusive tuition savings and access to associate and bachelor's degree programs.
• Fox Nation: Providing a free year of streaming access featuring exclusive programming, documentaries, and content celebrating America's military community.

Additional partners and offerings will be announced in the coming months, bringing members even more savings and benefits across automotive, insurance, and other everyday needs.

Membership is only available to Veterans, active-duty Service Members, members of the National Guard and Reserve, and their families. To learn more about Veteran Strong, visit www.VSnation.com, beginning November 11.

Holiday sellers favor clearer value over bigger discounts, business owners say

(Featured) - Six retail and e-commerce leaders converge on transparent, predictable offers, though some create bundles while another raises prices.

Edited by Jenn Moon, Editor at Featured News · Roundup by Featured · Nov 10, 2026

Black Friday 2026 sales had already begun by November 5, The Buffalo News reported, putting holiday promotions in front of shoppers weeks before the traditional shopping rush.

Business owners share specific changes they made to holiday pricing or promotions for shoppers wary of discounts.

Roundups

Chloe ClarkFounder, Simply Sage Dog Treats · Atlanta, Georgia

We use a low flat-fee shipping strategy; temporary peak-season rate increases concern us, particularly during the holiday season. However, in our experience, carriers have moved away from traditional rate sheets and now use dynamic pricing models, with shipping rates changing multiple times per week.

I've noticed these increases affecting online shoppers, especially when purchasing lower-priced items under $20. In some cases, I've seen shipping costs that are half the price of the item or equal to the item’s purchase price. Customers may notice that shipping rates fluctuate from week to week and month to month.

With the current economic conditions and ongoing inflation, I've noticed customers are paying closer attention to the total cost of a purchase, including the product price, shipping, and additional fees, and comparing their options before completing an order.

In response, we implemented a low flat shipping fee of $6.50 on all purchases, with the option for customers to pay a higher rate for faster delivery. In our experience, this approach has reduced cart abandonment caused by unusually high shipping charges. Customers know exactly what they will pay for standard shipping, regardless of their location. The flat-fee model is also significantly more sustainable for our business than offering free shipping.

Amit JhalaniFounder, True Sanity · New York, New York

In my experience, prices in jewelry are often artificially inflated just so they can be discounted. We show actual costs, and these are true costs, not inflated figures. If we do a sale, it comes from our margin, not from the consumer.

What we changed: We created something called the Transparency Manifest, with our protocol fee, where everything is disclosed. Every product page shows what the gold, the stones, the labor and the shipping actually cost, plus our protocol fee, which is what we make.

The difference, from what I've observed, is that people are curious. I've noticed they are spending more time on the site, playing around with it. We hope it will eventually lead to conversion and trust. We did this just about two months ago, so we are only starting to see the fruits.

Ramy GafniFounder, RAMY Cosmetics · New York, New York

What I’m doing differently this holiday season is I’m offering holiday-themed, limited-edition value sets of existing popular products. For example, the Sleigh Brows kit: $64.95 against a $112.94 stated value — the kit is the promo; nothing inside it is discounted on its own.

I’m also offering a free gift with every order, with no minimum purchase.

I often offer promotions like 20% or 30% off, but I wanted to offer a really great holiday set that offers a more enticing value.

Conor SmartDirector, Arklavo · Uk

Rather than trying to one-up everyone with increasingly ridiculous Black Friday deals (starting weeks early), I took away a promotion this year at our custom-embroidered T-shirt, hoodie and polo business.

Rather than layering on even more promotions, coupons, sitewide sales, etc., this year I've opted to highlight our one consistent discount code for 15% off, in March, in November, whenever! There is no minimum order required, and I offer free shipping on orders over $150, plus free logo previews before production.

Especially with custom products, I've noticed that our customers tend to be a bit skeptical, so instead of adding on more promotions and eye-candy (countdown clocks, blinking banners), I'm opting for simplicity and consistency. Rather than a flurry of promotions with constantly changing discounts, I'm banking on our customers appreciating (and trusting) one consistent discount. After all, who really believes "up to 60% off"?

Jason KingFounder, Kelsah · Orlando, Florida

We sell personalized message-card jewelry, and this holiday season I did the opposite of what most stores do. I raised my prices instead of discounting them and don’t plan on lowering them back down.

To me personally, it isn’t a good representation of your store or brand if you don’t believe in your products and the value they bring to someone who is receiving them.

So instead of a huge discount, I made the value something they can see. Almost all of our gifts arrive with a free gift box and message card plus free shipping.

To the right customer, that is real value, and the fact that our products take care of the presentation, gift and the message behind your gift simultaneously actually solves three problems at once. I think our customers really appreciate that.

Todd HarmonFounder, AURA Modern Home · Denver, Colorado

This year we didn't do any holiday promos. That's the difference.

I feel like people are tired of the sales, the marked-down prices, and companies raising their prices and then just offering discounts while calling it a holiday sale. So this year we're going to try no holiday sale. The price will be the same as it is most of the year, always our best price.

What we did change is on the product page. Right next to the price we show that we have free shipping and no tax, and we show that we've been featured in different magazine articles. That helps build some authority with the customer.

This story was produced by Featured and republished with permission. Experts featured here are members of Connectively, Featured's expert network.

What a Hotel Doorman Taught Me About Building Software

(Daniel Haiem) - By Daniel Haiem

Edited by Jenn Moon, Editor at Featured News · Nov 10, 2026

I recently came across a concept called the doorman fallacy. Someone posted about it somewhere (I can't remember where exactly), but it was so interesting that I made time to look it up. So, advertising executive Rory Sutherland coined the term "doorman fallacy" in his 2019 book Alchemy, and he illustrates it with a hypothetical hotel.

Picture a hotel manager reviewing costs and realizing that the doorman draws a full salary for just opening a door. He figures that if he gets an automatic door, it will save him money. Obviously, the math looks reasonable. The thing is, the doorman was never just opening a door. He greeted customers, hailed taxis for those who needed one, recognized regulars, and kept an eye on who walked in. Yes, the hotel might have been able to save on payroll, but it could risk losing some regulars along the way because they no longer feel welcome, or because nobody is hailing taxis anymore or watching who walks in.

That's the concept of doorman fallacy. You define a role by its most visible task, then you automate it and eventually lose everything else the role was quietly doing. What's funny is that I've seen companies make the same mistake with software for years — even myself — and I didn't know there was a term for it. Now, with AI booming, that mistake is becoming even easier to make.

Ever since automation became a thing, I've heard countless versions of, "Can we just automate this?" Don't get me wrong, some things genuinely need to be automated to make our lives easier. But there are also times when the workflow they want to replace is rarely as simple as the process document says. There are small steps between the obvious ones that most of us overlook, and the worst part is we won't notice them until later, after the gap has already left dents in the whole process. Just like what happened at Klarna. In early 2024, the company said its AI assistant was doing the equivalent work of 700 full-time customer service agents, but by 2025, its CEO acknowledged that the cost-focused approach had hurt service quality, and Klarna began expanding human support again. They didn't abandon AI completely, though. They basically kept the assistant and added people back where quality had slipped. Simply put, AI could handle the visible task, but the quality of the service was the doorman.

I have been trying to avoid the same mistake for the past few years. Whenever automation is in question — because we love to automate — my team and I do a simple exercise where we list every outcome the role touches, not every task it performs.

The questions include:Who does this person talk to?What do they notice that nobody asked them to notice?Which complaints never reach leadership because this person handles them first?

If that list runs longer than the job description, you've found your doorman. And if you do, for the love of God, do not replace them.

Now when it comes to setting an automation for our clients or if the project involves automation, the first thing I do is evaluate it by pricing everything the role or step touches, not just what it costs overall. This leads me to questions like, "What happens to retention, error rates, escalations, and customer trust?" If nobody on the team can answer that, the savings on the spreadsheet aren't real yet, they are merely an attempt to guess.

Now, let me be clear, none of this is an argument against automation. Most of the software we build exists to remove manual work, and much of it should. I am simply reminding founders, developers, and whoever this may concern about the sequence. You have to understand the full job first, then decide which parts the machine should take.

About the author

Daniel Haiem

Daniel Haiem is the CEO at AppMakers USA, a Los Angeles-based mobile app development firm that has helped startups and enterprise brands design, build, and scale mobile and web products since 2014. Dan writes about product strategy, AI in apps, and what it takes to ship software that lasts.

This story was produced by Featured and republished with permission. Experts featured here are members of Connectively, Featured's expert network.

Institutional knowledge is the data skill AI cannot replace

(Vinit Rajguru) - The real risk isn’t automation. It’s assuming AI understands your data when nobody in your company does.

By Vinit Rajguru

Edited by Jenn Moon, Editor at Featured News · Nov 10, 2026

One weekend I was sitting at my apartment playing with my kid, and I saw a video on TV saying artificial intelligence (AI) will replace everything and people are losing their jobs. The rumination started in my mind that I might also lose my job because of AI, and honestly I was scared and stressed at that time, even though I was in a good position at my current role. As always, the mind tries to protect you. Then I started remembering my early days, how I started my career and how I am using AI in my current role. When I got my hands dirty with it, I realized it will not take my job the way I was thinking.

I have been with the same client for almost five years. When I started, I was shadowing someone and they told me to eyeball the data. Then after one month, that person left the company, and no one was there to teach me. I thought I couldn’t handle it because I didn’t know anything about it. I was hired as an ops person to help the organization with day-to-day operations. I honestly wanted to quit. No one was there to help me, and I was getting pressure from different teams including campaign ops, marketing ops, products and engineering.

This incident happened when the team wanted to launch a campaign, and the goal was to send communications to users who don’t have a business account, but we ended up sending it to users who already had a business account. The reason was the type of identifiers (IDs) we were using to identify those accounts — no one knew what those IDs meant.

So I started collecting evidence. Searching Slack to see if anyone knew about certain tables or columns. Digging through Confluence pages. Trying my luck everywhere. The customer data platform (CDP) also had its own reliability issues when data volumes were too large. The data pipeline was set up to run every two hours, falling back to the next cycle whenever a failure occurred. But there was a hard catch: a strict limit of 200 million records. Exceeding that volume broke the pipeline entirely, leaving us with only two paths forward: Either cut down the data volume or contact the CDP support team in advance to give them a heads-up that a specific audience would breach the threshold.

Usually, whenever we received a request from marketing ops or campaign ops or the product team, we had to follow a few steps: Submit a ticket in our project management tool, wait for it to be assigned and then take it from there. Based on these requests, the average end-to-end turnaround time was approximately five days, which became a pain point for the marketing and campaign ops teams. While this timeline was generally acceptable for regular campaigns, ad hoc campaigns often required a faster turnaround.

To optimize this workflow, and after many trials, I engineered an AI-assisted tool (Field Identifier) that lets campaign ops and marketing ops identify which fields they can use for their upcoming campaigns without reaching out to the data team every time.

Did the changes actually make a difference? We let the data speak for itself. In the second half of 2025, our team of three completed 170 requests with an average five-day turnaround. After building and testing a prototype in January 2026, I launched it in February. Over the next six months, despite taking on a higher workload of 185 requests, we cut our turnaround time down to just two days.Field Identifier did a lot of the heavy work, but the speed boost came from a few moving parts working together — mainly automation, better Structured Query Language (SQL) queries and the team tweaking the workflow as we grew. This was our "aha" moment because the dashboard gave leadership visibility into the measurable improvements we had achieved.

Currently, I am architecting an AI agent to fully automate query execution and segment building, so marketers don’t even have to interact with the tool. They simply make a request, and the work gets done. Their only responsibility is to review the result and make sure everything looks correct.

The way I use AI is more like a conversation. I bring my problem, AI asks me clarifying questions, I answer and together we figure things out. But here is the thing: If I don’t know my own data, I can’t answer those questions. AI is only as good as what I bring to the conversation. Without years of embedded contextual knowledge, it is just guessing.

Early in my career, when I told my colleague how lost I felt and overwhelmed I was, she gave it to me straight: I had been thrown into the deep ocean and had to sink or swim. Initially I thought, how can someone be so straight forward? Later I realized that most data environments are exactly like that. Nobody hands you a life jacket. The individuals who survive are those who master the waters and figure out how to swim — and then build the life jacket so the next person doesn’t have to.

Through discussion with colleagues and friends who are interested in data analytics and data engineering, I have observed that some people are reluctant to enter into the domain thinking AI might limit the opportunities.

My advice is to target overlooked areas. AI can definitely handle tasks, but you need to train it with the right knowledge first. That knowledge and those insights need to come from someone who is actively engaged in the domain, has hand-on experience with the day-to-day work and understands the why behind it. Be that practitioner.

About the author

Vinit Rajguru

Vinit Rajguru is a Senior Solution Consultant specializing in marketing data infrastructure and audience strategy at a global technology firm. He helps organizations build data pipelines, implement customer data platforms, and use artificial intelligence driven targeting to reach the right customers. He writes about the intersection of AI, data engineering, and modern marketing technology.

This story was produced by Featured and republished with permission. Experts featured here are members of Connectively, Featured's expert network.