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At a time when most businesses are in "survival mode," it can pay to be the one that's taking risks and innovating. Running a business in the middle of a lingering pandemic, rising costs and the threat of a recession can be a daunting task for any leader. With survival as the top priority, the idea of experimenting and breaking the mold can seem like a luxury that cannot be afforded. However, businesses that want to stay relevant and competitive must continue to innovate and explore new ideas. Below, 10 Rolling Stone Culture Council members discuss some practical ways that leaders can continue to experiment and break the mold while still keeping their businesses afloat during uncertain times. By implementing these strategies, businesses can not only survive but also thrive in the face of adversity.

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Being deliberate and strategic about your content marketing efforts will yield far better results than a series of unrelated posts. Using social media or a blog to promote your brand isn't as simple as posting for the sake of it. Having a solid content strategy takes the guesswork out of what to publish and ensures that the content will resonate with your audience. Successful content strategies should consider the needs and demographics of your audience, the mission of your business, the purpose of publishing the content and more. Here, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council members share their No. 1 tips for creating an effective content strategy for your brand and why these tips work so well.

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Artificial intelligence isn't out of reach for a small-business budget — you just need the right knowledge and strategies. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology that many people already use in their everyday lives, from facial recognition and social media filters to voice assistants. AI is also extremely beneficial to businesses, as it can save a lot of time and money while improving overall business decisions. Some AI-based business services can come at a high cost, but you don't have to break the bank to use this ever-evolving technology to its full business potential. Below, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council members share how small businesses with limited budgets can still leverage AI without hiring programmers or bothering with big data.

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Media appearances are excellent ways to raise positive awareness about your brand, but you'll need to make a great impression first. Getting press for your business helps your public relations tremendously, whether it means being featured on a podcast, an Instagram Live or even a news segment. Giving a face to the business helps humanize the brand and also allows you to share more explicit insight into your company's values. Making a good impression is key, but the pressure of a live video or audio segment can be nerve-wracking. To help, 14 Rolling Stone Culture Council members share their tips for making sure you're prepared to represent your business well.

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The way you respond to an online complaint can make or break your brand, so it's important to have a solid response strategy. Building an online presence across multiple social media platforms, websites and search engines is essential for any modern business. However, being a part of the digital realm also opens you up to online complaints from unhappy customers. It can be difficult to know how to handle a negative review in any environment, but with the added visibility online reviews have, the response you give will ultimately weaken or strengthen your reputation. To turn negative feedback into a positive brand experience, follow these tips from the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council. Below, they discuss what businesses should do when they find themselves on the receiving end of an online complaint.

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Is this the beginning of a trend?

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Despite a high volume of competing events, there are ways to ensure your gathering leaves a lasting impression on attendees. In the early months of the pandemic, businesses attempted to make their newly virtual events memorable experiences. As in-person events have made their way back onto people’s calendars, these same businesses are now searching for ways to make their next in-person event immersive while exceeding industry standards.  Luckily, businesses have plenty of ways they can plan a memorable event, regardless of the audience size or location. To help, 10 members of Rolling Stone Culture Council offer tips to make your next event the talk of the online (and offline) sphere.

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Series about tech company scales and fails are becoming ever popular.

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Speed is key in today’s job market. Finding the right talent can be an exhausting process. Writing the job description, finding the best places to post it, screening resumes, conducting multiple rounds of interviews and more can eat up a lot of a company’s resources and potentially waste a lot of time.  In today’s job market, speed is key when it comes to finding top talent, which means streamlining your hiring process is essential. To help, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council offer their best recommendations for streamlining your hiring process and making it easier on everyone involved.

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Like beauty, funny is in the eyes of the beholder.

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Building a powerful network can help your business in more ways than one. Networking is not a new concept in the business world, and certainly not to the business professionals who are doing it. But for business owners, forging new connections with other businesses in the same space can often feel like trying to make friends with the competition, and knowing how or when to reach out might not come naturally. But building that network of support is key to long-term business success, and can be especially important during the first few years of growth. So to help demystify the networking process, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council provided their best tips on how to do it right and how to ensure you’re building strong relationships for the long term.

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Your response will say a lot about your company. When your business operates in a niche that can sometimes experience controversy or deals with controversial subjects, such as cannabis or art, you’re bound to come across a few naysayers along the way. While you can’t prevent this situation from happening, you can control the way you respond. In a public space like social media, the way you conduct yourself in reaction to any “hate comments” or “trolls” can have a major impact on the way your business is perceived by current and potential customers. So before you hit “reply,” consider the following 10 strategies recommended by a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council experts for responding to any controversy that may arise.

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As you continue to head into the new year, think about opportunities for expanding your circle.

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The new year has the potential to spark major innovation across various industries. Regardless of a business’s particular niche or industry, there are always exciting developments, innovations or trends on the horizon. As the new year brings a fresh new start, it also brings with it the anticipation many entrepreneurs feel as they look forward to the ideas they hope will become reality in the coming months ahead. The business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council are no exception to the excitement, and below they each share one development or innovation they’re hoping to see come to fruition in their respective industries in 2022.

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To be a trendsetter, you have to put in the work upfront. With trends always coming and going, it can seem like businesses are always just trying to catch up with the next big thing. But to be a true innovator, you’ll need to get ahead of the trends and maybe even set a few for yourself. In order for your business to be the first to capitalize on upcoming trends in your industry — and earn the respect and consumer attention that follows — consider these strategies recommended by the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council. Implementing even one could give you a major head start with the competition.

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Although people who consume cannabis and liquor may be changing, great marketing is timeless.

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For these business leaders, hindsight is 20/20. Starting a business can be an intimidating undertaking, especially when it’s your first one. You’re often feeling imposter syndrome in full force, and no matter how much planning and research you do ahead of time, rarely does any aspect of business go how you’d expect.  Because of this fact, for many entrepreneurs, hindsight is 20/20. Now with established careers and businesses, they can better reflect on what may have gone wrong or what they could have done better when they first started out. Below, a panel of 14 Rolling Stone Culture Council members share the lessons they wish they had known when starting their businesses and how that knowledge may have helped them grow along the way.

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The latest tech isn’t just for your average consumer. In the modern world, it's not just consumers who use wearables, apps or software to better their lives. Entrepreneurs and business leaders are also able to leverage new technology to enhance their business practices and ultimately improve their everyday work. Whether it’s an easy-to-use software program or app, or a culture-wide adoption of technology to meet a growing need, tech solutions have the capability to change the way a business (and its people) function in a meaningful way. Below, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council members each share one way they use technology to better their businesses.

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Are we finally addressing ageism in the media?

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Innovation across industries often signals big changes for our everyday culture. Continuous innovation is a hallmark of the modern business world. It can happen anywhere and in any industry, and it often results in a positive transformation of business processes and workflows. The culture space specifically has experienced a lot of transformation in recent years. As leaders in their respective fields, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council are constantly looking for ways to leverage new innovations to improve their companies and bring value to their customers. Below, 11 of them share which upcoming industry innovations and subsequent changes they're most excited about and why.

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The gig economy’s success boomed during Covid-19, but what trends will we see afterward? At a time when an act as simple as leaving the house felt unsafe, services provided by companies like DoorDash, Postmates, Instacart, etc. became critical to consumers just trying to go about their daily lives. The pandemic changed the way customers buy and businesses sell, but what will its lasting impact be on the gig economy? To offer their professional insights, nine leaders from Rolling Stone Culture Council share their predictions for the future of this booming industry and why it may or may not be just as vital moving forward.

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To ensure success, it's critical to learn how to identify the right candidates from the start. Regardless of the product or service you offer, the right team can make all the difference for the success of a business. Hiring the right people who are highly motivated and skilled can have a major impact on your ability to scale. But finding these people and knowing whether they are the right fit for your company and team can be a challenge. To help leaders find the best future team members, 13 members of Rolling Stone Culture Council offered their advice. Below, they explained how to zero in on the people who will help your business grow.

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Coming up with an idea can be challenging, but following the right steps can get you there faster. For many people, the hardest part of starting a business is coming up with a concept. No matter how many ideas you might have on the back burner, choosing the right one to execute can feel intimidating. This is especially true in the culture space, where the stakes are high and audiences are always looking for "the next big thing." Below, 15 Rolling Stone Culture Council members shared some important tips to help you come up with a business idea you think will have a big cultural impact. Read on to get their recommendations and learn how to implement them for yourself.

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To build a positive business network, you need to quickly identify the right people to connect with. It's often said that you are the sum total of the people around you. Your network matters, so when you're trying to build up your entrepreneurial connections, you’ll want to choose individuals who align with your business values and morals.  However, this can be easier said than done. That's why a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council members shared specific qualities you should look for in a person that will help you determine if they're the "right" person to connect with. Here are 13 characteristics they recommend and why each is so important.

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When your usual outlets aren't available to you, it's important to find alternate coping mechanisms. It’s no question that the last year has been challenging for everyone. Even with the hope of "normalcy" on the horizon, people are finding it difficult to cope with the ongoing pandemic on top of the challenging social and political climate. With many outlets and resources inaccessible at this time, it’s even harder to find ways to de-stress. To help, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council members shared activities and methods that can aid in coping with burnout during multiple crises. Follow their advice to find healthy ways to deal with the stress of the modern world.