Zain Jaffer

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Here's how to manage stress and burnout even when you're thriving. Success in business often comes at a cost to the people who achieve it. Long hours, high stakes and relentless pressure can take a toll on even the most driven entrepreneurs and leaders. Because burnout and stress can significantly impact decision-making, team dynamics and the future of your business, it's important to proactively address these feelings and manage them effectively. To help you do this, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council share their tried-and-true tips for dealing with the stress that can come with success.

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Making a few small changes can have a big impact on employee happiness overall. With employee retention at the forefront of many leaders’ minds this year, finding ways to ensure their teams are happy, healthy and heard is likely on the top of their to-do lists for 2025. One of the most effective ways to improve employee retention is to create a better work environment for them to thrive in. Whether that means better lines of communication, increased flexibility or a more supportive atmosphere, there are a multitude of ways to create a space where employees want to work. As business leaders themselves, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council have cultivated work environments all their own, and below, they discuss what’s worked well for them as well as ways any business leader can create a better environment for their employees in the new year.

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Let me shed some light on how you can go about making a big shift in your brand.

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Industry leaders share the top business goals your company should implement in the new year. As another new year approaches, businesses in every industry are reevaluating their priorities to adapt to evolving market demands and consumer expectations. From sustainability initiatives to embracing technological advancements, the goals companies choose to pursue will shape their success and impact. But what are the most important things for businesses to focus on, and are those goals universal? Here, Rolling Stone Culture Council members weigh in on the key objectives they believe more organizations should aim for in 2025 and why these goals can make such a difference in your success next year.

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When business passion fades, these strategies can provide some much-needed inspiration. When you’re a leader in the culture space, it's easy to get burned out when trends change as quickly as they emerge. The constant pressure to innovate and adapt can make it challenging to stay connected to the passion that drives your work. To help you keep that spark alive, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council offer their tried-and-true strategies for reigniting your enthusiasm. From focusing on your mission to seeking out new challenges, these approaches can help you maintain your passion and avoid burnout in this fast-paced industry.

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Employees who take ownership often feel more valued, motivated and connected to company goals. Many companies often struggle with employee engagement. Employees may be “phoning it in,” not taking initiative or failing to do more than is required of them, and company leaders can’t figure out how to get them more invested not only in their own success, but in the success of the company as well.  One solution is to build a culture of ownership. When employees feel they have control over their work and their future, they’re more likely to be productive and step up with ideas to benefit their team, as well as feel generally happier about their work. So what’s the key to creating such a company culture, and what steps can leaders take to build one? Here, business leaders from Rolling Stone Culture Council draw on their own experience improving employee engagement and offer up 10 strategies they’ve found to be most effective in empowering employees to take ownership of their roles and future success. 

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You don’t necessarily have to sacrifice one to achieve the other. All companies must eventually make sales if they want to last as a business. And to make sales, you need to work on marketing — or getting your brand and products in front of potential customers and detailing the reasons why they should pass their hard-earned cash off to you. But while earning sales is one of the main goals of good marketing, some efforts can sometimes come off too “salesy,” turning off customers with far too insistent and persistent language and messaging. Today’s consumers crave more transparency from brands, so marketers must work to balance their sales pitch with their brand’s authentic voice. Drawing on their own experiences as business leaders, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council weigh in below on how brands can balance authenticity and marketing when developing their unique brand story and why it’s so important to do so.

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To market to a younger audience, you first have to get to know them on a deeper level. Culture is rapidly changing, with influencer-recommended shopping and rapid content consumption becoming the norm. And as younger generations not only embrace this new culture but lead it, companies are finding themselves targeting a new demographic of consumers. However, taking the same-old approach won’t be effective if you want to gain the interest of young consumers. From marketing on the right platforms to supporting their favorite social causes, companies will need to consider younger generations’ differing preferences. Here, the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council offer up nine ways companies can better engage younger consumers and the methods that have worked well for them. 

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Every few seconds, a new meme coin is created.

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Watch out for these telltale signs that your brand may need some fine-tuning. Brand alignment is crucial to any business's success, both on an initial and ongoing basis. If your brand doesn't deliver on its mission and value proposition — or communicate this information in a way that resonates with your target audience — you might find yourself with decreased engagement, fewer sales and a lack of clarity on how to move forward. But how do you know if your brand is misaligned, and what can you do to fix the problem? Here, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council share some red flags that your brand needs realignment, along with actionable steps to get things back on track.

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Leadership skills can never truly be mastered, as they are something that should evolve over time. Professional development is often focused on improving yourself and your skills to help you move up in your career. The better you are at something, and the more skills you have, the higher on the ladder you can climb. But no one ever truly reaches perfection — not even leaders. Learning doesn’t stop once you become the boss. In fact, it’s even more important that you continue to learn as a leader if you want to grow, innovate and succeed as a business. So what are some of the things you can learn? Here, 12 business leaders from Rolling Stone Culture Council discuss the things about themselves they have had to work on improving over the years and why it’s so important other leaders do the same. 

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If you want to convince someone to buy from you, first you have to understand the value you’re offering. When you run a business in a creative industry, it might not always be clear how to monetize your work. Whether you’re an independent artist, a freelance creator or any other form of solopreneur, one of the first steps on your road to success is managing to land your first sale — and that can be a tricky endeavor on your own. Having each worked in the culture space for some time, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council know what it takes to run successful businesses in creative industries. Here, they weigh in with words of wisdom for aspiring or current entrepreneurs on how to land that elusive first sale, and what it takes to keep your business going even after you’ve earned your first customer.

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An artist probably does not need to have a PhD in Economics to understand the relationship between lean times and good times.

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Learn what it takes to turn your workplace into an environment where employees want to grow their careers. As new generations enter the workforce, a shift in employee expectations has challenged traditional approaches to retention. Offering competitive salaries is no longer enough — today’s employees want more from their workplace experience. This changing environment has made long-term employee retention feel increasingly difficult for many businesses.  To help, Rolling Stone Culture Council members share what it takes to build a workplace where people want to stay and grow. Follow their recommendations to make your workplace a destination employees won’t want to leave.

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Navigate around these common branding pitfalls to strengthen your reputation and boost audience engagement. For today's businesses, managing a strong online presence is just as important as delivering quality products or services. However, boosting your company’s brand can be difficult in a saturated online space, and there's no shortage of potential pitfalls that can undermine your reputation. Below, Rolling Stone Culture Council members explore common mistakes businesses make when promoting themselves online. Their insights can help you avoid these missteps, increase audience engagement and strengthen your brand’s overall marketability.

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If your employees feel uncertain about how AI will impact their roles, here's how to frame communications to alleviate their concerns. In the last few years, AI has taken off in unexpected ways that have changed the way today's workforce operates. As a result, the fear of automation replacing tasks or entire jobs has become common among employees.  However, automation doesn't remove the need for the human touch — and, in fact, can be used to support employees in their day-to-day workflows. Below, Rolling Stone Culture Council members share reassuring messages that can help calm employees navigating these changes. With the right communications, employees can view AI not as a threat but as a tool to advance their careers and embrace new possibilities.

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Artists shouldn't feel they need to abandon their ideals in order to find success in the industry.

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These strategies can make it easier to break through productivity blocks and accomplish more during your workday. With the constant barrage of emails, meetings and distractions, finding real focus and productivity in your workday can be challenging. Many professionals struggle to maintain momentum long enough to finish a project. However, the right techniques can help boost concentration and productivity on even the busiest of workdays. Here, 15 Rolling Stone Culture Council members share their favorite techniques for staying on track and explain why these strategies work so well in a busy work environment. From using time-blocking methods to taking strategic breaks, these tactics can help boost focus and efficiency, even when you're in a productivity slump.

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Just because you've fallen out of contact doesn't mean you can't reach out and pick up where you left off. Reconnecting with someone in your professional network after time apart can feel a bit awkward, but it’s also a valuable opportunity. Rekindling these relationships can open doors to new opportunities, collaborations and insights while strengthening your professional connection for the future. According to members of Rolling Stone Culture Council, reaching out in a thoughtful, genuine way can help you meaningfully rebuild those connections. If you’re looking to reestablish relationships within your network, these expert strategies can guide you toward doing so with authenticity and impact.

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Become a recognized expert in your field with these effective thought leadership strategies. As an entrepreneur or business leader, building influence in your chosen niche can cement your status as a credible industry thought leader. Being influential requires strategic actions that establish your expertise and encourage relationships with key players in your field. To help you do this, Rolling Stone Culture Council members share their top recommended strategies for elevating your influence within your industry. These strategies can make all the difference when you are trying to establish your reputation as a sought-after and respected expert.

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Proper training can ensure reps are prepared to handle any problem that comes their way. Because they have direct interactions with customers on a daily basis, a company’s customer service team plays a large role in that organization’s success. Quality customer service will not only impress new customers but will also be a key motivator in their decision to stick around for the long term. This means that training customer service reps on how to do their job efficiently and with quality and positivity in mind is an important task that leaders shouldn’t take lightly.  As business leaders themselves, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council know what it takes to provide great customer service. Below, they each detail one area they believe more customer service teams should be trained on in order to be successful and the impact that has on a company’s bottom line.

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Do we separate the wheat from the chaff and only allow NFT marketplaces with human curators for digital art?

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The blockchain offers the opportunity beyond NFTs — owning fractions of real world art.

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To keep DEI top of mind, you’ll need to make it more than just a goal. Diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, has become a major topic of discussion in the corporate world over the last few years, with companies looking to better represent their customer base and offer a more inviting environment and equitable opportunities to their employees. However, while some companies continue to lead the charge in implementing new DEI initiatives, others have slowed, or even completely stalled, their efforts. Whether it’s due to a lack of resources for these departments, unsustainable practices or a loss of motivation, some companies are finding it harder and harder to continue to build upon their DEI efforts with the same vigor they once had.  However, there are still ways to ensure DEI remains an important part of your company culture and processes, even if you run into red tape. Here, seven business leaders from Rolling Stone Culture Council discuss some of the best practices any business can follow to keep diversity, equity and inclusion top of mind for teams at all levels of an organization.

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Here are a few ways to track success you may not have thought of. When it comes to meeting your customers where they are, getting on social media is likely a good place to start. But while more and more customers are shifting their browsing and shopping habits to social media, tracking the effectiveness and ROI of a social media campaign can be tricky. Attempting to determine how much money was made from “likes” or “comments” isn’t as straightforward as other forms of marketing, and this can be a major struggle for social media teams trying to prove their success.  However, money made isn’t the only way to define “success,” and there are other goals or milestones that may indicate customers are getting value from what you’re offering. If you’re struggling to find a return on one of your social media campaigns, consider tracking one of the following metrics, as suggested by the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council. These key performance indicators may help you see your campaign in a whole new light.

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Sometimes an expense taken to help someone out may pay more dividends than something that makes sense on a balance sheet.

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Here's how to strategically create and follow through on your most important business goals. No matter what industry you're in, business success starts with identifying short- and long-term goals. However, it can be tricky to figure out exactly how to set and achieve those objectives. To help, Rolling Stone Culture Council business leaders share their goal-setting strategies and why these methods are effective. Follow their recommendations to help you refine your approach to achieving your business goals.

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The best way to negotiate is to ensure both parties win. Whether you’re attempting to settle on a price with an important client or trying to reach an agreement with a potential business partner, negotiation plays an important role in business. However, it isn't a skill that comes naturally to everyone, and some may struggle to find a balance between achieving what they want and ensuring the other party does too. Mastering the art of negotiation takes practice, but keeping the following tips in mind can help you improve your skills faster and achieve the best outcomes. Below, the business leaders of  Rolling Stone Culture Council draw on their years of experience closing deals to share their best advice on becoming a master negotiator, no matter your industry.

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Make getting a return on your investment easier with these simple steps. Advertising, in one form or another, is necessary to get right if you want to properly market your product or service and get the word out to potential customers. However, because of factors such as the complexity of the customer’s journey and the creative strategy that goes into advertising, determining and ensuring a high return on your investment can be a difficult task.  In this way, when you’re unsure whether the time and effort you put into your advertising strategy will yield the desired result, you have to be careful to make every dollar count. This ensures you don’t incur more costs than are absolutely necessary. So how can businesses be more mindful about their ad budgets? The business experts of Rolling Stone Culture Council recommend the following six steps. Here, they outline their top tips for making your ad dollars count and ensuring a high return when it can often be challenging to do so.

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Despite its reputation as the king of precious metals, during good economic times, gold is not often thought of as an investment.

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The only constant with trends is that they will inevitably change. In the culture space, what's in one day could be out the next. Trends are constantly changing, and the companies that build their business off trends may struggle to thrive once their particular trend has come and gone. However, it’s not unusual for companies to want to cater to what’s popular at the moment, offering what customers are most interested in at the time. The challenge then becomes how to adapt as these trends change. How can a business ensure it doesn't fail once a fad has passed? As business leaders in the culture space, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council have a few ideas. Here, they discuss 10 key tips for building a culture of adaptability in your company that will allow you to better respond to constant cultural change.

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Your willingness to learn and grow has a major impact on your ability to win in business. The business world is full of ups and downs. One day you’re succeeding, and the next day you’re not. This can be especially true of the culture space, where trends can change daily and consumers’ opinions evolve equally as fast. Entrepreneurs who develop a growth mindset — or the belief that persistence and effort lead to success — are more likely to thrive in this type of environment, making it an essential trait to cultivate for culture space leaders. As leaders in the culture space themselves, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council know what it takes to succeed in today’s marketplace. Here, they discuss the top reasons why business leaders need a growth mindset and the impact that mindset has on their ability to lead well.

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So think of NFTs that way; you are buying the digital certificate of ownership of that artwork that proves you are the new owner.

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Cut through the noise by amplifying your unique story. Today, it seems that nearly everyone is on social media — and that includes businesses. With the majority of small businesses using social media to reach their audience, there’s a lot of competition when it comes to earning the attention of potential customers. This is why it’s so vital to find a way to stand out and cut through the digital noise. However, beyond creating viral videos or following the latest social media trend, there are a number of other, more meaningful ways to set your business apart. Here, nine business leaders from Rolling Stone Culture Council weigh in on some of the steps a business can take to ensure their social media presence stands out from the competition and engages their followers in a meaningful way.

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The tone of any company is set by its leaders.

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To impress potential investors, put yourself in their shoes. One of the most difficult aspects of getting a business off the ground is finding the money to be able to do so. While there are a number of ways to fund a business — crowdsourcing, family and friends, investors, bootstrapping and more — each comes with their own pros and cons, benefits and challenges, meaning no one business will likely follow the same financial path.  However, there are a number of similar struggles you may face when trying to raise capital for your business that other seasoned entrepreneurs have also experienced. To share their own stories and advice, eight business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council weigh in on common fundraising challenges and what they would advise others do to avoid or overcome the same obstacles they faced themselves.

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Building a successful brand means understanding who you are and staying true to it. In so many areas of culture, building a successful personal brand is key to getting ahead. Who you are, what you’re known for and what value you provide to others all play a role in creating your brand, and those who create positive ones are likely to find more opportunities coming their way. But creating a personal brand isn’t as simple as some may think. It requires intentionality and a deep understanding of self to get started. Here, 14 leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council share some of the other steps you’ll need to take if you want to build a successful personal brand, in life and in business.

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To find the best candidate, you’ll need to get to know them on a deeper level. The right team can make or break your business. A team that gets along well can help your company innovate and stand out among your competition. On the flip side, a team that is dysfunctional can drag down morale and efficiency, creating internal problems that take away from the work at hand. While teams require a number of elements to function well — including a thoughtful manager — one way company leaders can ensure they’re setting their teams up for success is by hiring the right team members. But choosing the right person out of a pool of candidates can be a challenging task, so how can leaders determine if they’re making the right hires? Below, the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council offer their advice, each weighing in with one step companies can take before and during the interview process to make sure the next hire they make will be the perfect one.

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Crypto advocates look to see good solutions for the world's problems in the blockchain technology.

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Building a business can be a slow process — but it doesn’t always have to be. One of the most difficult parts of starting a new business is getting sales. When you first start out, you’re still trying to find customers to purchase your product or service, so sales can often take a while to really ramp up — even if you’ve found a few repeat customers. But such a slow start can be frustrating, especially when you’re not yet making a profit or breaking even.  While growing a business is often a test in patience, there are ways you can speed up the process and increase your sales at a quicker pace. According to the business and culture leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council, implementing any of the following eight tips can give your business the major boost it needs to attract more customers, quickly increase sales and really get your budding business off the ground.

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Prioritizing your website is prioritizing the happiness of your customers. A website is, more or less, the “face” of any business. It’s where your customers can learn more about your brand and products, where they can peruse your offerings and, if you’re an online-only brand, it’s the only opportunity they have to make a purchase. Because of this, business leaders who don’t put a high priority on both the beauty and functionality of their websites are at a distinct disadvantage among their competition, and potential customers may not stick around long with a poor user experience. To ensure your business website meets and exceeds customer expectations, you’ll need to consider the following nine factors, as suggested by the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council. Here, they go in depth on the reasoning behind these considerations and why prioritizing them will have a positive impact on your visitors.

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Start with developing confidence in your business and what you have to offer. To be “the best in the business,” a business leader must first get intentional about owning their niche. This means finding ways to stand out from the competition, nailing down a distinct point of view and committing to learning and growing as a leader and as a business. While ignoring these steps, and others, may not mean a business will fail, it is likely that, as a result, the business will never rise to the top. Here, 13 members of Rolling Stone Culture Council elaborate further on the key steps business leaders will need to take if they really want to own their niche and why these particular strategies will ensure business success for a long time to come.

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In order to understand crypto, start with understanding the nature of treating a friend to coffee or even a steak dinner.