Francis Hellyer

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If you’re struggling to regain momentum in a tough market, these expert insights can help you turn things around. In a year marked by continued business closures and shrinking profit margins, declining sales remain one of the toughest challenges for companies trying to stay afloat. To regain stability, businesses must move beyond surface-level fixes and focus on proven strategies that drive revenue and strengthen customer loyalty. That includes reevaluating outdated tactics, doubling down on high-value relationships and aligning offerings with what today’s buyers actually need. Below, Rolling Stone Culture Council members share clear, actionable steps businesses can take right now to increase sales and keep customers coming back.

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As we embrace these transformative technologies, we must proactively navigate significant ethical considerations.

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Mentorship can improve you as a leader as well — not just your mentee. Especially in creative-led industries such as music, art and even just general business, having a mentor can ensure someone starts on the path to success. A mentor can guide someone through the decision-making process, encourage a clever idea (or discourage a bad one) and help introduce them to other people and opportunities that could help define their career. However, mentorship is also leadership and, like any skill, can take time and intention to master. It may not come naturally to everyone, and those interested in taking on a mentorship role will need to first look at themselves if they want to later help others. Below, eight business leaders from Rolling Stone Culture Council share their insights on mentorship in the culture space and offer up their best advice for becoming a better mentor for any current or future mentees you may take on.

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Embracing these technologies can strengthen your bond with your audience. In 2025, digital platforms are nothing new. Individual users and businesses alike have grown accustomed to the nature of social media and how it has revolutionized culture and the way customers interact with and purchase from brands. However, these platforms have not only continued to evolve, adding new ways of shopping, streaming and consuming, but they’ve also multiplied in number, meaning businesses must always stay up to date on the latest innovations and how they must respond if they want to stay relevant to their customers. So how can brands keep up? The answer may lie in how brands have evolved their communications thus far. Thinking about the rise of digital platforms like TikTok, Instagram or even streaming platforms, the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council discuss their experiences with digital platforms over the years and how they have changed the ways in which their brands interact with their audiences now and will continue to do so into the future.

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Learn how to spot toxic patterns and find ways to approach work with a better mindset. The pursuit of success often comes with the pressure to constantly hustle. However, when you continuously push forward without balancing your own needs, ambition can lead to burnout.  Striking the right equilibrium between drive and downtime is essential for maintaining long-term productivity and well-being. To help you do this, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council share strategies for balancing motivation with rest to ensure you create a sustainable and healthy approach to work.

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Take your team to the next level with these expert-approved motivation strategies. Great managers know that bringing out the best in their teams requires more than just setting expectations. Your employees have to feel motivated, supported and empowered to excel — and that all starts with the work environment. Whether through fostering open communication or aligning employee strengths with responsibilities, the right strategies can unlock your team’s full potential. Read on for advice from Rolling Stone Culture Council business leaders about effective management approaches that drive performance and boost morale.

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No business is ever a total failure if you’ve learned something from it. It’s a sad reality that many businesses will fail — in fact, around 18 percent of businesses tend to fail within their first year of operation. However, a failing business doesn’t have to be a total loss for an entrepreneur. There are often many valuable lessons to be learned from a failed business — whether it’s your own or another brand’s. The key is figuring out what those lessons are and how you can apply them to your next business venture. As leaders in the culture space, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council have seen many businesses come and go. Below, they share the notable lessons they've learned from the failure of a business and how that has impacted how they lead now.

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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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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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Letting customers get to know your brand on a deeper level can drive long-term loyalty. Customers are more informed than they ever have been before — and they’d like to keep it that way. In fact, a recent study by Sprout Social found that 86 percent of Americans believe transparency in business to be more important now than ever. They want to know who they’re buying from, what they stand for and what it truly is they’re purchasing with their hard-earned dollars. This knowledge can help drive loyalty and trust among consumers, earning businesses repeat sales and a stable customer base. But what are some of the ways companies can give customers more behind-the-scenes insights? As business leaders in the culture space, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council have a few tried-and-true tips to share. Consider their advice to incorporate more opportunities for transparency with customers and have a positive impact on your company's overall reputation.

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Don’t let a few roadblocks keep you from trying your hand at business ownership. No business is without its challenges. Even the most successful of companies today started out as simple ideas that had to be worked on and evolved over time. And with about 20 percent of businesses failing to make it past their first year, it’s not uncommon for the obstacles in the way of entrepreneurial success to become too difficult for aspiring business owners to overcome. In the culture space, where so much of a company’s success depends upon the trends and desires of the day, carving out a secure space in the market can be an even greater challenge. For those entrepreneurs willing to take the leap, the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council discuss 10 key hurdles aspiring business owners will need to overcome if they want to succeed in the culture space today — and why doing so will make them stronger over time.

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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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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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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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While the industry debates AI’s impact on jobs, the truth is that AI is already integral to filmmaking, making it easier than ever to bring stories to life.

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If your employees have checked out, you should first take a close look at your company culture. Many employees seek fulfillment in their careers, hoping to be seen and understood by their employers, and given a chance to show off their skills and grow within their companies. However, many employees don’t feel they’re receiving this kind of treatment. In fact, “quiet quitters,” or those who are simply doing the bare minimum it takes to get by in their jobs, could make up around half of the U.S. workforce—a response that signals widespread issues with employee recognition and engagement.  According to the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council, the solution lies in treating your employees like the valuable team members they are, ensuring they have the opportunities and resources they need to succeed. To do so, they recommend following these 11 tips for reengaging employees and reigniting their passion for their careers.

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The support and experience of others may just be the solution you need. Success is often not a straight line; it’s full of ups, downs and plenty of surprises. In entrepreneurship, the path to success comes with obstacles you’ll need to overcome if you want to continue on. Many entrepreneurs share similar obstacles, and some may be more unique to specific situations or people. However, when all is said and done, it’s the way an entrepreneur solves each problem that can serve as a guide for others to solve their own. Below, 11 members of Rolling Stone Culture Council each share one major struggle they've faced as an entrepreneur, the steps they took to overcome it and how other entrepreneurs might learn from their journey. 

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Ironically, it’s the tech of the future that could allow us to sate our hunger to return to the past.

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The disruption caused by the pandemic has made innovators of us all.

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We need to get out of our own ways and talk about potential, not fear.