Author: wildgreenquest@gmail.com

Key Takeaways Nearly 70% of Gen Z side-hustlers turn to AI for help immediately, per Samsung. A NetCredit analysis reveals which AI side hustles allow people to earn the most. As the side hustle era continues, AI keeps adding to the number of lucrative opportunities available.  Nearly 70% of Gen Z side-hustlers said they consider AI the go-to resource when they need help in work, according to a recent report from Samsung.  So it’s perhaps not surprising that many people who want to earn money on the side leverage AI from the jump — even charging for jobs that hinge…

More Gen Zers are calling themselves founders than ever, according to new LinkedIn research. But when it comes to asking someone for help, 73% freeze up. Gen Zers report being held back by a fear of bothering people, sounding inauthentic or being judged. “Gen Z knows relationships matter, but many are still figuring out how to build them,” says Catherine Fisher, LinkedIn VP and career expert. “If you’re worried about bothering someone, sounding awkward, or getting ignored, it’s easy to see why sending that first message can feel intimidating.” This lack of confidence has a real cost. Only 11% of…

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Key Takeaways Sustainable growth happens when business development and client service are treated as complementary, not competing, priorities. Simple systems, realistic expectations and intentional scheduling allow entrepreneurs to win new business while still fully satisfying existing clients. Your happiest clients often become your strongest biz dev partners through referrals, testimonials and repeat business. Running a business often feels like driving with one foot on the gas pedal and the other on the brake. Every entrepreneur knows the pressure of wanting to chase the next opportunity while still needing to take excellent care…

Mixue sells soft-serve cones for as little as 45 cents. It also has more locations than McDonald’s. The Chinese chain now runs more than 47,000 stores worldwide, according to the Wall Street Journal. Brothers Zhang Hongchao and Zhang Hongfu built it using the same playbook Dollar General used to outmaneuver Walmart: go where the big guys won’t, keep everything bare-bones and sell cheap. Zhang Hongchao opened his first shaved-ice stall in 1997 in Henan, a Chinese province he compares to Ohio, for just $950. Instead of chasing middle-class shoppers in Shanghai, the brothers planted stands in workers’ dorms, village markets…

Published September 15, 2026 05:54AMWe’re not lost. That’s the baseline my buddy, Keener, and I establish as we step off of our motorcycles and look at the GPS on my phone. We just don’t know where we are. There’s a big difference between those two situations. We’re deep in the backcountry of South Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest and wondering why the dirt road we’re riding comes to a dead end at a stream in the real world but continues on the GPS app in my hand. It’s a glitch in the Matrix. A hiccup like this was bound to…

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Key Takeaways OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Microsoft are escalating the generative AI race, focusing on intelligent agents that streamline multifaceted tasks. Entrepreneurs can harness these AI agents as quasi-co-founders, encouraging innovation and business scaling while balancing the automation dynamic. Major AI power players including OpenAI, Anthropic and Google have entered the AI agent space. As competition intensifies, the focus has shifted from basic chatbots to sophisticated AI agents capable of autonomously executing complex, multi-step tasks.This shift signals a new chapter in AI innovation, where intelligent agents are poised to redefine productivity and…

Published September 14, 2026 11:49PMI was running on my local trail system one warm September morning when something caught my eye. On the concrete wall of a pedestrian overpass sat a large spider, legs stretched out from its glossy black body. It was probably an inch and a half across from the tip of its back legs to its front. I recognized it without even having to see the red hourglass on its stomach: a mature female western black widow. It was the latest of about a half-dozen widows I had spotted in the two weeks prior—more than I had…

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Key Takeaways Generic marketing — basic social media ads or broad SEO campaigns — is a fast track to wasted capital for specialized businesses. Specialized businesses need high-intent lead generation, hyper-local search dominance and strategic integration into existing trust networks instead. As a fractional Chief Marketing Officer who works with many small business owners, the quickest way I’ve seen them burn through money is through generic marketing strategies. Running basic social media ads or broad SEO campaigns for specialized businesses is a fast track to wasted capital. Specialized businesses do not need “awareness.” Instead, they…

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Building your website is a priority, but what if you can’t afford to bring in an independent website designer? There are plenty of options you can find from a free builders list to take advantage of today. To give you an insight into some of the options available, this guide is going to show you some of the top picks that you should consider. With 77 percent believing a poor website is a weakness, you need the right builder. Which of these top professional website builders will you use for your small…

Key Takeaways Burnley was running Wiley Road Foods when she started her protein-bar brand Circ. Circ is on track to 4X its run rate this year and is available in over 13,000 retail locations. Burnley says founders have to embrace hours of complexity and rejection to succeed. This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Theresa Burnley, 65, of Milford, New Hampshire. Burnley was the owner of Wiley Road Foods, which creates and manufactures unusual clean-label baked goods for brands like Trader Joe’s and Milk Bar, when she started her protein-bite brand, Circ, on the side in 2023.  At the end of…