Latest news with #Niles
Entrepreneur
15 hours ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
How I Turned a 'Boring' Company Bleeding $500K a Month into a $45 Million Machine
"Boring" businesses often deliver better returns than VC-funded disruption plays, with less competition and clearer paths to profitability. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. I'm on my knees in a Niles, Illinois, apartment, installing a medical alert system for an elderly client. I had just bought into the company, and we were losing $500K a month. I needed to go and see why. She served me tea and cookies while I worked. Then she said something that changed everything: "You're the most respectful and courteous person from any company who's been inside my home." That's when I realized we weren't in the technology business. We were in the trust building business. For us, trust meant three things: consistency, responsiveness and showing up when it mattered most. Related: Apple's Next Big Launch Is Reportedly Foldable iPhones. Here's When It Will Be Revealed. The $500K monthly bleed In 2013, I bought into a medical alert company that smart money had abandoned. A classmate from Stanford GSB, now at a major PE firm, raised an eyebrow: "That industry? The smart money has left the building." He wasn't wrong. We were hemorrhaging half a million monthly. Competitors were folding or desperately merging. Everyone knew the Apple Watch would be the final nail in our coffin. I don't mean to romanticize it. Our financials were a mess. But the deeper I looked, the more it seemed like the real deficit wasn't capital. It was care. Sitting in that apartment in Niles, installing a system for someone who survived the Holocaust, I saw something different. These weren't "users" waiting for the next innovation. They were people who'd learned that survival often depends on reliability, not novelty. They valued humanity and decency above all else. The service revolution nobody wanted While VCs poured millions into smart pendants and AI-powered monitoring, I made a different bet: What if we just answered the phone better? We did three things: Trimmed the fat: Cut three failing channels to focus on two that worked Invested in humans: 10% more training than any competitor Raised prices: Better service costs more. Turns out, people happily pay for better. The VC-funded competitors promised to revolutionize the form factor. We promised to pick up the phone in three rings. Turns out, that mattered more than anyone expected. Why boring beats brilliant Here's what Silicon Valley doesn't understand: In service businesses, it's all distribution and trust. Not technology. Not features. Trust. Our customers stay with us for years. When they leave, it's not because they found a better product (or that they passed). It's because life changed; 48% move to assisted living, 42% move in with family. They don't quit us. Some even call to thank us when they cancel. The pattern that pays I see the same pattern everywhere: Overfunded in digital ads? Someone's making money in direct mail. Overfunded in AI? Someone's cleaning up with better human service. Overfunded in automation? Someone's winning by adding humans back. None of this is easy. Service businesses scale differently. Culture cracks faster than code. But when it works, it lasts. Maybe you're the one raising millions to disrupt something. That's fine. But if not, fret not. Related: 'Boring' Businesses Are Making Millionaires — and You Can Borrow Their Strategies For Success The unglamorous path to $45 million Over the years, that "dying" medical alert business generated $45M in cash. We built 28% EBITDA margins in a "commodity" industry. We grew 12% annually while everyone said we were obsolete. No pivots. No rebrandings. No articles in the tech press. It wasn't a straight line. But we stayed close to the customer, close to the team and close to what worked. That was enough. Just consistent service. The kind that earns its keep quietly. We turned profitable in 90 days by doing what MBAs say you can't: compete on service in a price-sensitive market. Turns out grandma knows quality when she experiences it. And she tells her friends. Your boring goldmine awaits Every industry has its version of this opportunity: Home services : Where trust beats price : Where trust beats price B2B logistics : Where reliability beats speed : Where reliability beats speed Healthcare adjacent : Where empathy beats efficiency : Where empathy beats efficiency Education : Where relationships beat algorithms : Where relationships beat algorithms Local services: Where showing up beats scaling up Every industry has noise. Sometimes, trust and steady execution cut through louder than innovation. The ultimate service metric That elderly client in Niles was our customer for eight years. When she finally moved in with her daughter in Phoenix, she called to thank us. Her daughter said we were the only company her mother insisted on calling personally to cancel. We answered in three rings. We didn't innovate the medical alert. We didn't invest in tech. We didn't revolutionize the form factor. We didn't leverage AI or blockchain. We just cared. Consistently. While Silicon Valley preaches "scale through software," I've built something heretical: a business that scales through service. It's not sexy. But it will get you customers who thank you after eight years. Our frontline staff made it work. Training helped. But care is what kept people. As an entrepreneur through acquisition, be willing to buy boring. Invest in training. Operate for the long term. Build great firms, not great exits. There's nothing boring about being needed, and trusted, for a decade. Run your own race. The view's better, and surprisingly, so are the returns.
Chicago Tribune
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Niles Park District Fourth of July parade ‘after party' is ‘just a time to be with family'
Splashes, laughter, music hits and the aroma of hot dogs filled Grennan Heights Park on July 4 as the Niles Park District hosted its annual 'Post-Parade Family Fest.' With inflatable attractions, pony rides, booths full of family-friendly games and a live performance by the band The Mix, the Park District delivered a festive Fourth of July celebration to its residents and visitors alike. The post-parade fest has been a tradition in Niles for more than two centuries. With free admission to the park and most attractions and food included – aside from beverages and raffle tickets – the event came together with help from Park District staff and other who spent hours preparing for an anticipated high turnout, according to organizers. 'It's a great event and it's definitely a team effort,' said Robin Brey, Niles Park District office manager and recreation supervisor. 'They set up all day yesterday. We get here at 6 in the morning, everybody comes in, then there's the parade, and everybody gets here at 11 o'clock. So, it's probably 24 hours. There's 30 full-time staff and about 50 part-time staff that help.' A crowd estimated in the thousands – from Niles and neighboring towns – poured into the park, looking to make the most of the holiday despite the high summertime heat and morning cloud cover. Among them was Tia Davis, a Niles resident who's made the Post-Parade Family Fest a tradition with her sons Roman, 6, and Don, 9. 'It's a lot of fun for the kids. Nice parade, good rides; just a lot of fun with the neighborhood,' said Davis. This year marked the Davis family's fourth time celebrating the Fourth of July at the event. 'I really love the after-party,' Davis added. 'It's just a time to be with family, get away from work and just enjoy ourselves.' Also returning were longtime attendees Renee Polit, her husband, and their sons Jacob, 4, and Joaquin, 8. This marked their eighth year at the post-parade fest. 'We're just letting the kids have fun. We always go to the parade, and they enjoy the jump house here,' said Polit. For Carmen Sciackitano, this year was her first time attending. She traveled from west suburban Winfield to spend the Fourth of July with her family, especially her granddaughters and great-granddaughters. When asked what she enjoyed most, she said, 'The beautiful parade with veterans, police, first responders and the band here at the park. Wonderful.' As her family played nearby under a refreshing spray from a fire truck ladder, Sciackitano reflected on what the day meant to her. 'It means that we're a country united by all different types of Americans, and we're strong, good people,' she said. During the event, the Park District picked prize winners for a raffle open to all attendees, with tickets available for $1 each, or six for $5. Ten prizes were awarded, including bikes, scooters, a volleyball and badminton set, and other interactive items. Despite a few morning showers, the Post-Parade Family Fest saw a packed turnout. 'I think it brings families together. People come from all over, and kids [who] grew up here … come back here to visit and take part in the event,' said Brey.
Chicago Tribune
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Morton Grove Days marks Fourth of July with parade. Carnival rides, funnel cakes and more open during 4-day run.
The Morton Grove Days Parade has been a longstanding tradition, and it continued this year on the Fourth of July as thousands lined Dempster Street in the summer heat. Put together by the Morton Grove Days Commission, an independent organization made up of volunteers, the event relies heavily on community members to work and on private donations to fund the festivities, officials say. As people sat on curbs, waved American flags, chatted with family and friends, and prepared their hands to catch some treats, attendees shared what they were looking forward to most during the parade. 'His excitement- catching candy, and how simple it is for kids to celebrate,' said Lauren Niederkorn, a Morton Grove local, talking about her 5-year-old son, Roland. Niederkorn, her husband Nathan, and their son Roland had already attended a Niles Fourth of July parade earlier in the day, where Roland collected an impressive amount of candy. 'Maybe 100 [pieces],' the 5-year-old said. Looking ahead to the rest of their heat-filled day, Niederkorn shared their family's itinerary. 'We're going to go see some college friends and see some fireworks, then sleep; sleep a lot and find air conditioning,' she said. Returning for the eighth year was Morton Grove local Lizette Villegas. 'It's cute, honestly. Like, it's small enough so it doesn't get too crowded. The kids love it. They always throw a bunch of goodies, candies and trinkets for the kids. There's always the Jesse White Tumblers which is a lot of fun to watch. So yeah, it's a cute little event,' said Villegas. She and her daughters were looking forward to seeing the tumblers perform stunts during the parade. Attending the parade for the first time were Morton Grove residents John Deguilio, his wife Laura, and their 1-year-old son, Nolan. 'I actually don't know what's going to happen during the parade. This is his first parade ever, so we don't know what to expect,' said John Deguilio, referring to his young son. 'He loves trucks, so I think he'll be more excited about the trucks.' Laura Deguilio looked forward to seeing American traditions on display. 'We're proud to be from America. We love the Fourth of July, and it's a great experience for our son- and seeing our neighbors,' said John Deguilio. The crowd cheered as first responders began making their way down Dempster Street, kicking off the parade with blaring horns, waving hands and candy tosses. The parade also included marching bands, dancers, and flying magic carpets. The parade rolled for more than an hour. Then attendees made their way to the Morton Grove Days carnival at Harrer Park to keep the Fourth of July celebration going. Morton Grove Days ran from Thursday to Sunday and featured thrilling rides, games, food stations, live entertainment and more. With a freshly made funnel cake in hand, Allan Morales attended the carnival for the first time. Jennifer Gonzalez returned for her third year. 'To eat, play games, wait for my other buddies, and then watch the big fireworks up in the sky,' Morales said, laying out his carnival plans for the day. Gonzalez looked forward to the 'rides and food.' Kierra Kim, 18, attended the carnival with her boyfriend Ryan Goodman. Kim recalled the nostalgia she feels each year. 'I've been coming to this carnival since I was a little kid, maybe like 4 or 5,' she said. 'We're kind of just getting it started. I think honestly, just everything leading up to the fireworks is kind of a highlight.' A fireworks show closed out the July 4 day. Goodman attended Morton Grove Days this year for the second time. He said he enjoys 'the spirit of it. Just kind of like eating junk food, being with my girl and having fun.' Carnival-goers of all ages hopped on various attractions. As screams, laughter and the aroma of carnival food filled the air, Morton Grove Days created a festive Fourth of July evening. Live entertainment kicked off at 5 p.m., beginning with singer Natalie Lynch, followed by Buckle, and headlined by rock band 7th Heaven, which played both classic and original hits. As the sun set, thousands gathered in Harrer Park's open field as fireworks lit up the night sky, bringing this year's Fourth of July celebration to a close.
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
NFL WAG stuns in bikini-clad pictures from European vacation
The fiancee of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning has gone viral on social media after posting a string of pictures from her recent vacation. Stephanie Niles stunned her followers with the collection of bikini-clad snaps from her recent trip to Croatia. Niles was seen soaking up the sun in the exotic Croatian town of Hvar, heading into the ocean to cool off. It is unclear whether or not Browning was there with her but the quarterback is currently not needed in Cincinnati. Browning, who is the backup to starting quarterback Joe Burrow, will be due back in Ohio for the team's training camp on July 23. It is certainly not the first time Niles has gone viral, however. In January 2024, she stole the show at the Bengals' game against the Cleveland Browns by wearing an eye-catching all-white bodysuit in the stands. Television cameras continued to cut to her wearing the NFL-styled outfit, which was put together by her clothing-designer cousin Taylor Damron. The couple have been together since their college days, having first met at Washington University. Browning, 29, played four seasons for the Huskies, recording 958 completions for 12,296 yards and 94 touchdowns, while Niles was studying for her bachelor's degree in Accounting and Information Systems, according to her LinkedIn profile. The now-Bengals WAG then went on to co-found swimwear company, 7th Street Swim, in February 2020 after graduating from Washington. As well as managing her swimwear business, Niles has also been working for motor-vehicle manufacturers Decked, LLC as an Information Project Manager since November 2021. She often finds the time to balance her work schedule with trips to the Bengals' Paycor Stadium, nevertheless, where she cheers on Browning from the stands alongside friends. The couple got engaged in November 2024 when Browning got down on one knee on a beach in Malibu.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Summer of Sarah Niles: ‘F1' Star on the 'Theater' of Racing and Tom Cruise's Reaction: He Was 'on the Edge of His Seat'
It's the summer of Sarah Niles, it seems. The English star is talking to The Hollywood Reporter from New York, where she just premiered Heads of State, starring Idris Elba and John Cena. 'Everybody was just so pumped for it,' she says of Ilya Naishuller's imminent action comedy, set to debut on Amazon Prime on July 2. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Squid Game' Star Yim Si-Wan on Learning to "Love the Hate" Fans Feel for His Character Bob Vylan Dropped From Europe Music Festivals in Wake of "Death to the IDF" Controversy James Bond Movies With Sean Connery, Renee Zellweger-Directed Short Set for Edinburgh Fest But this isn't the project Niles is here to discuss — and it's not her role in the hotly anticipated Fantastic Four: First Steps, either. The actress, perhaps best known to audiences as Ted Lasso's Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, is doing press for the Brad Pitt-led F1 movie, the high-octane, high-budget sport thriller currently dominating the U.S. and global box office. 'I can't really complain,' she says of her jam-packed calendar. 'I've had these films coming out and the excitement around them… I'm living the dream.' In F1 — filmed at real-life Formula One races across the 2024 season — Niles stars as the gentle and wise Bernadette. Mother to Pitt's co-star Damson Idris, playing Joshua Pearce, her role is a welcome break from the thrilling, nail-biting speed of a movie dedicated to emphasizing the sport's extremes. Sonny Hayes (Pitt) joins Javier Bardem's APXGP, a flailing F1 team whose survival depends on one small feat: winning a race. When driver-turned-businessman Ruben Cervantes (Bardem) calls in a favor to his former teammate, all eyes are on Hayes to deliver. There are, of course, the hurdles: a 'shitbox' car not performing as technical director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon) would like it to, a promising but immature young driver (Idris) defiantly working against, and not with, his teammate, as well as a board that wants to cut its losses and sell up before APXGP loses any more money. The film hits all the right story beats while delivering on the rip-roaring action sequences. 'I don't know how they managed to capture F1, but they did,' Niles says of the team-up between director Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. 'I was a bit worried about people going, especially hardcore fans. [I thought], 'Are they really going to like this?'' Her fears went unrealized. Below, Niles talks to THR about seeing Pitt and Idris in painstaking rehearsal mode, understanding her character with the help of seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton and sitting behind Tom Cruise at the film's gargantuan London premiere: 'I thought, 'If Tom Cruise is on the edge of his seat, you know you've got a winner here.'' You must be a busy woman right now. I am. I can't really complain. It's a wonderful place to be in. I've had these films coming out and the excitement around them… [I'm] living the dream. Were you an F1 fan before this movie came into your life? No, I wasn't! When I was growing up, it used to be on sometimes on a Saturday and I could hear the cars going. [But] I didn't know anything about the sport. I didn't think it was for me. And I love sports, so when I went for the audition, my manager was like, 'It's called F1 and Brad Pitt's attached.' That was all the information, and possibly there's a character that may have one scene. I was like, 'OK.' When I got the scenes to audition for, I met with [director] Joe Kosinksi and [producer] Jerry [Bruckheimer]. And Jerry said to me, 'You need to watch Drive to Survive.' What was your immediate reaction to ? I was blown away. I love the fast pace of it. You get the snippets of their dedication and what they put their bodies through to be the best they can be. It's just fascinating. It's got so much fire in it, drama. And the film, you're on the edge of your seat. It's a thrilling watch. At the same time, you have one of the softest and more gentle characters to balance that out. What was it you liked about Bernadette? I approached it as it was. I was like, 'OK, she's playing a mum.' I was in a couple of scenes when I first read the script. Then, when I got in the room and met Joe, I loved his work, I think he's a brilliant director, having seen Top Gun: Maverick, and then Jerry Bruckheimer… I grew up watching so many of his films. We had a conversation about this character. They had a real understanding of what she was like and the relationship she may have had with [Joshua's] father. There's all this background information they had. She's Caribbean, she works in a medical profession. I was thinking maybe she works as a nurse or something to do with emergencies so she would understand about being in those spaces of trauma. She'd understand how to take care of her son. Then, the relationship with her husband, Joshua's dad, who passed away, she would understand caring for him… [Kosinski] was very specific about making sure this character wasn't just, 'Oh, I'm a mum and really miserable and worried about my son.' She has agency. You can tell she's not afraid to put Joshua down. She's not afraid to tease him. She makes a comment about Sonny being a good-looking man. She's a bit cheeky. You have to have this mother who roots things because everything's high-energy, high-octane. The stress levels and excitement — you have to have something that grounds it to understand where this person comes from. Joshua's character says, 'I climbed a mountain to be here.' Your performance was as a standout. [Smiles.] Yeah. When I read Sonny's character, and I understood the complexities of this man, then I thought, 'OK, I need to be in this.' I need to [show] what the complexities are for the families [of drivers]. As much as it is their sons putting their bodies through it, being dedicated and focused, it's the families that help to drive you as well. They help to push you. They know you at your lowest point. Did you speak to some of the drivers or their families? I was lucky enough to speak to Sir Lewis Hamilton. And from the get-go, Joe was like, 'I'm gonna get you to have a conversation with Lewis.' And he sat with me, we talked and Joe left us to it. Lewis was really open about his upbringing. In my opinion, he's one of the most successful racers. He's not only the best driver, he's the best-dressed. He's got a whole brand. And him talking about his upbringing and his sacrifices that his dad had to make — financially, he was not part of that world. I was like, these are the things that I can bring into this. I'm not part of that world. I come from a working-class background. But that's not a limitation. How do you occupy those spaces? Having that really solidified it for me, and gave me so much information for how I could create this character. He was saying his dad was Grenadian… I just thought to myself, 'This character has to be Bajan.' My parents are from Barbados, and it's a very small island. I thought Bernadette has to be coming from a place that's different to what we usually see. And there is that significance of Lewis being the first Black F1 driver. We see it with Joshua's character, too. An element of having to work harder to get here. Yeah, yeah. And what I love about the way Damson portrays Joshua is time has moved on. At the end he is like, 'That's who I am. I've occupied this space. I'm not apologizing for anything. I'm stepping into my power.' But he's moving with it. He understands where he's come from, and he's just going forward. It feels very 2025. [Lewis] has so much more to achieve as well. He's really changed the game. Even watching him in Drive to Survive, how he talks about the car, how he's studying it. When they're having a debrief about a race, it's not just about being able to drive a car really fast. You have to strategize. You have to know where you went wrong. Kerry's character talks about the car: 'I'm not out there. I need information from you about what it feels like in order to change and improve it.' They have to know all about that. Had you met or worked with Damson before this film? I met Damson once, socially, like just by accident. But I never met him [properly]. He's got a real drive and focus, and it works really well. Is he quite similar to Joshua, the character? No, he's not. He's from south London, which I am from as well, and he's got a real kind of: 'This is my time. This is my space. I'm going to just work hard for it.' He and Brad were really going through [it] in rehearsals. I got to watch them race and I think the one time I saw Damson make a mistake, he was just like [drops head]. It meant so much to him to get it right. What was that like, being privy to Damson and Brad's relationship off-camera and the immense amount of research they were doing for these roles? It was great. I met Brad at a read-through. His energy, the way he came up to me and said he loved me and Ted Lasso. He wasn't afraid to tell me how much he loved the show and loved me in it. That's how he carried himself. He's very open. And when you got someone like that as your number one, I told him this at the London premiere. I said: 'When your number one cast member is open and kind and wants to do well, everybody wants to follow suit, right?' That's what you need to have. He's the captain of the ship and he's steering it. And then Damson, too… I really had to pinch myself. What's it like on a Joseph Kosinski set? It's amazing. You've got the best of the best, really, when you've got, Jerry as a producer [too]. He's an architect. He understands this is the landscape and how it's going to be understood by those receiving it. He's very, very clever. Is it safe to say you're an F1 fan now? Oh, yeah, definitely. 100 percent. It must have been so difficult to film in parts — at the actual races — did you get to go to any? I was at [Silverstone, the British Grand Prix]. I was watching behind Joe. He was generous enough to let me sit behind him while he was filming. And you could feel, through to the paddock, the spectators, it's what you'd imagine ancient Greece was like. It's theater. Everybody there is high-energy. And I remember watching when they did the national anthem, it's crazy how they did it. You can see Brad and Damson standing there. There was a moment when the two of them just started walking and they were playing 'We Will Rock You.' At that point, I think it was the first or second day I'd been on set, and I hadn't really filmed anything. I just said, 'This film, I can tell, is going to be a hit.' I don't how they managed to [capture F1] but they did. I was a bit worried about people, especially hardcore fans. [I thought], 'Are they really going to like this?' But [the drivers] really have a dedication to wanting to do it well. Seeing how many laps they do, seeing the turning points, there's so much in it that they've managed to capture about Formula One. There is, it has been said, this fighter pilot level of bravery in the sport. And that's where Joe comes into it. Because when you watch Top Gun: Maverick, you understand the pressures of flying those planes. Then you understand Formula One and the pressures of driving something which could ultimately could kill you. At the London premiere, I sat behind Tom Cruise. And Tom Cruise was on the edge of the seat from the get-go. He was watching it like this: [leans forward]. Luckily, I'd seen it before so I was able to be a bit more relaxed. But even I found new things in the film I hadn't realized before. And I thought, 'If Tom Cruise is on the edge of his seat, you know you've got a winner here.' He's the ultimate entertainer. He was so cool. He said, 'Hey, how you doing?' He said hello to my friends and the people in our row. He was just so at ease. Can you tell us about your role in ? You need to go and watch it! I work with the Fantastic Four. It's a great cast. I can't wait for people to see it. There's a lot of heart in this one. So many blockbusters for you. Matt Shakman, the director of Fantastic Four, he was like, 'This is the summer of Sarah.' The summer of Sarah Niles! Yeah. [Laughs.] I gotta go with that. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
