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Toronto Sun
3 days ago
- Toronto Sun
KINSELLA: Epstein files latest conspiracy theory that will fizzle out
People walk by as a message calling on U.S. President Donald Trump to release all files related to Jeffrey Epstein is projected onto the U.S. Chamber of Commerce building across from the White House in Washington, D.C., Friday, July 18, 2025. Photo by ALEX WROBLEWSKI / AFP / Getty Images More than a decade ago, in 2014, a couple of University of Chicago guys published a study about conspiracy theories. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Their much-cited investigation focused mainly on Americans, but its results are applicable to Canadians, Europeans and others, too. For a long time, the authors wrote, people 'have demonstrated high levels of suspicion towards centralized authority and their political elites.' Americans have long led the way on this sort of thing, of course. Post-Watergate, the 'paranoid style,' as the authors termed it, infected their politics, media and even Hollywood movies. Back in 2014, 50% of Americans believed in at least one conspiracy theory. It's a lot more now. Per usual, Canadians were a bit late to the party, but we started to enthusiastically champion conspiracy theories, too. Canadians embraced what the Chicago professors called 'a general distrust of government and fear of larger, secretive conspiracies.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. So, in 2023, Leger reported that 79% of Canadians believed in at least one conspiracy theory. The big ones, for us: JFK's assassination was a cover-up; a cure for cancer has been found but is being suppressed by government and Big Pharma; Princess Diana was assassinated and not simply killed by a drunk guy driving too fast; and — my fave — mainstream media fabricate what they report. Having worked for the mainstream media off and on for several decades, that last one always slays me. Those of us who work in the media (and politics, for that matter) can assure you: we couldn't put together a decent conspiracy if our lives depended on it. It's a miracle, frankly, that we remember to walk out of the house wearing shoes. In recent years, there's been COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, 5G, GMOs, climate change and a bunch of others. But the hottest conspiracy theory in Canada, at the moment — and I've written a book about it – is that all Jews are immensely wealthy and powerful, and that they are covering up a murderous genocide against guiltless, child-like, angelic Palestinian saints. (Leger again: half of Canadians truly believe Israel is genocidal.) This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Adherents of this particular conspiracy theory — like all conspiracy theorists — are disinterested in the facts, one of which is: if Jews were as all-powerful as the haters claim, wouldn't they be able to stop bad people from shooting up their schools, firebombing their synagogues, and trying to kill them? If they were so controlling, couldn't they have gotten Hamas and Hezbollah to stop, you know, killing them? All of which brings us to the conspiracy theory of the moment — the Jeffrey Epstein files. The MAGA movement is incensed, we are told, and President Donald Trump could lose the presidency to the perception that he is covering up information about the deceased millionaire pedophile. No fan of Donald Trump, am I, but I don't quite get what the fuss is all about. Trump and Epstein were pals, and the internet is chock-a-block with photos of the pair, leering at females who were, in fact, girls. It's not exactly front-page news: Trump and Epstein hung out together, and they were creeps. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hell, a civil jury found in 2023 that Trump had, indeed, sexually abused a woman many years before; another jury, in a criminal case, ruled last May that Trump had paid hush money to cover up an affair with a porn star — while his wife was pregnant, no less. Like I say: Trump's a perv? Not a revelation. So why, then, are prominent conservatives — like the spurned Elon Musk, MAGA-matron Marjorie Taylor Greene, and some of Trump's own appointees at the FBI — so worked up about Epstein and Trump? Because it's not about sexual wrongdoing, that's why. The Epstein conspiracy theory isn't about sex. It's about an invisible cadre of powerful elites, scheming to prevent the truth from coming out. It's about a secretive elitist Illuminati, somewhere out in the ether, conniving to keep the Epstein client list — which, I solemnly guarantee you, doesn't exist — from being disclosed. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The irony, of course, is that Donald Trump did this to himself. He didn't just fib — he polarized. On Epstein (and so many things), he said: they aren't just lying to you, they're evil. As with Jan. 6, vaccines, and mail-in ballots, Trump has lit a fire that now threatens to consume him. Read More It won't, however. Why? Because there's one thing Trump is better at than peddling conspiracy theories. And that's changing the channel. Trump will have all of us talking about a new conspiracy theory by this time next week. Guaranteed. * * * * * Like many, I wanted to express my condolences to the family of Mark Bonokoski, who passed away this past week. He was a great writer because he believed in what all the great writers believe in: facts. Toronto & GTA MMA Tennis Letters Celebrity
Daily Tribune
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Tribune
Bahrain Scores Big: Signs Historic $17B Deal with the US Covering Tech, Aviation, Cables, and Flights
Mahir Haneef TDT| Manama Bahrain has signed a sweeping set of private-sector deals with American companies totalling approximately USD 17 billion, marking one of the kingdom's most significant economic engagements with the United States in recent years. The announcement came during a high-level reception hosted at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters on Tuesday, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. The event brought together leading Bahraini and American business figures and marked the unveiling of transformative partnerships in technology, aviation, infrastructure, and industrial investment. Strategic collaborations The reception featured the signing of landmark agreements, including a digital solutions project for Bahrain's government telecoms network with Cisco and the development of a major undersea fibre-optic cable linking Bahrain to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq. The cable, stretching 800 kilometres, is being executed in partnership with U.S.-based SubCom. New air connectivity was also unveiled, with plans to launch direct flights between Bahrain and New York. This move is expected to boost business and tourism ties while underscoring Bahrain's ambitions to become a central regional hub for U.S. firms. Aluminium and capital flow In addition to infrastructure deals, Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat announced USD 2 billion in strategic cooperation with U.S. firms focused on aluminium-related downstream industries. Meanwhile, Bahrain-based private and financial institutions are investing USD 10.7 billion in various American ventures, reinforcing a two-way channel of economic cooperation. On behalf of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Excellency Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance and National Economy, expressed Bahrain's appreciation for the Chamber's hospitality and urged U.S. firms to capitalise on the kingdom's open economy and trade agreements. A legacy of partnership HRH Prince Salman highlighted that the Bahrain-U.S. relationship, rooted in over 130 years of ties, continues to deepen through private-sector engagement. He reaffirmed the kingdom's commitment to building economic bridges through collaborative investments and the exchange of expertise. The event also included the presence of His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Minister of the Prime Minister's Court, and senior officials from both nations. The deals announced reflect Bahrain's growing role as a regional entry point for American enterprise and digital infrastructure projects. These announcements signal not only Bahrain's economic ambitions but also its strategic positioning in a shifting global investment landscape.
CNBC
6 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
These are the best states for workers in America in 2025
For all its perils, artificial intelligence appears to have helped alleviate a longstanding problem in American business. Since around 2017, other than the brief spike in unemployment during the pandemic, there were far too few workers to fill the available jobs in the U.S. But in April, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nationwide labor shortage pretty much ended. Thanks to the combination of a cooling job market, people finally returning to work following the pandemic, and AI taking over an increasing number of human tasks, the skills gap "has largely closed," the Chamber says. As of May, there were 7.2 million workers available to fill 7.4 million jobs. While that still represents a modest shortage, it is a far cry from 2021 and 2022, during the so-called "Great Resignation," when the shortages routinely totaled in the millions. That is not to say that the U.S. does not still have a people problem. Worker shortages are still severe in some states, and economic development experts say the workforce is still a key consideration when companies make decisions about where to locate. "The base of employment here is just not sufficient in the U.S.," said Tom Stringer, a principal and leader of the site selection and incentive practice at Grassi Advisors in New York. "We need a whole of government approach to start getting folks technical skills and trained and out into the workforce, and that's in every location." Some states are meeting the challenge, according to CNBC's annual study, America's Top States for Business. Workforce is one of ten categories of competitiveness on which we rank every state, worth about 13% of a state's total score under this year's methodology. We consider the educational attainment of each state's workforce, and the concentration of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workers in each state. We also look at the career education pipeline, state workforce training programs, and workers with industry-recognized certificates. We look at each state's right-to-work laws. We consider which states are most successful in attracting skilled workers, and we measure the productivity of each state's labor force. While most did not make this year's list of the nation's best for all-around quality of life, these ten states are winning the talent war in 2025. The Volunteer State is a leader in helping its workers find gainful employment. According to data reported by the state to the U.S. Department of Labor, more than 82% of participants completing the state's worker training programs found employment within six months in 2023, the most recent data available. That is one of the best success rates in the nation. The Governor's Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) program invests $25 million to help fund partnerships between industry and the state's high schools and vocational schools. 2025 Workforce Score: 214 out of 335 points (Top States Grade: B) Net Migration Rank: No. 14 Adults with Bachelor's Degree or Higher: 30.4% Career Education Credential: 35.4% of degrees or certificates awarded STEM Workers: 5.3% Right to Work State? Yes The Beehive State gets its nickname from the industriousness of its workers, and those workers are functioning at a high level. Utah has among the highest concentrations of STEM workers of any state, many of them working in the fast-growing Silicon Slopes region near Salt Lake City. Since its creation in 2019, the state's Utah Works program says it has provided 200,000 hours of specialized training to prepare workers for advanced industries. 2025 Workforce Score: 215 out of 335 points (Top States Grade: B) Net Migration Rank: No. 48 Adults with Bachelor's Degree or Higher: 36.9% Career Education Credential: 30.3% of degrees or certificates awarded STEM Workers: 7.9% Right to Work State? Yes Workers in the Constitution State are consistently among the most productive in the nation, accounting for more than $171,000 in economic output per job last year, according to CNBC's analysis of U.S. Labor Department and Commerce Department data. Connecticut also boasts one of America's most educated workforces, according to Census data. 2025 Workforce Score: 216 out of 335 points (Top States Grade: B) Net Migration Rank: No. 33 Adults with Bachelor's Degree or Higher: 41.9% Career Education Credential: 22.4% of degrees or certificates awarded STEM Workers: 6.9% Right to Work State? No The Centennial State's workforce is the second most educated in America, after Massachusetts. A report issued in January by Colorado's Workforce Development Council warned that the state still faces worker shortages, which demographics could make worse as more baby boomers retire. So, the state is working on increasing access to education and training. Last year, the state passed Colorado Promise, a tax credit covering the first two years of Colorado public postsecondary institution tuition and fees for students with family incomes of $90,000 or less. 2025 Workforce Score: 222 out of 335 points (Top States Grade: B) Net Migration Rank: No. 18 Adults with Bachelor's Degree or Higher: 44.7% Career Education Credential: 39.6% of degrees or certificates awarded STEM Workers: 9.3% Right to Work State? While not considered a right to work law, the Colorado Labor Peace Act limits unions' ability to require a "closed shop." In May, Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, vetoed an attempt to repeal the law and give unions more power to organize. Educated workers are flocking to the Grand Canyon State. The Census Bureau estimates nearly 92,000 adults with bachelor's degrees or higher moved to the state in 2023, while only about 52,000 left for greener pastures. Arizona has a healthy balance of tech and skilled trade workers. But the state's workforce development programs could use some development. More than a quarter of workers completing state-sponsored training were unable to find a job within six months. 2025 Workforce Score: 228 out of 335 points (Top States Grade: B+) Net Migration Rank: No. 5 Adults with Bachelor's Degree or Higher: 32.6% Career Education Credential: 37.8% of degrees or certificates awarded STEM Workers: 6.6% Right to Work State? Yes Workers in the Evergreen State are the nation's most productive by far, accounting for more than $191,000 in economic activity per job last year. Washington also boasts America's highest concentration of STEM jobs. Washington STEM, a statewide non-profit organization now in its 25th year, aims to get kids started early in the STEM fields. The group said that in 2024, its early education STEM grants impacted some 10,000 students statewide. 2025 Workforce Score: 229 out of 335 points (Top States Grade: B+) Net Migration Rank: No. 9 Adults with Bachelor's Degree or Higher: 38.8% Career Education Credential: 43.8% of degrees or certificates awarded STEM Workers: 10.5% Right to Work State? No Educated workers vote with their feet, and they've made the Tar Heel State their third-most popular destination. In 2023, North Carolina tied with Texas for net migration, just behind Florida and Maine. The state Department of Commerce predicts there will be plenty of opportunity to go around, with North Carolina employers projected to add 500,000 jobs between 2022 and 2032. 2025 Workforce Score: 243 out of 335 points (Top States Grade: A–) Net Migration Rank: No. 3 Adults with Bachelor's Degree or Higher: 34.7% Career Education Credential: 41.9% of degrees or certificates awarded STEM Workers: 7.3% Right to Work State? Yes The Peach State is a leader in career education, with associate's degrees and industry-recognized certificates comprising nearly 43% of all post-secondary credentials awarded statewide, according to Advance CTE, a national non-profit advocating for career education. Nearly one-quarter of high school students are focused on vocational fields. At the same time, Georgia ranks in the top half of states for the percentage of adults with bachelor's degrees or higher. 2025 Workforce Score: 250 out of 335 points (Top States Grade: A–) Net Migration Rank: No. 7 Adults with Bachelor's Degree or Higher: 34.2% Career Education Credential: 42.6% of degrees or certificates awarded STEM Workers: 5.9% Right to Work State? Yes The Sunshine State remains a magnet for talent, leading the nation in net migration. But Florida also pays attention to its workers after they arrive. The state's worker training programs are among the most effective in the nation, according to data the state reported to the U.S. Department of Labor. Eighty-six percent of participants in the state's worker training program found a job within six months. That is the fifth-best record of any state. 2025 Workforce Score: 255 out of 335 points (Top States Grade: A) Net Migration Rank: No. 1 Adults with Bachelor's Degree or Higher: 33.2% Career Education Credential: 49.3% of degrees or certificates awarded STEM Workers: 5.4% Right to Work State? Yes The Lone Star State's workforce is the state's biggest bright spot when it comes to business competitiveness. In fact, it is the best all-around workforce in the country. Despite quality of life issues, people just keep pouring into Texas to take advantage of the many opportunities there. But the state also has a rich pipeline of homegrown talent. More than 70% of Texas high school students are concentrating in career-related fields — by far the highest percentage in the nation. But Texas also has a large contingent of STEM workers — the 13th highest concentration in the country. The Texas workforce finishes in the top ten for productivity, with the average worker responsible for more than $153,000 in economic output last year. Texas could do better with its worker training programs, a difficult task to manage in a state with more than 14 million workers. Still, for companies looking for a large pool of talent, everything is indeed bigger in Texas. 2025 Workforce Score: 272 out of 335 points (Top States Grade: A+) Net Migration Rank: No. 3 Adults with Bachelor's Degree or Higher: 33.1% Career Education Credential: 43.4% of degrees or certificates awarded STEM Workers: 7.1% Right to Work State? Yes
CNBC
14-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
These states are America's worst for quality of life in 2025
American business is in the grips of a serious labor shortage, even though hiring has slowed and artificial intelligence is picking up more of the slack. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says that for every 100 job openings, only 92 workers are available to fill them. That means the nation is short about 1 million workers. To try and meet the demand, companies are seeking locations that are attractive to prospective employees. That makes quality of life a business imperative. Each year, CNBC's annual rankings of state business climates — America's Top States for Business —considers Quality of Life among ten categories of competitiveness. Under this year's methodology, the category makes up 10.6% of a state's overall score. We consider factors like crime, health care, air quality, and the price and availability of child care. We also consider inclusiveness of state laws, such as legal protections against discrimination. And with data showing younger workers considering reproductive rights in their choice of where they are willing to live, we factor those state laws in our rankings as well. Some states are particularly welcoming to workers. These are not those states. They are the states with America's worst quality of life in 2025. Just like in the rest of the country, violent crime in Oklahoma has been trending gradually lower in recent years. But at roughly 418 offenses per 100,000 people in 2023, the Sooner State's violent crime rate is the 14th highest in the country, according to FBI statistics. Of particular concern is a sharp rise in domestic violence homicides, which State Attorney General Gentner Drummond recently called an "epidemic." "We must continue strengthening our statewide efforts to hold abusers accountable and to provide protection and support for victims," Drummond said in a statement in February. Oklahoma offers limited protections against discrimination, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and it has one of the nation's strictest abortion bans. 2025 Quality of Life Score: 97 out of 265 points (Top States Grade: D-) Strengths: Child Care, Air Quality Weaknesses: Crime, Health, Reproductive Rights Life can be rough in the Natural State, which has the sixth-highest percentage of adults in frequent mental distress, according to the United Health Foundation. Nearly 19% of Arkansas households are food insecure. That's the highest rate in the country. One in five Arkansans, and one in six Arkansas children, face hunger. "It's clear that our state is in critical need of comprehensive solutions to address these sobering statistics and ensure that all Arkansans have access to sufficient and nutritious food," said Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who issued an executive order last fall directing state agencies to address the problem. She has also signed legislation providing free breakfast for public school students regardless of their family's income. The violent crime rate in Arkansas is the fourth highest in the country, and the state has among America's most restrictive voting laws. 2025 Quality of Life Score: 95 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: D-) Strengths: Child Care, Air Quality Weaknesses: Health, Crime, Inclusiveness The Heart of Dixie might pride itself on Southern hospitality, but its state laws suggest that the hospitality does not extend to everyone. Alabama is one of just five states with no law protecting non-disabled people against discrimination in public accommodations, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. And in February, Gov. Kay Ivey signed the "What is a Woman Act," defining a person's gender based on the sex organs they were born with. "If the Good Lord made you a boy, you're a boy," said Ivey. "And if he made you a girl, you're a girl." Opponents said the law will be used to justify widespread discrimination against transgender people. The state eschews most worker protections, according to Oxfam America, which ranks Alabama 49th on its annual Best States to Work scorecard. 2025 Quality of Life Score: 92 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: F) Strengths: Air Quality, Child Care Weaknesses: Inclusiveness, Worker Protections While the overall violent crime rate in Georgia is roughly in line with the national average, it has one of the highest homicide rates in the country. That is but one factor in an overall unhealthy environment in The Peach State. More than 11% of the population lacks health insurance, the third-highest rate in the country. The state ranks 40th for primary care doctors per capita, and 48th for mental health providers, according to the United Health Foundation. The Commonwealth Fund ranks Georgia 45th in its latest Scorecard on State Health System Performance, which grades the states on health care access, prevention and treatment, efficiency, healthy lives, and health disparities. Georgia is another one of the five states with no anti-discrimination protections for non-disabled people, and it offers few protections for workers beyond a guarantee of equal pay based on race and gender. 2025 Quality of Life Score: 89 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: F) Strength: Child Care Weaknesses: Worker Protections, Health, Inclusiveness At around 521 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2023, the Pelican State has America's fifth-highest crime rate. And those statistics predate this year's New Year's Day attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, where a man drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers, killing 14. Louisiana also has among the nation's strictest abortion bans, according to the Guttmacher Institute, banning the procedure in all except very limited circumstances. The state passed eight new voting laws last year that the Brennan Center for Justice deems "restrictive," including multiple crackdowns on absentee voting. 2025 Quality of Life Score: 87 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: F) Strengths: Child Care, Air Quality Weaknesses: Crime, Inclusiveness, Reproductive Rights The Beehive State derives its nickname from the industriousness of its workforce. But those workers get few protections in exchange for their hard labor. Even as the cost of living rises in fast-growing parts of the state like Silicon Slopes outside Salt Lake City, the state has kept the minimum wage at the federal rate of $7.25 an hour. And unlike in many states, Utah prohibits local governments setting their minimum wages any higher. With an average household size roughly 17% higher than the national average, according to Census data, Utah families have a lot of children to care for. And the state is doing poorly in meeting their needs. Utah ranks 48th in licensed child care centers per capita, according to Child Care Aware of America, which also says that a married Utah couple with a median income can expect to spend about 12% of it on child care. 2025 Quality of Life Score: 87 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: F) Strength: Crime Rate Weaknesses: Child Care, Worker Protections, Air Quality The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines affordable child care as costing no more than 7% of a household's income. In Indiana, it costs twice that for a two-parent household. For a single parent, it can cost a stunning 46%. Business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have identified child care as one of the major factors in getting people back into the workforce. It is also a major quality of life consideration for young families, and it is one of the areas where Indiana falls short. But it is not the only one. Air quality is poor, according to data from the American Lung Association and First Street Foundation, with high levels of ozone and particulate matter. Indiana also has a strict abortion ban and limited anti-discrimination protections. 2025 Quality of Life Score: 73 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: F) Strength: Crime Rate Weaknesses: Child Care, Reproductive Rights, Inclusiveness, Air Quality The Lone Star State is consistently a top destination for skilled workers — they flock to Texas for its robust economy and one of the best job markets in the nation. But that does not mean that the quality of life there isn't lacking. Despite world-class institutions like the Texas Medical Center and the MD Anderson Cancer Center, access to care for the average Texan is poor. According to the United Health Foundation, Texas has the nation's lowest number of primary care doctors per capita, the second-lowest number of mental health providers, and it consistently has the highest rate of people without health insurance. The state has among America's strictest abortion bans, and crime is on the high side. 2025 Quality of Life Score: 72 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: F) Strengths: Child Care, Air Quality Weaknesses: Health Care, Reproductive Rights, Worker Protections, Crime Governor Bill Lee's 2025-26 budget, signed into law this spring, includes $175 million in grants to local communities to help them fight crime. By the numbers, that money is badly needed in the Volunteer State. Tennessee has America's third-highest violent crime rate, according to FBI statistics, making it a particularly dangerous place to live, and CNBC's bottom state for Quality of Life in 2025. Tennessee has also been at the forefront of legislation limiting the rights of its LGBTQ+ population, beginning as far back as 2015. The state was among the earliest to codify a person's gender based on their anatomy, passing its law in 2023. State laws guarantee equal pay and bar sexual harassment. But beyond that, there are few protections for workers in Tennessee. 2025 Quality of Life Score: 61 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: F) Strength: Air Quality Weaknesses: Crime Rate, Inclusiveness, Worker Protections
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boost Your Bottom Line: 5 Strategies For Business Cost Cutting
One of the draws of going into business for yourself is becoming the ultimate decision-maker. Not only do you have control over your career, but you also choose how things are run—from the everyday decisions to big-picture strategy. However, some things will inevitably be outside your control, such as larger economic conditions. And considering the impact they can have on a business's success, it's a topic on many entrepreneurs' minds. According to 2025 data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 58% of business owners cite inflation as a top concern, which is likely also a contributing factor to the 35% concerned about revenue. While economic conditions are out of your control, plenty of other things are still within it. Finding ways to reduce your operating costs can create flexibility in your budget, helping you weather whatever the future brings. 'Having more margin is a gigantic ecommerce cheat code,' Andrew Faris tells Shopify. Faris is the founder of AJF Growth, a consultancy that helps scale direct-to-consumer brands. Knowing your numbers is step one: how much money is coming into the business, and how much is going out. Next, consider the following strategies to help reduce business expenses and improve margins. Customer acquisition costs (CAC) can add up quickly, but offering free products could significantly reduce your expenses. Leah Marcus and Yasaman Bakhtiar, the duo who founded the pickle brand Good Girl Snacks, employed this strategy to accelerate their business growth. Instead of paying influencers to talk up the brand on social media, they researched established content creators who were likely to genuinely enjoy their product, and sent them complimentary samples. The move paid off. 'It's created a lot of buzz and allowed for a lot of sales, while still maintaining a zero-dollar CAC, because we just gift, we don't pay anybody,' Marcus says on Shopify Masters. Similarly, when the clean skin care brand Tower 28 launched in 2019, founder Amy Liu sought out prominent beauty YouTubers, found their contact information, and sent each a free product sample, with a personal touch. 'From the very beginning, I've always really believed in a handwritten note,' Liu says. 'And we would just send these packages out to people. Our open rates were certainly not 100%, but there were a few.' When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she began gifting the brand's popular SOS Daily Rescue facial spray to healthcare workers to help alleviate maskne and other skin irritations. In turn, recipients posted before-and-after photos showing how well the product worked, which Liu was then able to repost (with permission) on the brand's account. This social proof is one of the reasons Tower 28 is now a multimillion-dollar brand. AI can save business owners significant time across their operations, especially in areas that don't require a human touch or a great deal of strategy. This can include everything from data entry to content creation to customer feedback analysis. Julianne Fraser, founder of the digital brand marketing consultancy Dialogue New York, developed proprietary systems to help her company meet the increasing demands of its clients. 'We knew that we didn't want to change that human-to-human approach in the way that we pitch, negotiate, and form the campaign narratives, but everything thereafter in terms of executing a campaign—from the contract process, the content approval, the invoicing, etc.—could be automated,' she tells Shopify. 'So we worked with a developer to help us streamline and automate that, and it really improved and increased our capacity substantially.' In fact, the team was able to quadruple the volume of campaigns they were managing without having to scale their human capital. Fraser says this has also led to more fulfilling work for her team, freeing up more time for the creative aspect of their work—the ultimate win-win. Supplier prices aren't written in stone. Taking the time to compare prices among vendors, negotiate for better rates, and review contracts to update terms can help reduce your operating costs. This is especially true if your business relies heavily on outside vendors, which is often the case for product-based companies. Will Nitze, founder of the protein bar brand IQBAR, leveraged the company's increasing production volume to negotiate more favorable terms with his suppliers. 'You go back to your manufacturer and you say, 'Hey, now that I'm producing 10 times more product, I need you to reduce my labor cost per bar from X to Y,'' he explains. Ultimately, Nitze pivoted IQBAR's supply chain from an outsourced 'turnkey' model to an in-house operation during the pandemic. Not only did this give him greater control over production, but it also improved the business's margins. 'Typically, they're marking up or taking a percentage of the total cost, as what's called a materials management fee,' says Nitze. One downside of taking ownership of this process, however, is an increased administrative burden. If this sounds too extreme for your business, you don't have to go all in. You might choose to assume a small role in co-manufacturing and then leave the rest to trusted suppliers. Business growth doesn't always require a huge employee roster. Staying lean can free up more money to put toward product development, marketing, and scaling your operations. For Danny Buck, cofounder of the men's jewelry line CRAFTD London, maintaining a small, mostly remote team has also allowed him to source talent from all over the world. 'From a personal perspective, I didn't want a big team. So CRAFTD only has 15 people,' he says. 'We consider ourselves small and mighty. We're growing and will grow. We don't need a hundred people to do it.' In some cases, restructuring is a matter of life or death. When Brad Charron took the reins as CEO of the protein brand Aloha in 2017, he was immediately faced with some tough decisions. The company was in serious financial trouble, which prompted him to let go of the bulk of his 70 employees and transition to remote operations. Today, Aloha is a multimillion-dollar business, and the team remains small, with about 20 employees. Building and maintaining your online presence can be a huge expense. And while digital ads can be effective, they can also be costly. Leon Hughes, partner at the London-based private equity firm Piper, cautions against paying for ads during a company's early days. Instead, he suggests first ensuring there's a market for your product. 'Go to events, get out there, sell hard, learn about the product, make sure that it is fit for purpose and people are coming back,' he says. This can help you decide if the upfront investment in paid media is worthwhile. When you are ready to invest in paid ads, a more manual approach may be key, says Faris, who utilizes manual bids to achieve the best return on ad spend (ROAS) from his Meta ads. 'The basic concept here is that instead of just telling Meta, 'Here's how much budget I have; spend through all of it every day,' … instead, you say, 'Here's the target ROAS or cost per acquisition that I'm trying to get, you tell me how to spend as much money as you can while maintaining this target.'' This strategy ensures that Faris invests the majority of his budget in his best-performing ads. 'That ends up being the most efficient distribution of your dollars on ads,' he says. This story was produced by Shopify and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
