There’s an interesting leadership lesson unfolding at Starbucks that has very little to do with coffee. When Brian Niccol took over as CEO, he inherited a company that had drifted from some of what made Starbucks distinctive. Service had become inconsistent. Stores felt less inviting. Employees needed more support. And customers had fewer reasons to stick around. Niccol’s answer wasn’t some complicated management strategy. It was getting back to what made Starbucks Starbucks. Two years into his “Back to Starbucks” strategy, Niccol says the company has focused on making coffeehouses warmer, service more consistent, operations simpler, and frontline employees—whom Starbucks…
Author: Staff Writer
Shares of Delta Air Lines are down over 3% Friday morning after the company released its third-quarter earnings report. The airline’s revenue rose 16% year-over-year (YOY) from $15.20 billion to $17.59 billion. However, it failed to reach Wall Street’s expected $17.67 billion, according to consensus estimates cited by CNBC. Similarly, it fell short for earnings per share, reporting $1.72 adjusted rather than the predicted $1.75. Delta also saw its net income fall significantly. The company reported $1.15 billion in net income, down 47% YOY from $2.17 billion. Skyrocketing fuel costs Given the ongoing Iran War-aggravated fuel crisis, it’s not surprising…
Palisades Village, the high-end outdoor mall in Los Angeles’s Pacific Palisades, is a rare chunk of the neighborhood that wasn’t destroyed in the wildfires that struck the region in January 2025. More than 6,800 structures perished in the Palisades fire, but aside from a few singed awnings and roasted patio cushions, the mall was relatively unscathed. After a year-and-a-half smoke cleanup and refresh, the shopping destination recently reopened, even as the neighborhood around it remains a mix of homes under reconstruction, charred land, and general uncertainty. [Photo: Connie & Stewart Photography/courtesy Caruso] Controversially, the mall remained standing through the fires…
For decades, the luxury industry has sold handbags on the strength of their leather. Brands wax poetic about full-grain calfskin, supple lambskin, and the family-owned tanneries that produce them. But would you spend $600 on a luxury bag made from a used truck tarp? Freitag, the design-forward Swiss bag brand, is betting on it. The company is launching a new premium line called Reference that features four bags, ranging from delicate baguettes to roomy totes, priced from $460 to $660. The collection taps into Freitag’s long history of making sustainable accessories from discarded materials and builds on it with more…
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Key Takeaways Pressure to move fast can lead to costly decisions and unnecessary course corrections. Brief pauses help leaders challenge assumptions and distinguish urgency from importance. Reflection should sharpen decisions, not become an excuse to delay them. How many times over the past year have leaders been told to “move fast or get left behind”?The race to keep up with AI has created a powerful sense of urgency inside many companies. Leaders are being asked to make consequential decisions about technology, talent and investment more quickly than ever.We’re already seeing what can…
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Key Takeaways If your business is growing, more employees might seem like the natural solution. But if your business has systemic problems, hiring more people can only strain the systems you have put in place. Growth amplifies preexisting systems. If your system was poorly built, this will only become more evident as you scale. To successfully scale, you must identify bottlenecks through data, ensure every process has a clear owner, make processes repeatable and use technology without losing accountability. Many entrepreneurs respond to growth by hiring more people. They spend more on…
Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary says jet fuel is now about 50% more expensive than before the Iran war and expects those elevated costs to persist for another 12 to 18 months. Reuters reports that he has previously warned ticket prices could rise by as much as 20% next summer. These are forecasts, but the pressure on airline margins is already here. “We are all facing an enormous cost challenge next year,” O’Leary said. People assume that once the fighting stops, everything returns to normal. A ceasefire does not repair a refinery or restore damaged infrastructure overnight. Nor does a retreat…
For 25 years, Athletes First has been one of the most dominant players in the sports management game. Founded in 2001, the firm represents some of the NFL’s biggest names, including Ravens RB Derrick Henry and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, and its President of Team Sports, David Mulugheta, is the top-ranked NFL agent on Forbes’ 2025 Most Powerful Sports Agents list. Now the company is doing something it’s never done before: launching a full basketball division, adding industry veterans John Noonan and Brandon James to build out an NBA and NIL practice. Mulugheta spoke with Entrepreneur about why this was…
At least 16 trucking, delivery, and transportation companies entered bankruptcy proceedings between late August and September 21. These filings extend across general freight, construction materials, agricultural hauling, and even an Amazon delivery contractor. Some are seeking Chapter 11 protection to reorganize; others have entered Chapter 7 liquidation. We should not pretend every filing means a company has closed, but we should certainly ask why businesses moving the goods this economy depends upon are struggling to remain solvent. Globemaster reported between $500,000 and $1 million in assets against liabilities ranging from $1 million to $10 million. Pacer Transport listed less than…
Key Takeaways Grace was working at Nestlé when she and her mother started their MODA side hustle. The co-founders have personally invested about $500,000 to bring their brand to life. MODA’s projected revenue for 2027 is between $3 million and $5 million. This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features mother and daughter Sosy and Grace Hachigian, the co-founders of MODA Mocktails. Grace, 26, is based in New York City, where she leads MODA’s East Coast business. Sosy, 57, is based in Orange County, California, where she manages the West Coast. Together, they lead MODA nationally, bringing complementary perspectives and experience to…