Prime minister promises to fight any leadership challenge as he faces escalating row over military spending Keir Starmer has admitted that he has to “turn things around” after the resignation of the defence secretary, John Healey, in an escalating row over military spending that has prompted recriminations across Whitehall and concern from the US.Downing Street and the Treasury traded blows with allies of Healey on Friday. No 10 expressed dismay that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had wanted £18b
Prime minister promises to fight any leadership challenge as he faces escalating row over military spending
Keir Starmer has admitted that he has to “turn things around” after the resignation of the defence secretary, John Healey, in an escalating row over military spending that has prompted recriminations across Whitehall and concern from the US.
Downing Street and the Treasury traded blows with allies of Healey on Friday. No 10 expressed dismay that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had wanted £18bn to plug funding gaps in major projects, while those close to the former defence secretary accused Starmer of failing to acknowledge the deterioration in global security.
Before You Touch Your Marketing, Do This First written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing
Most founders come to a marketing conversation with a tactic already in mind.
Better website. More leads. A LinkedIn strategy. Maybe an AI tool that’ll finally make content easy. The tactic changes. The assumption underneath it doesn’t: the marketing needs to change.
After 20 years doing this work with small businesses, here’s what I’ve actually seen. The marketing is rarely the first thing th
Most founders come to a marketing conversation with a tactic already in mind.
Better website. More leads. A LinkedIn strategy. Maybe an AI tool that’ll finally make content easy. The tactic changes. The assumption underneath it doesn’t: the marketing needs to change.
After 20 years doing this work with small businesses, here’s what I’ve actually seen. The marketing is rarely the first thing that needs to change. The founder’s clarity is.
Not because anything is wrong with the founder. Most of the founders who ask for marketing help are working hard and carrying a lot. The problem isn’t effort. It’s that they’ve lost the ability to see their own business clearly.
Why that happens
Five years in. Ten years in. You’ve absorbed a hundred opinions about what your business should be, and somewhere along the way you drifted from what it actually is.
You’re making decisions based on the business you remember, or the one you wish you had. Every new strategy you install inherits that confusion.
I watched a founder last year build out a full content strategy, hire a new agency, and rewrite their website. Same results they’d been getting for 3 years. The strategy was fine. The clarity underneath it wasn’t there.
The Founder Portrait: 4 questions most founders avoid
Before you touch strategy, before you change anything about your marketing, do this. One hour. A blank page. Four questions.
What’s actually working right now, and how do I know?
Not what you’re doing. What’s working. There’s a difference, and most founders can’t answer it with specifics.
“Working” has a real definition: it produces revenue, a measurable input to revenue, or it reduces what you’re spending to acquire revenue. Everything else is activity. If you can’t name what’s working and point to the evidence, that’s a starting point.
What am I doing out of habit, guilt, or optimism that I should stop?
Every business carries weight it doesn’t need. A service line that never quite worked. A customer segment that costs more than it pays. A channel somebody told you to be on 3 years ago.
The honest answer is almost always 3 to 5 specific things. Naming them is the hard part. Stopping them is what creates room for real growth.
Where is my business actually making money, and where am I pretending it does?
This one requires looking at revenue by segment, by service, by customer, with gross margin attached. Most founders have a story about their business that’s drifted from the numbers. The numbers don’t drift.
I’ve seen this pattern enough times that I look for it now. The founder thinks they run a 3-service-line firm. The numbers say they run a single-service-line firm with 2 expensive hobbies attached.
Who am I as a founder, and what do I want this business to give me?
This is the question most marketing work completely skips. Growth is one possible goal. Some founders want a business that supports a specific life. Some want an exit. And those are different businesses with entirely different marketing systems.
If you don’t know which one you’re building, no strategy can serve you. It’ll always optimize toward the wrong target.
What the Founder Portrait actually does
These 4 questions together produce what I call the Founder Portrait. It’s not a document you share or hand off. It’s the ground you stand on when you do the strategic work that comes next.
Without it, every downstream decision is made from an unstable position. The messaging, the ideal client definition, the channels, the campaigns: all of it inherits whatever you were confused about when you built it.
You can only build a system on what you actually know. The Founder Portrait is how you find out.
One thing to do this week
Sit down for one hour with a blank page and answer the 4 questions. No team. No advisors. No AI. Just you and the page.
Don’t try to turn the answers into a plan yet. The work this week is to see the business clearly. Everything else comes after that.
The Founder Portrait is the starting point. The rest of the system is what comes next. I’ve put the complete framework in a new ebook: “7 Steps to Small Business Marketing Success.” It covers everything from defining your ideal client to building a referral engine that actually runs. Grab it at dtm.world/7steps.
On June 9th, BET announced that accomplished multi-hyphenate performer Teyana Taylor will receive the Icon of the Year Award at the 2026 BET Awards, to be held at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with internet sensation Druski as host.
On June 9th, BET announced that accomplished multi-hyphenate performer Teyana Taylor will receive the Icon of the Year Award at the 2026 BET Awards, to be held at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with internet sensation Druski as host.
Exclusive: Greater Manchester mayor ‘serious’ about taking over ‘essentials of life’ if he becomes PM, a move critics say could cost taxpayer billions A decade-long project to bring water and energy into public control will lie at the heart of Andy Burnham’s agenda should he become prime minister, according to sources close to the Greater Manchester mayor.Several close allies of Burnham have said he wants to take over broad swathes of UK utilities in an effort to improve performance and potentia
Exclusive: Greater Manchester mayor ‘serious’ about taking over ‘essentials of life’ if he becomes PM, a move critics say could cost taxpayer billions
A decade-long project to bring water and energy into public control will lie at the heart of Andy Burnham’s agenda should he become prime minister, according to sources close to the Greater Manchester mayor.
Several close allies of Burnham have said he wants to take over broad swathes of UK utilities in an effort to improve performance and potentially reduce bills for consumers.
When founders tell me they “don’t have time” for thought leadership, I usually ask one question: If your ideal client were choosing between you and a competitor tomorrow, what would they find about you in two minutes on Google? When over 90% of consumers say they trust recommendations from people they know, and trust peer recommendations more than ads, your reputation as an individual expert is more powerful than your brand’s marketing in 2026.Thought leadership is not about ego, it is about usi
When founders tell me they “don’t have time” for thought leadership, I usually ask one question: If your ideal client were choosing between you and a competitor tomorrow, what would they find about you in two minutes on Google?
When over 90% of consumers say they trust recommendations from people they know, and trust peer recommendations more than ads, your reputation as an individual expert is more powerful than your brand’s marketing in 2026.
Thought leadership is not about ego, it is about using your experience to solve real problems in public forums, in a way that builds trust, opens doors, and drives commercial outcomes.
In one Edelman-LinkedIn B2B study, 73% of decision-makers said an organization’s thought leadership content is a more trustworthy basis for assessing its capabilities than its marketing materials, and almost 60% said thought leadership had directly led them to award business to a company.
Here is a practical playbook for entrepreneurs who want to move from “best-kept secret” to go-to expert without a Fortune 500 budget.
1. Get Clear on the Problem You Own
The most effective thought leaders are known for one thing first, not ten. Decision-makers are time-poor and will mentally tag you against a specific problem you reliably solve.
Start by answering three questions in one sentence: who you help, what problem you solve, and what outcome you create. For example: “I help B2B fintech founders turn complex regulation into simple messages that win regulator support and investor trust.” If a 13-year-old cannot repeat your sentence back, it is not clear enough.
Once defined, use this positioning everywhere your name appears, such as your LinkedIn headline, social bios, speaker profiles, and bylines. Consistent framing helps people and algorithms associate you with a specific set of problems.
2. Use Content As Proof, Not Promotion
Strong thought leadership content does three things: it teaches something useful, shows how you think, and proves you understand the stakes. In the Edelman-LinkedIn research, decision-makers said they were more likely to consider working with organizations that consistently produce high-quality thought leadership, and many were willing to pay a premium to do so.
You do not need to publish daily, but you do need depth and consistency:
● Publish one substantial piece of content per week, such as an article, deep-dive LinkedIn post, or newsletter, that tackles a real question your clients are asking right now.
● Aim for specificity over breadth. For example, replace “how to build a brand” with “how early-stage climate-tech founders can talk about impact without over-claiming.”
● When you share results, include numbers where you can, such as regulator approvals won, time saved, revenue unlocked, or complaints reduced.
Think of each piece as a smart sample of how it feels to work with you. Over time, this library becomes a persistent asset that works while you sleep.
3. Turn LinkedIn into Your Primary Stage
For most experts, LinkedIn is the highest-ROI platform for thought leadership distribution. B2B decision-makers actively use it to vet potential partners and providers, and Edelman’s research shows that high-quality thought leadership can make buyers more receptive to outreach and more willing to pay a premium.
A simple, sustainable approach:
● Optimize your profile to match your positioning. For example, use a headline that states who you help, the problem you solve, and the outcome you create.
● Post three to five times a week, mixing short perspectives, anonymized client lessons, and links to your deeper content.
● Spend at least as much time commenting thoughtfully on others’ posts as posting your own, because intelligent comments on the right threads often generate more opportunities than your own content.
Treat LinkedIn as an ongoing conversation with your market, not a broadcast channel. The goal is repeated, intelligent visibility to the people who need you most.
4. Other People’s Platforms Can Accelerate Trust
Publishing on respected outlets accelerates credibility because you are able to borrow trust from the masthead. To get there, start where the bar is high but realistic:
● Make a list of five to ten niche industry publications or newsletters your buyers already read.
● Study their last ten articles, looking at topics, structure, word count, and tone.
● Pitch ideas that offer a clear, contrarian or experience-based angle, not generic “how to” content.
Once you have a track record in targeted outlets, you can move up to larger platforms that demand distinctive expert insight backed by data and lived experience. Each successful piece adds another line to your credibility stack.
5. Speak Where Your Buyers Gather
Written content is powerful, but live or recorded voice builds connection quickly. Many of us have watched a compelling TED-style talk and immediately searched for the speaker afterwards. In other words, the talk acts as a trust shortcut.
Edelman’s research shows that high-quality thought leadership makes decision-makers more likely to invite you to bid on work you were not previously considered for.
You do not need a global keynote slot, either. To get started:
● Look for panels, webinars, and roundtables hosted by industry bodies, accelerators, or associations relevant to your niche.
● Offer to contribute a focused, practical angle aligned with your positioning rather than a broad motivational talk.
● Reuse content. For example, turn the talk into clips, posts, and articles so one appearance multiplies into many assets.
Over time, aim for a balance of written and spoken thought leadership. Together, they show both depth of thinking and your ability to communicate clearly under pressure.
6. Lead With Service
Done well, thought leadership acts like a magnet; it draws the right people toward you, instead of pushing marketing messages at them.
● Answer questions you are repeatedly asked, in a public forum.
● Share frameworks and checklists people can implement without hiring you.
● Be transparent about what you have learned the hard way, instead of sharing only polished success stories.
In practice, the people who see you consistently creating value are the ones most likely to become clients, partners, or referrers when the moment is right.
7. Make It a Weekly Practice, Not a Campaign
Thought leadership that moves markets is built over quarters and years, not weeks. A recurring finding is that organizations often under-invest or stop too early, even though high-quality thought leadership influences the full buying journey, from awareness to preference to pricing power.
A simple operating system:
● Commit to one clear positioning statement for at least six months.
● Ship one deep piece of content per week and three to five lighter LinkedIn touchpoints.
● Review quarterly which topics, formats, and channels generated real conversations, leads, or invitations, then do more of what works.
You do not need to be everywhere. You do need to show up, consistently, where it matters most for the people you want to serve.
If you start today with a sharp positioning statement, one useful piece of content a week, and a decision to treat thought leadership as a practice rather than a campaign, you will be far ahead of most of your competitors a year from now.
Green surge in local elections and recent polling of Labour members may cause government to toughen stance on IsraelPro-Palestine activists believe there could be a “sea change” in the Labour party’s approach to the crisis in the Middle East which could result in the government taking a tougher stance on Israel.Campaigners have pointed to the threat posed to Labour by the Green surge in the local elections, the likely departure of Keir Starmer from No 10, and new polling which shows an appetite
Green surge in local elections and recent polling of Labour members may cause government to toughen stance on Israel
Pro-Palestine activists believe there could be a “sea change” in the Labour party’s approach to the crisis in the Middle East which could result in the government taking a tougher stance on Israel.
Campaigners have pointed to the threat posed to Labour by the Green surge in the local elections, the likely departure of Keir Starmer from No 10, and new polling which shows an appetite among Labour members for a ban on all arms shipments to Israel.
By Dominique A. Harroch and Richard D. Harroch The words of successful entrepreneurs carry extraordinary weight. They've walked the path of innovation, faced countless challenges, and emerged as leaders who shape our global economy. This collection brings you the most recent and widely-cited quotes from 25 of today's most influential living entrepreneurs, offering wisdom to fuel your own journey toward success.1. "If I were a student today, irrespective of whether it's for math or science or che
The words of successful entrepreneurs carry extraordinary weight. They've walked the path of innovation, faced countless challenges, and emerged as leaders who shape our global economy. This collection brings you the most recent and widely-cited quotes from 25 of today's most influential living entrepreneurs, offering wisdom to fuel your own journey toward success.
1. "If I were a student today, irrespective of whether it's for math or science or chemistry or biology—doesn't matter what field of science I'm going into or what profession—I'm going to ask myself, 'How can I use AI to do my job better?'" —Jensen Huang, NVIDIA CEO
Context: Speaking in the "Huge Conversations" show, Huang emphasized the critical importance of learning to work with AI tools early in one's career. As the leader of the company powering the AI revolution, his advice reflects the reality that AI literacy will be essential for future success.
2. "There is the possibility in the next three to five years that one of these techniques would get enough true logical Qubits to solve some very tough problems." —Bill Gates, Microsoft Co-founder
Context: Gates offered an optimistic timeline for quantum computing breakthrough during a Yahoo Finance interview, demonstrating his continued forward-thinking approach to transformative technologies even decades after founding Microsoft.
3. "If you want to be autonomous, start your own company." —Brian Chesky, Airbnb CEO
Context: Chesky challenged conventional management wisdom about employee autonomy, advocating for his "founder mode" approach to leadership that emphasizes being deeply involved in company details while empowering teams.
4. "Our bet is sort of that in the next year probably...maybe half the development is going to be done by AI, as opposed to people, and then that will just kind of increase from there." —Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO
Context: At LlamaCon in April 2025, Zuckerberg shared Meta's aggressive timeline for AI-powered development, illustrating how even software creation itself is being revolutionized by artificial intelligence.
5. "Let your joy be in your journey—not in some distant goal." —Tim Cook, Apple CEO
Context: Cook's philosophy emphasizes the importance of finding fulfillment in the process of building and creating, rather than fixating solely on end results. This mindset has helped Apple maintain its culture of excellence while pursuing ambitious innovations.
6. "For me, it matters that we drive technology as an equalizing force, as an enabler for everyone around the world." —Sundar Pichai, Google/Alphabet CEO
Context: Pichai's vision for technology's role in society reflects Google's mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible, emphasizing technology's potential to level playing fields globally.
7. "The cloud is still in its early stages, and we're going to see decades of growth ahead of us." —Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO
Context: Jassy continues to champion cloud computing's transformative potential, drawing from his experience building AWS from the ground up into one of the world's most valuable business divisions.
8. "Stone Age. Bronze Age. Iron Age. We define entire epics of humanity by the technology they use." —Reed Hastings, Netflix Co-founder
Context: Hastings' perspective on technological eras reflects his understanding of how fundamental shifts in technology reshape entire civilizations—insight that guided Netflix's transformation from DVD-by-mail to streaming giant.
9. "The future of work is not about replacing humans with technology, but about augmenting human capabilities with technology." —Marc Benioff, Salesforce CEO
Context: Benioff's vision for AI and automation emphasizes enhancement rather than replacement, reflecting Salesforce's approach to building tools that empower rather than eliminate human workers.
10. "I'd say maybe 20%, 30% of the code that is inside of our repos today and some of our projects are probably all written by software." —Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO
Context: Speaking at Meta's LlamaCon in April 2025, Nadella revealed how deeply AI has penetrated Microsoft's development processes, showcasing the practical transformation happening in tech companies today.
11. "The key is not to predict the future, but to be prepared for it." —Daniel Ek, Spotify CEO
Context: Ek's approach to innovation emphasizes adaptability over prediction, a strategy that has helped Spotify navigate the complex music industry and expand globally.
12. "Infrastructure is about removing friction. The best infrastructure is invisible." —Patrick Collison, Stripe CEO
Context: Collison's philosophy on building payment systems reflects Stripe's approach to creating seamless financial infrastructure that enables rather than complicates business operations.
13. "The biggest opportunities often come disguised as impossible problems." —Drew Houston, Dropbox CEO
Context: Houston's perspective on problem-solving reflects the entrepreneurial mindset that turned file synchronization challenges into a multi-billion-dollar business opportunity.
14. "Culture is not about what you say, it's about what you do repeatedly." —Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO
Context: Khosrowshahi's focus on cultural transformation has been central to Uber's evolution from a controversial startup to a more mature public company focused on sustainable growth.
15. "The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great at whatever they want to do." —Susan Wojcicki, Former YouTube CEO
Context: Wojcicki's leadership philosophy emphasizes empowerment and inspiration, principles that guided YouTube's growth into the world's largest video platform.
16. "Starting a company is like jumping off a cliff and assembling a plane on the way down." —Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn Co-founder
Context: Hoffman's vivid metaphor captures the essence of entrepreneurship—taking bold action despite uncertainty and building solutions while navigating challenges in real-time.
17. "Make every detail perfect and limit the number of details to perfect." —Jack Dorsey, Former Twitter CEO
Context: Dorsey's design philosophy emphasizes the power of simplicity and focus, principles that have guided his approach to building both Twitter and Square.
18. "We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in." —Arianna Huffington, Thrive Global CEO
Context: Huffington's advocacy for well-being and work-life balance challenges traditional notions of entrepreneurial success, promoting sustainable approaches to achievement.
19. "I truly believe that we have to change the way we think about how we treat people, how we love people, and how we lift people up." —Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble Founder
Context: Wolfe Herd's philosophy extends beyond business to social impact, reflecting Bumble's mission to create healthier relationship dynamics both in dating and professional networking.
20. "The best way to predict the future is to build it, one customer at a time." —Tony Xu, DoorDash CEO
Context: Xu's customer-centric approach has driven DoorDash's growth from a Stanford dorm room idea to the leading food delivery platform in the United States.
21. "Data is the new oil, but insights are the new gold." —Ryan Smith, Qualtrics CEO
Context: Smith's perspective on data analytics emphasizes that raw information is less valuable than the actionable insights derived from it—a principle at the heart of Qualtrics' experience management platform.
22. "The whole world should be able to design. We want to democratize design and make it accessible to everyone." —Melanie Perkins, Canva CEO
Context: Perkins' vision has driven Canva's mission to simplify graphic design, making professional-quality design tools accessible to millions of non-designers worldwide.
23. "The best software is the software that helps people do things they couldn't do before." —Stewart Butterfield, Slack Co-founder
Context: Butterfield's philosophy on product development emphasizes enablement and empowerment, principles that transformed workplace communication through Slack's intuitive design.
24. "The most successful entrepreneurs are the ones who can turn their personal pain points into solutions for millions of people." —Julia Hartz, Eventbrite Co-founder
Context: Hartz's insight reflects the entrepreneurial journey of identifying universal problems through personal experience and building scalable solutions that benefit entire markets.
25. "Transportation is not just about getting from point A to point B; it's about connecting communities and creating opportunities." —Logan Green, Lyft Co-founder
Context: Green's broader vision for mobility extends beyond ride-sharing to urban planning and social equity, reflecting Lyft's mission to improve how people move through their cities.
Key Themes from Today's Entrepreneurial Leaders
These quotes reveal several powerful themes that define successful entrepreneurship today:
1. AI as the Great Equalizer: Leaders like Huang, Nadella, and Pichai emphasize that artificial intelligence is not just a tool but a fundamental shift that will determine competitive advantage across all industries.
2. Purpose Over Profit: Many of today's most successful entrepreneurs, from Chesky to Wolfe Herd, emphasize that meaning and mission drive sustainable success more than pure financial motivation.
3. Continuous Learning: Whether it's Gates exploring quantum computing or Huang advocating for AI tutors, top entrepreneurs never stop learning and adapting to new technologies and market realities.
4. Quality Over Quantity: From Dorsey's focus on perfecting fewer details to Huffington's emphasis on quality time over total hours, effective leaders prioritize depth over breadth.
These thoughts from today's most successful entrepreneurs offer more than inspiration—they provide a roadmap for navigating an increasingly complex and rapidly changing business landscape. Their wisdom reminds us that success is not just about having great ideas, but about executing them with purpose, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth.
As you build your own entrepreneurial journey, let these insights guide your decisions, inspire your vision, and remind you that today's impossible dreams often become tomorrow's inevitable realities. The future belongs to those who are bold enough to embrace change, wise enough to learn from both success and failure, and passionate enough to pursue purpose over profit.
"The biggest risk is not taking any risk," as Zuckerberg reminds us. In a world of unprecedented change and opportunity, these entrepreneurial voices light the path forward for the next generation of innovators and leaders.
Dominique A. Harroch is the Chief of Staff at AllBusiness.com. She has been the Chief of Staff or Operations Leader for multiple companies where she leveraged her extensive experience in operations management, strategic planning, and team leadership to drive organizational success. With a background that spans over two decades in operations leadership, event planning at her own start-up and marketing at various financial and retail companies. Dominique is known for her ability to optimize processes, manage complex projects and lead high-performing teams. She holds a BA in English and Psychology from U.C. Berkeley and an MBA from the University of San Francisco. She can be reached via LinkedIn.
Richard D. Harroch is a Senior Advisor to CEOs, management teams, and Boards of Directors. He is an expert on M&A, venture capital, startups, and business contracts. He was the Managing Director and Global Head of M&A at VantagePoint Capital Partners, a venture capital fund in the San Francisco area. His focus is on internet, digital media, AI and technology companies. He was the founder of several Internet companies. His articles have appeared online in Forbes, Fortune, TIME, MSN, Yahoo, Fox Business and AllBusiness.com. Richard is the author of several books on startups and entrepreneurship as well as the co-author of Poker for Dummies and a Wall Street Journal-bestselling book on small business. He is the co-author of a 1,500-page book published by Bloomberg on mergers and acquisitions of privately held companies. He was also a corporate and M&A partner at the international law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. He has been involved in over 200 M&A transactions and 250 startup financings. He can be reached through LinkedIn.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup’s mandatory hydration breaks offer organizations a lesson in building recovery into work to support high performance and workplace wellbeing.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup’s mandatory hydration breaks offer organizations a lesson in building recovery into work to support high performance and workplace wellbeing.
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