#small-business

#small-business

I ended up moving back to New Jersey and outfitted my mom's garage into a baking studio. And that's when I started doing custom orders and pop-ups and filming TikToks and stuff like that. From there, it was just kind of the snowball effect.

According to the Registered Agents Inc. December Business Formation Report, more than 5.9 million new businesses were formed in 2025, an 8% increase over 2024 nationwide. And sure, it's easy to point to the usual heavy hitters, states like Florida and Texas, which posted another standout year and outperformed 2024 month after month.

We'll open again in about ten days,

Scroll through social media and it feels like everyone has the next big side hustle figured out. Dropshipping. AI services. Crypto. Faceless YouTube channels. But when real people compare notes after months or years of trying, the tone changes fast. Boring Beats Hype Every Time "I've tried so many side hustles and most were trash," one Redditor wrote in a recent discussion about long-term income ideas. That comment captured the mood of the entire thread.

When Matt Charette arrived at his business, Matt's Barber Shop, just before 10 a.m. Tuesday, he expected an ordinary workday. Instead, he was met with several inches of ice on his storefront steps. "What the hell is that?" he recalled thinking to himself. He could hear the sound of rushing water, and opened the door to a devastating sight. Inside, he found four inches of standing water consuming the mid-century modern furniture, artwork, barber tools, and vinyl records he'd been collecting for years.

TikTok on Wednesday announced the launch of a new "Local Feed" in the U.S. version of the app, which displays content related to travel, news, events, shopping, and dining near the user's current location. The feed's arrival comes shortly after a change in TikTok's terms of service under the new U.S. joint venture, which said that the app would begin to collect precise location information from TikTok users.

A 2025 survey by Nation's Restaurant News and Belle Communications found that about 73% of millennial and Gen Z diners visit restaurants based on social media reviews. Search for "New York City Semma review" to find feedback on one of the city's most acclaimed Indian spots, and you'll see TikTok videos appear in the results before written reviews from The New York Times and The Infatuation. The way we learn about restaurants has changed, and as a result, a notable degree of power has been handed to food lovers on the internet.

Salted caramel isn't going away. Neither is the hot honey trend. Ditto for Dubai chocolate. At least that's our unofficial prediction. We're basing that on the number of candy makers, bakers and national brands dabbling in crunchy pistachio and chocolate these days. And on the number of folks who are already pistachio lovers. And on the mainstream marketing efforts. We've seen the bars sold recently at a farm stand, a gas station counter and a big-box store checkout line.

I thought retirement would be about slowing down, but this gives me more energy than my teaching job ever did.

On Sunday, Zoitas told Fortune, he was at the Knicks game and met some people from the predictions marketplace Kalshi, who offered to pay for an event where shoppers could receive $50 each in free groceries between noon and 3:00 pm. Fortune calculated that, if all 300 or so people in line spent this full allotment, it could cost Kalshi up to $150,000 in groceries.

The building where the retail-rental costume store in San Jose is located has been sold, and owner Kathy Bell has until the end of February to liquidate everything. While the eviction came as a shock, Bell said she's been dealing with personal health issues, making it nearly impossible to relocate the business again. The closure will force her into retirement. "I knew the building was up for sale and we were preparing for it, but we thought it would take a long time," the business' 71-year-old owner told San José Spotlight. "I can't do another move."

For entrepreneurs who are looking to streamline their software costs, Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business offers a refreshing alternative. Save on genuine Microsoft productivity tools with a one-time purchase instead of recurring fees. At $99.97 (reg. $249.99), this lifetime license delivers Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote without the ongoing costs of a Microsoft 365 subscription. Microsoft apps minus the subscription

"I went to Wordstock in 2005 when it was still Wordstock, and I felt like I had walked into the world I should have been in my whole life," Emmerling said, referring to what is now called the Portland Book Festival. It wasn't long after that Emmerling and her husband, John, a blacksmith, were delivering a fireplace he'd crafted. When they drove by a bookstore, Emmerling recalled, "I said, 'You know, when we retire, it would be fun to open a bookstore.'"

The swinging sound drifts from Noble Street, spilling out of a packed café called Flower Cat. To the unknowing eye, the space could be mistaken for one of the city's many swanky bars. Inside, amber-toned lamps highlight a lively crowd passing around glasses of red wine. Overhead, moonlight pours through two skylights, illuminating a glossy-haired woman weaving through the room, greeting customers and friends.

"They just said, 'If you stay calm and corporate, this will be over really quickly,'" said Cawdrey. "And they were out in a minute."

ExploreMedia has been working with businesses and people throughout the River Region since 2006. They work to help businesses reach their targeted audiences and promote their brand through digital media. The anniversary party brought many of their clients out to have food and refreshments, celebrating their partnership. However, it was also to celebrate the official launch of their new business magazine '26 Things in 2026,' which highlights upcoming events and business operations going on in the area throughout the year.

January is typically a slow month for retailers - a time for restocking, chores, and tax prep. This year, small businesses in the Minneapolis area have thrown that out the window. They're offering aid during heightened ICE activity; some will close for Friday's economic blackout. January is typically a quiet month at Mischief Toys in St. Paul, Minnesota. Owner Dan Marshall said he usually spends it cleaning up after Christmas, painting the walls,

For several years, my brother, Mike, and I talked about wanting to go into business together. We considered a few ideas but hadn't settled on one. In February 2022, we rented an Escalade from Turo for a family trip. Almost exactly a year later, we launched our own Turo business, JDM Whipz. By 2024, JDM Whipz was making six figures in profit.

"This coffee's quite special. It's grown in Yunnan, China, and it's processed with a special yeast to give it a peachy, kind of osmanthus-y flavor," he says.

We've had an amazing time but we're going to close (for now)!