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For two decades, I’ve mentored professionals at every career stage: first as a high school teacher and administrator, and presently as a university professor and corporate consultant. One pattern emerges across every career pathwaythe people who find strong fits for their talents aren’t the ones with the most impressive single credential. They’re the ones who understand how three things work together: Skills. Credentials. Network. The car mechanic who realized his hands-on skills weren’t enough as cars went digital. So he went to night school and earned his associate’s, bachelor’s, and MBA in four years. During the journey, he took advantage of every professional networking opportunity his job and college offered him. Today he’s a fleet director at a major construction firm. The product manager who wanted to transition into consulting. She started running experiments online and building an audience for her behavioral design work. That public learning launched her into a consultant role and, eventually, a managing director position at the same company. The mid-career professional who pursued an online masters degree in data science while aggressively expanding his network. Within two years: book endorsements, podcast appearances, and a transformed career. Three people. Three different starting points. Same solution: they each tended to the three corners of professional success. Skills. Credentials. Network. Here’s what each corner means: Skills: Can You Do the Work? This is the obvious one, but it’s more layered than most people realize. You need hard skills (can you code, analyze data, design a system?), soft skills (can you communicate clearly, collaborate effectively, adapt to changing circumstances?), and job sculpting skills (can you position yourself effectively through résumés, cover letters, and strategic outreach?).Furthermore, in a world where AI can replicate many technical skills, you need to demonstrate more than competence. You need to show you can apply skills in messy, real-world contexts that don’t come with clear instructions. This comes from years of solving problems and creating possibilities in collaborative, real-world contexts. Credentials: Can You Navigate Systems? Yes, the “skills-based hiring” movement is real. But credentials still matter, and not just for the knowledge they represent. A degree signals to employers that you showed up, navigated a complex system, and saw a multiyear commitment through to completion. As one hiring manager told me: “If you finished college, I know you can operate in structured environments, meet deadlines, and push through when things get difficult.” Credentials aren’t just proof of knowledge. They’re proof of persistence and the ability to navigate systems. Network: Does Anyone Know You Exist? This is the most overlooked corner and the hardest to measure. Stanford University sociologist Mark Granovetter famously called it “the strength of weak ties”: the acquaintances who know different people and have access to different opportunities than your close friends do. It’s about who knows what you can do, who vouches for you when opportunities arise, and who creates pathways you’d never find on your own. The number of LinkedIn connections doesn’t matter. It’s the depth of contacts and engagements you have with people in your field and adjacent fields that does. Professional associations, internships, alumni networks, mentors: these aren’t “nice to have.” They’re foundational. Why All Three Matter Here’s what I’ve seen so many people misunderstand: they’re crushing it in one corner but can’t figure out why their career isn’t clicking. Dazzling skills, impressive credentials, cool connections, yet nothing’s working. I had one mentee who applied to hundreds of marketing jobs. He had impressive skills but no network and the wrong credentials. No interviews came his way. From where he sat, it was maddening. From the outside, it wasn’t mysterious at all. A strong network may have been able to overcome the credential mismatch, but with neither in place he had to carefully reconsider his next steps. Meanwhile, often mid-career professionals considering a master’s degree forget to be strategic about all three corners. The best programs aren’t just about the credential. You’re bringing work experience, building new skills, and accessing a powerful alumni network simultaneously. Too often people enter programs with a narrow focus. I’ve seen professionals complete expensive degrees, ace every exam, and graduate with zero meaningful relationships in their cohort. They dont even think about using their student status to land an internship or fellowship at organizations they care about. They paid for one corner and ignored the other two! Here’s what makes this framework durable: the three corners reinforce each other. When you sharpen someone’s work, you’re building their skills. When you help them navigate complexity, you’re teaching system navigation. When you make introductions, you’re expanding their network. The framework works at every career stage because the fundamentals don’t change. The world is changing fast. AI disrupts skills, remote work reshapes networks, degree inflation is real. But employers will always need people who can do things well, navigate complexity, and work effectively with humans. Assess all three corners honestly. Where are you strongest? Where have you been neglecting? Invest there. Your next opportunity won’t come from one thing; it’ll come from understanding how all three work together. And while you can’t control luck, building all three corners means you’re ready when it shows up.
Category:
E-Commerce
Can I say it? If you have ever scrolled on social media and felt like you joined a conversation halfway through, with no context at all, you are not alone. Over the past few weeks, a type of posting has resurfaced online with the sole purpose of ragebaiting everyone. It is called vagueposting, and it involves being intentionally cryptic as a form of engagement bait. Common vagueposts include can I say it? without ever saying anything, or insisting you wont like the answer without ever revealing the answer. Or oh thats not What? WHAT? The practice is not new. The term was originally called vaguebooking, which referred to posting emo Facebook statuses that pandered for attention. One example might be writing worst day ever without offering any details, or posting a black square paired with a pointed platitude. The first meme of the year was one example of vagueposting in action. It started with a TikTok posted in December about rebranding for 2026. In the comments, others shared their own strategies and self-improvement tips for the upcoming year. A user named Tamara shared her own method involving 365 buttons. @poptrish #tamara #365buttons #2026 #rebrand long live tamara and i wonder what they buttons are for ?? I was very intruiged before i even realized that was the whole comment section Sybau – KCK Mixes When pressed to explain what the 365 buttons were for, she simply responded: Hey, so it actually only has to make sense to me for me to do it and I dont feel like explaining it to anyone else. Vagueposting has also resurfaced on platforms like X in December and early January. On X, one user noted, Why has this entire site turned to fucking vagueposting in the past month, like every viral tweet means nothing anymore because there’s no context. Why has this entire site turned to fucking vagueposting in the past month, like every viral tweet means nothing anymore because there's no context— FPSthetics (@FPSthetics) December 15, 2025 Another added: Many dreadful things are happening online, but I’m really impressed by how utterly maddening the vagueposting for likes trend is. Many dreadful things are happening online, but I'm really impressed by how utterly maddening the "vagueposting for likes" trend is— Clarissa Aykroyd (@stoneandthestar) January 26, 2026 The fact that vagueposting is proliferating on X right now is not a coincidence. Elon Musks new monetization policies have warped the platform. Those who remain are in a race to the bottom, competing against AI slop in pursuit of clicks and engagement. Vagueposting is a trend because the algorithm senses that you are clicking on those tweets (engagement) to see the replies for context, one X user explained. So it promotes vague tweets over ones that explain enough that you can read and scroll past them. vagueposting is a trend because the algorithm senses that you are clicking on those tweets (engagement) to see the replies for context so it promotes vague tweets over ones that explain enough that you can read and scroll past them.— demi adejuyigbe (@electrolemon) January 11, 2026 As the internet continues to eat itself, what remains across beleaguered social media platforms are half-formed thoughts, clips stripped of necessary context, and engagement baits designed to hook our shrinking attention spans and further trigger our dysregulated nervous systems. youre probably not gonna like the answer.
Category:
E-Commerce
Women in all parts of my life are encountering similar obstacles in their health journeys. The common thread is that when we dont advocate for ourselves and ask the right questions, we dont get the care we need. While volunteering as a womens heart health advocate and immersing my public relations agency in the health innovation ecosystem, Im constantly thinking about how to bring to light the issuesand solutionsthat are all around us. Women are dying because we aren’t marketing life-saving therapies to them, said Rachel Rubin, MD, a urologist and sexual medicine specialist, and assistant clinical professor in urology at Georgetown University Hospital. She made these comments in her 2-hour conversation last May with Peter Attia, MD, on his podcast The Drive. The podcast discussion helped illuminate the decades-long debate around hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Since then, the FDA removed its 20-year-plus warning label on HRT for menopause. STORYTELLING CAN HELP This is where storytelling can lead to real change, bringing awareness to previously misunderstood or underreported issues that can save lives. At the very least, we need to encourage each other to find the right provider, ask the right questions, and not settle until we get the answers we need. Professionally, the optimist in me cant help but see opportunities to help connect these dots. Here are four immediate steps we can take: Education: Over the last year, Ive heard countless stories of women dismissing seemingly minor symptoms that turned out to be the precursor to a heart attack or undiagnosed cardiovascular health issue. The message is clear: We need to empower women to listen to our bodies by giving patients and providers the platforms to share their stories. Fortunately, journalists are looking for sources to speak with every single day, and PR professionals can play matchmaker. Funding: Media coverage can help the next round of health innovators secure funding and support. If you share your stories and expertise with journalists and podcasts, and on social networks like LinkedIn, you can create a butterfly effect that can influence these sources of funding. Reach and scale: Even early-stage startups, regional providers, small practices, and nonprofits have the opportunity to get quoted in national media outlets. Every day, journalists are looking for credentialed medical experts across topics like menopause, fertility, heart health, nutrition, and mental health to comment on the stories theyre filing for trusted news sources. You can enlist the help of a PR team or respond to queries yourself, if you have the time. Partnerships: While there are incredibly innovative health solutions popping up around the world, the massive opportunity in womens healthand healthcare overallrequires the whole ecosystem to take part. A PR strategy focused on increasing visibility in industry publications and at conferences can help innovators and payers form meaningful partnerships. Strategic partnerships between femtech and big tech, femtech and pharma, femtech and retail, and more are on the rise. These success stories illuminate a powerful way for womens health startups to rapidly scale in both reach and credibility, Theresa Neil, founder of Femovate and a deep femtech advocate told me. Building on the momentum over the last year, Im encouraged by the direction of womens health conversations, and yet I still know too many women who struggle to get the help they need. We can all play a part in amplifying these stories. Amy Jackson is founder and CEO of TaleSplash.
Category:
E-Commerce
For decades, women business owners have faced a persistent challenge: access to capital. Despite owning nearly half of all small businesses in the U.S., women often encounter barriers to financing. Ive seen from my experience at the SBA and now First Women’s Bank, that one of the biggest drivers of the gender lending gap isnt just rejection, its that many women dont come forward for financing at all. Whether due to lack of awareness, confidence, or systemic hurdles, access captures both those who are denied and those who never apply. Also driving the gender lending gap is the type of capital women seek. Women often seek startup capital that is difficult to obtain, rather than growth and acquisition capital. Especially pronounced is the lack of acquisition financing in the womens economy. Women are starting businesses at twice the national average, yet based on my experience, the number of women engaged in financing business acquisitions versus startups is relatively low. That matters because when women choose to bootstrap startups and grow organically rather than acquiring an existing business, they are choosing the long road to success. Business acquisitions can be a powerful shortcut to scale. Starting from scratch means building infrastructure, cash flow, and customer relationships, one step at a time. Acquiring an established business gives you all that on day one, plus brand equity and proven operations. Its a way to bypass early-stage risk and accelerate growth by leveraging whats already working. SBA LOANS AND REAL ESTATE And back to the issue of access to capital. A startup, from a banks perspective, can be risky to finance and difficult to underwrite as the bank can only review projections. Financing an acquisition can be more achievable, as the bank can underwrite the acquisition targets past business performance. SBA 7(a) loans are a strong financing option for business acquisitions, and combining an equity raise with SBA financing is yet another strategy that can create a healthy debt-to-equity structure and lower the debt burden for the business post-acquisition. Financing the acquisition of owner-occupied real estate, or in other words, acquiring real estate for your business to operate from, is another underutilized strategy in the womens economy. Real estate assets can strengthen your balance sheet by adding real estate collateral, which can be used to secure future growth financing. Real estate ownership can stabilize expenses, eliminate landlord restrictions, and build long-term control and consistency. Over time, these assets dont just support operations; they enhance your business value to your banks and investors. For owner-occupied real estate acquisition, SBA 7(a) and 504 loans can offer lower down payments for those who qualify. ACQUISITION FINANCING TO CLOSE THE GAP Strategic acquisition financing can lead to women controlling more assets, gaining negotiating power, improved financing terms, and the ability to reinvest in their companies and communities. Financing the acquisition of both business and real estate assets creates a virtuous cycle of empowerment, growth, and credibility, a critical step toward closing the gender lending gap. Marianne Markowitz is CEO of First Women’s Bank.
Category:
E-Commerce
Elon Musk is merging his rocket maker SpaceX with his artificial intelligence startup xAI in a deal that changes what a future SpaceX IPO represents. After rumors surfaced last week, Musk confirmed the move Monday in a SpaceX blog post, calling the combined company the most ambitious, vertically integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, spanning AI, rockets, space-based internet, and his social media platform, X. Public records filed in Nevada and obtained by CNBC show the deal was completed February 2, with Space Exploration Technologies Corp. listed as the managing member of X.AI Holdings. Bloomberg reports that the merged company is expected to price shares in an initial public offering that could value it at $1.25 trillion. At that scale, the story is no longer just about rockets. It is about AI and Musks claim that the future of compute will not be confined to Earth. A $1.25 trillion IPO that looks very different Before the deal, a SpaceX IPO would have given investors exposure to space launch services, government contracts, Starlinks satellite internet business, and Musks long-term Mars ambitions. Now it would also include a frontier AI company and a new thesis: AI cannot scale on terrestrial infrastructure. It must scale in orbit. SpaceX was valued at about $800 billion in a secondary share sale last year. And xAI was valued at roughly $230 billion in a $20 billion funding round earlier this year. The percentage uplift is larger for SpaceX, while xAI shareholders gain stability by being folded into one of the most profitable private aerospace companies. Reuters reported last week that SpaceX generated an estimated $8 billion in profit on $15 billion to $16 billion in revenue in 2025, citing people familiar with the results. By contrast, xAI is still burning cash as it races to build infrastructure to compete with OpenAI and Google, which remain ahead in the model race. The merger ties those two trajectories together. It looks like Elon Musk has one window to do a big IPO, and he wants to make the most of that, Edward Niedermeyer, author of Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors and an auto industry analyst, told Fast Company last week. Musks core claim: Earth cannot power the future of AI Musk argues that AIs reliance on power-hungry data centers is unsustainable, as rising demand strains both electrical grids and the environment. His solution is to move the problem off-planet. Space is called ‘space’ for a reason, he said in the blog post, arguing that there will be more room off the planet. My estimate is that within two to three years, the lowest-cost way to generate AI compute will be in space, Musk continued. This cost efficiency alone will enable innovative companies to train their AI models and process data at unprecedented speeds and scales. SpaceX has already asked the Federal Communications Commission for authorization to launch up to 1 million satellites as part of what Musk calls an orbital data center. Orbital data centers powered by the Sun The orbital data center plan would require launching 1 million tons of satellites per year. Each ton generates 100 kilowatts of compute, which equals 100 gigawatts of AI capacity added annually. Even in 2025, the most prolific year in orbital history, humanity launched only about 3,000 tons of payload into space, mostly Starlink satellites aboard Falcon rockets. The difference now is Starship. Musk envisions Starship rockets launching every hour, carrying roughly 200 tons per flight, and delivering millions of tons to orbit per year. SpaceX already operates the worlds largest satellite constellation through Starlink, with more than 9,000 satellites in orbit and roughly 9 million customers. The operational lessons from Starlink form the foundation for something much larger: satellites that function as AI data centers. A familiar Musk playbook This is not the first time Musk has merged his companies to move faster. Early last year, he merged xAI with X (formerly Twitter). Now xAI is being folded into SpaceX. Tesla, the primary source of Musks liquid wealth, said last week that it has agreed to invest about $2 billion into xAI. The merger also pulls SpaceX into xAIs regulatory scrutiny. Currently, xAI is facing probes in Europe, India, Australia, and California after its Grok AI tools allowed users to generate sexualized images of children and nonconsensual intimate images of adults from photos found online. These investigations add risk to a company that is already spending heavily to catch up in the AI arms race. Folding xAI into SpaceX gives it financial cover and operational scale, but it also ties SpaceXs future IPO to those controversies. Beyond orbit: the Moon and deep space Musks vision does not stop with satellites circling Earth. Starships ability to land heavy cargo on the moon opens the possibility of lunar manufacturing. Factories could use lunar materials to build satellites and deploy them deeper into space using electromagnetic mass drivers. Musk argues that at that scale, humanity begins to harness more of the suns energy. The business case is simpler. If space becomes the cheapest place to run AI compute, everything else follows. “The capabilities we unlock by making space-based data centers a reality will fund and enable self-growing bases on the moon, an entire civilization on Mars, and ultimately, expansion to the universe,” Musk wrote in the blog post.
Category:
E-Commerce
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