 |
|
|
|||||
The question came innocently enough: What do you want to be when you grow up? Lindsays daughter, after a brief pause, looked up and confidently replied, I want to be a client. The simplicity of the answer hid the complexity of what she had observed: The clients always seemed to get the very best version of her mother. In her daughters young mind, being a client meant holding a special placeone that commands focus, care, and an unwavering commitment. As two mothers navigating full-time legal careers, that moment was not lost on either of us. It reveals a truth that is often glossed over in the narratives about working women, especially those of us balancing professional intensity with parenting. Beneath the thin veneer of having it all, we know all too well the quiet sacrifices and compromises that characterize our balancing act. The spotlight may be on our professional accomplishments, but in the shadows our children wait patiently for our attention, often competing with the demands of a profession that do not easily relent. The Weight of Expectation Too often the complexities of ambition, motherhood, and professional duty are distilled into stereotypes that seek to diminish rather than dignify. Its a familiar storythe notion that a woman with power and responsibility must inevitably be lacking elsewhere. Or that her identity as a mother or partner is somehow contrary to her professional persona. These narratives, however veiled, carry weight. But lets say what that really means. It means that the diligence and tenacity we bring to our careers and our clients are identical to the dedication we offer to our families. It means that the long hours spent advocating for clients are juxtaposed with the quiet moments at home, where the stakes are equally high, even if measured in hugs rather than verdicts. It means that, despite the portrayal of women in leadership as one-dimensional, we are more. We are multifaceted, resilient, and deeply invested in both our professions and our roles as mothers. Living with the Tension The path of a working mother demands a constant recalibration of priorities where both career and family vie for equal attention and each carries its own form of guilt. The notion of balance is a fallacy. At least thats what weve learned from years of trying to juggle our careers and motherhood. Instead, its a constant series of trade-offs and compromises leading us to understand that each day is unique. Theres no neat division between work and life anymore. Mornings usually start early, working before the rest of the house wakes up. We often work with one eye on the clock, calculating the minutes until we sprint from the office to catch a school or sport event. Or days when theres a sick child and no available caregiver, the idea of balance seems laughable. This has forced us to rethink how we define successnot by perfection but by flexibility and resilience. Its about being okay with the days that feel like controlled chaos and accepting that sometimes one part of life will have to be put on pause for the other. When our daughters see us in actionthey dont just witness the power, grace, and poise required of our profession; they see the weight of that responsibility and the effort and dedication it takes to give both our clients and our children the best of us. The Lessons We Teach As children we dreamed of becoming lawyers, mothers, or both, imagining these roles as ultimate markers of success and happiness. Our daughters, however, have grown up watching us navigate the realities of those choices and their dreams for us are different. If a child believes happiness comes from being in a position where others give their full attention, then maybe thats a mirror to our own internal narrativesthe idea that to be happy we must be fully attended to, in control, or on the receiving end of care. But our journey has taught us that happiness, real happiness, isnt about being a client. Its not about receivingits about the pursuit itself, the constant striving to give our best to both our careers and our children. So while our daughters might want to be clients today, we hope they understand, over time, that true fulfillment comes not from being at the center of attention, but from living and thriving with the tension.
Category:
E-Commerce
Tariffs have caused lots of headaches for business owners around the world, especially as theyve become a hot topic in the political landscape. Just this week, President Donald Trump enacted 25% import taxes on Mexican and Canadian goods, causing the S&P 500 to plummet. Businesses struggling with these complex tariffs may have a newfound appreciation for a tool that promises to simplify the process: Agentforce, Salesforces AI-powered agent platform that was launched in October 2024. Agentforce enables users to create AI agents that can analyze and make decisions based on the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, a 4,400-plus page document that sets tariff rates for over 20,000 imported items. Agentforce users can create an Import Specialist Agent that will analyze the lengthy schedule and will automatically adjust pricing or create business plans accordingly. What once took businesses months to adapt to can now be handled in minutes, according to Paul Tatum, Salesforces EVP of Solution Engineering. Tatum tells Fast Company that the Import Specialist Agent is one of the many ways that AI can make convoluted, labor-intensive tasks easier. Governments around the world are overworked and outstretched, says Tatum. Technology has helped with that over the years, but digital labor is going to transform the level of service and capabilities of the government. The Import Specialist Agent responds to each businesss unique data, taking into account the size of a business, what products it sells, and previous sales history. This technology is applicable across the board for small businesses, large businesses, and government employees, says Tatum. Since 2018, the schedule has been updated around 1130 times each year. Changing policies and pricing to align with each individual schedule change can be a laborious process without the help of AI, Tatum says. And although other AI software exists that can analyze the tariff schedule, Salesforces may be the only one that can automatically take action that fits a businesss specific needs, says Tatum. A lot of the AI technology focus has been around developing large language models, and you see those come out every day. They’re an important part of the puzzle, Tatum says. But we believe that the most impactful part of the puzzle is making agents practical, like a digital employee working alongside and augmenting your human employee. Agentforce currently has about 3,000 paying customers who have created over 5,000 unique AI agents for different purposeswith the Import Specialist Agent being just one of the many. Customers pay $2 per conversation, but this pricing sometimes will vary based on the scale and complexity of the work being performed, according to Salesforce. The tariff schedule isnt the only lengthy government document that Tatum wants to see Agentforce tackle. He says these capabilities can be transferred to parse through dense language surrounding social security or Medicare. Government documentation is thorough, but often impenetrable, Tatum says. I open up the IRS website and say: What in the world is going on? he adds. This is where digital employees can help us.
Category:
E-Commerce
Fila is looking to Hailey Bieber to help its struggling brand. The South Korea-based sports apparel company is today launching a 13-piece spring/summer 2025 collection made in collaboration with Bieber, who is the founder of Rhode beauty. The pieces, which include a baby tee, sweatpants, and an oversized pullover, are designed to be wardrobe staples, according to the company, and are now available on FILA’s website and select Urban Outfitters stores. It’s clear the Hailey Bieber x FILA Collection is geared toward athleisure rather than performance activewear based on the campaign photography, which in one photo shows Bieber spilling an iced coffee. [Photo: Fila] Fila’s North American division said last year it would downsize in the U.S., and in January it laid off 130 employees at its headquarters and warehouse in Towson, Maryland. The rise of activewear accelerated by the pandemic has been great business for athletic apparel brands like Lululemon and Alo Yoga, which catered to spendy customers with clothes for everyday wear. Fila, however, failed to make similar gains. Last year, the brand partnered with Bieber for a retro-inspired collection also designed for everyday wear. This Bieber collaboration is another push to capture share of the growing female athleisure market. The collaboration follows a marketing strategy that’s becoming more common among athletic brands looking to expand their consumer base: securing celebrity rather than performance athlete brand ambassadors. Nike took this approach most recently when it partnered with Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand Skims on a new women’s brand called NikeSkims. (Of course, Skims also has the appeal of a $4 billion valuation.) While Fila is better known for its partnerships with athletes and tennis players, including a sponsorship announced earlier this year with New Zealand’s Lulu Sun, just like the NikeSkims deal, teaming up with Bieber gives the brand access to a celebrity who sells a lifestyle, rather than an athlete who sells performance. [Photo: Fila] If I wouldn’t wear it, I wouldn’t put it out into the world, Bieber says in a promotional video for the collection. Considering the popularity of tenniscore fashion last summer and fall, the Hailey Bieber x FILA Collection is well timed. The collection also includes a lightweight twill pleated skirt and oversized knit sweater meant as a modern take on a tennis classic. For Fila, the Bieber collaboration is about more than just selling clothes, its about defining the brand’s place in an athleisure market dominated by competitors who already cemented their place in it. By tapping a celebrity and model, the sports apparel brand could better appeal to consumers more interested in aesthetic and versatility than athletic performance.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||