The day after the Super Bowl, ZapperBox quietly raised the price on Amazon of its over-the-air DVR.
ZapperBox offers one of the best means of recording local channels from an antenna, and had been charging $275 for its flagship model. While the price hasn’t changed on ZapperBox’s website, it now costs $300 on Amazon. Gopal Miglani, ZapperBox’s founder and president, says he’s compensating for President Donald Trump’s 10% tariff on goods from China, which took effect on February 10.
“We already moved manufacturing to Taiwan for the next lot and it costs much more there,” Miglani tells Fast Company via email. “Even if the 10% tariff is rescinded, we cannot go back to China. All these changes [are] very expensive.”
For big tech companies like Apple and Amazon, the current tariffs may not move the needle much. Experts say those companies have lots of levers they can pull to avoid raising prices, at least if the tariffs don’t increase from here. The larger impact will be on smaller companies like ZapperBox, which will have to make tougher decisions about which costs to absorb and which ones to pass on.
Its too risky
Matt Ronge, the cofounder and CEO of AstroPad, is also contemplating price hikes. AstroPad makes a range of gadgets for creative workers, including a wireless dongle that turns spare iPads or Macs into secondary computer displays and a combination Apple Pencil tip and iPad screen cover that feel more like writing on paper.
While AstroPad is also looking into moving some manufacturing to other countries such as Vietnam, it consistently sees higher quality and lower prices from China, where all of its products are currently manufactured. The factories and supply chains for U.S. production aren’t yet mature enough, Ronge says.
“We are really trying not to raise prices if we can help it,” Ronge says via email. “First we are looking for changes we can make that wont affect product quality, like changing packaging. Only if we cant make that work will we look at raising prices.”
The bigger impact, Ronge says, will be on AstroPad’s future product plans. He’s operating on the assumption that tariff wars will only continue to escalate, which means the company must be choosier about what it brings to market. Ronge believes other small device makers will face similar dilemmas.
“Sadly some more experimental and innovative consumer electronics products wont make it to market in this environment. Its too risky,” he says.
Levers to pull
For larger tech companies, the outlook is murkier. While price hikes are possible, device makers may have an easier time shifting production outside of China or absorbing the costs instead of passing them on, especially if most of their money is made after the sale.
Executives from Roku, for instance, said on an earnings call this week that tariffs wouldn’t have any material impact on its business. Last year, only 14% of its revenues came from device sales, with the rest coming from “platform” activities, such as ads and subscriptions.
“From a device perspective any impact on our gross margin related to tariffs, we believe, would be immaterial, and we don’t expect any impact on the platform revenue side of the business,” Roku CFO Dan Jedda said.
Ted Malone, a former senior product manager on Amazon’s Fire TV business and former vice president of TiVo’s consumer business, says larger companies may have other levers to pull as well. Amazon, for instance, could put more promotional emphasis on higher-end 4K streaming players instead of HD models with slimmer profit margins.
“They can shift demand simply by shifting their promotions for what goes on sale for Prime Day, or whatever,” he says.
Device makers may also have stocked up inventory in anticipation of new tariffs under the Trump administration, which may explain why prices haven’t immediately increased. Cori Masters, a senior research analyst at Gartner, refers to this as “inventory buffering,” and says it’s one strategy companies can use to at least delay price hikes.
“Based on inventory buffering, they could choose to wait to pass through pricing until they’ve completed that inventory,” Masters says.
In the meantime, device makers have already been finding ways to move more production out of China in response to previous tariffs. Trump had imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum (among other things) from outside the U.S. in 2018, and the Biden administration increased them for China last year. A Gartner survey last year found that 80% of companies had executed a “China-Plus-One” strategy that emphasizes more diverse supply chains.
“They’re already making movements to diversify into a more regionalized or near-shoring type of strategy,” Masters says.
Malone notes that such diversification won’t be easy for everyone.
“For smaller manufacturers who don’t have that luxury to have six lines in Shenzhen, and three lines in Mexico, and four lines in Cork, Ireland, for people that don’t have the ability to distribute manufacturing like that, I think it’s a much bigger challenge.”
Even device makers that primarily look beyond China may have trouble avoiding tariffs entirely. Nirav Patel, the founder and CEO of sustainable laptop maker Framework, says via email that while its laptops and mainboards are made in Taiwan, it relies on mainland China to produce the modules that users can install to expand functionality.
“[W]e are taking this into account for future module pricing for U.S. customers in the Framework Marketplace as we also continue to diversify our supply base,” he says.
More dire scenarios
Even with work-arounds, some amount of price hiking seems inevitable, even for larger companies.
CTA, a tech industry trade group, points out that 80% of smartphones come from China, and the average retail price is $1,000 for U.S. consumers. Even if consumers don’t pay extra up front, the group suggests that consumers may eventually absorb the costs through higher service fees from wireless carriers, who subsidize phones in exchange for long-term commitments.
CTA has pointed to gloomier outcomes as well, on the assumption that 10% tariffs are just the start. Using hypothetical 60% to 100% tariffs on goods from China and 10% to 20% tariffs on goods from elsewhere, a CTA study estimates price hikes of 26% to 37% for phones, 46% to 68% for laptops and tablets, and 40% to 58% for game consoles.
Part of what makes the actual impact of tariffswhen they̱ll result in higher prices, and by how muchis that no one knows what those tariffs will actually be a few weeks or a few months from now.
“Trump had threatened up to 60% tariffs on China,” ZapperBox’s Gopal Miglani says. “And this kind of whiplash is untenable.”
After bottoming out during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, the perception of conscious consumerism has ascended to new heights in recent years. On the surface the statistics are headed in the right direction. The majority of Americans believe it is important to support socially responsible products and services, and the majority have done so in the past year. Additionally, roughly a third of the country plans to spend more with such brands in the year ahead.
But while the headlines suggest a cause for celebration for people selling to conscious consumers, the underlying data in the results from our agencys annual Conscious Consumer Spending Index tell more of a cautionary tale.
Despite seeing a steady rise in socially responsible spending (three of our Indexs top scores in its 12 years have occurred within the last four years), one of the more concerning findings this time around was an all-time low in success rate for Americans in terms of following through on their intentions to support socially responsible brands.
The big culprit for this disconnect? Price.
It is easy to find research that affirms that consumers prefer to shop locally and will pay a premium for doing so. It is equally simple to confirm that consumers say they will pay more for socially responsible products and services. Unfortunately, these results are far more aspirational than they are realistic.
Year after year, our Index shows that consumers prefer to shop at stores offering a buy one get one versus those offering to give a like product to someone in need or make a charitable donation for each purchase.
Meanwhile, more than half of Americans say the price of do good products and services deterred them from following their hearts and supporting conscious brands. That tracks with other research showing that the majority of Americans want to shop local more frequently, but also cite price as the biggest barrier.
In the same survey, almost 30% of Americans said they were morally opposed to Amazon, yet the vast majority of these people reported they shop there anyway. For the past 10 years, weve been asking Americans to name one socially responsible company or cause. This is unaided recall, so we dont provide options. Its up to respondents to come up with a name on the spot.
Amazon has topped the list for six years running, while Walmart is always lurking near the top as well. Amazons reign at No. 1 on this list has been perplexing for years, but maybe theres a contingent of Americans trying to justify the fact that saving money is trumping morals.
At the same time, online retailers such as Shein and Temu are invading American households on the daily. Research suggests that 152 million Americans use Temu regularly. It is the third most popular shopping app among millennials. There are obvious questions being posed about how socially responsible such sites are. Whats clear is these sites are offering products at significantly lower prices, and thats enough for many to click buy now.
All of this tells us that consumers continue to be price sensitive when it comes to do good brands, and that when the economy is harder on the average American, this price sensitivity naturally increases. It seems fair to suggest that we need to double down on educating consumers that the price of a product or service does not equate to its costor its value. We have to push consumers beyond price as the determining factor, which can be challenging, particularly when 20% of American households say their income has fallen in the past year.
For conscious consumerism to see continued growth, or at least avoid a cold plunge, we have to make stronger links with consumers and reframe the value prop of local, do-good brands as they shop. Just like we expect companies to lean into their purpose, even when profits suffer, we have to hold consumers to the same standard.
Its entirely a different scale, and entirely a different proposition altogether. However, purchasing locally sourced, higher-quality products while reducing overall consumption could lead to less pressure on the pocketbook while fueling higher success rates on purposeful intentions. The problem is the average consumer isnt doing this mathyet. And if they are, they are coming up with the wrong answer. The fate of this movement relies on a better equation.
Within Walmart, employees known as merchants make decisions about which products the company carries online and in stores, as well as pricing for those items.
Naturally, the job involves plenty of data analysis, with merchants breaking down sales numbers by product category, sales channel, region, brand, item characteristics, and other factors. But manually running all of those reports and examining results using tools like Excel can be time-consuming, especially when merchants need to run multiple reports.
“You can see how these reports can become time-consuming when analyzing customer behavior across so much data,” says Brian Knapp, senior vice president for merchandising transformation at Walmart U.S. “In fact, running and analyzing these reports can take hours, and we know that customer expectations are changing fast, and we need to be able to move with speed to respond to customer demand.”
[Photo: Courtesy of Walmart]
To help merchants quickly access and analyze relevant information, Walmart has introduced Wally, an internal generative AI tool that can dive into internal data to create responses in just seconds. Wally uses a familiar chat-style interface to retrieve relevant data from Walmart’s databases while accurately interpreting product industry jargon and category names (meaning users don’t have to worry about whether the database lists an item as, say, TV or television). Wally can then generate quick answers, tables, or full reports as needed.
“We’re able to take some of the best practices we as a company have [learned] over the decades in analyzing this kind of data and generate a very high quality report for our merchants to then go use,” says Aditya Kumarakrishnan, a distinguished data architect at Walmart Global Tech.
In a demo, Kumarakrishnan showed how a merchant could use Wally to analyze data about consumer electronics sales, probing details about televisions brands and prices for both in-store and delivery purchases. Wally can also help merchants manage both out-of-stock or overstocked items, and determine when to adjust prices or update sale info.
The AI tool, first announced to the public on Thursday, was introduced to merchants about a month ago. So far, Knapp says, they’ve reported it has saved time they can then use on other tasks, and has made data more accessible to merchants. Wally has also been given access to training material that Walmart provides to its merchandising team, allowing it to make recommendations and interpret data in line with that internal guidance.
Wally isn’t the only AI tool in use at Walmart. The company has previously unveiled an AI shopping assistant for customers and highlighted generative AI features to guide web customers to relevant deals. In an earnings conference call Thursday, CEO Doug McMillon said AI coding assistance and code completion tools helped save about four million developer hours last year.
To make sure Wally gives accurate answers, Walmart has developed automated tests where the tool’s numeric responses are checked against known answers; the company even trained an AI judge to evaluate the software’s conversations based on human-annotated samples. Kumarakrishnan says his team also regularly reviews feedback from users on how the tool is working and other features it could offer.
“There’s a whole group of us that love sifting through the feedback that merchants are giving,” he says. “There are questions that they’ll ask and they’ll want to know a slightly different angle, and that gives us a roadmap to go execute on for Wally.”
When President Trump issued a freeze on federal grants and loans in late January, there was widespread confusion about what it could mean for countless programs that rely on that funding. For childcare providers, that funding can be a crucial source of financial support, since block grants and federal programs like Head Start enable them to serve low-income families who need affordable care.
The Trump administration later clarified that certain programsincluding Head Startwould be exempt from the freeze, and Trumps proposal was rescinded just days later. But the damage had already been done: Even a week later, there were reports that childcare providers could not access federal funds that they desperately needed to cover payroll and continue providing care to families. The National Head Start Association found that at least 45 providers could not access federal funds, potentially compromising care for nearly 20,000 children and families.
In the childcare industry, the steep cost of labor means that providers often operate with slim margins and have little to no financial cushion, leaving them in a precarious position. During the pandemic, many childcare centers only stayed afloat because the industry received billions of dollars in federal aid, which has since dried up.
Some childcare workers worry that they could still be impacted by a freeze on federal spending, even if their funding has not been stripped at the moment. Their concerns are not unfounded: Despite the rescinded memo and court orders blocking the freeze, the Trump administration has paused funding for a variety of other federal grants, according to multiple reports.
Fast Company spoke to two childcare providers who shared what it was like to navigate the aftermath of Trumps proposal, and how a funding freeze could have impacted their ability to serve low-income familiesor even keep their doors open. These conversations have been edited for clarity and length.
Amanda Schillinger, childcare administrator in Burnsville, Minnesota
For the entire time I’ve worked in [childcare], it has been an industry that struggles financially. You can only charge parents so much because they can only pay so muchbut they can’t go to work if they don’t have childcare. So its a complicated system where its a needed service, but it’s a very expensive service to operate, and you have to have plenty of staff.
I always tell people, imagine having seven 2-year-olds all by yourself because in Minnesota, the ratio is one adult for every seven [kids]. Or imagine having four babies that you are responsible for feeding and caring for and educating and changing diapersand how much work that would be.
I was checking news, like I do throughout the day, and [the funding freeze] popped up. My heart started to race. What does this mean? I know our childcare assistance comes from the block grants, which is a federal program. I know were on the food program, and that is also a federal program. I was like, are we not getting money anymore?
I spent the entire day trying to find any information, to find out: What does this mean? There was no information. Nobody knew. I had to sit down with our owner and say, hey, this is what’s going on right now. We need to start coming up with a plan.
Sixty-five percent of our students are served by the childcare assistance program. So I was like, how long can we operate if we arent seeing that money? And the owner [said] maximum 30 days. Having those students leave includes laying off staff. We cant just indefinitely pay staff when we dont have the students to pay for that. The food program pretty much pays for 100% of our food costs because we serve so many low-income families.
We have not run into issues at this time with accessing our funds. I know Head Start programs have still been having issues with that. Until this is completely settled, we still are working on all of our plans and contingencies. Could we float those families on childcare assistance for a period of time? Or is this something where once we aren’t getting reimbursed, we just can’t? So that’s one of the big things we’re having to look atand that impacts staff and layoffs.
We are fortunate to live in a state that has invested in childcare. That has definitely made a huge difference here compared to so many states. We have a program that helps cover classroom staff costs, and those things help us have a little bit better footing. But dont get me wrongits not enough. If the funding freeze ever happened, it would be an absolute stretch to make it 30 days.
Christina Robles, childcare provider in Salt Lake City, Utah
I have been running a daycare from my home since 2013. I have some of my own traumas with childcare, so when I had my own daughter, I decided that I wanted to be able to provide care for those that were in my situation and give my daughter the social development that she needed at that time. Originally, I was only going to do it for a few years, and here I am with three locations.
Currently, I’m serving 48 families that are economically disadvantaged. I would say about 75% of my income comes from subsidized childcare, and the rest of it is out of pocket by parents, but thats not the norm. Im not in this for money. Im in it to help the community. In addition to that, I also employ six single mothers because it gives them an opportunity to stay home with their children while making an impact on their life and get a livable wage. I pay $15 an hour to all of my employees, so it’s as livable as I can [afford] in this economy.
I walk a fine line between profitability and providing a safe space for children, where parents can trust that their children are being taken care of and taught. The pandemic funding [for childcare] made it possible for me to make big changes in my program so that I could reach more families, and it offset a lot of the cost for those parents and made it possible for me to grow in an industry that you can’t really grow in.
It felt like there was this tidal turn, where we were being seen, heard, and valued. When the government was investing in us, I was investing in my workers; we were investing in children. We were really starting to see a huge difference across the board. It allowed me to go from paying my employees $10 an hour to paying all of them $15 an hour or more. When that funding went away, it left a heavy, heavy burden on me.
When the news came down that there was a federal freeze, nobody knew what the heck that meant. Did that mean that was going to impact our food program? Nobody could answer, and they didn’t know when it was going to take place. For me specifically, thats about $6,000 a month. Thats the income for at least two of my employees. And then, it would have impacted block grants. Like I said, 75% of my income comes from subsidized kidsso right there, thats my entire livelihood.
I also serve children from Indigenous tribes. It’s a good 30% of my income at one of my locations. When a few days had gone by, and I was like okay, this [federal freeze] is not happening, I got a letter stating that their funds had actually been frozen. They did not have access to it, and they had no idea when they would be able to pay us, if at all. I literally wasn’t getting paid as of that momentand that was $5,000.
It took about three weeks or so before we realized that the funding was coming through, and I didn’t end up actually having to front the cost. But I was going to. I had already had conversations with the Indigenous parents because I couldn’t imagine what they were going through. What would they have done? Where would they have taken their kids? Would they have been able to take time off? I had to sit down and have really tough conversations with all of my employees, who do an amazing job every single day. I was like I dont know that I’m going to be able to make payroll. It was just so disheartening and stressful.
If I lose any federal funding, either I’m going to have to close my doors completely to all of my locationsthat’s a real possibilityor I will have to change the clientele, and I will no longer be able to serve those underprivileged families who deserve an opportunity to have high-quality childcare.
I would literally have to say: You don’t make enough money. And how do you place value on someone with their economic status? How do you do that to a child? How do you do that to a family that you’ve created a lifelong bond with? I would be forced to only look at profits and numbers. That’s never how I’ve operated. But I cannot live in fear of this administration, and what they’re going to do. If I do that and I base my decisions off fear, I’m not doing any justice to my families that I serve.
You may have noticed that the Google-owned video-sharing sites infamous red play logo is now rendered in a softer, more pinkish hue. Thats because user research revealed that the companys logo color rated as one of its top three most outdated design elements.Last updated in 2017, YouTubes old brand color was a pure red that users perceived to be too loud when implemented in key UI moments, Robyn Lee, YouTubes visual design lead, said in a Google Design blog post.From top: The old red vs. the new [Image: YouTube]The old red had other technical problems, too, like rendering orange on some screens and causing a burn-in effect on TVsa major issue considering YouTube TVs rapid growth. But with the color so central to the platforms brand identity, designers had to be thoughtful about making a change.[Image: YouTube]To pick the new red, which began appearing on the site several months ago, YouTubes design team looked for colors that fit the companys creative principles of being welcoming, engaging, dynamic, and unified. They stayed away from colors that felt domineering, cold, or corporate, product manager Linda Hong said, and settled on a more mellow shade.[Image: YouTube]Designers also implemented a new red-to-magenta gradient and were mindful of how often red appears on the site. By limiting it to specific brand marks and UI applications, like the flame icon for Trending videos and and a fireworks animation thats activated when users click the like button, its less overpowering.[Image: YouTube]Red is synonymous with YouTube, but if its used everywhere, its power is diluted, said visual design lead Amy Yip. The red should be special and unique and limited to specific areas.Its a subtle color shift that keeps one of the brands core visual identifiers intact but adapts it for the needs of modern audiences in just the way you might expect from a video-sharing site: Its easier on the eyes.
This year, high-profile companies like Amazon and JPMorgan have embraced strict policies to get their employees back into the office full time, eliminating the option of hybrid work altogether. With limited exceptions, workers who choose not to comply with these new mandates are unlikely to keep their jobslet alone get a raise.
One company, however, is willing to shell out thousands of dollars to lure workers back to the office. According to a CNBC report, the celebrity video platform Cameo has promised each of its employees an additional $10,000 annually in exchange for coming into the company’s Chicago-based office four days a week.
“We really felt like we wanted to make HQ a perk, not a punishment, Cameo CEO Steven Galanis told CNBC. We know were asking more out of you to give up the flexibility, and we wanted to compensate you for it.
In addition to the $10,000 raise, employees who returned to the office this week will receive perks like free lunch and parking, as well as access to a gym. While the policy currently applies only to Chicago-based employees, the company has said it will help cover relocation expenses and extend these benefits to people based elsewhere if they are interested in moving.
The leadership team decided on the $10,000 figure by considering what sum of money would move the needle for the majority of employees, but especially for those who are in the earlier stages of their career.
That might be the difference between them being able to get an apartment in the city or having to take the train because they live with their parents in the suburbs,” Galanis said.
Chicago-based employees did not have the option to opt out of going into the office, but Galanis claims that nobody has quit in response to the policy change.
Many corporate employees have resisted the RTO push in part because they don’t want to give up the flexibility that hybrid work offers. In some cases, they may have even moved to another state and would have to relocate to abide by some of the most stringent policies.
But another reason workers have resisted these mandates is because of the financial tax of returning to the office: In fact, surveys have shown that many people are willing to accept a pay cut for a job that allows them to work from home and maintain some flexibility. Research conducted by Harvard Business School found that 40% of workers would take at least a 5% pay cut to keep a remote job; about 9% of respondents said they would accept a cut of 20% or higher. Women were found to be more likely to give up a higher percentage of their salary.
Since employees incur costs by going into the office, particularly commute-related expenses, it’s possible that some people would feel differently about RTO mandates if they received additional compensation. Cameo also reportedly does not plan to track attendance. Its approach could be a model for other companies that want to bring workers back to the officewithout stoking their ire or losing top talent.
With TikTok’s future in the U.S. still uncertain, Substack is doubling down on attracting video creators.
As of yesterday, creators can now publish video posts directly from the Substack appa feature previously limited to desktop. This update marks a significant shift, enabling creators to upload, publish, and monetize videos entirely from their phones. They can instantly reach subscribers via email, app notifications, or both, streamlining content distribution like never before.
This isnt just about adding video, its about creators building more engaged communities that make independent publishing stronger than ever, Substack cofounder and CEO Chris Best tells Fast Company.
While creators could previously share videos in NotesSubstacks Twitter-like feedthat feature doesnt support paywalls, nor does it notify subscribers when a new post goes live. With this update, video creators can now reach their audience directly, bypassing algorithms and monetizing their work more effectively.
Creators can track post views, new subscribers, and estimated revenue impact (if paywalled) of their published material. Substack also says its committed to expanding its video tools, with potential additions like in-app trimming and editing (similar to CapCut), customizable paywalls with free previews, and enhanced analytics to better track video performance.
The brief time that TikTok went dark in late January was a wake-up call for creators, underscoring the importance of owning their audience. For those concerned about their future on TikTok and other algorithm-driven platforms, Substack presents a solution: a subscription-based video business built entirely within the app.
Last month, Substack launched its $20 million Creator Accelerator Fund, which promises content creators that they wont lose revenue by jumping ship to Substack. Other updates include the recent expansion of Live Video, now available to all publishers on the platform.
As the internet shifts, Substack is proving that when creators have true ownership, their success isnt just possible, its inevitable, Best says.
The efforts appear to be paying off. According to Substack, those who have added video and/or audio to their Substacks have seen their revenue grow 2.5 times faster than those who havent. In April 2024, more than half of the 250 highest-revenue creators used audio and video. By February 2025, that number has surged to 82%.
There is also a ripple effect across the platform. Currently the likelihood that subscribers (who come from audio and video creators) will pay for other Substacks has almost tripled, jumping from 52% to 150% in just six months.
Retro gaming is experiencing a revival thanks in large part to people born after the Game Boy era.
According to a new survey from Pringles, a popular gaming snack, 66% of Britons have bought retro tech of some kind in the past two years, with 24% of Gen Z now owning a retro games console. Popular retro consoles include Game Boy, first released in 1989 and discontinued in 2003; Super Nintendo Entertainment System, released in 1990 and also discontinued in 2003; and the Xbox original, first released in Europe in 2002 and discontinued in 2009.
For 89% of gamers, retro games offer a welcome break from the internet, with 74% agreeing that “nostalgic games” are more relaxing. Of those surveyed, 77% had hung on to their retro tech for sentimental value. The rest, however, more recently purchased retro games that might have already been discontinued by the time they were born or certainly of gaming age.
The youngest in Gen Z wouldve been born in 2012, the same year the Wii U was released; while the oldest of their generation were born in 1997, the same year the Nintendo 64 (N64) and Sony PlayStation were released.
Earlier this month, Pringles was in the U.K. promoting a Retro Console Clinic in London, which offered free repairs for retro handheld and home consoles. The pop-up encouraged people to dig out all their retro consoles and bring them down, the Verge U.K. reported, plus gamers were invited to stop by to play classic games for free. “I think younger generations have got a lot more stress now; growing up in the social media world is mentally very challenging, Luke Malpass, one of the event’s engineers, told the Guardian. [Retro video gaming] is their safe place. Its like their escape.
Low-tech holds nostalgic appeal and may even offer a solid antidote to our increasingly fast-paced tech-driven society. For 78% of those polled, one reason they enjoy using retro gadgets is because it means theyre not using their smartphone. According to a September 2024 survey conducted by the Harris Poll, 21% of Gen Z adults say they wish smartphones had never been invented.
The nostalgia trend shows no sign of slowing down with #nostalgia amassing more than 12.6 million posts on TikTok, many featuring gadgets and games from the 1990s and 2000s. Perhaps it’s time to dig around for my pink Nintendo DS and see how my Nintendogs are doing.
As a former military officer turned sustainability-focused CEO, I often find myself reflecting on the intersection of two worlds that, on the surface, seem unlikely companions. The military and environmental activism may not share much in popular perception, but my time in service fundamentally shaped how I approach mission-driven leadership. It gave me the tools to tackle complex, seemingly insurmountable problems while galvanizing a team toward a higher purpose. If we are to solve the key challenges of our timechallenges as large as protecting our planetleaders will need to adopt three key lessons I learned from the military.
Lesson 1: Service before self
The militarys core ethos revolves around serving a mission greater than oneself. For me, this meant uprooting my life every 2 years, enduring long deployments where my husband was gone for 320 days of the year, and working on classified missions I could never share. These sacrifices werent about personal glory but about contributing to something bigger: protecting the freedoms and safety of others.
This same mindset is essential in mission-driven leadership. Building a values-driven company that prioritizes the health of people and the planet is an inherently uphill battle. But this work isnt about personal comfort or short-term wins. Its about serving a mission that has lasting value for future generations.
One of the greatest leadership challenges is finding and motivating others who share this sense of purpose. In the military, what binds individuals togethereven in life-or-death situationsis the shared passion for serving the mission. The same is true for leaders of purpose-driven companies. Surround yourself with people who are deeply committed to the cause. Their shared purpose will provide the resilience and determination needed to face setbacks and keep pushing forward.
In the U.S., we tend to prioritize individual success over collective progress. For me, military service was a catalyst for this mindset shift, and it continues to shape how I approach sustainability: as a duty to serve the greater good.
Lesson 2: Discipline and making excellence a habit
At the United States Air Force Academy, I learned that excellence isnt a singular actits a habit. This lesson was ingrained in me through daily practices like making my bed with hospital corners, ironing uniforms to perfection, and pushing through grueling physical challenges. These seemingly small acts built the discipline to tackle larger, more complex tasks. The ability to consistently show up and meet high standardseven in the face of fatigue, doubt, or hardshipis the secret weapon that has helped me accomplish the greatest challenges in my life, from running a sub-3-hour marathon to leading a purpose-driven company.
Shaping businesses that improve our health and planet often feels overwhelming. The statistics alone can make you want to throw up your hands: Humans generates over 400 million tons of plastic waste annually, much of which ends up in landfills or the ocean. So instead, focus on the small things laddering up into larger ones. Consider something as simple as making your bed every day. Its not about the bed itself; its about starting the day with a small win, a signal to yourself that youre committed to doing the work, no matter how small it seems. Discipline drives progress when motivation fadesbecause motivation will fade. For business leaders, building a culture of disciplined habits is critical. Tackling problems at scale requires a disciplined approach and a team thats practiced in the excellence of laddering little disciplines up into larger ones.
Are you modeling attention to detail and high standards in your daily work? If not, how can you expect your team to do so when tackling massive societal and environmental challenges?
Leadership in the movement for conscious consumer goods and beyond, requires long-term thinking, consistency, and resilienceall of which are forged through disciplined action. Leaders must show up every day, no matter how difficult the path ahead may seem.
Lesson 3: Integrity, even when no one is looking
In the military, integrity isnt just a buzzwordits a core value. We were trained to do what was right, even when it was inconvenient or when no one was watching. This principle was so critical that a breach of integrity, known as an honor violation, could lead to immediate discharge. A friend of mine once faced 6 months of probation because his homework was too similar to his roommates. In the business world, integrity often feels like a luxury rather than a necessity. Capitalism is not built this waycompanies dont just do the right thing to feel good. If it doesnt drive the top or bottom line, it likely wont make the cut, even when they know their actions are harmful to human health or the environment. However, I believe companies have the potential to be inherently good.
Many companies treat sustainability initiatives as a cost center, doing the bare minimum to meet regulatory requirements or appease consumers. But real progress happens when sustainability is integrated into the businesss core objectives, showing measurable returns that drive the companys growth. At my company, Novi, we work to build incentive structures that align sustainability efforts with revenue and cost-saving opportunities, ultimately driving both environmental progress, human health, and business success.
For business leaders, integrity means pushing for solutions that dont just check a box but create meaningful, measurable impact. Its about holding yourself and your organization accountable to high standardseven when its inconvenient or costlybecause the stakes for our planet are just as high as they are on the battlefield.
Build a new kind of leadership
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As we face the monumental task of preserving our planet for future generations, leaders across disciplines must embrace a mission-first mindset, build the discipline to tackle daunting problems, and act with integrity, even when its inconvenient. These principles arent just relics of my time in uniform; theyre the guiding forces that help me navigate the complex, high-stakes challenges of mission-driven leadership. The military may have prepared me for battle, but it also prepared me to serve a different kind of mission: protecting the health of people and our planet. And for that, Ill always be grateful.
Kimberly Shenk is cofounder and CEO of Novi Connect.
The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more.
Carter G. Woodson is the reason we celebrate Black history this month, and every February.
Not many people know him, but he was a scholar, a journalist, and an activist who decided in the early 1900s to document how formerly enslaved Africans and the broader African diaspora contributed to the prosperity and growth of this country and beyond.
At the time, our nations narrative assumed that African Americans had no history or impact on the trajectory of the United States. Despite known and demonstrable evidence to the contrary, even among former enslavers, a national narrative asserting the biological and inherent inferiority of anyone with one drop of Black blood had to assert that Black people lacked any significant history or claim on shared humanity. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal except for Black men and women. This narrative added further justification for the evils of Jim Crow segregation and decades of policy and actual violence to African Americans.
Hidden figures
Woodson and his colleagues changed all that. Together, they detailed the history of African-descended people in the Americas and beyond. Woodson educated the broader population about the Black contributions to their daily lives. Inventors like Thomas Jennings, the first African American to receive a patent, for a new form of dry cleaning. And, Lewis Howard Latimer, who worked with Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison, where he improved the process for making carbon filaments in light bulbs and later invented a precursor to air conditioning. And, Granville T. Woods, who improved the operation of telegraphs. And, Alice H. Parker, who designed the first central heating system powered by natural gas.
These hidden figuresand so many morehad been and would have been forgotten by history if not for Woodson and his colleagues. He began publication of the Journal of Negro History, now The Journal of African American History, in 1916, and it has been continuously publishing ever since, documenting the history of African American life and their contributions to society.
After founding the Journal, Woodson decided to go further and start Negro History Week in 1926. He timed this for the second week in February, to coincide with the birthdays of both Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, this grew into the Black History Month we now recognize every year.
Contributions should be honored
As we face current attempts at historical erasure, we recall that Woodson and his colleagues did not enjoy broad support. Policy violence and deep rhetorical contempt against Black Americans catalyzed the rise of attacks and intimidation by the KKK and other hate groups. Thus, Woodson strived without the accolades or endorsements from establishment leaders. He and his colleagues, many white, understood that in the shared understanding of all peoples contributions to civilization lay the seeds for a more fully flowering democracy. Woodsons efforts certainly helped to raise the consciousness of Black Americans. It also gave whites the opportunity to cast aside the toxic mythology of white supremacy.
Woodson became one of the leaders of the Black intellectual and cultural movements in the 20s and 30s, such as the Harlem Renaissance and the international Black Consciousness Movement led by individuals like Marcus Garvey. His work helped Black people all over the country and throughout the African diaspora recognize our contributions and envision our full potential in a society unfettered by racial hate, segregation, and discrimination.
Black History Month rests on a big and bold legacy that Woodson created for us. We now have many different history months that celebrate all aspects of our nations heritage, not just a sanitized version. We have Womens History Month; Jewish American History Month; Hispanic Heritage Month; LGBTQ+ Pride Month; and so much more. Because of the tireless work of Woodson, we can have a full picture of this countrys history. With a better understanding of our past, we can better navigate the future.
Build on the legacy
As we reflect on all of this work that brought us here, I want to ask: What is the work we are willing to do to build upon this legacy? What can we do to make the most of where we are now, every single day?
Woodson was driven not by a desire for accolades or recognition. He wanted his people, and all people, to better connect with a rich history, rather than have that history erased. We are at a similar moment in time in our nations history where we risk losing the truth of how we got close to, and how we might strive to fulfill the promise of a more perfect union.
How can we follow Woodsons lead and do the work necessary to remember our past, and create a better future where all can thrive?
Joe Scantlebury, JD, is CEO of Living Cities.
