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If youre an entrepreneur, at the end of the year youre probably excited about the prospect of time off, but also daunted by the new year’s potential and all the deadlines you should be setting. Traditional planning methods like to-do lists and calendars are no longer enough for the complexity of modern careers and lives. This year, I leaned into AI to approach planning differently. When used thoughtfully, AI becomes a partner in strategy, and a system that helps you transform aspirations into structured, executable plans. Heres how I recommend using AI to clarify where youre headed and offer more clarity on how to get there. Redefine the role of AI Most people use AI like a junior assistant, asking it to summarize things or spit out a process or recommendation based on relevant input shared. But what I realized is that AI can be extremely helpful as a thought partner, forcing clarity where youre vague and exposing blind spots youd otherwise ignore. One of the first prompts I ran this year was If I repeat the same behaviors I had this year, where will I realistically end up in 12 months? That question alone reframes everything. AI is excellent at pattern recognition, including your own. Before planning forward, I let AI show me the trajectory Im already on to help me decide what needs to change. Plan like a portfolio manager We have a tendency to approach planning as if every goal deserves equal attention, but lets face it, thats rarely the case. This year, I asked AI to treat my time like a portfolio. I said, given my goals, which 20% are likely to produce 80% of meaningful outcomes? The result was uncomfortable to see but important to make me realize that several projects I thought were important turned out to be just draining my energy. For example, the AI flagged two goals as the most important: clarifying and focusing on one user problem to make sure the team was pushing in one direction, as well as building a regular feedback loop, so that we can iterate the product based on feedback as most important. Everything else on the backlog had to come second. Use AI to run premortems on your year One of the most powerful ways I use AI is by asking it to assume failure. Before finalizing major goals, I run a premortem, by providing context as if its already December next year and the plan failed, helping me see what went wrong. This helps me surface predictable risks, such as being overly optimistic on timelines, or trying to do too many things at once. For example, last year I ran a premortem on what looked like a perfectly reasonable plan of scaling my company while simultaneously launching two new agent products, expanding partnerships, and tightening our internal tooling, all within 12 months. The AI flagged that Id assumed linear progress in a year that would almost certainly include regulatory friction, hiring delays, and long integration cycles with partners. It pointed out that running multiple launches in parallel would fragment leadership attention. This single exercise has saved me months of wasted effort by planning ahead for what can keep me stuck. Turn goals into systems Traditional planning tends to be driven by milestones like “scale by Q4.” But what if, instead of asking what do I want to achieve, you ask: What system do I need to follow to ensure I reach this milestone? This could look like a weekly publishing system with feedback, as opposed to just saying you want to write more. AI helps design these systems, and refine them over time. Let your plan evolve in real time The biggest flaw we tend to make in our annual planning is pretending the future is static. Whats changed for me this year is using AI agents to continuously adapt my plan based on new information, such as meetings added to the calendar or opportunities emerging that I didnt anticipate. You can just sync your preferred chatbot with your calendar to help you do this. This turns planning into a living conversation, not a once-a-year ritual. AI wont magically give you discipline, but it will expose contradictions between what you say you want and how you actually allocate time. Used well, AI becomes a mirror that reflects your priorities back at you in uncomfortably precise ways. The people who will get the most out of AI next year will be doing fewer things, more coherently, with systems that adapt as fast as life does. Using AI to help you in this process is what will make a difference between a plan that looks good on January 1 and one that works all year long.
Category:
E-Commerce
This holiday season, an unexpected treat has stepped into the limelight and onto the buffet table at many a festive gathering: the Jell-O shot. But the shot in question, which is currently going viral on TikTok and popping up on high-end menus across New York City, is nothing like the ones you probably remember from the sticky basement of a college frat party. Instead, these treats are sleek, refined, classy, and covetedin short, the opposite of electric green slime in a plastic cup. View this post on Instagram A post shared by s o l i d w i g g l e s (@solidwiggles) Brooklyn-based Solid Wiggles, cofounded by pastry chef Jena Derman and mixologist Jack Schramm, is among the pioneers of this Jell-O shot revival. Founded in 2020, the company describes its mission as reimagining the nostalgic Jell-O shot with its “cocktail jellies” that double as edible art. Flavors include margarita, espresso martini, and mezcal negroni, all presented in eye-catching cubes with epertly layered colors, flavors, and designs. A 40-piece, full-menu sampler costs $115. After just five years in business, Solid Wiggles are on the menu at 20 bars and restaurants in the U.S., including NYCs ultrapopular restaurant Tatiana, helmed by James Beard award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi. According to Derman, the brands sales have roughly doubled every year for the past three years, and its gearing up to release its own cookbook with Penguin Random House in 2026. A clear trend is emerging: the Jell-O shot is getting a rebrand as a classy treat for a more mature drinker (foodie?) In a growing number of circles, its no longer a kitschy throwback, but instead a fashionable food statement. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Victoria Granof (@victoriagranof) The Jell-O shot’s tasteful rebrand To get a taste of the Jell-O shots newfound popularity, one need only search the term on TikTok and brows through some of the most popular videos. Maturing is realizing your friends will take jello shots if you call them edible cocktails, reads the caption of one recent TikTok with 13,000 likes, starring Jell-O shots with encased maraschino cherries cut into cubes. Another TikTok of lychee martini jello-shots with cherries, once again artfully cubed (and this time dusted in powdered sugar), amassed nearly 140,000 likes in just two days. And a third YouTube Short, also sharing a lychee martini shot recipe, recently surpassed half a million views. Im 27, and a real shot sends chills through my literal spine these days, creator @babytamazz explains in the clip. Im still gonna take them, but a Jell-O shot is just preferred at this time. Plus, theyre so fun and bitchy and an awesome party pull. Perhaps the most popular video, though, was created by the publication Punch and features Solid Wiggles unique take on the Jell-O shot. Derman says its now been viewed more than eight million times across social media, leading to what she described as a “colossal” spike in sales just before the holidays. Solid Wiggles has spent five years trying to convince consumers that the Jell-O shot can be cooland, clearly, its paying off. View this post on Instagram A post shared by s o l i d w i g g l e s (@solidwiggles) Recipe for success Derman and Schramm met back in 2014, when they both worked at the popular dessert spot Milk Bar. They parted ways when Derman pursued commercial bakery consulting and Schramm went on to work in upscale cocktail bars. After reconnecting during the pandemic, they founded Solid Wiggles. In 2020, all the bars that I was working at were closed, Schramm says. Jena, ever entrepreneurial, was working on this jelly project where she was using coconut water as a clear base to make these big, elaborate, beautiful jelly centerpieces, but wanted to branch out into some new flavors. She reached out to me because I had centrifuge expertise to make juices clear, and we met at her apartment and made some really tasty jellies. View this post on Instagram A post shared by s o l i d w i g g l e s (@solidwiggles) That first day, Schramm recalls, he said, Lets put some booze in these”and the pair havent looked back since. Not your mother’s Jell-O shot Jelly desserts have existed for centuries, from France in the Middle Ages to Mexico City in the 40s, but Solid Wiggles is perhaps the first business to pioneer the edible Jell-O shot art category. Though creative uses of gelatin often evoke an ill-advised recipe from the 1950s (savory Jell-O salad, anyone?), Derman says Solid Wiggles customers are a grown and sexy crowd. These are folks who are sick of just bringing a bottle of wine to a dinner and want to wow their hosts with something new. We spend all this time making it so that when it finally hits your mouth, you can’t distinguish any of the texturesit all should read as one,” she says. “It should come across as being really simple, even though it’s not so simple. Schramm believes one of the main factors driving enduring interest in the dessert is that it’s broadly nostalgic. I think the nice thing about Jell-O in general is it’s not limited in terms of demographics that enjoy it, Schramm says. It’s sort of universally enjoyed by all ages, all demographicseven frat bros grow up at some point and want something delicious that’s also a little bit more beautiful.
Category:
E-Commerce
Its normalperhaps even biologicalto slow down at the end of the year. Winter weather brings less sunlight, causing our bodies to produce more melatonin and less Vitamin D. Humans have to fight the urge to hibernate like bears because of the exhausting holiday season. If you find yourself behind and needing to cross off some last-minute items on your to-do list, heres a handy guide to your options on Christmas Day 2025. Are banks open on Christmas? No. Christmas is a federal holiday, so brick-and-mortar locations are closed. Online banking and outdoor ATMs are available. Is mail delivered on Christmas? The United States Postal Service will not deliver mail on Christmas, and post offices are closed. The only exception: Priority Mail Express is delivered on the holiday. Is the stock market open? No. Both the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq exchange are closed for the holiday. What grocery and convenience stores are open? Trader Joes, Costco, and Aldi are closed. That’s bad news for shoppers but good news for their employees. The following stores are open: Acme Market: Some East Coast locations are open. Albertsons: Some stores are open; hours vary by location. Caseys General Store: Opens at 10 a.m. Circle K: Most locations are open 24 hours, even on Christmas, but check your local store to be sure. Cumberland Farms: Hours vary by location. Safeway: Some locations are open; hours vary by location. Wawa: Most are open 24 hours. 7-Eleven: Most are open 24 hours. Are big-box retailers open? Most major retail chains, including Walmart and Target, are closed on Christmas. What about major pharmacy chains? CVS: Most locations are open with reduced hours; check your local store. Walgreens: Some locations are open 24/7, though most are operating with reduced hours; check your local pharmacy. Are fast-food restaurants open on Christmas Day? Its hard to pinpoint which fast-food restaurants are open because many are franchised, so its up to the individual owners discretion whether or not to remain open. Here are some that should be available. McDonalds: Most locations are open, but check your local restaurant for hours. Burger King: Most are open with reduced hours; schedules vary by location. Starbucks: Many locations are open, but check your favorite spot ahead of time for hours. What about other restaurants? If you pull a Scott Calvin from The Santa Clause and burn the turkey, never fear: Many restaurants are open on Christmas Day. Its important to note, however, that these establishments will most likely have reduced hours and potentially limited menus. The following restaurants will be open with hours that vary by location unless otherwise specified; check the individual location finders for local hours. Applebees Buffalo Wild Wings Dennys (This is Scott Calvins restaurant of choice.) Huddle House: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. IHOP Papa Johns Perkins: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Red Lobster Waffle House Many Chinese restaurants are also open on Christmas Day. Are movie theaters open? Buttery popcorn and good flicks? Yes! Most movie theaters are open for business on Christmas Day. Families and those young at heart can check out Zootopia 2 from Disney or The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants from Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon. If youre in the mood for a sexy, suspenseful drama, consider The Housemaid starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. Sci-fi fans can catch James Camerons latest epic, Avatar: Fire and Ash. Artsy types will enjoy Marty Supreme from A24. Star Timothée Chalamet is already getting early Oscar buzz for his performance.
Category:
E-Commerce
Want more housing market stories from Lance Lamberts ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. Theres no doubt about it: Housing market softening across the Sunbeltthe epicenter of U.S. homebuildinghas caused homebuilders to lose pricing power over the past year. Amid the additional margin compression, some giant homebuilders are adjusting their strategies. Lennar is finally easing up a little on its market share, taking volume-over-margin strategy, while KB Homea homebuilder ranked No. 526 on the Fortune 1000said on December 18 that it plans to lean even harder into built-to-order (more on that below). At the end of last week, KB Home posted its Q4 2025 earningsthe three months ending November 30. During its earnings call, it underscored just how tricky the current housing market remains, even for builders that have avoided the most aggressive incentive wars and speculative inventory strategies. In todays article, ResiClub highlights seven key takeaways from KB Homes latest earnings. 1. KB Homes margins compress to the lowest Q4 level since 2016 During the Pandemic Housing Boom, many publicly traded homebuilders achieved record profit margins as home prices soared and buyer demand ran red-hot. Ever since the national housing demand boom fizzled out in the summer of 2022, many large homebuilders have reduced margin and made affordability/pricing adjustments where and when needed to maintain their sales pace or prevent a bigger sales pullback. That includes KB Home, which reported a housing gross profit margin of 17% in Q4 2025down from a Q4 cycle peak of 24.1% in Q4 2021. Its margin has now compressed to its lowest Q4 level since Q4 2016. As KB Home CFO Robert Dillard said on the company’s December 18, 2025 earnings call: Housing gross profit margin was 17%, and adjusted housing gross profit margin, which excluded $13.7 million of inventory-related charges, was 17.8%. Adjusted housing gross profit margin was 310 basis points lower due to pricing pressure, negative operating leverage, higher relative land costs, regional mix, and product mix, which was pronounced due to the age and price of incremental volume versus guidance. 2. KB Homes average selling price is down 8.8% from its 2022 peak Unlike many giant homebuilders such as Lennarwhich has preferred to pull the mortgage rate buydown lever when making affordability adjustments this cycleKB Home has chosen to rely more on outright price cuts. [Back in summer 2023, KB Home CEO Jeffrey Mezger told me that these price cuts would be their strategy if any of their regional housing markets weakened further.] In Q4 2025, KB Homes average selling price ($465,600) was 7.1% below Q4 2024 ($501,000) and 8.8% below its cycle peak in Q4 2022 ($510,400). While part of this decline is due to mix shift, KB Home has previously acknowledged cutting home prices over the past 18 months in markets such as Austin and San Antonio, as well as in Orlando and Jacksonville, Florida. Average selling price declined 7% to $466,000 due to regional and product mix and general market conditions,” Dillard said on the earnings call. 3. KB Homes margin defense plan: leaning harder into Built-to-Order KB Home is making no secret of its goal: Increase built-to-order deliveries as a share of business to 70% or more of total volume, up from 57% in Q4 2025. The reason is simplebuilt-to-order margins are materially higher for KB Home. Built-to-order homes tend to generate higher margins because theyre sold before construction begins, reducing inventory carrying costs. Buyers also tend to select higher-margin upgrades and options, which lifts gross profit per home. KB Home COO Robert McGibney said on the company’s December 18 earnings call: While we always have some inventory homes available for those buyers that need a quicker move-in date, the superior margins we generate on built-to-order homes will allow us to realize greater value from our communities. Our gross margins on built-to-order homes are trending 3 percentage points to 5 percentage points higher than on inventory sales, and we began to see a shift toward more built-to-order sales during November, an encouraging trend that has continued into December. As we remain focused on selling our built-to-order homes and these sales become deliveries over the course of fiscal 2026, we expect to achieve a favorable trajectory in our gross margins. Were very focused on getting back to at least a 70/30 [built-to-order] ratio, and we see a great opportunity to drive that change with the new communities coming in the spring. KB Home executives believe that by leaning more into built-to-order, itll help see their margins bottom in Q1 2026. KB Home CEO Jeffrey Mezger said on the earnings call: We’ve already shared that the first quarter margins are the low-water mark, and we expect improvement quarter-over-quarter as the year progresses from there. And it’s a combination of better leverage as we grow revenue back and better margins as our community mix rotates around. 4. KB Homes home sales are down 10% year over year KB Homes net new orders by Q4 Q4 2018 > 2,013 Q4 2019 > 2,777 Q4 2020 > 3,937 Q4 2021 > 3,529 Q4 2022 > 692 (mortgage rate shockpause before pricing recalibration/easing backlog) Q4 2023 > 1,909 Q4 2024 > 2,688 Q4 2025 > 2,414 We were disciplined in not taking overly aggressive steps to capture sales during the seasonally slower fourth quarter,” Mezger said on the earnings call. “By doing so, we believe we are positioned to achieve better margins on these sales in our 2026 first quarter than we would otherwise have produced. 5. KB Homes margin compression would be greater right now if not for modest declines in construction and material costs this year This margin pressure was again partially offset by lower direct construction costs per unit,” Dillard said on the earnings call. “It’s notable that average costs per unit declined in the quarter as direct construction costs and material costs declined more than lot costs increased. 6. KB Homes cancellation rate remains stable 7. Faster build times KB Home has reduced build times by roughly 20% year over year, hitting its company-wide target of 120 days or better for built-to-order homes. Some divisions are now averaging under 100 days. Where does KB Home actually build? Pulling data from the ResiClub Terminalwhere we keep footprint data for Americas 21 largest homebuilderswe made the map below.
Category:
E-Commerce
Apple and Google would like to see your identification, please. With the formers Digital ID launch last week, both companies now let you scan a digital version of your passport at more than 250 Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, using an iPhone or Android phone. A growing number of U.S. states already support digital drivers licenses for the same purpose. But the push for these digital IDs isnt merely about airport security (which still requires you to carry a physical license or passport anyway). Its really part of a broader effort to verify who you are online, one that can finally start in earnest with passport-based digital IDs that are available nationwide. This story first appeared in Advisorator, Jareds weekly tech advice newsletter. Sign up to get more insights every Tuesday. How it works From left: Digital IDs in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet Apple and Google have similar processes for digitizing a license or passport: Open the Apple Wallet (iPhone) or Google Wallet (Android) app. Hit the + button and select the ID option. Scan your IDs main page with your phones camera. Scan the back of your license, or place your phone on top of your passports barcode page to scan the embedded RFID chip. Submit a photo of your face. Capture one or more short videos of your face performing some kind of movement. (This is presumably to prevent someone from digitizing your ID without permission.) After a brief verification period, youll be able to access your ID through your phones digital wallet screen, the same place youd use Apple Pay or Google Pay. While digital passports are available nationwide, support for digital drivers licenses or state IDs varies. Apple and Google currently let you digitize a license from Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Puerto Rico. Apples system also works in Hawaii and Ohio. A smaller number of states maintain their own digital ID apps, either in addition to or instead of Apples and Googles versions, as listed on the TSA website. Scanning a license or passport doesnt mean you can leave the print version at home. The TSA may still want to see the real thing, and passport control agencies wont accept the digital version when you cross the border. Moreover, digital ID support will be spotty outside of airports. While some states have been encouraging bars, restaurants, and other businesses to accept digital IDs, the merchant needs a phone or other identity-reader hardware for that. Much like in the early days of Apple Pay and Google Pay, trying to use your digital ID probably wont be worth the potential weird looks and awkwardness. So whats the point? Apple and Google both have bigger plans for digital IDs beyond just a slightly more seamless TSA process. Apples Digital ID setup page, for instance, says itll eventually work while booking flights or hotels and opening new online accounts. Google is more specific, saying its digital ID will let you recover an Amazon account if youre locked out, log into health portals such as CVS Health and Epics MyChart, and verify your profile with companies like Uber. Some states that have enacted age verification laws for porn sites have started accepting digital IDs as well. Therein lies the true endgame with these digital IDs: The point isnt really to replace physical IDs in the real world, but to verify your identity in the digital one. You can easily imagine a future in which a digital passport lives alongside or even replaces traditional passwords as a way to prove who you are online, with a verification process that feels a lot like checking out with Apple Pay. This obviously introduces some new concerns. The convenience of digital IDs could also become an excuse to gate off large swaths of the internet, so you might need ID to visit a local brewerys website, rent an R-rated digital movie, or access sites with social features of any kind. And while Apple and Google tout the ability to keep your personal details privatefor instance, by sharing just your age with a website without revealing your name or addressthat assumes the companies asking for your ID wont request or store more details than they need. Combined with broader use of digital IDs, this could make it a lot harder to browse the internet anonymously. A lot of this is still theoretical, but it seems to be the future were headed toward. So be aware of what Apple and Google are really asking for when they encourage you to create a digital ID. In the long run its about a lot more than getting through the airport. This story first appeared in Advisorator, Jareds weekly tech advice newsletter. Sign up to get more insights every Tuesday.
Category:
E-Commerce
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