This means that, naturally, there’s a lot to be gained economically from investing and innovating within the eyeglass industry. Consumers spend, on average, $173 on a pair of glasses. For those with prescription lenses this is a consistent purchase that must be made every few years at the least. 

One of the hardest aspects of getting a new pair of glasses comes in the frames. Finding a new pair of frames can be a cumbersome, frustrating, and expensive process for sunglasses and prescription glasses alike. This is where the idea of replacement lenses comes in.

Instead of finding the perfect set of frames with the perfect set of options, replacement lenses allow any frames to be turned into exactly what the consumer needs. This started as the simple concept of allowing anyone with an old pair of glasses to update them, but has now become so much more.

Replacement Lenses are Innovative

Using any pair of frames, sunglasses lenses, prescription lenses, tinted lenses, transition lenses, and any other innovation around lenses can be applied. This means an old pair of prescription frames can be sunglasses. It means an old pair of vintage frames can be made into modern prescription eyewear, and it can mean so much more.

Looking at some of the other options, lens coatings are an incredibly practical option for those with specific issues. Lens coatings can work to help with fogging, scratching, harsh light, or blue light. Similarly lens tints help with more specific issues. 

A World of Lens Options

Purple lenses, for example, help with vision in foggy lighting and reduce glare off of reflective surfaces. Other benefits that come with various colors are less eye strain in bright lights, more contrast in low-light, more depth perception, less migraines, and all colors are generally thought to help with dyslexia over normal lenses.

Moving to look at sunglasses, several options also reveal themselves. Polarized lenses are the industry standard, and for good reason. They effectively block and reflect any harsh light or reflection, but this also means that they are far less effective indoors and with LED screens.

While of course many people opt to have both glasses and sunglasses, transition lenses bridge the gap. Transition lenses become dark when exposed to sunlight and lighten in all other contexts. This means that they’re only truly effective outside, and while they definitely need time to adjust,  it allows an individual to buy just one pair of glasses for all purposes. 

These are all great options but it’s also important to look at the physical industry around replacement lenses. As the concept has grown it’s become the fastest and cheapest way to get a new pair of prescription glasses. After sending in a pair of frames coming back as fast as five days for a pair of standard plastic prescription glasses.

Also, the obvious benefit of not having to purchase new frames is massive when it comes to price. This is especially true for anyone who tends to go for more high end and name-brand variety frames. You can now search anywhere for a pair of frames before turning them into exactly what they need.

In Conclusion

Replacement lenses, while still a relatively small market, are quickly becoming an innovative and cost effective choice for the consumer. Perhaps you have an old pair of frames you want to try again. Maybe you’d like to save money or expedite the process, this is the way forward.

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The “mom” startup, amid all its negative press as far as actually making money. The bulk of people are indeed high quality products, and many health products are producing positive results. 

The Rise of Probiotics

One product category in particular that has been on the rise is quality probiotic supplements. Considering all the significant and positive health impacts of probiotics, it’s no surprise that these supplements are among the most popular items for these kinds of side hustles. They actually work and consumers are noticing the changes in their health. 

Of course, just a little study into probiotics, the gut microbiome, and gut health will reap ample information about how important it is to maintain a healthy gut. It makes sense that the gut, located in the center of the body, is actually also quite central to the overall health of the entire person. Perhaps surprisingly, gut health is not only vital to the physical health of the body, but even to mental health as well. We also certainly can’t discount the role the gut plays in maintaining a healthy immune system.

Understanding Gut Health

The fact is that the gut can contain 80% of the body’s immune cells. Gut health is also largely responsible for inflammation levels throughout the body, as well as the production of serotonin, which greatly affects brain health and stress response. Add to this the fact that many of the most common diseases are caused by inflammation, which is a symptom of an unhealthy gut, and it can be surmised that the entire health of the body, and even the mind, can be greatly affected by the health level of the gut microbiome. 

The microbiome is made up of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live in the digestive system. We are born with this microbiome and it can contain about 100 trillion bacteria. Things that negatively affect the microbiome are things like sugar, antibiotics, and lack of exercise. 

To maintain a healthy gut microbiome, individuals need to maintain a healthy diet, get plenty of movement, and take quality probiotic supplements.

In Conclusion

Probiotics are essential to maintaining a healthy balance. They are live bacteria and can be found in fermented foods such as kimchi, yogurt, and kombucha. They can also be taken in supplement form. Probiotics have been found to regulate the immune system, reduce inflammation, and positively influence organs. They inhibit growth of harmful bacteria while increasing the growth of healthy bacteria. 

As a healthy gut microbiome is essential to a healthy body, so the probiotic is essential to a healthy microbiome.

The post Probiotic Supplements are a Kind of Startup We Can All Get Behind appeared first on Grit Daily News.

Issues With Remote Work

Remote work has been a practical and cost effective alternative to many new and old businesses alike, but for new startups, learning to build a business to keep the negatives of remote work down are essential. The primary problem that new startups and businesses have to consider is digital fatigue.

While there are other factors of importance, such as the lack of efficiency that comes from remote workers having to constantly shift through a bunch of programs and apps, the primary annoyance to remote workers today is digital fatigue. Digital fatigue basically means that the way remote work currently operates really tires out employees.

Digital Meetings are Exhausting

This happens for a few key reasons. The first being the unnecessary state of digital meetings that exist today. 83% of remote employees spend up to a third of their work week entering and listening to digital meetings. This is an average of 11 minutes of waiting for the meeting to start alone for the average employee and 16 minutes for any sort of executive.

On top of the starting time, 71% of remote employees waste time every week on a canceled or unnecessary meeting. 56% of these employees think these meetings consistently go on too long and wish they spent less time in them. This makes sense when considering that in digital and physical meetings alike, most participants will not contribute anything around half the time.

On top of all of these digital meetings, there are some much harder to avoid side effects to working online at large. Some effects are obvious, people are much less likely to move around and stay mobile when working from home, they’re also going to have more misunderstanding with coworkers and supervisors alike due to the digital communication, although some are less obvious. 

Anxiety in Remote Work

The social anxiety produced by virtual work is one of the less obvious factors. The close-up perspective of video calls on someone’s face makes harder to read the other person’s emotions. This and increases feelings of anxiety and observation. This effect is only worsened by the fact that most video calls reflect the person’s face back at them, again only increasing the feeling of being observed and  anxiety. 

Looking at all these factors comprehensively, it makes sense that remote workers are experiencing some version of digital fatigue. Still, what are upcoming businesses meant to do? There are less and more obvious ways. For instance, keeping meetings to a minimum, promoting movement at home, and trying to reduce workplace anxiety.

Others are promoting more inventive and experimental methods though. Companies are building digital workplaces that even go as far as to correlate with real locations. These workplaces would have floors, rooms, security access. That would more comprehensively bring a lot of the functions of a remote worker together. Most importantly, it would work to reduce digital anxiety.

In Conclusion

This may be a solution more akin to some of the tech-startups that exist today. It’s hard to say definitively what the best course of action for each new business is. If anything, the problem of digital anxiety should attempt to be addressed.

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Gen Z’s Rise to Influence 

Of course, most companies now have social media accounts of their own to attract followers. Why should we care more about Generation Z? It is true that many companies are succeeding online with the Millennial generation. Gen Z will become the most important generation of consumers within the next decade and businesses will have to adapt.

Gen Z accounts for roughly 2 billion people worldwide. They are on pace to become the highest-paid and best-educated generation on the planet. By 2031, Gen Z’s income will increase five times over. They will become the wealthiest generation with an annual income of over $2 trillion. As this generation of young consumers steps into high-paying careers, they become increasingly important as a consumer group. So how can businesses reach this important target market?

Gen Z Attributes

Currently, Gen Z’s trust in major institutions has dropped 10% in 2020 alone. And with 65% of Gen Zers researching a company before they make a purchase, it is obvious that young people want to buy from brands that they trust. Gen Z will lean towards companies that support diversity and environmentalism and will avoid any business involved in scandals or discrimination.  This lends itself well to smaller startup companies with an authentic background story.    

Given that Gen Z is the most diverse generation, with nearly half of them being people of color and 20% identifying as LGBTQ, it makes sense that inclusivity is a key factor in their perception of a company. Sustainability is also a huge factor, as up to 73% of young people say they would pay more money for a sustainably sourced product.  

With the increase in online shopping, connecting technology and business is a clear route to the ever-important Generation Z. If a business can promote their shared values with Gen Z online, they have direct access to this ever-important age group.  

The online world is the best way to foster connections between businesses and consumers, as social media platforms act as a two-way method of communication. Businesses can target digital advertisements to the best audience for them, and with 44% of Gen Z consumers purposefully interacting with posts to influence the algorithm and reach the content they are looking for, young consumers are able to find the brands that align best with their own values.

In Conclusion   

As the younger generation gets wealthier, startup companies and large corporations alike will soon look to Gen Z as the primary target market worldwide. In order to succeed, these businesses will need to adapt to the soon-to-be most important generation of consumers.

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How Analytics Have Become More Advanced

As websites became increasingly complex, log analysis became more difficult.  In the early stages of the internet, most URLs hosted a single HTML file of plain text.  As sites added images, audio, and video, browsers had to make HTTP requests per page visit.  Because of rapid technological improvements, new web analytics solutions needed to emerge.  As demand grew new solutions offered to track more than simple hit counts and log analysis.  New metrics for user behavior like session playbacks, heatmaps, form analytics, traffic sources, and customer lifetime value were used to optimize conversion rates, page performance, and user experience.  Marketers used this information to create targeted advertising, improve A/B testing, optimize website copy, and more. 

The History and Future of Google Analytics

Approximately 28 million active websites use Google Analytics.  The emergence of Google Analytics occurred in 2005 when they acquired Urchin, a top analytics provider working with major web hosts and 1 in 5 Fortune 500 companies.  Google Analytics is a hosted analytics solution heavily focused on quantitative data.  Their analytics ties directly in with Google’s web marketing offerings, providing in-depth tag-based data.  Universal Analytics was introduced by Google in 2012, changing the web analytics landscape.  Universal Analytics offered offline behavior monitoring, demographics, and richer customer data. 

Getting Ready for Google Analytics 4

In the past decade, websites and online platforms have continued to evolve, and Google Analytics has followed.  In October of 2020, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) was introduced.  So, how is GA4 different from Universal Analytics?  Universal Analytics distinguished hit times, but GA4 considered every event a hit, automatically collecting all engagement data instead of just page views.  GA4 can report the average time that passes before a user takes a certain action, and Universal Analytics solely reports visit length and time between page views. 

One of GA4’s best attractions is its predictive analytics for customer behavior.  GA4 analyzes purchase probability, seeing how likely a user who was active in the last 28 days will make a purchase within the next week, churn probability, and revenue prediction.  Also useful to customers, GA4 also offers real-time reports with more data, cross-platform reporting, the consolidation of web and mobile data on one platform, and a new debugging mode.  Google’s Universal Analytics will shut down on July 1, 2023.  Is your business ready to make the switch?

Currently, there is no straight upgrade path from Universal Analytics to GA4.  In addition, there is no method to transfer historical data.  To stay up-to-date with the web analytics market, businesses need to learn how data collection changed with GA4, recode existing tags to work with this new platform, and redo dashboarding to track new metrics.  While this may seem daunting, expert help will ensure your analytics transition goes smoothly.  Transitioning to GA4 will allow your business and generate dependable data, leading to smarter business decisions.  Start working on your transition today. 

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How the Financial Sanctions are Playing Out

When the US began its financial war against Russia, other countries and entities followed suit. The European Commission, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Canada all took quick action as well. They, with the US, all removed Russian banks from SWIFT, which allows for cross-border payments all over the globe. Some Russian banks were still able to use SWIFT for exporting oil and natural gas. Thousands of banks were shut down due to these sanctions.

When these countries also froze foreign reserves, Russia was banned from doing business with USD. The exception being in energy, however the Russian energy sector is under attack as well. The US is no longer dealing with Russian oil and natural gas imports. Additionally, the UK is working quickly to ban these imports as well. These actions could damage the Russian economy significantly with an economic contraction of at least 20% just within this year.

Corporations are Also Joining the Fray

As the US government has doled out these unprecedented sanctions, US companies have taken their cue to do the same. Coca-Cola, Disney, Netflix, Papa Johns, McDonalds, and others have all halted their Russian business operations. Companies who attempt to continue doing business across the Russian border are unable to either send or receive currency.

What makes all these sanctions different from those in the past is that they are built and intended to affect the entire Russian economy, whereas past sanctions were focused solely on the Kremlin.

It may seem like Russia is taking the intended hit from sanctions and the US and other countries are succeeding in blocking them from the global economy, however this is far from the reality of the situation.

Russia has its hands deep in the pockets of the global economy. Countries across the globe have relied heavily on Russia for things such as oil and natural gas. Not only that, but Ukraine supplies much of the world’s wheat. This means the rest of the world is seeing hikes in prices of bread, grains, beer, and other everyday items.

While sanctions are intended to damage Russia’s economy, here in the US we are taking the hit as well with record high gas prices and massive inflation on everything else. It takes fuel to deliver every product that we need to purchase, from food to hygiene products and everything in between. The fact is that these idealistic sanctions against Russia feel more like sanctions against the entire global economy and every country is feeling the aftermath.

In these economically uncertain times, many people return to the purchase of gold and precious metals. Their value tends to be stable in the face of economic change and fluctuation and gold can be a steady fallback option when dollars, rubles, and other currencies are falling in value.

The post What Do Russian Sanctions Mean to Your Startup? appeared first on Grit Daily News.

How Domestic Abuse Unfolds

While domestic abuse is often emotional, verbal, or physical, victims often suffer psychological trauma. When abusive relationships are in the “make-up” period, victims may bond to their abuser even more. They may believe that the abuse will end. This makes them less likely to report their abuse because they fear losing their partner. Abusers also often isolate victims and ruin their confidence and self esteem. When instances of violence occur, victims feel they have no one to turn to and no one will believe them. Even if a victim has contact with family or friends, the societal stigma surrounding domestic abuse can make them embarrassed.

Victims Become Reliant

Another reason why domestic abuse instances go unreported is that abusers can make their victims almost completely reliant on them. By taking control of all finances and life decisions, victims become reliant on their abusers to make nearly any choice in their relationship and in their life. Many victims of domestic abuse are immigrants who rely on their abuser to maintain their citizenship.  If the couple has children, victims can fear losing custody of them. Often abusers will not allow victims to work, so even if they did report their abuse or leave the relationship, victims are scared they will not be able to support themselves and their children.

Many victims do not leave abusive relationships due to fear for their pets. 71% of women who are in domestic violence shelters had their abuser threaten, injure, or even kill a pet as a means of control. Nearly half of victims of domestic violence choose to stay in abusive situations over leaving their pet with an abuser. Even when victims do leave their abuser, nearly 25% return because they fear for the safety of their pet.

Many Incidents Go Unreported

It is clear that victims of domestic abuse who do not report incidents of violence do so out of fear. This could be fear of their abuser, fear for themselves, or fear for their children or pets. In any case, it is important to know that there are resources available to help victims of domestic violence.

If you or a loved one is experiencing domestic abuse, you can call the national domestic violence hotline or visit their website. Fewer than 1 in 10 people who are victims of a violent crime contact a victim service provider for help, but this does not have to be the case. Reporting a violent crime can be freeing not only for you or your loved one as a victim, but for other women who are fearful of reporting their own abuse.

There are many online resources for domestic violence available to assist victims of domestic abuse, learn more about how to find these resources in the infographic below:

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One of the major factors is the drop in enrollment. From 2019 to 2021, undergraduate enrollment fell by almost 8%. This is the largest 2-year drop in the last 50 years. In 2022 alone, more than 1 million fewer students are enrolled in college than before the pandemic began.

What is Causing the Drop in Enrollment?

Rising education costs have outpaced both inflation and family income growth until the pandemic halted tuition increases. Also, only 73% of 99.5 million Americans who have a bachelor’s degree or higher have a job unrelated to their major.

A smaller candidate pool is also a contributing factor. College enrollments are actually predicted to fall by more than 15%. This is planned between 2025 and 2029 due to the smaller college-age population. Another big reason is the lack of interest in college. Just 48% of high schoolers want to go to a 4-year college. This is a big difference from 71% in 2019.

Colleges are Becoming Unaffordable

The pandemic had an impact on declining enrollment. 56% of U.S. college students in 2020 stated that they could no longer afford their tuition. Half of these students needed to figure out a new way to pay due the pandemic. About 7% had already decided to unenroll in favor of full-time employment or alternative education options.

In the fall of 2021, 70% of college students say affordability was a factor in their plans. Nearly 500,000 undergraduates dropped out in the fall of 2021. Financial strain has also impacted plans after graduation. 36% of parents tapped into their child’s college fund to weather the financial impact of the pandemic. High schoolers are now more likely to choose a less expensive option. These include going to community or public colleges or taking a gap year to save for college.

74% of higher education professionals have said their institution is facing significant financial constraints. For example, the University of Arizona projected $250 million in lost tuition revenue due to COVID-19. There is added pressure when you consider colleges as entities competing against each other for business.

How are Community Colleges Faring?

From 2019 to 2021, community college enrollment fell 15%. Meanwhile, enrollment at highly selective colleges increased by 3.1%, which equaled pre-pandemic levels. Smaller schools are also more likely to struggle due to fewer open spots for enrollment compared to bigger schools. In 2019, 419 colleges were still accepting applications after the traditional May 1st deadline.

With declining enrollment, schools will have to compete for students in order to maintain their tuition revenue. However, even with rising costs, many universities operate with a tiny margin. For example, La Salle University has more than 5,000 students but operates with just a 2.6% margin.

Not all colleges are going out of business. Ivy Leagues and other highly selective schools have a competitive advantage compared to other schools. Sought-after degrees are considered higher in value at selective schools compared to public and community colleges. Large endowments also allow Ivy Leagues and similar schools to offer generous financial aid to attract students. 

Endowments: How Schools Will Survive

Considering that endowments are beneficial in helping schools survive, how do they really work? Endowments are financial assets created from charitable donations. They are designed to create a permanent pool of investments without too much risk. Universities use endowments to fund general operations, student aid programs, research and fellowships, and public service missions. Schools that typically spend 5% or less of their endowment each year assume less risk for the future. Only 106 universities have endowments of more than $1 billion. 

Higher education is a huge investment, so it’s important you make sure your choice is financially viable. You can do this by determining the financial health of your selected college before you enroll. Looking over endowment reports, tuition discounts, the financial responsibility composite score, and news reports can be great sources of information. 

In Conclusion

You should also be prepared for the chance your college could close. Some colleges close slowly over months or years while others shut down nearly immediately. If your college does close, they might sign transfer agreements with nearby universities to help students finish their degrees. Be wary of high pressure tactics to accept transfer agreements and get the details of how credits will be transferred before making a decision. 

It might also be helpful to reach out to local legal aid offices for help and advice if you know your college will close. Researching federal loan discharge options can also be beneficial, especially when your college closes while you’re enrolled or soon after you withdraw because you may qualify for a full refund of payments and even garnished wages.

With the economic state we’re in, be sure to invest wisely when choosing a college. Learn more about colleges going out of business in the infographic below:

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For me, this was my first foray at DIG SOUTH, entering its 10th annual celebration.  I have known its Founder, Stanifield Gray for some time now, having first met at SXSW. This felt like the right time to explore…and I’m glad that I did.  

What to Expect at Dig South

While it had a decidedly SXSW feel, it was also distinctly southern.  Held at the University of Charleston’s TD Arena, it had a smaller feel.  While mainly regional in nature, a good deal of event goers, speakers, and vendors were from all points.  

The event kicked off a welcome reception on River’s Green.  Good times and drinks were had by all were had, with plenty of opportunity for networking- also backed up by active use of the Whova app.  

Bringing us to the main event the next day, center stage brought a big welcome by founders of the event, Stan and Sunny Gray. Keynoting was Rob Tercek talking about What’s Next:

“The 10th anniversary of DIG SOUTH Tech Summit was a fantastic success,” said DIG SOUTH founder Stanfield Gray. “Helping companies climb out of the pandemic malaise and reactivate in person was tremendous, and we were especially grateful to welcome high-quality speakers like Brian Wallace who shared their deep knowledge and know-how with our attendees.”

Yours truly was on stage speaking about Visual Storytelling for B2B Audiences. This was a lively and engaged audience throughout the presentation.

Here’s What Attendees Had to Say:

“It was really fun to introduce cyber security concepts to the high growth startup community. Security is starting to become a priority for early stage startups and events like Dig South allows them to learn from experts in their field.”

Nick Santora, CEO, Curricula

“The event was very well put together, and I think that it was very easy to build meaningful connections there partially due to the quality of attendees and partially just due to the fact that people have missed in-person events like DIG SOUTH the last couple of years.”

Benjamin Einersen, Managing Director, SPR Advisory

The Big Finale

I had to head out late Thursday night for other commitments. However, the event was still in full swing through Friday.

During Friday’s keynote, Jay Bailey, CEO of the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Atlanta. He inspired black entrepreneurs, specifically, and founders of all stripes, to pursue their goals relentlessly and seek out mentors and resources without hesitation. Bailey emphasized that it’s essential for communities of all races and backgrounds to reach out to each other to collaborate and create a more equitable society.

DIG SOUTH Tech Summit closed with Wild Pitch, a Techstars-style pitch event, won by Zendo, the world’s first and only meditation wearable that activates the meditation centers of your brain using proprietary neurostimulator technology.

Hope to see you there next time!

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Inflation and Rising Costs

Rising From changing the way we interact socially, to changing the way we shop, and the way schools and healthcare functioned, COVID turned so many things upside down. However, one of the most affecting aspects of pandemic fallout, which is still very much alive and well, is the massive inflation we’re experiencing. 

The cost of everything has soared since the beginning of 2020, and inflation is higher than we’ve seen in the past 30 plus years. It was already difficult for many Americans to keep a budget and make ends meet, and especially so now with inflation and job loss being some of the most lingering aftermath of the pandemic. 

Now that the COVID pandemic seems to be on its way out, and life is returning to normal for the most part, perhaps inflation may have normalized as well. However, the war in Ukraine is bringing a new wave of increased prices, particularly relating to the cost of fuel. 

In 2022, 43% of Americans now say that their biggest concern this year is the rising cost of gas. Obviously, the cost of fuel affects the cost of everything else, both on a global and national scale, as well as on an individual scale. 

In 1993, the price of gas was just $1.07 per gallon, but we saw prices of $4.29 per gallon in March of this year. The shocking and frightening thing about this difference is that this doesn’t reflect a completely gradual increase. The fact is that gas has risen by close to 40% just since 2020. Today, it costs about $52 to fill up a car, and nearly $100 to fill up the average truck. 

Rising Car Insurance Premiums

Unfortunately, along with rising gas prices, drivers are also seeing price hikes in car insurance premiums. The cause of price hikes in both arenas are largely the same. Things like labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, COVID and the Ukraine conflict are affecting both. Insurance is also taking a hit from increased fuel theft, higher medical bills, and the rising cost of vehicles. 

Despite the price increase, unless the entire North American population decides to move to Virginia and New Hampshire (the only places where insurance isn’t mandated), then we all still are required by law to maintain insurance on our vehicles. 

With this in mind, it’s important to embrace other solutions besides simply breaking the law to save our budget. Individuals can do things like driving less, and not speeding, both of which save on gas and premiums, as well as shopping around for lower premiums every single year. Shopping for new premiums can save up to $400, and individual drivers can also ask about discounts like safe driving, defensive driving, and low mileage discounts. 

In Conclusion

In times of high inflation, we can feel that we have no power to make a difference, but taking a proactive stance and doing our own due diligence can save more money than we realize.

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