In recent years a series of legal dominoes have toppled in the United States surrounding the supply and consumption of a well-known herb with serrated leaves. In 2016 alone Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts legalized recreational cannabis, joining other legalized states like Oregon, Colorado, Alaska and, most recently, California. As the dominoes topple, an industry is being created that has already netted billions of dollars, not only in the supply of cannabis as a commodity but also in the education sector.

Why are business phone bills so hard to understand? They contain either too much detail or not enough, which usually leads business owners and accountants to give up and just pay the bill, as long as it’s within 10 to 20% of last quarter’s bill. The bills are so hard to figure out, it’s almost as if the phone companies have something to hide.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the use of software that interfaces with computer systems in the same way as humans would. It uses AI and machine learning capabilities to handle high-volume repeatable tasks that used to require humans to perform. Such tasks can include calculations, queries and maintaining records and transactions. The software agents that perform these tasks are known as software robots or bots.

On May 25, 2018 a raft of European Union data norms will come into effect which constitute the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Despite the acronym’s resemblance to that of a defunct nation, GDPR is Europe-wide, and indeed global when its ramifications are followed to their conclusions. And whereas in old East Germany people’s data belonged to the state and private business was frowned upon, now we have a world in which private business is getting its hands on more and more of people’s data and governments are stepping in to protect their citizens.

In the current business environment, changing customer purchasing behaviours and technological innovations are changing the business landscape for food producers and the food supply chain. New value creation and delivery models are redefining growth and profitability across the globe. In order to stay competitive in this changing environment, all operators need to stay up to date with their knowledge.

Despite lavish-sounding marketing gush from franchises who want to attract new franchisees, there is no guarantee that you will turn a profit at all, let alone run your business from a laptop in the Bahamas as you soak up the sun. Some franchises are genuinely great propositions (if you run them well), and others look good on paper but are minefields in reality. An aspiring franchisee’s mind should be buzzing with questions.