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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Alaias Bertrand lost 75 pounds by focusing on her health over her appearance.</li><li>She had previously tried a series of fad diets, but they made her obsess over food.</li></ul>Alaias Bertrand lost 75 pounds in three years and has kept the weight off for seven years. After years of failing to hit her <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-lose-weight-and-keep-it-off">weight loss goal</a>, she realized the key to success was in making the journey enjoyable. As a high school freshman, Bertrand, now a 25-year-old content creator and marketer based in Florida, was told by a doctor that she qualified as obese. It came as a shock but prompted her to evaluate her daily habits and decide to lose weight. Growing up, she played a lot of sports, but her diet was poor. "I really didn't have any form of diet or care. I would just eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted," Bertrand told Business Insider. "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ultra-processed-foods-linked-early-death-study-2024-5">Super processed</a>, high carbs and sodium, and most likely also sweets because I'm such a sweet tooth." Bertrand initially tried to lose weight through restrictive diets, including keto and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intermittent-fasting-benefits-and-risks-for-longevity-weight-loss-cancer-2024-4">intermittent fasting</a>, but they made her preoccupied with what she was eating and didn't work long-term. "I feel like I've tried everything under the sun. Nothing was working," she said. Looking back at her habits, Bertrand said it was when she started prioritizing her health over her weight that she naturally started to lose weight. Bertrand shared the three biggest lessons she learned from her <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-lost-75-pounds-making-2-simple-lifestyle-changes-2024-10">weight loss journey</a>. <div type="image" title="Alaias Bertrand stands on a tennis court, holding a tennis racket." height="2048" width="1365" msid="115114923" hostid="261"></div><h2>1) You can't shame yourself into losing weight</h2>When Bertrand was limiting what she ate to lose weight, it was coming from a place of shame, she said. And it didn't work. She didn't like the way her body looked, and she believed she needed to change it to be able to love and accept herself. "When I first started, I thought I honestly hated myself, which it breaks my heart to say, but I really did not have a lot of confidence," she said. Once she started making healthier lifestyle choices, such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doctors-prescribing-fruit-vegetables-kids-adults-eat-healthier-heart-health-2023-8">eating more fresh produce</a>, she naturally felt better in her body. This made her realize that she never disliked herself but rather the choices she was making. Over time, her adjustments became less about needing to look a certain way and more about feeling a certain way. "I want to feel good in my body. I want to feel confident," she said. <h2>2) Find healthy habits you enjoy</h2>Bertrand learned that finding <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/healthy-habits-fit-throughout-life-personal-trainer-2024-7">healthy habits</a> you enjoy is key to <keyword id="21221996" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sustainable-weight-loss" source="keywords">sustainable weight loss</keyword>. Losing weight healthily means leading a <keyword id="19956649" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="healthy-lifestyle" source="keywords">healthy lifestyle</keyword> and being consistent, she said. Picking something for six months and then stopping isn't going to work, which is why, she said, it helps to pick habits you would be happy to do every day. "If you love walking and you're like, I can walk every day for the rest of my life, then do that," she said. "It is going to add so much value into your life, and it doesn't feel like a strain." <h2>3) Find someone to hold you accountable</h2> <div type="image" title="A group of girls wearing matching sport team T-shirts smile at the camera." height="4032" width="3024" msid="115114929" hostid="261"></div>If you want to lose fat or start eating healthier, find someone to hold you accountable, she said. Friends or a community, as well as a coach or a trainer, are all good options. Adding a social element to your fat loss journey will likely help you stick with it, Bertrand, who was part of her college track and field team, said. In a longitudinal 2015 study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine that analyzed weight data from 1,556 older married or cohabitating couples in England, people with BMI readings considered overweight or obese were more likely to lose weight over a four-year period if they had partners with high BMI readings who lost weight during that time as well. Correction: November 13, 2024 — An earlier version of this story incorrectly described a finding of the JAMA Internal Medicine study. The study's analysis of weight loss was based on measured weight loss, not whether either partner was trying to lose weight. The story was also updated with more context about that finding.

A woman who lost 75 pounds shares the 3 biggest lessons she learned about losing weight and keeping it off

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I try to eat up to 130 grams of protein a day, and products like protein powder and bars can help.</li><li>Such foods are often ultra-processed and therefore linked to health risks, so I quit them for a week. </li></ul>As a fitness and nutrition reporter, I'm slightly ashamed to say I've never paid much attention to how many <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ultra-processed-foods-linked-early-death-study-2024-5">ultra-processed foods</a> I eat. I take a relatively relaxed approach to my diet and have always felt comfortable with the knowledge that whole foods make up most of it.I mostly focus on eating enough <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/4-5-rule-hit-protein-target-without-tracking-weight-loss-2024-10">protein</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tracked-fiber-intake-harder-than-expected-to-meet-daily-goal-2021-11">fiber</a>: I don't track my food intake and haven't done for years, but I know roughly how to get enough of each in my diet.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eating-more-protein-help-women-healthy-aging-positive-impact-2024-1">Protein is important</a> for overall health but is particularly helpful for active people, such as myself, as it helps muscles repair and rebuild after workouts. I try to eat around 110 to 130 grams of protein per day, and most days I consume one <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/high-protein-foods-rule-easy-fat-loss-lose-pounds-2024-11">high-protein UPF</a> like protein powder, fruity high-protein yogurt, or a protein bar, which have all exploded in popularity in recent years. According to Precedence Research, the global protein market was worth $10.37 billion in 2022 and is forecast to grow to $23.34 billion by 2032.With more studies pointing to the potential<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ultra-processed-foods-health-problems-study-2024-2"> health risks of UPFs</a>, I started to wonder if I could hit my protein target while avoiding them and keeping my calories in check (not just stuffing my face with vast quantities of peanut butter). For example, UK-based nutritionist <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tasty-no-protein-powder-shake-reduce-ultra-processed-foods-diet-2024-1">Rob Hobson</a> previously told Business Insider that he used to eat protein bars every day but cut down once he learned about the link between UPFs and a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/processed-food-makes-us-fat-leads-to-cancer-alternatives-2019-5">host of health issues</a> plus <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-processed-foods-lead-to-weight-gain-nih-study-2019-5">weight gain</a>.I tried cutting out high-protein UPFs for a week. There's no set definition for a UPF, but it's widely considered to mean any food or drink containing an ingredient you wouldn't have in your own kitchen, such as emulsifiers. So that's how I chose what to avoid.It was doable but required a lot of effort, and my diet also became more boring. Here are four lessons I learned.<h2 id="38913cfb-71b0-431d-91b2-366274f87893">I had to pay close attention to ingredient lists</h2>The night before I started my experiment, I made some <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/healthy-oat-based-breakfast-recipes-for-fat-loss-muscle-gain-2021-3">overnight oats</a> for the following morning — without my usual scoop of protein. Instead, Greek yogurt and chia provided protein, and honey gave flavor and sweetness. It wasn't until I was lying in bed that night that I realized I'd unthinkingly used almond milk — a UPF — as I would normally.Not a great start.<div type="image" title="A composite image of overnight oats, and a grilled cheese with soup." height="1500" width="2000" msid="115250590" hostid="261" sizebytes="175888"></div>Come lunchtime, and having not had time to go to the grocery store, I assessed the bread options in the freezer. One loaf was UPF, one, fortunately, wasn't. While I was already aware of "sourfaux" — fake <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/diet-nutrition/is-sourdough-bread-healthy">sourdough bread</a> — I decided to pay more attention to which bread I buy.I was also pleased to find that the store-bought soup in my fridge was not a UPF either. So my go-to winter lunch of soup with a grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough bread was safe.When I went to the store, however, I realized not all soups are created equal, and sadly some of my favorites were UPFs.<h2 id="64dcae4a-bfba-43ed-b594-1d4e97c323c3">I didn't like feeling that foods were off-limits</h2>It was hard to think of high-protein snacks to eat aside from more <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/diet-nutrition/is-greek-yogurt-good-for-you">Greek yogurt</a>. Some days I had an apple with peanut butter, but that got boring after a while and isn't as high in protein as some people think.Satisfying my sweet tooth wasn't particularly easy either — I don't always want high-protein snacks, sometimes I just want a sweet treat. Nothing in my food cupboard was UPF-free, and I realized I'd have to bake from scratch, so blueberry muffins it was.As I gazed longingly at the chocolate in my cupboard, I started to feel uneasy. Having food "off-limits" felt all too familiar. It reminded me of being in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-calorie-counting-helped-me-improve-my-relationship-with-food-2019-9">throes of diet culture</a> 10 or so years ago, back when I thought certain foods were "bad" (which, of course, made me want them even more).As someone who's come a long way and put a lot of work into breaking free from this restrictive mindset, I didn't like the feeling that there were foods I couldn't eat.<h2 id="6525d738-ab03-4a84-85a2-8261bdd9fa10">Small swaps helped me avoid UPFs</h2>I usually cook dinners from scratch and I realized I could make small tweaks to ensure they were UPF-free. For example, I like making pasta sauces with cream cheese, but I realized that some brands were UPF and others weren't.Grocery shopping took longer than usual, but I figured that was inevitable at the start of the experiment and it would become less time-consuming as I learned which foods were UPF-free.<div type="image" title="A composite image of pea pasta with chicken, chickpeas, butternut squash, leeks, and pine nuts; and a blueberry muffin." height="1500" width="2000" msid="115250584" hostid="261" sizebytes="140936"></div>As a meat-eater, I find it easy to eat enough protein at dinner, and I regularly make dishes combining both meat and pulses — like a chili con carne with black beans — for the varied nutrients they provide. However, I was conscious of needing my dinner to do even more heavy lifting to hit my protein goal while avoiding UPFs. So I opted for pea pasta rather than the usual wholewheat, which contained 15 grams more protein per 100 grams. I preferred the texture and taste of regular pasta.<h2 id="c717432d-4e4c-4f3c-a273-70b90a629772">My diet was more boring</h2>As the week wore on, I got bored of eating the same meals. The cinnamon and raisin bagels in the freezer and the cereal in my cupboard teased me as I ate the same two breakfasts on repeat (overnight oats with cow's milk and sourdough toast with a side of Greek yogurt).I'm sure I could have been more experimental, but avoiding UPFs was taking enough planning without having to find new recipes to try.I managed to hit my protein target of 110 to 130 grams of protein each day, but my diet felt a bit less exciting.Come the weekend, when my fiancé wanted to order a pizza, I decided that life was too short to miss out, even for a one-off experiment.Ultimately, while most dietitians advise people to take a food-first approach to hitting their various health targets, they aren't saying people need to eliminate UPFs, but <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mistakes-people-make-cutting-down-ultra-processed-foods-dietitian-2024-8">most of us could benefit from cutting down</a>. This experiment has made me more conscious of where I could make small tweaks that aren't too much effort.But I'm not going to stress too much about having a scoop of protein powder here or there.

I tried to hit my daily protein target while avoiding ultra-processed foods like protein powder and bars. I learned 4 lessons.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>China has curbed short selling and quant trading activities to support its flailing stock markets.</li><li>The moves could hit investor appetite as it calls market transparency and price discovery into question.</li></ul>Beijing is now trying to support the flailing Chinese stock markets by pulling a familiar move — cracking down on private sector activities.The measures, which include <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/china-regulator-unveils-more-curbs-short-selling-2024-02-06/">curbs on short-selling</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-02-25/china-markets-investors-shaken-as-hedge-funds-lose-out-in-quant-crash">restraining quant trading funds</a>, are aimed at propping up China and Hong Kong's stock markets, which have collectively lost <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/china-markets-mainland-hong-kong-stocks-losses-economy-woes-2024-1">trillions of dollars</a> since their peaks in 2021.While such moves may help stem immediate market losses, they hurt China in the long run.Remember — China's recent private sector enterprise crackdown wiped out over a trillion dollars from its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-big-tech-crackdown-investment-cost-trillion-alibaba-tencent-2023-7#:~:text=China's%20tech%20crackdown%20wiped%20%241.1,%2Doff%20COVID%2D19%20lockdowns.">tech sector</a> alone and spooked entrepreneurs. Despite efforts to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-big-tech-crackdown-investment-cost-trillion-alibaba-tencent-2023-7">woo investors</a> back into the industry again, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hsi.com.hk/eng/indexes/all-indexes/hstech">stock prices</a> are still far from their heydays.This time round, Beijing's limits on short selling and quant transactions — just some of many in China's recent <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-30/here-s-what-china-is-doing-to-boost-economy-rescue-markets">flurry of measures</a> to shore up its markets — are fueling frustration and angst among traders, as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-02-25/china-markets-investors-shaken-as-hedge-funds-lose-out-in-quant-crash">Bloomberg</a> reported on Monday. They're also likely to dent investor appetite.Beijing has "basically sent a signal that market transparency and the search for it is not allowed as much." George Boubouras, head of research at Melbourne-based K2 Asset Management, told Bloomberg.China isn't the first to curb stock market activities — the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN23363708/">US</a> also cracked down on short-selling during the 2008 financial crisis. But Beijing's already heavy-handed oversight over much of the country's economy and society isn't lost on investors who are already jittery about putting their money in China.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.csrc.gov.cn/csrc/c100028/c7464130/content.shtml">China's securities regulator</a> said on Thursday it wasn't trying to interfere with trading activities, but will crackdown on "illegal activities" that disrupt market order.Many economists believe China needs to boost investor confidence and double down on economic reforms and fundamental challenges as the country tries to engineer a convincing post-pandemic recovery."Chinese government moves to restore private-sector confidence and boost the economy still lack a broad reform framework," <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-trump-presidency-could-still-help-china-eswar-prasad-2024-2">Eswar Prasad,</a> a professor at Cornell University and a former International Monetary Fund official in charge of China, told <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/China-economy-overtaking-U.S.-is-increasingly-unlikely-ex-IMF-official">Nikkei</a> this month.Hong Kong's <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/hang_seng">Hang Seng Index</a> was 0.4% lower at 1:22 p.m. local time. It's down 2.4% so far this year and 16.6% lower over the past 12 months.The blue-chip <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/csi-300">CSI300</a> was also 0.4% lower. It's down 1.2% this year to date and 14% lower over the past 12 months.

China's latest market crackdown shows it hasn't learned any lessons

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The global IT outage caused by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike was a PR nightmare.</li><li>CEO George Kurtz was criticized online for not apologizing immediately for the disruption caused.</li></ul>This month, CrowdStrike, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/crowdstrike-global-it-outage-one-defective-it-update-sparked-chaos-2024-7">sent the world</a> into chaos.The cybersecurity firm released a software update for Microsoft. But a defect in that update caused computer systems — and the businesses and services that run on them — to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/crowd-strike-outage-travel-chaos-tech-expert-2024-7">go into meltdown around the world.</a>Flights, hospitals, banks, emergency services, news outlets, and retailers were all <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mass-it-outage-microsoft-chaos-delays-distruption-shown-in-photos-2024-7">impacted</a>.Aside from the global disruption, the incident was also one of the biggest PR nightmares a company could imagine. Not only was trust in CrowdStrike's services likely eroded, but <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-crowdstrike-outage-could-hurt-consumer-trust-big-tech-ai-2024-7">the crisis proved</a> just how fragile the world's reliance on tech really is.But how well did CrowdStrike handle the situation?<h2 id="d63d5c56-fa61-41c0-85be-491a87b2791e">Social media users wanted an early apology</h2>As <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/global-it-outage-computer-flights-crowdstrike-microsoft-2024-7">the blue screen of death</a> multiplied around the world on Friday, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz made a series of public statements on X, LinkedIn, and the company website.Addressing the cause, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/George_Kurtz/status/1814235001745027317">he made clear</a> that the outage was "not a security incident or cyberattack" but was related to a "single content update for Windows hosts."Kurtz assured customers they were still protected and said the issue had been "identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed."It wasn't until several hours later that Kurtz issued an apology in a post <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/George_Kurtz/status/1814316045185822981">on X</a> and in media interviews — something that social media users were quick to point out and criticize him for.<div type="image" title="Passengers at an airport stand in front of an information screen showing the blue &quot;recovery&quot; screen that appeared on Microsoft devices during the CrowdStrike IT outage." height="683" width="1024" msid="112014523" hostid="261"></div>Motti Peer, co-CEO of technology PR firm ReBlonde, which specializes in crisis management, told Business Insider that CrowdStrike's leadership team's response highlighted the good and bad ways to react to an event of this scale.Kurtz's first response on Friday was critiqued online for being too impersonal and lacking candor, while his colleague — CrowdStrike CSO Shawn Henry — was praised for being forthright and empathetic to the impact in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7220983915421806592/">LinkedIn post</a>, he said. But this didn't come until three days after the outage hit."The difference between the two statements is vast and shows how subtle differences in approaching crisis responses can drastically alter how effective they are," Peer told BI."Although Kurtz's follow-up response sincerely apologized for the event, its initial absence makes it look delayed in any context and can make any future crisis communication seem disingenuous," said Peet.Sean Griffin, CEO and cofounder of Disaster Tech, agreed that expressing empathy and showing respect were basic crisis communication principles that all leaders should deploy.He believed Kurtz deserves credit for quickly engaging the media on Friday, apologizing, and promising solutions — even if social media users say the apology didn't come fast enough.However, the CrowdStrike CEO could have provided more solutions for what those affected could do on their end as the situation was unfolding, Griffin said.<h2 id="cde54914-ae79-4bfd-b060-20e56eb8f11d">The steps to take in a crisis</h2>Good crisis management can be boiled down to a few simple yet crucial steps, the two experts told BI.Peer said the first step is to investigate what happened and understand the scale of the crisis. The next step is to apologize and take responsibility for the misstep."From there, companies should take every possible step to resolve the crisis quickly and effectively with consistent updates," he added."The company's leadership team must explain to their customers and community what proactive measures will be taken to prevent this crisis from repeating," he said.Griffin said it is crucial to recognize the importance of having a resilient risk management framework and ensuring you have an experienced team to carry it out."Crises are part of human life, and it's not an 'if' yet 'when,'" Griffin said. "There is no way to avoid it, but there is an opportunity to prepare for it."<h2 id="0c842b22-4163-4c0c-ae51-e4fc604dbcab">Look for a silver lining</h2>The impact of the CrowdStrike outage has been estimated to cause losses of $5.4 billion for Fortune 500 companies, excluding Mircosoft, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/64b69422439318309c9f1e44/66a14199d3c5dde3b1c40aaa_CrowdStrikes%20Impact%20on%20the%20Fortune%20500_%202024%20_Parametrix%20Analysis.pdf">an analysis by Parametrix</a>, a cloud insurance provider.Attracting new business after a billion-dollar global mess-up may seem unthinkable, but a major crisis doesn't have to be the end of a company, Peer said."While CrowdStrike's positioning took a major hit in both public sentiment and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/microsoft-and-crowdstrike-shares-plunge-amid-massive-global-it-outage-2024-7">financial standing</a>, it managed to mostly avoid the more outwardly negative response that some of its clients received for mishandling the outage," the ReBlonde co-CEO said."Delta, for example, shouldered a good amount of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/delta-customers-refund-crowdstrike-outage-2024-7">public frustration</a> due to the outage affecting countless flights and millions of travelers," Peer added.Griffin agreed that there could be a silver lining to the situation."For the companies that prepare and survive crises, the data shows that you generate revenue by gaining market share from competitors or seizing the unfortunate media attention as an opportunity to shine through adversity," he said.But as disruption from the CrowdStrike outage slowly lessens, many are still concerned by the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/global-it-outage-y2k-24-years-later-crowdstrike-cyber-expert-2024-7">in-built potential</a> of technology-reliant systems crashing, bringing down all operations with them.How can that crisis be avoided?"Companies of any size should be operating with clear and robust contingency plans in case of such events," Peer said.Griffin said his company, which provides crisis management software, is now reviewing its plans and policies to prevent the kind of tech failure CrowdStrike experienced. He recommended that others do the same."The bottom line is that crisis management is not a check the box; it is an evolution and requires continuous training, exercising, and learning to improve, especially as the nature of threats and types of incidents evolve."

CrowdStrike's crisis management strategy holds lessons for all companies

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Chipotle boss Brian Niccol will take over as CEO of Starbucks next month.</li><li>He laid out his leadership style and approach to turning around companies on a podcast this year.</li></ul>Brian Niccol's decision to leave Chipotle and become <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starbucks-ceo-steps-down-replaced-by-chipotle-chief-2024-8">CEO of Starbucks</a> has sparked speculation about the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-starbucks-new-ceo-brian-niccol-transformed-chipotle-chipotlane-automation-2024-8">changes he might make</a> at the embattled coffee chain.Niccol laid out his management approach on the "How Leaders Lead with David Novak" <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brian-niccol-ceo-of-chipotle-follow-through-on-the/id1223803642?i=1000640503473">podcast</a> earlier this year. He shared how he revitalizes struggling businesses, finds and introduces fresh ideas, and delivers world-beating products and services.The burrito boss said he wants to be seen as a decisive CEO who nurtures future leaders and can grow a company, not just turn one around. He also broke down six key elements of his leadership style that he's likely to employ at Starbucks when he starts in September.<h2 id="46103693-dc42-41f2-b411-585df9b05ec9">1. Tapped in</h2>When you're trying to keep a brand relevant, it helps to be attuned to what's popular among younger generations.Niccol is an active user of TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram for that reason. He also ensures that Chipotle's bosses discuss the trends they're seeing and what their kids and their kids' friends are talking about every week."We want to be very much in touch with what young people are doing," Niccol said. "It gives us some insight into what are the things we can do to keep Chipotle fresh, keep Chipotle connected."<h2 id="4be22cb8-aaf1-4f38-add8-e27c868ab816">2. Embrace experiments</h2>Leaders who welcome fresh thinking and experimentation have an edge in attracting talent and driving innovation."We are a place for ideas," Niccol said. "If you want to come to a place and you're willing to pressure test your ideas, we're going to give you a shot with those ideas to make it to market."He ticked off several ideas that came from within Chipotle, including its metaverse experiments, the use of its reward program to bolster engagement with customers, and the addition of carne asada to menus.Niccol said he uses a "stage gate process" to vet ideas and take them from concept to nationwide rollout, which includes performance metrics and store feedback.<div type="image" title="Chipotle carne asada 2" height="1667" width="2500" msid="112590435" hostid="261" sizebytes="172610"></div><h2 id="7677b68c-b1ef-49fd-8c1e-19de329e2dbb">3. Listen and learn</h2>Niccol shared the first step of his turnaround plans: "Take the time to understand who these people are."Before he starts barking instructions or declaring what the company needs to do, he finds out about his new colleagues, their beliefs, and what's working or not working in their view.He also emphasized the importance of reacting to customer and worker feedback. Soon after joining Chipotle in 2018, he visited some of the chain's restaurants and asked the staff what common complaints they hear.A big one was the absence of a large portion of guacamole from the menu, which forced workers to invent a workaround."They were just using, I think it was the queso cup, and they would charge people two smalls," Niccol said. "And I'm like, that's ridiculous."Niccol promptly resolved the problem by adding the necessary buttons to cashier terminals and containers to serving lines.<h2 id="480b2df5-1f4c-4ff1-99d7-984bc3df433b">4. Build the right team</h2>Once Niccol gets to know his new coworkers and identifies the pressing problems, he decides who he wants on his team and who isn't a good fit."I believe in you. Hopefully, you believe in me. Let's lock arms and do this," he said, giving a sense of how he gets the people he chooses to commit to his strategy.Niccol also figures out the personnel gaps that need filling. At Chipotle, he realized he needed to find "great" marketing and supply chain leaders and expand the digital team to bolster its capabilities.On the other hand, he moved the company's restaurant support center from Denver to Los Angeles because it needed a "complete reset."<h2 id="f48cb180-68cf-4dc5-90ca-5480cc4f2108">5. Focus and action</h2>Niccol likes to choose one or two things for his new team to tackle that will make an immediate difference.At Chipotle, his initial priorities were catering to online orders with digital make lines and mobile pickup shelves, and improving how the restaurants operated and food was prepared and served.<div type="image" title="Chipotle worker at assembly line" height="1374" width="1832" msid="112590436" hostid="261" sizebytes="138582"></div>He also likes to pick one or two things for each of his top managers to focus on. For example, he told Chipotle's marketing boss that he wanted the brand to be relevant and to get the word out about what makes customers love it."Collectively sharing the obligation to achieve those things is what I've done, and it appears to be effective," he said.<h2 id="c3cf0c63-553b-473b-9da4-a8d6a9408550">6. Demand the best</h2>Niccol recalled that after Chipotle reopened following the pandemic, it was falling short of its previous high standards."I'd go into restaurants, we'd be out of chips. I would go into a restaurant near closing, we'd be out of chicken, rice," he said. Throughput, or number of transactions every 15 minutes, was "way off" pre-pandemic levels."It was just like, we had made way too many excuses for too long, and COVID gave us the ability to provide those excuses," he said. "And it's like, hey, it's time to put those aside. Let's get back to the standard of excellence that we know we can hit.""I went to our team director meeting and I said, 'Hey gang, I am here to tell you we are not succeeding,'" Niccol said. "We collectively should be embarrassed that we have a report telling us when we're out of chips.""Like, we're a Mexican restaurant. When was the last time you went to a restaurant and they didn't have chips, right?" Niccol added, noting Chipotle solved those issues by the next year after his intervention."Every once in a while, they respect you for recognizing we're not hitting the number."

6 leadership lessons from Brian Niccol, the new Starbucks CEO who revived Chipotle

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Lydia Koh is a fine art wedding photographer and founder of a Singapore-based <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://lydiakphotography.com/">photography company</a>.</li><li>Koh said a timekeeper can help couples with a less stressful experience — a lesson from her own wedding.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lydia Koh, a wedding photographer. It has been edited for length and clarity.I started wedding photography in 2013 when I attended a gorgeous wedding on a ranch in Southern California with a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://businessinsider.com/biggest-mistakes-you-can-make-when-planning-an-outdoor-wedding-2021-5">sunset reception</a>. It was very different from the standard Chinese weddings I was used to in Singapore.That inspired me to photograph more nontraditional <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-wealthy-couples-spend-money-wedding-planner-tradition-venue-entertainment-2024-10">outdoor weddings.</a>In 2021, I started my own photography business, managing everything from shooting and editing to marketing and occasional help from a colleague or my husband.As much as I've learned from photographing weddings over the past decade, the biggest lesson came from my wedding.<h2 id="424b614d-1938-4517-b6a4-501a24a33eb8">Call a friend to keep the time</h2>One of the biggest pieces of advice I give my clients is to ensure they build in plenty of buffer time for their wedding shoot.It's important not to cram too much into the timeline because things often go wrong, and one delay can easily affect the rest of the day. Having that buffer is essential to prevent everything from running late.A cost-effective way to manage this is by appointing a timekeeper. Having someone responsible for keeping track of time helps ensure things stay on schedule without anyone getting flustered.Everyone will want photos with the couple on the wedding day, and it can be overwhelming to manage everything alone.When <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/things-guests-should-always-do-at-weddings-according-to-planner-2022-10">guests</a> ask for photos or try to pull the couple away, it's difficult for them to say, "I need to go." The timekeeper can step in and politely keep things on track to help the couple focus on enjoying their special day.I learned this lesson the hard way at my own wedding.I didn't think we'd need a timekeeper, and because of that, my husband shouldered all the stress when things didn't go as planned. Miscommunication and poor time management left him stressed and flustered, unable to enjoy the day as he was constantly putting out fires.We eventually fell behind schedule because guests continually came up to take photos with us. Not wanting to turn anyone down, we ended up running late.We lost track of time and missed key moments without a timekeeper to manage the schedule.Having someone to keep track of our time and manage guests' expectations is a good way for couples to be present and enjoy their wedding without worrying about logistics. After all, a wedding is about making memories, not managing schedules.<h2 id="cf2ed1c5-cd5a-4385-979f-40150235ecbf">Have enough time — but not too much</h2>It is also important to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wedding-planning-mistakes-couples-make-according-to-photographer-2021-6">schedule enough time</a> to mingle with family and friends, as it is one of the most meaningful parts of the day.The most genuine moments happen when couples are relaxed, happy, and chatting with their guests. I always remind couples not to treat their wedding like a performance.Often, they schedule too much time for multiple gown changes, missing out on spending time with their guests. They're stuck in the hotel room or changing area and don't experience the day fully.It's crucial to remember that the wedding is about more than just looking good — it's about being present with the people you love.It is also important not to have a tight schedule and to leave buffer time for unexpected events.At my wedding, technical issues caused our live musicians to start late, pushing back the entire ceremony.Since our venue had two floors, my husband constantly ran up and down stairs trying to fix things. The whole situation was overwhelming, and it kept him from fully enjoying the day.That's why I always stress the importance of building enough buffer time into the schedule — it gives you room to handle unexpected delays without throwing off the entire event.Another thing I always tell my clients is not to start the day too early. There is a sweet spot between insufficient buffer time and too much of it. Couples that plan the day too early can quickly experience exhaustion by the time the reception arrives.Running on adrenaline only lasts so long, and tiredness can impact how much they enjoy the celebration. It's better to pace things and allow time to relax.

I've been a luxury wedding photographer for a decade. I learned 2 big lessons about timing from my own wedding.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Subhan Ali, Nvidia AI product lead, shares key lessons from his five years at the company.</li><li>Ali emphasizes tackling extremely hard projects and differentiating yourself from competition.</li></ul>A 38-year-old Subhan Ali is an AI product lead at Nvidia and has watched the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jensen-huang-nvidia-routine-management-leadership-style-ceo-founder-2024-4">company go through exponential growth</a> over the last five years.Unlike other <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-big-tech-spending-on-ai-investments-2024-7">Big Tech companies like Apple or Meta</a>, Nvidia hasn't been a household name for consumers who don't follow the tech sector or stock market. But now that the AI boom is in full swing, Nvidia could become the world's most powerful company.The company's stock has skyrocketed over 2,500% in the last five years, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/nvidia-stock-retail-investors-gains-generational-wealth-ai-chips-gpus-2024-4">transforming the lives of</a> some of its early investors and employees.Ali <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lessons-from-5-years-nvidia-subhan-ali-lkgge/?trackingId=fH20ZIesShWr2Qv63blt7A%3D%3D">posted</a> 23 lessons he learned at the company and shared them on LinkedIn. He spoke with Business Insider about the four biggest lessons he's learned, with the overarching theme centering on tuning out the noise and developing a product that's different."We've been around for 31 years, which is impressive in its own right," Ali said."There is a bigger story and narrative, and Nvidia has been at it for a very, very, very long period of time," he added.<h2 id="5ce7f86d-fa7a-4fcf-bcd5-1a21d5701f38">Do extremely hard things</h2>Ali suggests doing "extremely hard things" and doing them "over very long periods of time."He told BI that he defines those things as projects that are "difficult to pull off" and challenging to the point that many won't want to try them.By the time people realize what you've been doing, they will realize the value, but they won't be able to catch up to you," Ali wrote in the post. "You will be in a league of your own."<h2 id="ebb4a519-5098-4571-850e-3f7fb5a2e52a">Don't compete</h2>Ali told BI it's important to "differentiate yourself" and not to waste time comparing yourself to "perceived competition." He said he doesn't believe in improving someone else's product as a way to reach success.Ali sees <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-gpu-chips-ai-branding-popularity-2024-6">Nvidia's graphics processing units</a>, known as GPUs, as an example of this. When Nvidia first created the GPU, it was a "highly differentiated kind of product.""At the time, everything was based on CPUs and serial processing," Ali said, adding that GPUs offered "a new paradigm and a different way to think about things."He suggests doing things that are "radically different" and to build a vision around that.<h2 id="c1d41016-7156-4c8b-821a-3b09dfc1dac0">Embrace conflict</h2>Ali said in this post that "differences between individuals or teams are opportunities." The faster you discuss those differences, the sooner you can get aligned and start moving in the same direction."If people or teams see something differently, it's just better in everyone's interest to openly discuss that," Ali told BI.Ali said if anyone has second thoughts or something on their mind that's preventing them from getting on the same page, it's important to bring that up rather than "letting it fester."<h2 id="dec88a08-211b-41bf-8d5e-ea978eace503">Play the game, not the score</h2>Ali said while you can play the game really well, the score might not reflect that — and vice versa."The score is an output, and it's an output that we don't necessarily control," Ali said. "All we can control is how we play the game."Ali told BI he believes that if he plays the game as well as possible, "the score will take care of itself." He said that could take five years or 20 years, but the focus shouldn't be on individual quarters or years.Ali said Nvidia's explosion over the last couple of years is the ultimate "manifestation of playing the game, not the score."

A Nvidia employee shares 4 lessons he learned at the company over the last 5 years 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Bank of America strategists broke down the five biggest lessons for investors and the economy from 2023.</li><li>The US economy navigated aggressive Fed rate hikes, China struggled, and bond vigilantes returned.</li></ul>Through 2023, surging interest rates have forced global markets and economies to adjust to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/markets-strategist-asset-management-investing-era-stocks-economy-recession-fed-2023-3">the end of the easy money era</a>.Macroeconomic dynamics are front and center for investors as much as traditional market drivers like earnings growth and valuations. In a note this week, Bank of America strategists Joseph Quinlan and Lauren Sanfilippo broke down the five biggest lessons of the year as markets get ready to turn the calendar.The first lesson? "Don't bet against America," the analysts wrote. A year ago, most forecasters expected a recession in 2023 thanks to the Federal Reserve's aggressive monetary policy tightening. But instead of rolling over, the economy pushed forward, with strong consumer spending and a robust labor market powering growth. "The US economy is still the greatest show on planet Earth," the strategists said. They described the country as a $27 trillion "hydra-headed behemoth" that is the best at many different economic activities including agriculture, aerospace, energy, technology, and more. The second takeaway, according to the bank, is that China needs a new growth model. The much-hyped post-pandemic rebound never arrived, and instead the world's second largest economy has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-deflation-markets-property-real-estate-housing-beijing-2023-8">saddled with an ailing property sector</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-housing-market-economy-japan-jpmorgan-financial-investors-geopolitics-demographics-2023-8">aging demographics</a>, and declining foreign investment — all of which point to a "Great Wall of Worry" ahead."A new growth model could center on the Chinese consumer, with personal consumption expenditures in China just 40% of GDP vs. roughly 70% in the US," Quinlan and Sanfilippo said. "However, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-beijing-lehman-moment-policy-deflation-economy-markets-property-2023-8">policies focused on driving consumption-led growth</a>...have yet to materialize."In 2023, the MSCI EM Index has returned about 5%, far below the S&amp;P 500's gains. The third lesson of 2023 has been that the bond vigilantes are back. Investors this year dumped bonds in protest of excessive government spending and their presence, according to Bank of America, shows "deficits do matter.""Owing to rising interest rates, interest costs rose by nearly 40% last year, while mandatory spending programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security continue to expand," the strategists said. "Ditto for defense spending. With government debt-to-GDP ratio at record levels, there is little room for meaningful fiscal expansion over the next few years, a factor that could weigh on overall growth in the near and medium terms." Meanwhile, given Russia's invasion of Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, and tensions over Taiwan, strategists said the fourth lesson is that investors should no longer ignore geopolitics."It's always dangerous to say 'It's different this time,' but as one scans the geopolitical landscape of today, it is different," the strategists said. "The hot and cold wars of the 2020s means a ramping up of global military outlays, with annual global defense spending topping $2 trillion for the first time in 2021. Leading the charge is the US, whose defense budget totaled a record high of $858 billion in fiscal year 2023."The takeaway, in the bank's view, is for investors to remain constructive on large-cap US defense contractors and cybersecurity names. The final lesson of the year is that the era of TINA — or, "there is no alternative" to stocks — is over. Now, low-risk assets like cash and bonds offer real returns and flexibility.The higher-for-longer rate regime suggests cash won't be negative-yielding like the previous decade, while bonds will provide strong returns as well."Per equities, the script has flipped — the secular tailwinds of the past (stable, non-inflationary growth coupled with globalization and deregulation) are now more headwinds (elevated cost of capital, large budget deficits, higher cost supply chains)," the strategists maintained. "The upshot: Equities have competition when it comes to asset allocation."

'The US economy is still the greatest show on planet Earth': 5 lessons for investors from a wild year in markets

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Even though it's taking way longer than expected, Apple won't give up on building an EV. </li><li>Mark Zuckerberg is still spending massively on AI and the metaverse. </li></ul>Two things in tech shocked me this month. First: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-car-ev-autonomous-level-two-design-delays-2024-1">Apple</a> has been trying to build an electric vehicle to compete with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-driving-charging-silicon-valley-vs-detroit-compared-2024-1">Tesla</a> for at least a decade, and it's still years away, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-23/apple-car-ev-set-to-debut-in-2028-with-limited-autonomous-driving">Mark Gurman</a>, the world's leading Apple reporter. Second: After splurging tens of billions on the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-metaverse-wont-give-up-apple-2023-5">metaverse</a>, Meta CEO <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-fabulous-life-career-photos-2017-4">Mark Zuckerberg</a> is now spending an estimated $18 billion on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-ai-flex-meta-nvidia-gpus-2024-1">GPUs</a> to chase the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/generative-ai-future-will-not-be-free-2024-1">generative AI</a> craze.I asked my hedge fund manager friend about these hyper-expensive long-term projects. They are risky, given the huge costs. Why pursue them so aggressively? My friend helps run one of the best performing and most secretive hedge funds. I can't reveal their name. However, this person has been investing for more than 2 decades and sold a startup to a big tech company in the first dot-com boom. They know their stuff and I regularly tap into this well of experience for advice. Without pausing, this investor said "I think Zuckerberg's metaverse bet could actually work out. It could take another 10 or 20 years, but it could work." He shares similar views on Apple's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-vision-pro-fatal-flaw-nerd-goggles-uncool-2023-6">Vision Pro</a> goggles, which I've questioned in the past. <h2>"The lesson of Microsoft Windows"</h2>Then this hedge funder schooled me on the "lesson of Microsoft Windows."This operating system was arguably the first major digital platform for the masses. It took many years to develop and massive upfront spending. The result was an ecosystem of hardware providers, developers, and users that generated so much lock-in and profit that Microsoft was accused of antitrust violations. From that point on, any serious technologist wanted to build the next big platform. Others that came after include Google's Chrome/Search/Web empire, its Android mobile operating system, and Apple's supreme iOS. Meta's social media platforms and Amazon's AWS cloud business probably qualify. And Tesla's business might be a platform, too. (More not that later).<h2>"Dreamy" businesses</h2>Platforms share similar attributes that make them massively expensive and time-consuming to build, but way more profitable and long-lasting than any other businesses on earth.Billions of people and businesses rely on platforms. As they are used more, they become more useful and more valuable. They are almost impossible to compete with once they are up and running. And as Apple shows, there are endless ways to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-app-store-fight-regulators-rules-tim-cook-tax-2024-1">squeeze more money from platforms</a>, even if antitrust regulators shut down bits of them.Matthew Ball, a venture capitalist and former Amazon executive, called platforms "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.matthewball.vc/all/bigtechbiggestbets">dreamy</a>" businesses in an insightful blog last year.He also pointed out that if you don't own a big platform, your life kinda sucks. Zuckerberg has the scars to prove it. One flick of Apple's privacy wrist and about $10 billion of Meta revenue disappeared. This scared the crap out of other tech companies. Google pays Apple about $20 billion a year to keep the iOS giant distributing its search engine. Not fun. <h2>The biggest bets</h2>This is why big tech companies are investing 100s of billions of dollars to find the next big platforms. They might fail, and that will be an epic waste of money, like the world has never seen before. But, if they succeed, the profit gusher will be so much bigger, and competitors will bow down — as most companies do today to the iOS god. "Though the accumulated losses are terrifying, they're nevertheless dwarfed by the potential profits, as well as the security that comes from owning your own end-to-end platform versus relying on another," Ball wrote.To give you a taste of the size of this phenomenon, here are recent research and development budgets of some Big Tech companies. This is just for one year:Google: $40 billionMeta: $35 billionApple: $30 billionMicrosoft: $27 billion<h2>A new AI platform</h2>Google will continue investing huge amounts to become the leading AI provider in the western world. Foundation models are the bedrock of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-nvidia-cloud-ai-anthropic-2023-10">this emerging platform</a>. There are layers of tooling and other software on top, followed by new applications, such as chatbots, copilots and who knows what else. All users and developers will pay to access what Google hopes will be the new AI platform. Microsoft will continue to pile money into its own AI platform ambitions. too. And it will ensure OpenAI gets all the cash and cloud support it needs to beat Google. Zuckerberg wants to win this too, and is willing to spend billions on GPUs and anything else required.<h2>What are other big platforms of the future? </h2>The metaverse, no matter how ridiculed it has been so far, could be a contender. Computers used to be huge, expensive and only accessible in a locked room inside a big university. You fed special pieces of paper into them to make them work. Then they were on your desk and you typed information into them. Then they were in your pocket and on your wrist, and we're speaking to them now. Is it such a stretch to put them on your face and see the world through them? This is why Apple will continue to spend billions of dollars over decades to ensure that its Vision Pro, and endless future versions, will be the dominant ecosystem in an augmented-reality future. And it's why Zuckerberg will continue to spend heavily on Meta's Oculus devices and platform. They may both be spectacularly wrong. But if one of them is right, untold riches await. <h2>The EV platform race</h2>This is also why Apple will continue to spend billions of dollars developing an EV, even if it comes out 15 years or 20 years after Tesla started selling these vehicles. I recently test <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-driving-charging-silicon-valley-vs-detroit-compared-2024-1">drove Tesla Model 3 EVs</a> with Business Insider's auto reporter Nora Naughton. She was irked by how her iPhone didn't connect seamlessly to Tesla's operating system in the car. This is a classic tech platform battle, now playing out inside EVs. When billions of people drive many hours a week, Apple wants to own the device that they interact with. That's the car interface. Big Tech is all about winning our attention and being the first "funnel" that sends us out into the world. That is incredibly lucrative. Inside Tesla cars, it's Tesla that provides this funnel. There is no way <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-ceo-elon-musk">Elon Musk</a> will ever let Apple Carplay work inside his vehicles. Not a chance. That's giving valuable digital real estate to Apple.Again, this is partly why Apple still toils to build its own EV. Just like with its installed base of more than 1 billion iPhones, Macs, Watches and other gadgets, the company wants to add EVs to this device roster. <h2>Giving up is expensive, too</h2>This brings an interesting lens to what Musk has been doing at Tesla. He started a price war. That is cutting into profits, but it also supports sales at a time when EV demand is wavering. Meanwhile, most US automakers can't keep up. Even at higher prices, they lost money making EVs. Now, they are slashing EV investments and cutting production. If EVs are one of the next big platforms, this cautious approach just plays into Musk's hands. He wants as many Tesla cars on the road as possible — an installed base, just like Apple has built. Notably, even though EV demand weakened in the fourth quarter, Tesla's US EV market share rose slightly. Now, building cars is not as profitable as making iPhones, or churning out new versions of Windows or Android operating systems. Software is especially profitable. However, Tesla has worked out a way to make EVs more efficiently than many rivals, and it has built an EV supply chain that Apple probably envies. GM and Ford, in contrast, seem to be giving up right now. If you're not in the platform-chasing game, many investors will discount you as a serious player. Tesla is valued at more than $650 billion. Meta is $1 trillion. Google and Amazon are worth wellover $1 trillion. Microsoft and Apple are at $3 trillion.My hedge fund friend mentioned GM specifically, saying that this company was a dominant American institution for decades. Today, it has a market cap of about $50 billion. I noted that $50 billion is a lot. "Not really. It's an after-thought in the market now," my friend said.

Apple, Zuck, Elon, and the lesson of Microsoft Windows

<ul class="summary-list"><li>It's not a great time to be an American tech CEO with operations in China.</li><li>Western tech firms are getting squeezed in the world's second-largest economy.</li></ul>There was once a time when American CEOs looked to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-xi-jinping-economy-real-estate-debt-bust-american-companies-2023-10">China as a land of opportunity</a>. That time may be long gone.After years of ascending growth, some of the most powerful US tech corporations have started to slide hard and fast in the world's second-largest economy amid the new reality of doing business there.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-wont-give-up-wolf-warrior-diplomacy-looks-friendlier-2024-3">Beijing has endorsed uber-nationalism</a>. In turn, sentiment toward Western business has soured. That's especially so as domestic companies have stepped up as viable alternatives. And it's all created a dangerous race to the bottom to win over consumers.It's no wonder US companies that once banked on this being the "Chinese century" are having to learn a very painful lesson about doing business in China.<h2>The battle for tech supremacy</h2>You need to look only as far as the tech sector to see how hard a time American companies are having in China.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphones-might-need-ai-upgrade-soon-2024-3">Apple's been struggling</a> to get new iPhones into the pockets of Chinese consumers, with data from Counterpoint Research showing that sales plummeted by 24% in the first six weeks of the year.<div type="image" title="The iPhone 15 on display at an event." height="1642" width="2500" msid="108394849" hostid="261"></div>Tesla, meanwhile, suffered a huge slump in shipments from its Shanghai gigafactory last month, with 60,365 vehicles shipped, Bloomberg reported. That's 16% lower than its shipments in January and 19% lower than the same month last year, data from the China Passenger Car Association shows.This may not spark an immediate panic.Apple's net sales in Greater China may have been down 13% in the last three months of 2023 from the previous year, but they still generated revenues of $20.8 billion. And Tesla hasn't been the only electric-vehicle company to get caught up in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-avoid-ev-sales-slowdown-china-byd-2024-1">sales slowdown</a>.But it does signal a real downward slide for two of America's largest companies in China. So what's going on?<h2>iPhone anxiety</h2>In Apple's case, there are a few things. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-layoffs-gene-munster-deepwater-2023-5">Gene Munster</a>, a managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, told Business Insider that the decline did have something to do with "American products falling out of favor in China."That has certainly been the case. Last year, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-iphone-ban-office-workers-worry-bosses-apple-huawei-2023-9">Chinese government banned the use of iPhones</a> for officials, making it less appealing to have one. Investors responded by wiping $200 billion from Apple's value.That ban coincided with the launch of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/huawei-smartphone-own-designs-processors-5g-2023-9">Huawei's Mate 60 Pro</a>, a locally made 5G smartphone that many saw as a breakthrough device that rivaled the iPhone's capabilities — despite export bans preventing the use of industry-leading US components.<div type="image" title="A customer tries out Huawei Mate 60 smartphone at a Huawei flagship store on September 4, 2023 in Shanghai, China." height="2800" width="4200" msid="108394850" hostid="261"></div>Counterpoint's research shows that unit sales of Huawei phones climbed 64% in the same period iPhone unit sales fell by almost a quarter. "Both the US and China are becoming more isolationist. That favors domestic brands. With AI, that dynamic will likely intensify," Muster said.In Tesla's case, a wider <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/automakers-back-to-the-drawing-board-ev-plans-2024-2">EV-market slowdown</a>, which took shape last year, is likely to have been particularly felt in February, given the generally slower sales during the month's Lunar New Year festivities.More broadly, though, the slide for both is a sign that China's battle with the US for tech supremacy is getting more serious.For years, Chinese companies adopted a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/things-that-china-copied-from-the-world-2016-5">strategy of copycatting</a> as they attempted to build consumer electronics, electric vehicles and other industries from the ground up. That meant trying to replicate what their Western counterparts did, often to an inferior standard.That's not the case anymore. As Huawei's Mate 60 Pro shows, Chinese consumers now have a homegrown phone that offers an iPhone-like experience.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/byd-founder-wang-chuanfu-biggest-chinese-global-ev-automaker-2024-1">Local EV makers such as BYD</a> are meanwhile enjoying a surge as they manage to win over consumers with vehicles that are much cheaper than Teslas.In January, BYD reported a 43% rise in sales but lost its market leadership to Volkswagen, according to CarNewsChina. It had also cut the prices of its best-selling models by an average of 17%, Reuters reported.<div type="image" title="BYD Atto 3" height="1663" width="2500" msid="108394852" hostid="261"></div>That battle for supremacy is expected to get a big push from Beijing, too.When Premier Li Qiang set out China's 5% annual growth target at the start of the<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-two-sessions-growth-goal-challenging-economists-2024-3"> National People's Congress</a> this month, it became clear how vital technology would be in driving that forward.That means Beijing is expected to play a more active role in catalyzing the growth of its domestic tech sector — and squeezing any foreign entities that get in its way.The Wall Street Journal reported that a directive known as Document 79 was being ramped up to push out Western companies. It asks state-owned companies in a range of sectors, such as finance and energy, to "replace foreign software in their IT systems by 2027."How Western companies respond is likely to be closely watched, as China remains too valuable to lose hold of. That much was made clear when Suzanne Clark, the head of the US Chamber of Commerce, traveled to Beijing in late February to help normalize business ties."Normal," however, is set to look a little different from here on.

China is teaching the likes of Apple and Tesla a very painful business lesson

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Leah Mancuso lost 200 pounds in two years by eating healthier and moving more.</li><li>Mancuso realized her physical, mental, and emotional health are interconnected.</li></ul><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-lost-200-pounds-walking-eating-healthy-food-day-2024-6">Leah Mancuso lost 200 pounds</a> in two years after she started moving more, and eating less fast food and more <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/easy-healthy-meal-ideas-hate-cooking-woman-lost-200-pounds-2024-6">nutritious home-cooked meals</a>.Mancuso, a 35-year-old photographer based in Scottsdale, Arizona, struggled with her weight all her life. She told Business Insider that losing weight was educational and transformative in many ways.Mancuso learned how intertwined<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-americans-dont-exercise-mental-health-crisis-depression-anxiety-fitness-2024-6"> physical, mental, and emotional health</a> are. She also realized her former lifestyle wasn't actually easier."I thought my life was easy before, and that's why I wanted to stay that way," Mancuso said. "I was like, 'Why would I give up this easy, comfortable life?' But really what it was was just less. It was just less of everything. "Unlike many people who regularly bounce from one fad diet to another, Mancuso said she wasn't a chronic dieter before learning how to lose weight sustainably. However, she had tried a few programs like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oprah-winfrey-left-ww-sent-stock-spiraling-spells-doom-diets-2024-2">WeightWatchers</a> and Jenny Craig, but regained the weight because she found them unsustainable.Mancuso is far from alone: Roughly 45 million <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-lost-44-pounds-simple-changes-low-calorie-swaps-meals-2024-5">Americans go on a diet</a> each year and the industry is expected to be worth $33.6 billion by 2027, according to Gitnux market data.Mancuso shared the two biggest lessons she learned from losing 200 pounds.<div type="image" title="Leah Mancuso" height="1500" width="2000" msid="111141291" hostid="261" sizebytes="425178"></div><h2 id="83ab3e20-7828-4631-8b35-1ce07b0a88ce">1. Losing weight gave Mancuso 'fuller experiences'</h2>For years, Mancuso thought that continuing her sedentary, fast-food-heavy lifestyle was the easy option. It was all she'd known, and in many ways, it was her comfort zone."I thought my life was easier before, that's why I continued with the unhealthy patterns I created for myself," she said.Looking back now, Mancuso sees she had less going on in her life because her size held her back. Mancuso avoided certain restaurants, wouldn't go on rollercoasters, and avoided flying because the seats weren't big enough, she said."My life is so much better now, but it's not because I'm closer to society's standard of beauty," Mancuso said. "It's because I have so much more of the things that truly matter — fuller experiences, richer relationships, new opportunities, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boost-energy-strength-stamina-eat-more-snacks-carbs-protein-nutritionist-2024-3">more energy</a>, more endurance, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/strength-training-women-benefits-lift-weights-celebrity-personal-trainer-2023-1">more strength</a>, more ability, more confidence, more joy, more life."Mancuso feels she now has the freedom to choose what she does, rather than her body size and limited endurance making decisions for her.<h2 id="74294c69-c6d1-45dd-ac83-5ff96b4a919a">2. Mental and physical health are intertwined</h2>Previously, Mancuso hadn't thought about every aspect of health being connected."I neglected my physical health for a long time and made excuses to myself that it wasn't a big deal because at least I was taking care of my mental and emotional health," she said. "But it wasn't until I started putting effort into becoming physically healthy that I realized how the different areas of life feed off of each other."Mancuso found that by developing a healthier lifestyle, she also improved her mental and emotional health.It's well established that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/mental-health/does-exercise-make-you-happy">being active can boost mental health</a>, but Mancuso didn't realize that by changing her lifestyle, she would also gain so much more in life through better social connections and more fulfilling opportunities.

A woman who lost 200 pounds by making simple changes shared the 2 key lessons she learned about fat loss

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Megan Tjelle lost 55 pounds by walking and eating in a calorie deficit.</li><li>She lost a further 50 pounds by taking the weight loss drug Wegovy.</li></ul>Megan Tjelle's weight had fluctuated for over a decade. She would try a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fad-diet-red-flags-dangerous-dietitians-2022-12">fad diet</a> and lose some weight, but then would always gain it back — and more.As her 30th birthday approached, Tjelle had lost her self-confidence and knew she needed to make a change.This time, she wanted to get healthier and lose weight in a way that was sustainable. In October 2022, she started small, and by eating in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/weight-loss-work-out-eat-calorie-deficit-not-losing-fat-2022-4">calorie deficit</a> and walking, Tjelle, from Chicago, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-lost-105-pounds-walking-healthy-diet-wegovy-easier-2024-4">lost 55 pounds</a> in six months, she told Business Insider.Struggling with "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ozempic-made-cravings-food-noise-in-my-head-disappear-semaglutide-2023-4">food noise</a>" and worried about plateauing, Tjelle saw her doctor who suggested she try appetite-suppressing weight loss drug <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/weight-loss-glp-1-drugs-ozempic-wegovy-mounjaro-effects-future-2023-12">Wegovy</a> (commonly known as Ozempic), which she promptly did.Tjelle lost a further 50 pounds over eight months and is now taking a maintenance dose of the medication. She has also progressed in her workout regime, having built up to running a half-marathon and doing strength training. Those on such drugs, known as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/body-image-distortion-after-weight-loss-common-glp-1-drugs-2023-11">GLP-1 agonists</a>, are advised to eat healthily and exercise while taking them.Tjelle's experience is a reflection of how approaches and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oprah-winfrey-left-ww-sent-stock-spiraling-spells-doom-diets-2024-2">attitudes toward weight loss are changing</a>. According to a report by Research and Markets, the global weight loss drugs market is estimated to grow from $3.83 billion in 2023 to $44.12 billion in 2029 as more people look to combine medication with healthy diets and exercise to lose weight, often after struggling to hit their goals "naturally."Tjelle, now 30, shared the 10 fat loss and fitness lessons she's learned during her journey.<div type="image" title="Megan Tjelle" height="1500" width="2000" msid="109893293" hostid="261" sizebytes="133530"></div><h2>1. Patience is key</h2>Tjelle said she found it frustrating at times when she didn't see fast progress when trying to lose weight."I had to remind myself that I didn't gain the weight overnight and I am not going to lose it overnight, either," she said.She learned to focus on taking things one day at a time: describing it as considering the step in front of you, not the whole staircase.<h2>2. Consistency is important</h2>Tjelle realized she didn't need to do <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cozy-cardio-creator-decentralize-weight-loss-2023-11">grueling workouts</a> or eat an overly restrictive diet every day to make progress: she just needed to do something that was a step in the right direction."The most important (and the hardest) part of the process is to start," she said.<h2>3. Drinking your calories makes fat loss harder</h2>While alcohol is a big source of liquid calories for some people, Tjelle realized she was consuming too many creamy, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-healthy-is-iced-coffee-2023-8">sugary coffee drinks</a>, some of which contained over 400 calories each. Cutting down on them helped her hit her goals, she said."When you're trying to lose weight, these calories really add up and they don't even fill you up or really provide any nutritional value," Tjelle said.Nutrition experts have previously told BI that there's nothing wrong with occasionally eating <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-nutrition-reporters-love-8020-rule-for-healthy-diet-2021-4">less nutritious foods</a> that you enjoy, but consuming them less frequently can improve health and help you hit your fat loss goals.<h2>4. Walking is great for fat loss</h2>"Walking was by far the most effective exercise for weight loss early in my weight loss journey," Tjelle said.She felt overwhelmed and self-conscious walking into a gym for the first time in years, but she knew she could walk for 30 minutes every day."It's great for beginners because it's low-impact with very low risk of injury," Tjelle said.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cardio-for-fat-loss-ineffective-less-calorie-burn-trainer-advice-2021-10">Walking can be great for fat loss</a> because it burns calories without ramping up hunger, which higher-intensity cardio does for some people.<div type="image" title="Megan Tjelle" height="1500" width="2000" msid="109893296" hostid="261" sizebytes="100738"></div><h2>5. Calories count</h2>Whether you <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/calories-macros-protein-fat-weight-loss-expert-advice-2023-11">count calories</a> or not, they count. Tjelle learned about the calorie content of different foods and made sure she was in a deficit by ordering meals from a healthy delivery service called Seattle Sutton."Once I got into a true calorie deficit, I saw results right away," she said.<h2>6. You can still eat foods you enjoy</h2>Tjelle learned that she could enjoy everything she likes in moderation and still lose fat, and she didn't need to cut out any food groups."I found that over-restricting just led to me eating even more of the food that I was restricting," she said.On her weight loss journey, Tjelle celebrated milestones by going out to eat at her favorite places, like sushi restaurants, because she thought it was important to still enjoy life and celebrate her wins.<h2>7. Falling off track doesn't ruin your progress</h2>Tjelle used to throw in the towel and go back to her old habits whenever she had a day or even a meal when she was out of her calorie deficit. But now she knows to just <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/you-cant-mess-this-up-mantra-self-talk-weight-loss-2021-2">get back on track</a>."It's important to remember that a slip-up or bad day is not going to ruin your progress, and you just have to keep going," she said.<div type="image" title="Megan Tjelle" height="1500" width="2000" msid="109893298" hostid="261" sizebytes="237674"></div><h2>8. Having a positive attitude toward exercise helps</h2>Tjelle<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/we-need-to-reframe-exercise-and-stop-branding-it-punishment-2021-1"> exercised consistently</a> when she stopped thinking of it as a chore and instead focused on the benefits."Changing my mindset from 'I have to' to 'I get to' was key for me," she said. "I realized how grateful I am to be able to move my body every day and do something that makes me feel good."<h2>9. You are your greatest investment</h2>Previously, Tjelle had always pushed exercise and healthy eating to the bottom of her priority list. But now she realizes how important it is to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/essential-healthy-habits-for-your-twenties-thirties-longevity-advice-2023-12">prioritize her health</a>."What helped me on the really hard days was thinking about what my life will look like at my ideal weight and how different everything will look (in a good way)," she said.<h2>10. You won't always feel motivated</h2>For the first few months of her weight loss journey, Tjelle really didn't want to go to the gym, she said. But she stayed consistent even when she didn't feel like it, instead of relying on motivation, and gradually she started to enjoy it more."I really struggled to get there every day, but I reminded myself that this was not going to be easy, but the long-term results would be so worth it," Tjelle said.

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