Elon Musk founded Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, Neuralink and other companies and consistently ranks among the top three richest people in the world. But his recent conversation with another powerful CEO shows the price Musk had to pay to achieve wealth — and the management and mindset strategies he employs now to build successful companies.

Musk explained how he defined ultra-hard work to Nicolai Tangen, CEO of $1.6 trillion Norges Bank, the world’s largest wealth fund, on an April episode of Tangen’s podcast, In Good Company.

Ultra-hard work happens when “you’re basically just working every waking hour,” Musk said.

When asked how long he could do that, Musk replied that he’d done it “continuously” for a few years at a time.

^{Elon Musk. Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic}

“I’ve done many, many stretches of 100-hour weeks, where roughly six hours per day is sleeping,” Musk said. “I would not recommend that. That’s for emergencies.”

Musk put in those 100-hour weeks during difficult times at Tesla and in the early days of some of his startups, when he said he slept under his desk and worked seven days a week.

Related: ‘Americans Just Work Harder’ Than Europeans, Says the CEO of Norges Bank, the World’s Largest Wealth Fund

Musk also discussed overseeing hard workers on the podcast, stating that smart people tend to manage themselves and can work anywhere. His strategy is to outline a common goal and ask them if they agree with it. If they do, they can get it done.

When Tangen asked how Musk balanced micromanagement with delegation, he claimed he wouldn’t call his style “micromanagement.”

“It’s just insisting on attention to detail,” Musk said. “If you’re trying to make a perfect product, attention to detail is essential.”

Related: Elon Musk Says Remote Workers Have ‘Marie Antoinette Vibes’

Musk’s last tactic for building successful companies might be his mindset toward his own impact.

When asked how he would want to be remembered, Musk said he doesn’t mind if his legacy is inaccurate as long as he feels like he’s “done the right thing for the future of consciousness.”

Musk is the CEO of Tesla, which he stated this week is on track to produce new, more affordable electric cars even as revenue dipped year over year.

Related: Elon Musk Tells Investors Cheaper Tesla Electric Cars Should Arrive Ahead of Schedule

Marlie Packer has insisted that England are determined to turn the French crowd against their own team by outplaying their fierce rivals in Saturday’s Grand Slam decider in Bordeaux.

The Red Roses have blazed a trail through the Guinness Women’s Six Nations by averaging almost 10 tries a game, including 14 in last weekend’s rout of Ireland at Twickenham.

New head coach John Mitchell has let off the handbrake by turning a set-piece-orientated side into one emboldened to attack – an audacious approach that will remain in place even against the toughest opponents of the tournament.

Packer, a Test centurion, knows from previous visits to France that a fickle home crowd can quickly lose patience if Les Bleus are struggling, creating extra motivation to turn on the style.

“We want to keep the excitement going and we want to rise to the occasion again,” the England captain said. “Let’s make it our fortress over there.

“We know what the French crowd bring and if we play the brand of rugby that we did against Ireland, I actually think the French crowd will start cheering our way. Twickenham was an amazing day for us but that’s in the past and we need to stay in the present.”

England are on the brink of claiming a sixth successive Six Nations title, but visit a packed-out 34,462-seater Stade Chaban-Delmas knowing their last defeat in the tournament was to France in 2018.

“France is always a big game. France in France is even better. ‘Le Crunch’ is one where I have always felt really privileged if I was part of it,” said winger Abby Dow.

“I enjoy the ‘joie’ nature of the French. It’s always such a tough battle. The crowd is absolutely incredible there.

“They will be gunning against you but if you manage to crack the crowd they will start gunning against their team. It’s brilliant.”

Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens when people, places and purpose come together. Business innovation, where the commercially successful application of ideas leads to new or improved products, processes or services, is a vital ingredient in strengthening local economies and driving national growth. Innovate UK, the nation’s innovation agency, is instrumental in driving this growth and supporting the innovation journey for hundreds of thousands of businesses across the UK.

Innovate UK is currently leading the Innovation Accelerator pilot programme, which supports three city regions to become major, globally competitive centres for research and development (R&D). We are testing a crucial idea: can an innovation partnership between a city region and central government provide synergy and catalyse outcomes that deliver the highest quality R&D of national and international standing, alongside strong local economic impact? The impressive outputs to date suggest the answer is a firm yes.

This exciting programme, which has injected £100 million into 26 high-potential projects, is led by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Science and Innovation (DSIT). Notably, this pilot is doing things differently through stronger co-creation with places, where we bring our national reach, our scale, our connections and our relationships with industry to help those places shape the best programmes, but driven locally.

Three pilot areas

We are working closely with the leadership of the three pilot areas of Greater Manchester, the West Midlands city region and Glasgow City Region. All three accelerators are investing in their research and industrial base to curate project portfolios that reflect the unique needs and aspirations of their regions. This decentralised model not only ensures relevance and responsiveness, but also fosters greater local ownership and empowerment.

Each city region has been supported to develop their unique strategy. Glasgow City Region is seeking to boost extensive venture capital investment in key growth innovation sectors, including advanced manufacturing, space and precision medicine. Greater Manchester will lead the way in sustainable advanced materials and manufacturing, digital and tech, health innovation, and technology to become carbon neutral by 2038. West Midlands will accelerate R&D and innovation strengths in greener technologies and improved personalised and digital healthcare, diversifying its economy while boosting supply chains and creating new local jobs.

The projects

To give a taste of the locally selected projects being supported, in Greater Manchester, the Future Homes project funded to test the homes of the future in Europe’s largest climatic chamber, has yielded invaluable insights into the efficiency and scalability of low-carbon homes.

Meanwhile, in Glasgow, the Modular Chemical Robot Farms for Chemical Manufacturing initiative has attracted over £28 million of private investment, paving the way for groundbreaking advancements including artificial intelligence-driven chemistry to accelerate the discovery of non-addictive opioids.

The Biochar CleanTech Accelerator in the West Midlands is driving forward the commercialisation of new products and low carbon energy from organic waste, such as sawdust, dried chicken litter and agricultural straw, to support significant job creation and environmental benefits.

The principle of co-creation

The Innovation Accelerator pilot stands as a testament to the power of uniting national strategies with locally empowered decision-making. At the heart of our approach lies the principle of co-creation, recognising the wisdom of local people with a deep understanding of local strengths and knowing best their needs. This local knowledge is complemented by a national agency, linking these regional clusters with opportunities provided by national and international networks both within government and beyond.

As an engine room to the programme, the three partnerships are able to draw on Innovate UK’s mature operational processes, tailored to support innovation projects and engage industry. While the initial £100 million of public funding serves as a catalyst, true transformation will happen as the work gathers pace and secures further private co-investment. Our collaboration with regional stakeholders, coupled with robust frameworks, ensures that every pound invested yields increasing returns, propelling businesses to new heights of success and resilience.

The Innovation Accelerator pilot represents a shift-change in how we will work with local partners to drive inclusive growth, and propel the nation towards a brighter, more prosperous future. The programme continues until March 2025, and as we chart the next year, early lessons from the pilot tell us that by embracing co-creation and place-based R&D as our guiding principle, we have unlocked a wealth of opportunities, to drive local prosperity and position the UK as a global innovation powerhouse. These learnings are feeding into how we will shape future initiatives in the years ahead.

Further information

Follow Innovate UK on X.

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Follow Innovate UK on Facebook.

Go to the new Innovate UK website.

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I realize we play fast and loose with the term “salad” here in the Midwest sometimes, but this IS a classic and I stand by it! Watergate salad is a cold, dessert-type salad made with marshmallows and Cool Whip. To me, it’s a staple of any backyard BBQ or holiday dinner. I have very vivid memories of this green, creamy salad on plates beside things like Thanksgiving turkey or BBQ chicken. Don’t knock it until you try it!

Some call this Watergate salad recipe by other names like Pistachio Dessert Salad or even Pistachio fluff. The name Watergate salad comes from the fact that this side dish has similar ingredients and flavor to Watergate cake. And both recipes were created around the time of, you guessed it, the Watergate scandal.

Related: Next up, try the classic Ambrosia salad for another sweet side dish.

Ingredients

• Pistachio pudding mix
• Crushed pineapple with juice
• Mini marshmallows
• Walnuts – or you can use other nuts
• Cool Whip – or you can use fresh whipped cream

I like to serve this with a few maraschino cherries on top but it’s optional.

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients.

Gently fold everything together, the goal being to mix well but not necessarily completely deflate the Cool Whip. The mixture will become green from the pudding mix.

Serve chilled. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or two.

Tips for Making

• Watergate salad is best the day it’s made. And leftovers can become soggy even if stored well after a day or two.
• I usually use regular (vanilla?) mini marshmallows for this recipe, but if you want to add more fruity flavors you can use fruity mini marshmallows, similar to Ambrosia salad.
• I will sometimes reserve 1/4 cup or so of the Cool Whip to add to the top of this salad for a pretty presentation, but it’s not necessary.

More Chilled Salad Recipes

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a crucial part of modern digital marketing and a great skill to learn if you’re trying to make extra money and grow your reputation online. Almost 50% of online shoppers start with a search engine query, which means a business’s search engine position can make or break the company’s bottom line. Even if a store has a brick-and-mortar location, local SEO is important. With 78% of local searches on mobile resulting in an offline purchase, every business today should include local SEO in their strategy.

Once you gain SEO expertise, you can put your skills to work by joining an agency full-time that focuses on SEO, launching your own consulting service, or using your knowledge to take a business’s digital marketing efforts to the next level. In each of these cases, you’ll find great opportunities to make a living.
Many factors determine your income as an SEO expert: education, certifications, work experience and additional skills. However, if you invest the time to become a pro at driving traffic online, you can easily net more than $100,000 annually. So, here’s a look at the ways you can earn money from SEO.

1. Work for an SEO agency

By working at an SEO agency, you’ll not only learn technical skills like website analytics, you’ll also be exposed to business structures that help you develop valuable skills like time management, client pitching and more. You’ll also have an opportunity to learn from senior team members and work with multiple clients. However, drawbacks may include the inability to select your own clients and a more rigid 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule rather than choosing your own hours.

2. Create an ecommerce website and sell products

If you have deep knowledge of ecommerce SEO, you can use search engine optimization to sell physical products through an online marketplace. According to U.S. Census data, ecommerce sales in the U.S. grew by nearly 8% in 2023 compared to the previous year. This trend is expected to continue in 2024.

Start by picking your niche and determining the product you’ll be selling. You can do that by conducting keyword and audience research to understand which terms online shoppers are using and what goods they’re most likely to buy.

For instance, if you find the phrase “stainless steel pasta maker” gets a lot of traction but there aren’t enough companies selling this product, it could be an opportunity to fill that gap. By determining the demand for a particular product or a vacancy in the market, you can reap the benefits.

Make sure you also perform an in-depth SEO competitor analysis, which is how you’ll know what it will take to rank highest for your target keywords. The ecommerce market is booming, which means it could provide meaningful income. But there’s always an element of unpredictability as you look for customers or try to scale your business.

Best practices for ecommerce SEO in 2024

• Optimize for mobile: Most searches now take place on mobile devices, so optimizing your website and content for mobile users is important. This includes ensuring the website has a responsive design, fast-loading pages and easy navigation.
• Improve page speed: Page speed is critical to providing a great user experience and improving SEO rankings. The faster the page loads, the higher it will rank.
• Leverage long-tail keywords: Long-tail keywords are more specific search terms with lower search volumes but higher conversion rates. For example, “buy affordable sneakers online” is more specific than just “sneakers.” Optimizing for these keywords can help businesses reach their target audience.

Monitor metrics regularly: To understand how your SEO strategy is performing, businesses need to monitor their metrics regularly. This includes tracking page views as well as bounce and click-through rates (CTR). The more data businesses have on their website performance, the better they can refine their SEO tactics.

3. Dropshipping other products on your website

Say you’ve launched an ecommerce website and it’s doing well, but now your customers are seeking additional products. Consider dropshipping, in which a third party handles manufacturing, storing inventory and fulfilling orders, most of which are at a wholesale price.

With dropshipping, an individual places an order on your website and you share the order information with your dropshipper. Once the order information is received, the dropshipper fulfills the order and mails the package to the customer.

Dropshipping allows anyone to set up an ecommerce business and focus on marketing and scaling rather than shipping and inventory logistics. It allows you to focus on what you do best: Attracting online customers to make a purchase. However, there are some drawbacks, including lower profit margins, no control over inventory, no control over shipping errors and fewer opportunities to customize or brand your products.

If you choose to use a dropshipper you’ll want to harness your SEO skills, because with lower profit margins you’ll need to attract an even larger volume of customers. Create original and unique product descriptions (instead of copying the same text from the manufacturer’s website) to make the content stand out and ensure you have the right keywords and a personalized tone.

Related: Dropshipping Businesses: How They Work & Steps to Get Started

4. Offer SEO consulting services

Once you’re an expert, you can make money by opening your own SEO consulting shop. If you can help clients increase traffic to their websites, boost sales and meet their business goals, your services will be in high demand.

Some of the SEO services you’ll provide include keyword research and website auditing as well as implementing technical SEO strategies that can be used on various platforms. As a consultant, you’ll also perform competitor analysis and share detailed plans on how to leverage this data, whether that applies to the content strategy, backlink strategy or particular keywords clients are using. Consultants can also recommend frequent content adjustments to account for new search engine algorithm updates.

While working for yourself may sound intimidating, it can be a very lucrative and enjoyable career, especially for someone who already has experience in an SEO agency. The pros include an opportunity to work with clients and brands of your choice, a flexible schedule and an opportunity to grow your own business. The drawbacks of SEO consulting, however, include the stress of managing clients, difficulty finding new leads and clients and the time it takes to develop experience.

5. Start a blog and monetize through ads and affiliates

If you have a well-established blog and are using SEO to drive significant traffic to the site, you can leverage your digital content by hosting sponsored posts and banner ads on your website. Paid ads allow you to earn money based on the amount of traffic you generate, while sponsored content typically involves featuring a particular brand or service for a predetermined rate.

Starting a blog gives you the freedom to choose your niche, whether it’s technology, beauty, fashion or travel, and you get to infuse the content with your own style while building an online community of like-minded individuals. It also provides flexibility, as you can choose your hours to work, and it gives you a lot of creative freedom to experiment with new forms of content. Starting a blog does, however, require significant time and energy in order to produce quality content, and it may be difficult to regularly create engaging posts. Occasionally, you’ll also have to deal with technical issues on the backend of your site.

SEO and CRO

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the practice of increasing the percentage of users who perform a desired action on a website. This action may range from scrolling through the entire page and filling out a form, to adding a product to a wish list or making a purchase. At the heart of CRO is a meaningful action the marketer wants a user to take.

While SEO increases the traffic to your website, CRO helps by making the visits to your site profitable. For example, SEO may help you rank well for the keyword “buy black jeans,” but a good CRO tactic will help you increase your sales percentages by reducing abandoned carts or bounce rates. Here are seven ways to improve your CRO strategy:

• Boost page load time: Your site is like a car — if it does not start right away, people will leave you stranded and find something faster. If your page is too slow or clunky, it will turn off potential customers.
• Utilize neurodesign: Neurodesign harnesses the power of psychology and neuroscience to create visually captivating digital products. It does this by studying people’s responses in different situations, like when they land on a website, and determines what triggers will make them more likely to purchase. Publishers like the New York Times have created “eye tests” to evaluate how people react to the positioning of their content.
• Use dynamic content: You can personalize your customers’ experience by tailoring the website to the user’s needs. Dynamic content responds based on signals such as in-session behavior, user data (e.g., location) and other similar characteristics to deliver relevant information and products.
• Leverage visual content: Videos increase time on your website. According to the video marketing platform Wistia, people spend an average of six minutes on pages that contain a video, as compared to about four minutes on pages with no dynamic visual content. Keeping people on your site is key to driving conversions.
• Create quality content with long-tail keywords: According to Statista, nearly 96% of searches on Google have a query with four words or more. The people who make these kinds of searches tend to have higher levels of buying intent, which makes them perfect for targeting with quality content.
• Consistently optimize web pages and blogs: More traffic often turns into more leads. So, it’s important to always take user feedback, monitor your web pages and improve them or realign them based on user needs.
• Add strong and relevant CTAs: A call to action is an essential part of any website, the lack of which could mean losing connection with your customers. Eye-catching and well-written CTAs — whether it’s a prompt to follow, subscribe or purchase — will help optimize CRO and attract more traffic back toward the products being showcased.

6. Using PR and SEO

In the past, many business’s brand teams have considered public relations and SEO separately and left SEO to their digital teams. But as the two disciplines grow closer together, brands are starting to see the benefits of integrating them. Here are just three ways this can happen:

Building your brand: Growing your brand is essential. As more people become aware of your business, it will begin to rank higher in search engines, particularly for keywords related to your goals. But SEO alone won’t grow your brand. Public relations efforts including media outreach and partnerships with other businesses are necessary to build awareness.

Links: Backlinks from high ranking, influential websites can also transform your search engine rankings. So, how can you convince other websites to link to yours? This is where public relations comes into play. Compelling storytelling is a major component of PR, which can help you craft blog posts, case studies, or high-quality video content to attract the attention of target brands. In most cases, you will spend some time building a relationship before others backlink to you.

Thought leadership: Becoming recognized as a thought leader in your industry can be transformative for your SEO, as your name will appear on other websites and will become a part of industry public relations. A comprehensive public relations effort will help you present yourself to others as an expert in your field.

7. Keep UX and SEO in mind

Search engines are shifting focus to human behavior and experience, so improving your website’s rankings means you need to focus on your site’s usability. There are several aspects of UX design integrated with SEO best practices, including fast loading times, mobile-friendly use and easy-to-navigate pages with engaging content.

One of the biggest UX signals that Google can measure is bounce rate, which is when a user visits a site from a Google search, doesn’t find what they are looking for and clicks back to Google without having visited any other pages on that website. It’s a clear sign that users are unable to find what they’re looking for. Websites with lower bounce rates are usually doing a better job of helping users find what they’re searching for and often rank higher, typically on the first page of results.

Is SEO still worth it?

Business owners can employ many digital marketing strategies, including social media, email marketing, influencer marketing and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. However, SEO is still one of the best places to focus your efforts for three primary reasons:

• Low barriers to entry: It’s relatively easy to get started with SEO. Most website builders optimize your website for search engine crawlers by default, and you can find many tools to make it easier to plan and execute your strategy.

• Strategic flexibility: There’s more than one way to practice SEO. In fact, there’s practically unlimited strategic flexibility here. No matter what your goals are, or what challenges await, you can find a way forward.

• ROI: Return on investment (ROI) is commonly considered the “gold standard” for measuring digital marketing effectiveness.SEO can have a high ROI, particularly because implementing content-level updates can be done for cheap.

How SEO has changed

SEO has changed in many ways in the past several years, which is why experts are constantly recommending tweaks to businesses strategies. These are just some the biggest changes over the past decade:

• More competition: Back in the 2000s, SEO was a somewhat obscure strategy known only to a few digital marketers. Today, even people completely outside the marketing community are aware of SEO. This has led to a massive surge in competition, which makes the strategy more difficult for everyone to execute effectively.
• Stricter quality standards: Most people in the SEO community are familiar with Google’s E-A-T guidelines for content quality, which stands for expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. Google has now added another E for experience and has stepped up its quality evaluation efforts, cracking down on questionable content and link-building practices.
• Localization: SEO practitioners have heavily invested in more localized efforts, optimizing for local keywords and serving local audiences. These searches have become more popular and more powerful in terms of visibility, and it’s a good way to avoid national competitors.
• Dependence on user data: Searches have also become more individualized, with search results fluctuating based on individual user data. This has made it more difficult to predict the average user’s search experience, though it has made search results more relevant.

SEO tools

The key to building and sustaining organic traffic is knowing the best SEO tools to leverage for your specific needs . Whether you’re a search engine optimization specialist or just starting to learn how Google works, these are some of the best SEO tools for keyword research, link building, traffic analysis and understanding the competition:

• SEMrush: One of the most popular SEO analysis options on the market, SEMrush allows you to track paid traffic, social media-driven traffic, desktop and mobile traffic, and more. It also offers a popular keyword research tool.
• Ubersuggest: This free program lets you gather data related to a keyword or domain name, offering a keyword’s volume, the average cost per click, and the rank difficulty. It also suggests related long-tail keywords and shows the top site rankings for different keywords.
• Keword.io: Another free SEO checker, Keword.io helps conduct keyword research on a number of different platforms including Google, Amazon, Youtube, Alibaba and Wikipedia. If you’re looking for keywords beyond Google, Keyword.io is a useful starting point.
• Ahrefs: One of the most comprehensive SEO tools for auditing your website, Ahrefs can crawl every page on your website and create reports for you in a matter of hours.
• Google: Not only is Google the world’s most popular search engine (with more than 80% of all search market share), it has a suite of free products that help you better understand SEO. With Google Keyword Planner, you can compare keyword analytics and see which words within your industry will resonate best. With Google Search Console, you can see how a website appears in a search, including its frequency and highest performing keywords. Using Google Analytics, you can monitor where your traffic is coming from — search, social media, referral, etc. — and make informed decisions about your SEO strategy.

With just a day to go until the final crunch match between France and England at the Stade Chaban-Delmas in Bordeaux, the ambitions of women’s rugby in France are becoming clear.

In terms of attendance alone, the rise is promising, with more than 22,000 people expected to attend the match on Saturday 27 April.

“More people are following us, which is great,” smiled scrum-half Pauline Bourdon-Sansus (28, 56 caps). “We’ve also seen that we’ve broken records in our own league [Elite 1]. We think there’s a lot of enthusiasm around us and it’s growing all the time. That’s also thanks to our results and performances.

Women’s Rugby World Cup in France in 2037?

In Sud-Ouest newspaper, Brigitte Jugla, vice-president on charge of women’s rugby at the French Rugby Federation, confirms that the enthusiasm is not just in the stands, but also on the pitch.

“Women’s rugby has grown exponentially in the last three years,” she says. “We’ve increased the number of licences by 20% this year. Today we have 48,000 female licence holders and the aim is to reach 100,000 by 2033.”

100,000, a round and ambitious figure, more than double the current figure. 2014 was a pivotal year, with the Women’s Rugby World Cup taking place in France. That’s when the sport really took off.

Would the FFR like to organise another edition? After 2025 in England, 2029 in Australia and 2033 in the United States, the prospect of France bidding for the 2037 edition remains relevant and realistic.

The virtuous example of the English Championship

By then, women’s rugby will have gained a much higher profile, particularly through the Elite 1 championship, which will move to a single pool of 10 clubs from next season.

France is a long way behind in this respect, unlike the UK, where PWR matches are broadcast at weekends, notably on RugbyPassTV.

“It’s pretty cool because a lot of people come and watch,” says Rennes hooker Elisa Riffonneau (20, 9 caps), the only French international to play in the English league with Trailfinders Women, Abby Dow’s club, whom she’ll face in Bordeaux.

“It highlights our league, even if it’s just one game a weekend. But it’s already very good and we’re very happy. It doesn’t change the way we play, but it has a big impact on the development of women’s rugby.”

Canal + interested

The model seems to be one that the Federation could follow, as there is increasing talk of broadcasting Elite 1 matches. Indeed, there has been talk of including this in the Top 14 and Pro D2 rights package currently under discussion.

“The LNR is also involved and interested in women’s rugby,” confirms Brigitte Jugla. “Today, for example, Canal+ is not indifferent to women’s rugby. But in order to do so, we need to offer matches that can be broadcast, that are of high quality and that appeal to the public.

“Today we have some great matches that have already attracted over 6,000 spectators in stadiums, so we’re starting to get a real audience for women’s rugby. These matches could be broadcast.”

FFR also has ambitions to transfer the federal contracts it offers to a small number of XV and 7s players to the clubs, which would gain in sporting and economic power.

Federal contracts transferred to clubs?

“Today it’s clear that the federation is gradually withdrawing its involvement in order to make a change with the clubs, so that they are the ones who will ultimately finance them. Why is that? Because we’ve created inequality and distorted the system.

“Girls are forced to work and compensate, because if they want to play their sport, they don’t have the means, and there are still too many inequalities. What we want to do, with the support of the clubs, is to find a balance and resources for all elite girls,” says the vice president.

Centre Gabrielle Vernier (26, 44 caps) is one of the beneficiaries and every day she appreciates the progress that has been made since she started.

“My day is divided between rugby (75%) and engineering (25%),” she told L’Equipe’s Crunch podcast. “A typical week consists of training in the morning, training with the Blagnac players at lunchtime, work in the afternoon and training with the Blagnac players in the evening.

“It’s a busy rhythm, but I like it. I am well aware that there’s a post-career phase to look forward to. At the moment I’m making a living, but it’s not sustainable.

“With the introduction of federal contracts, where you’re 75% employed by the federation, and clubs becoming more structured, we’re seeing clear progress. When I arrived at Blagnac four years ago, there were three training sessions a week from 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm.

“Now we can train at lunchtime, we have access to the gym whenever we want during the day, but we tend to train in the evening, trying to train between 4.30 pm and 6.30 pm. It’s complicated to manage, but we feel that everyone is pushing us to be more professional.”

The chance for the French women’s team

The financial balance must therefore be found, and for the time being that will depend on the performance of the French women’s team.

“We’re a bit of a showcase for French women’s rugby; it’s all about us, our performances and our results,” says backrow Gaëlle Hermet (27, 62 caps).

“We don’t see it as a responsibility. We see it more as an opportunity to take women’s rugby even further, to say to ourselves that every time we’re on the field we have a mission to help women’s rugby grow. We’re aware that this includes our performances.”

There’s no doubt that a win over England on Saturday, which would end the Red Rose’s impressive run of 28 wins and a tunnel of 12 consecutive defeats for France, would raise the profile of women’s rugby in France even further.

Rugby World Cup 2025 is coming to England. Register now here to be the first to hear about tickets.

Former Australia U20s captain Teddy Wilson is in line to make his HSBC SVNS Series debut at the seventh round in Singapore on May 3-5, the penultimate leg in the 2023/24 campaign.

The son of former Wallaby and Rugby World Cup winner David, Wilson is one of two changes to John Manenti’s side from Hong Kong.

The 21-year-old Waratahs half-back has been called into the squad with Maurice Longbottom (hamstring) and Matt Gonzalez (shoulder) unavailable through injury. James McGregor also returns for his second tournament after making his sevens debut in Cape Town.

Australia have already qualified for the Grand Final in Madrid in June after finishing fourth in Hong Kong, and will be looking to improve their ranking for both the final and the Paris Olympic Games in July.

Manenti said: “As the tournaments roll around, they all become more significant in one way or another. For us, the chance to play consistently remains a key focus. There were heaps of positives to take from Hong Kong and on a short turnaround we have worked on a few areas to improve on for Singapore.

Your #HSBCSVNSHKG winners ?

Don’t miss out on tickets for Singapore SVNS, to see if @nz_sevens can continue their winning ways ?#HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSSGP

— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) April 7, 2024

“On the back of a few injury niggles, we get to welcome Teddy Wilson from the Waratahs into the squad for his debut. We are grateful to the Waratahs to give us the opportunity to play Teddy and know that he will fit right in with the team.

“We also welcome back for his second cap, Jimmy McGregor. He was the standout player in the recent Hong Kong 10s tournament when playing with the PAC Baa-Baas and has been training full-time with us for the past six months.

“The rest of the squad remains the same, with Michael Hooper getting further exposure after handling Hong Kong well.”

For the women’s side, Tim Walsh has made two key changes with Australian legends Charlotte Caslick and Sharni Smale set to miss the Singapore trip due to niggling injuries.

Dominique du Toit returns from an ankle injury in a timely boost while Lily Dick and Sidney Taylor are the fresh faces in the squad with Bienne Terita also unavailable.

The Aussie women claimed bronze in Hong Kong and are chasing another strong showing with arch-rivals New Zealand currently equal in points at the top of the table.

“We are after a performance in Singapore as we prepare for the final event in Madrid and the Olympics in July,” Walsh said.

“We are equal top on competition points with New Zealand, which makes for a Singapore showdown, and watching France beat them in Hong Kong at their peak makes for a very competitive last couple of tournaments.

“It’s an important part of the game. A lot of people don’t like it.”

– Teddy Wilson, with Liam Heagney ???, on box kicking, the Junior Wallabies and having a Rugby World Cup-winning father. #WorldRugbyU20shttps://t.co/RFHETVCBip

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 8, 2023

“Madison Ashby will captain the team in Charlotte Caslick’s absence and both Bridget Clark and Ruby Nicholas will play in their second cap in Singapore.”

The women’s side start their campaign against Brazil on Friday, May 3, before clashing with Great Britain later that day. The Aussie men face series leaders Argentina in their first match, followed by Canada.

• Click here for all the details about the Singapore SVNS

At some point as an entrepreneur, you’ll face a challenging decision: When is it time to hire your first employee? After incubating the idea of your startup. then deploying your resources and making it all happen, at some point you may realize it’s time to bring someone else in to help you achieve your vision and grow the business. It’s exciting, but at the same time, can be daunting. What if the new hire doesn’t work out? What if you hire too many people or too few?

Entrepreneurs are inherently self-starters and ambitious, and shifting responsibilities to new workers can be difficult – but it’s a necessary step for growth. A company needs support to grow and thrive. You can’t do it all on your own, which makes hiring employees — especially the early ones — a crucial step toward entrepreneurial success. Before you do anything, though, ask yourself: Is this the right time to hire?

Knowing when you shouldn’t hire

Before addressing best practices for hiring, it’s vital to recognize common pitfalls entrepreneurs face when starting to grow their workforce – that starts with knowing when not to hire. Similar to making big life decisions, you should avoid hiring employees out of anxiety or uncertainty. Your choices should be deliberate and strategic. Take a step back and reconsider hiring employees if you find yourself in the following situations:

You’re desperate

If you have more work than you can humanly handle and you just need to get another body behind a desk, it’s tempting to find someone right away. However, a hasty decision born of desperation is rarely a good one. Take the time to find the right person for the job.

You don’t have specific responsibilities for an employee

Unless you have a defined set of tasks and expectations for your new hire, do them a favor and don’t hire anyone. A new hire at this stage will rightfully be confused and ineffective. You may need help, but if you don’t know exactly what that help will look like, consider hiring a coach instead of an employee.

You’ll take anyone

If you’re lucky, the first applicant will be an absolute rockstar who can bring your business to the next level – but that’s not the norm. You’ll learn a lot about yourself, the applicant market and your own position by interviewing more candidates. The variety of skill sets on display can also hone your focus for what your future employee will do.

Hiring your first employee

Hire someone too early and you could have cash flow problems, a worker who has nothing to do and the added stress of management. Hire too late, and you could be inundated with work you can’t accomplish, which could lead to missing deadlines and losing out on business.

Finding the right moment to hire, therefore, can make the difference between a failed enterprise and a successful business. But how do you know when the time is right? The following tips can make this process a little less painful and provide options for making that first hire:

Start with a cofounder

If you’re a solopreneur looking to make that next step, bringing on an employee can be intimidating. Instead, hire a cofounder, or at least someone who thinks like one.When making that first hire, look for someone with cofounder potential and traits, such as complementary skills, similar values and vision, teachability, passion, emotional intelligence, flexibility and honesty. Your first employee will hopefully be one of your longest lasting and most knowledgeable.

Ask yourself: Will these tasks generate money?

It’s been said that the only two purposes of an employee are to: 1) make money for the business, or 2) save money for the business. If you’re confident a new hire will do at least one of those two things, go for it. In the early stage of a company, making money is more important than saving it. Typically, these early roles involve creating products (designers, developers, etc.), marketing products (growth hackers, content marketers, etc.) and supporting products (customer support, help desk, etc.).

Know your desired skill set

Before you search for an employee, you need to know what kind of candidate you’re looking for. It’s not enough to simply know that you “need some help” or “need a developer.” Get specific: You don’t want just a “developer.” You want a Javascript developer with GitHub experience able to create machine learning algorithms with educational applications, for example. The clearer your set of responsibilities are, the more effectively you can hire someone to fulfill those duties r.

Delay the decision by hiring a contractor

You may still be undecided over whether or not it’s time to hire. Don’t sweat it. Instead, test it. Try hiring a contractor with the same set of parameters you’re looking for in a full-time employee. The introductory hassle of onboarding a contractor is relatively low compared to that of hiring an employee. You can create a contract for one month, six months or a year. If it works out, you can transition this person into an official hire or look for a full-time employee.

The differences between hiring freelancers, contractors and employees

The major differences between freelancers, contractors and employees has to do with their relationship with the business owner. Freelancers and contractors are self-employed individuals, while employees are hired by the company. Freelancers and contractors typically set their schedules based on the needs of their clients and work out a payment schedule (typically upon completion of a job).

Employees, on the other hand, work the schedule established by the company and receive a regular paycheck on a schedule set by the company. As a business owner, you’re responsible for tax reporting on your payroll employees. But since freelancers and independent contractors are considered self-employed, they are responsible for reporting their taxes.

So what’s the best decision for your company? It depends on your needs, your resources and your ambitions.

When should you hire a freelancer?

Some people use the terms “freelancer” and “contractor” interchangeably, but there is a difference in the type of professional you are hiring. Freelancers usually work on smaller, short-term projects, while contractors work on larger, more long-term projects.

Freelancers are great options for specific support — for example, bringing on a digital marketer to get your social media up and running. If you’re not financially ready to bring on full-time employees for whom you have to provide employee benefits, a freelance relationship may be a better setup.

When should you hire a contractor?

Contractors generally come with a team of expert professionals who can get you the help you need, whatever it may be. They can handle specialized projects, such as IT, remodels, design and consulting. As your business grows, financial consultants can keep you on track with your financial goals. If you need highly specialized work that requires a team, contracting a company will ensure the job gets done right.

When should you hire an employee?

Not every company needs a large number of employees, but if you hold frequent meetings, rent an office space or interact with customers, you’ll want reliable employees to help support the business. Remember, just because someone looks good on paper doesn’t mean they’re a good fit for your business. They must fit into your company’s culture. Consider bringing on full-time staff if they can make you more money or improve the customer experience.

Why hiring globally might be your best move

The growing popularity of remote work has meant dramatic growth in the pool of available talent. Don’t limit yourself to just domestic workers, though. By hiring workers outside your country, you can save money, increase efficiency and still provide customers with superior service. Consider the following benefits to hiring globally.

A wider talent pool

As unemployment levels drop, the demand for skilled workers rises — especially for roles in software engineering or data science. By looking past your own borders, you can grow your pool of potential employees and have access to a wider swath of workers. For example, Poland, Slovakia and India are renowned for their pool of highly qualified tech professionals available to work remotely for international companies. Tap into this talent network to find the right fit for your company.

Cost efficiencies

Hiring overseas means access to employees who live somewhere with a much lower cost of living, which generally means lower salary expectations. The requirements for compulsory employer contributions and payroll taxes that increase business costs also vary by country. For example, countries like Germany and Japan generally require that employers deduct a certain amount of the employee’s pay for health insurance. But Australia and New Zealand, with public healthcare systems, do not require such employer insurance contributions.

Access to resilient international markets

If you run a growing, ambitious business, you may be eyeing overseas expansion. One of the biggest factors in your success will be having employees familiar with that market. You have a few options for growing an international presence: set up a local entity or subsidiary (abiding by local employment laws) or use an Employer of Record (EOR) solution, in which you designate a third-party company to handle payroll, HR compliance and employee tax withholding.

Compliance benefits

Employer compliance can vary depending on the country, and some are more strict than others. Whether you’re concerned about at-will employment, parental leave allowance or pension contributions, you can hire from countries whose labor laws align with your needs.

24/7 customer support

Customers expect fast and capable support, no matter where they’re based or when they contact the company. With just 9% of customers able to solve business queries on their own, customer service channels are more important than ever. Having staff in multiple international locations and time zones ensures someone will always answer the support line and provide 24/7 support for your customers.

Before you hire globally, though, you should look into any logistical challenges it might create. Despite the many benefits, hiring international talent can lead to internal communication challenges, scheduling conflicts across time zones, cultural differences, and discrepancies in pay scales. While these challenges can be overcome, they’re worth considering before building a continent-spanning workforce.

Related: 10 Pros (and Cons) of Hiring International Employees

Can college students solve your employee needs?

Different hires provide varying solutions for business, and hiring college students can infuse your company with young energy and ambitious workers. Whether you develop an internship program or employ them part time or seasonally, college students are often more affordable to hire than full-time employees and can support your team’s specific needs.

Creating a pipeline between universities and your business could be a worthwhile investment. Students are trying to get their foot in the door, and they can also provide your company with much-needed help. Here are a few benefits of hiring college students:

They bring fresh perspectives and new ideas

College students are at a unique stage in their lives and are just beginning to form professional identities. Eager to develop skill sets and apply classroom lessons in the professional world, they often bring welcome new perspectives to the table. This can be especially valuable in industries that are constantly changing or in need of innovation.

They’re highly motivated and ready to learn

The most ambitious college students are proactive and eager to take on new challenges — both promising traits for future employees. When you empower college workers, they’ll go above and beyond to learn and contribute to your organization. Additionally, young people are generally tech-savvy and comfortable with digital tools and platforms — a huge asset in today’s business landscape.

They’re cost-effective employees

Because school is the main priority, students are often willing to work for less pay than more experienced candidates; they’re also more open to part-time or internship positions, helping small businesses bring in new talent without breaking the bank. These internships can act as trial runs for potential full-time employment.

How to attract and hire the best salespeople

Just about any business needs persuasive salespeople. In order to sustain and grow your company, you need someone who can bring in new clients while you focus on the business itself. No matter what role someone in your company fulfills, everyone does some kind of selling on a regular basis — pitching investors or bankers, selling coworkers on a new project idea or vision, providing customer service, negotiating with vendors, etc.

Ultimately, though, it will be your sales team that drives your company’s growth. If you want to add top-notch talent to this group and increase your revenue, keep these things in mind:

Your mission should be exciting and purposeful

What are you looking to achieve with your business? Most people these days are looking to join a company because of its mission — its goal to change the world in some meaningful way. According to a 2021 McKinsey study, 70% of Americans say work defines their sense of purpose. Your mission doesn’t need to save lives, it just needs to inspire workers and point to a larger goal. Find salespeople who buy into this mindset, and they’ll evangelize the company or product for you.

Be the best salesperson you can be

If you’re looking to hire salespeople, you should also know how to sell. You may get to a point in your business where you’re not the main person bringing in new clients, but you still have ideas you need to sell to investors, journalists or marketers — and your own team. When interviewing a potential candidate, pay attention to your own energy level. Are you charismatic? Are you enthusiastic about the position and the opportunity? When the interview is done, you’ll want the candidate to feel like they’re ready to jump on your bandwagon and get started right away.

Know what else you can offer

If you can’t compete in the market with a high salary, you can at least offer other incentives that attract top talent and keep your business afloat. Many employees are looking for better work-life balance. Can you offer a flexible work schedule? Consider offering profit sharing or a higher commission in the near future. If your product or services are innovative or revolutionary, that can also be an incentive, as employees are eager to join a business that’s about to rapidly expand.

The best recruiting platforms for small business hiring

When it’s time to hire, finding quality candidates doesn’t need to be complicated. Job search sites can help you recruit and retain talent no matter your company’s budget or size. Some companies advertise jobs across a variety of platforms, and the sites you choose will determine who applies for your open roles.

Similar to reaching a target audience, you want to meet candidates where they already are — think industry-specific forums, alumni networks or on social media. But there’s also value in casting a wide net and posting on major job boards with millions of visitors. With so many platforms to choose from, which will best support your mission? Here are some of the top recruiting platforms to consider:

ZipRecruiter

ZipRecruiter allows you to post job openings and receive applications from relevant candidates, as well as organize applicants in a resume database. Applicant tracking tools, including providing candidates with notes and feedback, also help you manage the hiring process.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is particularly effective for recruiting candidates in the business, finance and technology sectors. To help you find and hire top talent in — and outside of — your network, it offers job postings, resume searches and applicant tracking.

Indeed

One of the world’s largest job search websites, Indeed allows you to search for candidates based on their location, experience and skills. It also provides rates for sponsored listings that prioritize your job openings in the search results.

Glassdoor

In addition to job postings, Glassdoor features reviews from people who’ve worked at various companies. By providing insight into a company’s culture and employee satisfaction, the site can help attract candidates to your open positions.

Workable

With affordable pricing plans and an easy-to-use interface, Workable is a recruiting platform that’s particularly effective for small- and medium-size businesses looking to streamline their hiring process. It offers a variety of features, including job postings, applicant tracking and candidate sourcing.

Writing job advertisements to attract remote workers

The pandemic ushered in a widespread adoption of work-from-home policies that may be here to stay. These policies allow for more flexible working situations, and they’re an excellent way for businesses to stay competitive in the job market.

When writing your job advertisements, keep in mind it’s still just a listing, so you need to effectively communicate the benefits of working remotely and the job requirements. Consider the following tips for writing job advertisements to attract remote workers:

Communicate the remote nature of the job

Specify that the job is a remote position and include details about the type of work environment and equipment that will be required. Does this person need to work certain hours or be in a certain time zone? Spell everything out. If the job advertisement doesn’t say remote up front, many people will assume that it’s not.

Highlight the benefits to employees working remotely

Make it clear that the job offers the flexibility and autonomy of working remotely. Mention any perks or benefits that come with the position, such as a flexible schedule or the ability to work from anywhere.

Clearly outline the job requirements

Your job advertisements should clearly state the skills, experience, and qualifications that are required for the position. This will help you attract the right candidates and weed out those who are not a good fit.

Use language that resonates with remote workers

Use language that speaks to the realities of working remotely. For example, mention the ability to work from anywhere or the need for strong self-motivation and discipline. Also mention skills necessary for collaborating remotely, such as clear and concise communication.

Include information about your company culture

Whether in-person or working remotely, employees place a high value on company culture. In fact, this may be even more crucial in a remote environment, where your only coworker interactions are happening in chats and on video calls. Include information about your company’s values and mission in your job advertisements to help attract candidates who are a good fit.

It’s time to start hiring

By following these tips, you can make the most effective hiring decisions for your business. Keep in mind: no two companies are the same. Before you make a hire — or post a job, for that matter — consider the work you need done, the kind of worker you need to complete it, and where that person should be located. By outlining your needs early, you’ll save money (and headaches) in the long run.

The Cantarito cocktail is a famous Mexican cocktail similar to the Paloma. What makes the Cantarito unique is that it mixes more citrus juices, including orange juice, lime juice and grapefruit juice with grapefruit soda and tequila. The drink is traditionally served in it’s namesake vessel, the cantarito cup.

More tequila cocktails: Classic Margarita, Ranch Water, Mexican Mule, Strawberry Margarita.

Ingredients in a Cantarito

• Tequila – We recommend Reposado Tequila.
• Orange Juice – Fresh squeezed.
• Lime Juice – Fresh squeezed.
• Grapefruit Juice – Fresh squeezed.
• Grapefruit Soda – Such as Jarritos or Squirt.
• Tajín – For the rim of the cup.
• Fresh Fruit – For garnish (optional).

This drink is most often served in a cantarito cup. If you don’t have one on hand, you can also serve this drink in a rocks glass or a Collins glass.

Instructions

Prepare your clay cantarito cup by soaking it in cold water for 10 minutes.

Rim the cantarito cup with Tajín seasoning.

Add the tequila, orange juice, lime juice and grapefruit juice into a shaker with ice and shake for 10-15 seconds.

Strain the cocktail into a cantarito cup (or other glass) with fresh ice.

Top it off with grapefruit soda and give it a gentle stir to combine.

Garnish with fresh fruit like a lemon wedge, grapefruit wedge or lime wedge.

Tips For Making

• Cantarito cups are most often used because they are known for keeping drinks cooler for longer.
• Many recipes recommend adding a sprinkle of salt to the cocktail shaker before shaking. If you like a little extra salt in your beverage, give this a try.
• If you don’t have Tajín to rim your cup with, you can use margarita salt instead (although we love the spice and flavor of Tajín).

Cantarito Cups

The cantarito is a small earthenware clay cup that was first created in Jalisco, the Mexican state where tequila is made. They are also known as jarrito de barros. The word cantarito comes from the Spanish word for pitcher—cántaro. The smaller drinking cup is used for many beverages, including Agua Fresca, Micheladas and its namesake, the Cantarita cocktail.

More Recipes to Try:

Mother’s Day 2024 is on Sunday, May 12, which means this holiday is quickly approaching! From the best candle I’ve burned lately to loungewear that feels like a soft breeze on the skin, here are my picks for our 2024 Mother’s Day gift guide. I’ve included a couple of my wish list items as well—hint, hint to the people in my life! 

These are my favorite Mother’s Day gift ideas for 2024…

1. Follain Candle #2

$45

I recently had this candle burning in my kitchen and entryway and it felt like a little trip to the spa. It’s a nice little pick-me-up that would be a perfect gift. The vessel is beautiful and it burns for a long time.

2. Gardening Gift Card

$25+

All I want for Mother’s Day are plants for my garden—and to look cute while gardening. Terrain is a great place to shop for gardening essentials online. Your local nursery is bound to have beautiful items as well—and in doing so, you’re supporting a local business. My favorite is Tonkadale.

3. Wit & Delight Striped Spiral Notepad

$15

Our popular spiral notepads made a colorful debut at Anthropologie this month! They’re great for keeping on a desk or in the kitchen for jotting notes down. 

4. J.Crew Woven Straw Tote

$118 currently on sale for $85

A carry-all tote in a classic woven material stands the test of time and will get used year after year. 

5. L’Occitane Shea Nourishing Trio Set

$52

My skin is dry year-round and high-quality hand cream from L’Occitane is always a welcome gift. 

6. Roxanne Assoulin Heart Necklace

$145

This is a big statement necklace they can wear proudly with a simple white tee or their favorite dress. 

7. MERIT Summer Set

$112

MERIT makeup is a dream for no-fuss beauty lovers. The summer set is a great gift for the upcoming warmer months, designed for glowy skin that doesn’t look glittery. 

8. Another Feather Platter Ring

$268

I love an heirloom piece that is understated yet special and easy to wear daily.  Another Feather specializes in that kind of jewelry. Any one of their pieces would make a great gift, with my personal favorites being the Platter ring, Vase and Urn necklaces, and Natica earrings. 

9. Fortune Frame

$38

A little frame to hold their favorite fortune cookie message? I think this is such a cute gift idea! I want one. 

10. Berti Red-Handled Italian Kitchen Knives

$213+

If the mom in your life loves to cook, good knives make the task a wonderfully meditative process. Handmade in Italy since 1895, these Berti knives are incredibly high-quality and would make an amazing gift.

11. Negative Underwear Whipped Track Pant & Henley

$185 & $125

The Whipped collection feels like wearing nothing! The material is so soft and supple. Any piece from this collection would make a great gift for someone who loves to get into their comfies at the end of the workday or linger in them long into a weekend afternoon. 

12. Anthropologie Wine Glasses

$72 currently on sale for $57

These wine glasses are fun and festive and make a great gift for a mother who loves to entertain. 

13. PASCAL Oval Bubble Diamond Watch

$195

A cute little watch that is on the top of my wish list. 

Editor’s Note: This article contains affiliate links. Wit & Delight uses affiliate links as a source of revenue to fund the operations of the business and to be less dependent on branded content. Wit & Delight stands behind all product recommendations. Still have questions about these links or our process? Feel free to email us.