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As the leaves begin to turn and the end-of-year rush approaches, small business owners across the country are gearing up for their most crucial stretch of the year: the peak holiday shopping season. This article offers some helpful tips to beat shipping and logistical challenges during the season.

In a new Small Business Now report, Constant Contact discovered that to stay visible while managing the daily hustle of running a business, small businesses are fundamentally rewriting their job descriptions to embrace the role of “creator” — and leaning on AI to get it all done.

A new consumer survey found a variety of key factors that are driving consumer shopping behavior. Ahead of the holiday shopping season, these results are crucial for retailers looking to stand out against the competition.

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), a small business advocacy organization, just released a new report outlining the economic benefits and massive tax savings the 20% Small Business Tax Deduction will bring to the 560,428 small businesses in Minnesota now that it has been made permanent.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, Specialty Retailer is highlighting Bridget Albert, senior director of external communications at Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits. We recently sat down with Albert to discuss how she uses the podcast to discuss advocacy and belonging, the importance of authentic storytelling and how she is leveraging her platform to pave the way for the next generation of female leaders in beverage alcohol.

March is a time to honor the architects of change, the women who looked at "the way things are" and decided to build something better. In the male-dominated world of beverage alcohol, few people embody that spirit of architectural rebellion quite like Katey “Bunny” Rafanello.

Small retailers face many challenges as the market grows and technology advances, including rising costs and improved competition. AI tools can make it easier for retailers to compete in the new business market by allowing them to use the same resources as industry giants. AI enhances the customer experience while making a small retailer's operations smarter and more efficient.

This tension between stability and agility is one of the defining struggles of business modernization. Companies want to innovate quickly, but they can’t afford to disrupt the core systems that manage their inventory, supply chains and transactions. So how can these businesses move forward? The solution can be found in low-code development.

Big-box retailers have long leveraged technology to streamline operations, engage customers and drive sales. Today, many smaller, independent retailers – like jewelers and pet store owners – are following suit as technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), is hitting Main Street.

Digital marketing tools provider Constant Contact just released its latest Small Business Now Report, “The State of Small Business Marketing.” The study reveals a growing gap between the effort SMBs are putting into marketing and their confidence that those efforts are driving meaningful business results.

The global CBD market is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Ready to take advantage of this growing market, Julie Dunnwald now offers her own CBD products line. Beginning in the early 2000’s as Rockin’ Coffee, the brand now sells select CBD products as well as coffee, including powders, topicals, gummies and tinctures.

At a time when the alcohol-free beverage market is flooded with different options, brands are vying to stand out on shelves. Stursi’s secret? Having unrivaled flavor. Sisters and co-founder Livv and Lexx Mills describe the good and the bad with their push to market in this tell-all article.

Officially launching in February 2025, Geneba Tequila is one of the few tequilas created by an African American woman and distilled with women in mind. Founder IngridLaVon shares her story with us on how she launched her brand and its rapid rise to fame.

Making headlines in 2024 as the youngest female master among the major houses of Cognac at the age of 31, Agathe Boinot has had quite the unconventional journey to her appointment as D’USSÉ cellar master, breaking glass ceilings along her way.

The ‘California Sober’ movement, where individuals swap alcohol for cannabis, functional beverages or simply moderation, is a trend that's here to stay. And with the global alcohol-free beverage market projected to surpass $225 billion by 2030, the question isn’t if this movement will redefine drinking culture, it’s how quickly.

Crafted without alcohol, THC or CBD, Cannavinus 0% is a sparkling wine that is infused with terpenes such as limonene, caryophyllene and pinene to provide consumers with stress relief, anti-inflammatory and mood enhancement benefits without the buzz.

Based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. supply chain managers, the Supply Chain Integrity Outlook 2025 by Impinj research report reveals a data accuracy gap that leaves retailers struggling to find the level of insights, visibility and accuracy required to drive confidence in their supply chain and respond quickly to market changes.

Blending the worlds of alcohol and cannabis has been attempted before, but has never been successfully done due to federal and regulatory complications. IV20 made its successful debut by blending together different terpenes, resulting in the spirit tasting and smelling like cannabis, but it's 100% vodka.

Celebrity partnerships have been used by companies since the early days of marketing. When done correctly, they can greatly help boost brand awareness. Big Sipz, a higher ABV canned cocktail brand, partnered with Waka Flocka on its Purple Punch flavor and has found huge success with the collaboration.

When you think about sustainability, the first things that probably come to mind are solar panels and recyclable containers. And while these work great to help to reduce your carbon footprint, many companies are beginning to think outside the box, finding innovative new ways to be more sustainable.