AmiSights

"I may not always ask for help, but I’ll never forget who quietly showed up and checked on me." Life gets heavy, and even the strongest people struggle to say, “I need support.” That’s why the quiet check-ins matter.  Be the friend who texts out of nowhere, the coworker who notices your silence, the person who shows up without needing an invitation. Those small gestures stay with you. They remind you that you’re not carrying everything alone. And the people who offer that kin

Last week, in a rare moment of unity (yes, you read that right), the House unanimously agreed to increase the SBA 7(a) loan limit for manufacturing companies from $5 million to $10 million. If you just checked the sky for flying pigs, you’re not alone. This change would be a tremendous boost for manufacturers who need real capital to grow, modernize, and stay competitive. The next step is for the Senate to approve it—and if they manage to agree, we may witness two miracles in

With only half of new businesses surviving two years, and only one-third lasting five years, entrepreneurs could use the advice of experts who have been there and done that. The Wall Street Journal ranked  the top 10 reasons new businesses fail based on input from such experts. While “growing too quickly,” “lack of experience” and “lack of market” unsurprisingly made the list, other tips centered around softer skills. For example, too much passion doesn’t necessarily seem lik

In this new edition of the AmiSights Podcast , dive into the world of emotional intelligence with Virginia Knudsen, CEO & Co-Founder of BOAR ! Learn how self-awareness, empathy, and effective communication can elevate your leadership skills and enrich your relationships. "Emotional intelligence is composed of self-awareness, who am I, and why do I react the way I react, and how do my behaviors and reactions affect others?" The main topics of today’s episode are: The passion

That 20 dollar bill Aunt Martha stashes in the Christmas card is like a novelty for most Gen Zers. Business Insider reports  that some 4.4 billion people – about half of people worldwide – are using digital wallets, with that number expected to grow 35% by 2030, says tech strategist firm Juniper Research. Adults 24 and younger are the most likely to pay with their phones, using them to make 45% of their purchases, according to a 2025 report from the Federal Reserve. Although

“If your nervous system could speak, it would ask you to spend more time with peaceful people and to take longer walks.” -Yung Pueblo Most of us live at a pace our bodies were never designed for... phones buzzing, deadlines looming, and calendars packed to the edge. We assume stress is normal, but your nervous system disagrees. It’s begging for something different. As we head into the weekend, I challenge you to find time for yourself and with those that make you feel at ease

Every once in a while, I think back to the middle of Covid and ask myself, What exactly was going through my head?  Everybody I knew was trying to get out of leases, shrink space, or go fully remote. Meanwhile, I went and did the opposite: I signed a brand-new, five-year office lease. But I honestly believed that when things calmed down, we’d want a physical place to come together. And on that point, I was mostly right—just not in the way I expected. Now that the five years a

There’s one tradition at MultiFunding that we never skip—our annual holiday team dinner. It’s our chance to gather in person and celebrate not just what we accomplished, but the people who helped us get there. With some of our team members joining us from out of state, this tradition has become more than a dinner. It’s a moment to connect face-to-face, reflect on the past year, and strengthen the relationships that fuel our work. We review our wins, challenges, and what’s ahe

As the job market’s Great Freeze continues, more and more workers are considering entrepreneurship, including recent college graduates.    Business Insider reports  that people may be starting businesses out of necessity, despite better-than-expected job growth in September. Job-search platform ZipRecruiter described the labor market's prolonged period of both employers and employees staying put as a "Great Freeze" with quits, layoffs and hiring remaining low. Self-employment

In response to President Trump’s push to reclaim global manufacturing with high tariffs on foreign products, China’s factories and ports are learning to make and export more goods faster, cheaper, and with fewer workers. China’s top priority has been to quickly and efficiently increase its AI efforts to shore up its role as the world’s factory floor in the long-term. Billions of dollars in government and private technology development are transforming every step of making and

“It is not happy people who are thankful, it is thankful people who are happy.” Coming off the Thanksgiving holiday, many of us are returning to our routines—full inboxes, unfinished projects, and the steady pace of normal life. But before the gratitude fades with the leftovers, it’s worth remembering a simple truth: happiness doesn’t lead to thankfulness. Thankfulness leads to happiness. We often assume we’ll feel grateful once everything goes well. But truly thankful people

Before we head into the holiday season, I wanted to take a moment to pause and say thank you. If you're reading this, you are part of a community that means so much to me. Every view, response, and share matters. I am truly grateful for this community! And to the MultiFunding team, I am thankful for you in so many ways. This year, my team brought passion, grit, and time into the work they do every single day. They support small businesses with genuine care and I am lucky to w

The old adage “don’t believe everything you see” is more relevant than ever. A recent Business Insider  piece by Amanda Hoover highlighted how hyper-realistic prank videos are swamping the internet and becoming convincingly realistic. Tech investments in the past few years have led to rapid changes in the quality of videos, resulting in police departments putting out public service announcements warning about teen pranks and dead celebrities’ families requesting to stop using

Every year, I like to take a moment to look in the mirror and see how we’re doing—not just as a company, but as a team committed to helping entrepreneurs across the country build their futures. Our 2025 report card is in, and it tells a story I’m incredibly proud to share. When we compare our SBA loan volume to the top 10 biggest banks in America—institutions with thousands of branches, massive marketing budgets, and armies of staff—we rank right up there with them. Think abo

“Unpopular truth: your competition isn’t anyone else. It’s your procrastination. It’s your bad habits. It’s your negativity. It’s your mindset. It’s you.” Success isn’t a race against the person next to you; it’s a daily negotiation with yourself. We all like to believe that the biggest obstacles are “out there” somewhere—the crowded market, the louder competitor, the changing algorithm, the shaky economy. But if we’re honest, the hardest battles usually happen internally. Pr

I used to think staying calm during a business crisis was something other people did — the kind of entrepreneurs who somehow manage to keep their composure while the world around them is on fire. That wasn’t me. When things went sideways, I’d lose sleep, pace the floors, and worry myself sick. But something’s changed over time. Maybe it’s experience. Perhaps it’s just having lived through enough storms to realize that panic never helps. The recent government shutdown was a go

As a recent legal settlement has given merchants more flexibility on credit card acceptance, using your plastic at the checkout line is going to get a lot more complicated. The  Wall Street Journal reports  that a settlement between Visa, Mastercard and U.S. merchants could usher in a new era of tiered pricing at the register, giving businesses more power to charge fees depending on the credit card you use. While merchants have always had the right to refuse to do business wi

In this week’s episode of the AmiSights Podcast , we dive straight into one of the biggest questions shaping our future: How will AI redefine the way we work, create, and compete?   Joe Apfelbaum breaks down the rapid acceleration of AI technologies and what it means for marketers, content creators, podcasters, and anyone trying to stay relevant in a digital-first world. From job displacement to the rise of machine-generated content, Joe offers a candid look at how AI is res

Has technology really streamlined our lives and made them easier? Nicole Schildt, working mother of six,  writes in Business Insider  that between managing work, a busy household, juggling sports practices, and the never-ending stream of digital pings, she is living in a constant state of half-attention. Although she admits her own mother certainly didn’t have it easy, Schildt believes she is burning out faster as part of the “exhausted generation.” After all, in her mother’s

With the government finally open again, there’s good news for SBA borrowers who have been frozen for weeks. The gears are turning, and progress can resume. But let’s be realistic — it won’t be business as usual overnight. There’s roughly a 45-day backlog of loans and applications to work through. While some SBA systems are automated, much of the process still depends on people — and that means delays, bottlenecks, and occasional inconsistencies. In my view, it will take a few

“Weak leaders insist that they're the best. They seek attention to feed their egos and measure success by how many followers they attract. Strong leaders ask how they can get better. They seek feedback to fuel their growth, and gauge success by how many lives they improve.” — Adam Grant This is a much-needed reality check: real leadership isn’t about being the loudest person in the room or collecting the most followers. We’ve all met people who cling to their titles or consta