Who among us in Michigan's small business community will emerge one day to make times list of the most influential companies and leaders?

The U.S. Customer Experience Index rankings are out and we've got the companies at the head of the class that are scoring big on customer experience and as a result, scoring big when it comes to customer loyalty and retention.

A recent Harris poll commissioned by Omaha Steaks found 40% of Americans have cut back on other purchases, 55% are unwilling to sacrifice their summer grill outs with family and friends.

Nearly half of Americans say they feel wealthy in spite of not measuring up to what most consider wealthy is defined purely by dollars and cents.

Great products alone are not enough to keep customers loyal. It takes great products and great customer service in order to do so. 60% of Gen Z say they rarely or ever complain to a company when they have a negative digital service experience. Instead, they choose not to do business with that brand anymore.

Inflation is hitting all of us, but one thing that isn't down with respect to consumer spending is the travel sector despite higher costs of travel and everything else that we have to spend on these days.

86% of consumers are more likely to trust a brand that uses user-generated content to influence their purchase decisions compared to 12% being impacted by a product promotion from an influencer.

The power of how success and business can lead to invaluable contributions to society, such as, tech entrepreneur Peter Thulson and the nonprofit organization he co-founded in partnership w/ the University of Michigan Health system, known as REWIND, dedicated to defeating type 2 diabetes.

One emerging sector of online retail showing promise as a channel is known as live commerce. Think of it as like QVC or Home Shopping Network, but online.

Michigan is losing significant jobs, talent, and investment opportunities as a result of the lack of the early stage investment capital, which has decreased by more than 40% in the last 5 years.