Author: sHq_LoGiNz

How do you get your first customers if you hate selling? 

You can be good at something and still be terrible at selling yourself.

For a college student or young adult turning a skill, hobby or side project into income, that can feel like a major problem. Maybe you know how to design graphics, edit videos, tutor, write or build websites. But the idea of walking up to someone and saying, “Pay me for this,” can feel uncomfortable.

The good news: getting your first customers doesn’t require you to suddenly become a salesperson.

At the beginning, you don’t need a complicated marketing strategy. You need enough credibility that a few people are willing to take a chance on you.

Who should you ask first if you have a good business idea? 

Start one degree away from the people who already know you.

That could mean classmates, coworkers, neighbors, friends-of-friends, student organizations or local businesses you already interact with. You don’t have to cold-message hundreds of strangers or build a huge following.

The people closest to you can also help you understand whether your offer makes sense. If you tell someone what you do and they immediately know who might need it, you’re onto something.

How do you explain what you’re selling without sounding salesy? 

Don’t sell a job title. Sell a specific outcome.

Instead of “I’m a graphic designer,” try “I create menus and social graphics for local restaurants.” Instead of “I edit videos,” try “I turn long videos into short-form clips for small businesses.”

The more specific the offer, the less you have to convince someone. They can quickly decide whether it is relevant to them.

How can you prove you’re good at what you do if you don’t have customers yet? 

Show something.

You don’t need a long list of clients to demonstrate that you can do good work. Create a sample. Design a hypothetical menu. Edit a short video. Build a sample website. Put together a small tutoring outline.

A strong example can answer questions that a sales pitch can’t. It lets someone see what they would actually get from working with you.

And once you have even one customer, you can start building from there.

Where can people go to see your work? 

Give potential customers somewhere to verify that you exist.

A simple online presence can bring your offer, examples and contact information together in one place. It doesn’t need to be a complicated website or a fully developed brand. It just needs to make it easy for someone to understand what you do and decide what to do next.

A domain can give your work a home you control online, while GoDaddy Airo can help simplify getting a basic website up and running.

Think of it less as a marketing machine and more as proof: if someone hears about you, they have somewhere to go to see your work.

How do you ask someone to become a customer without making it awkward? 

Make the ask specific and low-pressure.

Instead of sending a generic message saying, “Let me know if you need anything,” try something tied to a real need: “I’m offering graphic design services to local businesses this month. Here’s an example of my work and what’s included.”

You’re not asking someone to believe in your entire future business. You’re asking whether they have a specific problem you can solve.

That makes the conversation much easier—for you and for them.

What should you learn from your first five customers? 

Your first customers aren’t just revenue. They’re research.

After each project, ask what almost stopped the person from hiring you. Was the price unclear? Was the offer confusing? Did they want to see more examples? Did they have concerns about timing?

Those answers can help you improve your offer before you try to reach more people.

Five customers can teach you more about your business than months of guessing what people might want.

Do you really need to become a salesperson? 

Probably not in the way you’re imagining.

You don’t need to become the loudest person in the room, build a huge social following or master a complicated sales funnel. You need to make three things easy to understand: what you do, who it’s for and why someone should trust you to do it.

Start with people one degree away from you. Show your work. Make a specific offer. Give people somewhere to verify that you’re real. Then listen to what happens.

That’s not about becoming someone you’re not. It’s about making it easier for the right people to say yes.

Should your first five customers need to be strangers? 

If you’re starting a business while you’re in college, your first customers may already be closer than you think.

They could be a local restaurant that needs social content, a campus organization that needs design work or a friend-of-a-friend who needs help with something you already know how to do.

The goal isn’t to prove that you can sell to everyone. It’s to find five people who are willing to give you a chance.

Once you have those five, you’ll have something more valuable than a sales script: experience, examples, feedback and proof that someone is willing to pay for what you can do.

What free tools are there for college students who are ready to start a business? 

GoDaddy Empower is offering a free domain and access to website building tools for three years* to college students who are ready to launch a brand or start their business.

To learn more, visit www.godaddy.com/godaddy-for-good/empower.
 

^{*Offer only available in U.S. higher education institutions at this time.} 

Demonstrating the power of public-private partnerships to expand workforce opportunities, AEG Presents, in partnership with the City of San Francisco and NonPlus Ultra, welcomed 50 students and young professionals to its College Connection Program during the 2026 Portola Music Festival. The initiative provided participants with direct exposure to career pathways in live entertainment through mentorship, professional development and hands-on learning experiences.

Designed to help build the next generation of entertainment industry professionals, the day-long program offered participants behind-the-scenes access to one of the nation’s premier music festivals while connecting them with industry leaders across multiple disciplines. Guided tours of the festival grounds, led by Goldenvoice Director of Festival Operations Tim Le, provided firsthand insight into the planning, operations and logistics required to produce a large-scale live event.

Participants also attended an industry panel featuring leaders from AEG Presents, Goldenvoice and the San Francisco Entertainment Commission, who shared career journeys and explored emerging opportunities across the live entertainment sector. Discussions highlighted the wide range of professions that support live events, including operations, marketing, production, partnerships, sales and community engagement.

To further support career readiness, students and young professionals participated in speed mentoring sessions with experts from merchandise, partner activations, sales, marketing and production. The experience also included individualized résumé reviews led by AEG Presents’ Human Resources team and a networking luncheon designed to help participants build meaningful professional connections and expand their industry networks.

The program delivered measurable workforce outcomes, with 13 participants securing employment opportunities with the Portola Music Festival team in roles across Box Office, Guest Service and Marketing. Additional participants gained access to internship, mentorship and professional development opportunities through AEG Presents and its partners, extending the program’s impact beyond the festival weekend.

“Live entertainment offers a wide range of rewarding careers, yet many young people are not aware of the opportunities available to them. Through College Connection, we’re helping bridge that gap by providing students and emerging professionals with direct access to industry leaders, practical experience and pathways to employment,” said Twana Simmons, DEI Business Partner, AEG Presents. “We’re proud to partner with the City of San Francisco and community stakeholders to help develop the next generation of talent and create greater access to careers in our industry.”

The College Connection Program reflects AEG Presents’ ongoing commitment to expanding access to opportunity and investing in the future workforce. By bringing together industry leaders, government partners and community stakeholders, the initiative helps remove barriers to entry while creating pathways for students and emerging professionals to explore meaningful careers in the live entertainment industry.

Through programs like College Connection, AEG Presents continues to strengthen local communities, support workforce development and help cultivate a diverse pipeline of talent prepared to shape the future of live entertainment.

by Lionella Pezza, Domini Impact Investments

Building a sustainable economy requires investing in the companies and systems that enable change. Today, Domini’s research increasingly focuses on those systems. The transition to a low-carbon economy and sustainable energy is not driven by any single sector. Renewable energy generation is essential, but it depends on a network of technologies, infrastructure, and capital flows that make scale possible.

Consider wind energy. Domini invests in Vestas Wind Systems, a global leader that has helped expand renewable power generation worldwide.

But generating renewable electricity is only part of the equation. An electrified, low-carbon economy depends on technologies that are less visible but equally indispensable.

Semiconductors are one such example. Modern energy systems, from wind turbines and solar installations to smart grids, storage, and efficiency technologies, rely on increasingly advanced electronic components. Without them, scaling renewable energy would not be feasible.

This is one reason Domini invests in Monolithic Power Systems. The company designs high-performance power-management semiconductors that make electronic systems smaller, more efficient, and less wasteful. Its chips are used across renewable energy infrastructure — from solar power to wind turbines to battery storage — where they help convert and control electricity with minimal loss.

Technology alone, however, cannot deliver the transition. Capital is equally critical. Building renewable energy infrastructure, modernizing grids, and scaling clean transportation require significant and sustained investment.

Read her full article here- https://greenmoney.com/beyond-exclusion-investing-in-the-systems-behind-the-energy-transition/

 

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Environmental sustainability has become increasingly complex for the global beverage industry. Companies are navigating evolving reporting requirements, changing regulatory expectations, climate and nature priorities, supplier engagement across global value chains, and growing expectations for measurable progress, all while maintaining resilient, efficient business operations.

For BIER, this changing landscape shapes the technical work, resources, and conversations members undertake together.

That work was on display in Chicago at the Fall 2026 Roundtable, hosted by BIER members Molson Coors and Diageo. BIER’s biannual Roundtables give members dedicated time to exchange expertise, learn from one another’s experiences, examine emerging issues, and advance shared environmental priorities.

This year’s discussions also offered a timely perspective on BIER’s own evolution. What began around one of the beverage industry’s most fundamental resources has grown into a broader technical platform designed to help members respond to a sustainability landscape that looks very different today than it did when BIER was founded.

Addressing Today’s Environmental Priorities

Over three days, members explored a range of environmental sustainability topics reflecting both current industry priorities and the increasing interconnectedness of today’s challenges.

Discussions examined climate, nature, and biodiversity, including approaches to identifying and understanding environmental risks and how those considerations are being integrated into broader sustainability strategies. Members also explored innovations supporting decarbonization, recognizing that reducing greenhouse gas emissions requires both technical expertise and practical implementation across operations and value chains.

Another important focus was supplier engagement. As organizations continue advancing environmental sustainability throughout increasingly complex global supply chains, supplier relationships play an increasingly important role in supporting meaningful progress. Members exchanged perspectives on approaches to engagement, recognizing that collaboration throughout the value chain is becoming an essential component of long-term environmental performance.

The Roundtable also examined the evolving packaging regulatory landscape, providing members an opportunity to better understand emerging developments affecting the beverage industry, while discussions on WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) and resilient supply chains reinforced the continued importance of responsible water management—an area that has remained central to BIER’s work since its founding.

While each session addressed a different aspect of environmental sustainability, together they illustrated something larger: BIER is pushing boundaries and actively looking around the corner at what sustainability will be, and what it needs to become- in the years ahead. The agenda reflected members taking on issues that do not yet have prominent or fully defined solutions, reinforcing the value of collaboration when the path forward is still being shaped.

From Discussion to Practical Action

One defining characteristic of BIER is that conversations do not end when the Roundtable concludes. Throughout the year, members continue collaborating through technical workstreams, benchmarking initiatives, and resource development that translate shared discussions into practical guidance for the beverage industry.

Recent examples include BIER’s Water, Energy, and Emissions Benchmarking Study, which provides participating members with normalized environmental performance data to support operational insight and continuous improvement, and the SBTi No-Deforestation Disclosure Best Practices Workstream, where members collaborated to develop practical guidance supporting more consistent and transparent public disclosures in response to evolving Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) disclosure requirements.

These initiatives reflect just some of the workstreams BIER is focused on this year. Collectively, they show the range of member-driven work underway, from timely and evolving issues such as SBTi disclosure expectations to well-established resources, such as the benchmarking study developed over nearly 20 years that the beverage industry continues to reference.

Building on Twenty Years of Collaboration

Founded in 2006 around a shared commitment to water stewardship, BIER has continued to evolve alongside the environmental sustainability landscape.

Over the past two decades, members have developed benchmarking studies, technical guidance, water stewardship frameworks, water circularity resources, decarbonization guidance, and collaborative initiatives that help companies strengthen environmental performance while contributing to broader industry progress.

The Fall 2026 Roundtable reflected that continued evolution. From water stewardship to climate action, supplier engagement, packaging, and biodiversity, the discussions demonstrated how BIER continues to provide members with opportunities to exchange knowledge, learn from one another, and collaborate on the issues shaping the future of the beverage industry.

Looking Ahead

Environmental sustainability challenges will continue to evolve, and so will the need for practical, science-based collaboration.

As BIER looks toward its next chapter, it remains committed to providing members with a forum for technical dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collective problem-solving that supports meaningful environmental progress across the global beverage industry.

The conversations held during the Fall 2026 Roundtable will continue well beyond Chicago, informing future workstreams, technical resources, benchmarking initiatives, and collaborative efforts that help members navigate an increasingly dynamic sustainability landscape.

 

About BIER
BIER is a technical coalition of leading global beverage companies working together to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector. Formed in 2006, BIER is a common voice across the beverage sector, speaking to influence global standards on environmental sustainability aspects most relevant to the sector, affect change both up and down the supply chain, and share best practices that raise the bar for environmental performance of the industry. By doing so, BIER is able to monitor data and trends, engage with key stakeholders, develop best practices, and guide a course of action for the future. BIER members include Anheuser-Busch InBev, Asahi Group Holdings, Bacardi, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Constellation Brands, Diageo, Heaven Hill Brands, Heineken, Keurig Dr Pepper, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, Molson Coors, Monster Energy, Ocean Spray Cranberries, PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard, and Suntory Global Spirits. For more information, visit www.bieroundtable.com.

NEWARK, N.J., September 28, 2026 /3BL/ — PSE&G recently launched the GridSmart Battery Program, a pilot program that helps residential electric customers offset the cost of purchasing and installing qualifying home battery energy storage systems. The program provides a $5,000 incentive toward the purchase and installation of a qualifying home battery system, along with the option for up to $25,000 in interest-free, on-bill repayment for remaining installation costs.

In addition to providing backup power during an outage, participating battery systems may be called upon during scheduled GridSmart Battery Events. These planned events are intended to reduce stress on the electric grid during periods of peak demand by temporarily using the battery to power the customer’s home, reducing the amount of electricity it draws from the grid. Customers will be notified in advance of scheduled events.

Through the pilot, PSE&G will evaluate the customer and grid benefits of residential battery storage, including electric system reliability, peak demand reduction, operational insight and customer resiliency.

Supporting New Jersey’s battery storage and grid modernization efforts

The program is part of PSE&G’s residential Virtual Power Plant (VPP) pilot. A VPP is not a physical power plant, but an aggregation of distributed energy resources that are operated in a coordinated manner to provide grid reliability and flexibility. Benefits to the larger energy system include potentially deferring or avoiding transmission or distribution upgrades or reducing the need for more power at peak times, providing measurable savings to customers.

The GridSmart Battery Program aligns with New Jersey’s broader efforts to expand battery storage and modernize the electric grid. In July, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) launched a stakeholder process to develop a statewide VPP framework. PSE&G’s pilot will help evaluate how customer-owned battery storage can support the next generation of VPP programs in New Jersey.

“Home battery storage is a great way to make homes more resilient,” said Lauren Thomas, Vice President, Clean Energy Solutions – Customer Solutions. “Through the GridSmart Battery Program, we’re giving customers another way to invest in their homes by adding reliable backup power while helping us better understand how residential battery storage can support a more reliable electric grid. It’s an important step in helping shape the future of energy in New Jersey.”

Residential electric customers interested in learning more about the GridSmart Battery Program, including program requirements and qualifying battery systems, can visit https://pseg.com/GridSmart.
 

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PSE&G

Public Service Electric & Gas Co. is New Jersey’s oldest and largest gas and electric delivery public utility, as well as one of the nation’s largest utilities. PSE&G has won the ReliabilityOne^® Award for superior electric system reliability in the Mid-Atlantic region for 24 consecutive years. In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, J.D. Power named PSE&G number one in customer satisfaction for residential electric service in the East among large utilities. PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc., (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a predominantly regulated infrastructure company named to the North America Dow Jones Best in Class Index for 18 consecutive years (www.pseg.com).

Visit PSEG at:
www.pseg.com 
PSEG on Facebook 
PSEG on Twitter 
PSEG on LinkedIn 

 

Verizon
By Frances Moffett

At a glance

• Free courses build a foundation for AI skills: Rifat Kabir Sharna used free Verizon skill-development courses to build AI skills and strengthen her knowledge of Python programming, leadership and workplace communication while preparing for graduate study. 
• New AI skills drive confidence: The certifications she earned through Verizon’s programs helped strengthen her technical foundation and confidence; she was later accepted into four of the five graduate programs she applied to for a master’s degree in computer science with a focus on AI.
• Putting AI skills to work in school: Sharna uses AI to research course material and improve her writing, while also building her knowledge through AI coursework and participation in her school’s AI club.

When Rifat Kabir Sharna moved with her husband from Bangladesh to Columbus, Ohio, in November 2023, she hoped to build her career in technology. Although she had experience in tech and media, she knew she would need to deepen her expertise to establish herself professionally in the United States.

But transitioning to a new country meant starting from scratch in many ways. Daunted by the high costs of education, Sharna sought out no-cost opportunities to further her learning. Through Verizon’s free skill-development programs, she earned certifications in programming, leadership and communication, and workplace diversity.

Those courses strengthened her technical foundation and confidence, helping prepare her to pursue a master’s degree in computer science, with a focus on AI, in 2025. Sharna’s experience reflects the goal of Verizon AI Skills for America, which offers free AI training and certifications to help people build skills for an AI-driven workplace.

How free certifications laid the groundwork

Sharna has been intentional about her educational journey since she’s been in the United States. Through Verizon’s skill-development programs, she has earned a certification in leadership and communication from Harvard University, a diversity certification from Rice University, as well as a certification in Python programming.
 

Build your AI skills with free training from Verizon.
Learn More
 

“It was a great opportunity to take these certification courses free of cost while developing both my technical and professional skills,” Sharna says. “Completing the leadership and workplace diversity courses gave me confidence that I could succeed in graduate-level business coursework. The Python Programming Professional Certificate was also especially valuable because I believe it helped demonstrate to graduate admissions committees that I had the technical foundation needed to pursue graduate study in computer science or information systems.”

That foundation produced tangible results. A year after earning her certifications, Sharna was accepted into four out of the five data science, information systems and computer science graduate programs she applied to.

“That felt like a major accomplishment and gave me much more confidence in my academic and professional path,” she says. Sharna also presented two projects at her graduate program’s annual conference—something she says she “never imagined” being able to do before.

Why AI skills matter for the future of work

Sharna now participates in her school’s AI club and takes courses in knowledge-based AI and game AI. She also uses AI regularly to research course materials and polish her writing.

“[Using AI] can feel like having a knowledgeable buddy who can quickly provide useful information and point me toward credible sources, which saves a lot of time,” she says.

Sharna sees fluency with these tools and the development of AI capabilities as increasingly important for anyone who is entering the workforce. 

“We are living in a time when AI is rapidly becoming part of how people work, learn and solve problems,” she explains. “AI can save a great deal of time and effort, and many businesses are increasingly looking for people who understand how to use these tools both effectively and responsibly.”

Sharna encourages anyone interested in AI to experiment with it, and credits Verizon’s programs with giving her a structured way to learn and build confidence along the way.

“To someone considering Verizon’s AI training and resources, I would say, go for it,” she says. “Learning these skills can open new possibilities, and you are unlikely to regret investing in your own development.”

Ready to build your AI skills? Verizon AI Skills for America offers free access to AI training, certifications and resources designed to help workers prepare for the evolving AI economy.

An individual user’s experience may vary and results are not guaranteed.