The blog

Business, software
and the news

Plain guides to starting a business, putting software to work in one, and the business news behind both. A new post most days.

A printed invoice with line items and a total resting on a desk.
Student entrepreneurship · Nov 10, 2026 · 6 min read

How to get your first clients as a student freelancer

How a student service business lands its first paying client: prospect list, cold email and call rules, scoping calls, free inbound channels, tax forms.

A Tesla Cybertruck pickup truck parked outdoors, showing its flat angular stainless steel panels.
Business news, explained · Nov 9, 2026

Tesla will wind down Cybertruck production and refund many deposits

Musk says the Cybertruck line at Gigafactory Texas closes in about eight months. What that means for deposits, owners, prices and the Cybercab.

Title card: Small business automation ideas and what each costs per month
AI and software for small business · Nov 8, 2026

Small business automation ideas and what each costs per month

What common small business automation ideas cost as of November 2026, from booking reminders to intake forms, plus the limits and privacy rules that come with them.

Title card: How to Price a Service Business as a College Student
Student entrepreneurship · Nov 7, 2026

How to Price a Service Business as a College Student

How to price a service business as a college student: start from federal wage data, then subtract self-employment tax and card fees before you quote.

A CVS Pharmacy retail store seen from the parking lot, with its storefront entrance visible.
Business news, explained · Nov 5, 2026

Why CVS is splitting its drugstores from Aetna and Caremark

CVS plans two public companies by the first half of 2028. What a pharmacy benefit manager does, why the Aetna deal is coming undone, and what changes.

Title card: AI customer service for small business is priced per answer
AI and software for small business · Nov 4, 2026

AI customer service for small business is priced per answer

What AI customer service for small business costs per resolved question as of November 2026, how that compares with staff time, and where it fails.

Title card: When an LLC Is Worth It for College Students in Business
Student entrepreneurship · Nov 3, 2026

When an LLC Is Worth It for College Students in Business

An LLC does not lower a student founder's taxes. What it actually does, what filing and keeping one costs, and the point where it starts to pay off.

Rows of empty chairs in the waiting area of a medical clinic.
Business news, explained · Nov 2, 2026

2027 ACA open enrollment opened with benchmark premiums up 13%

Open enrollment runs November 1 to January 15. What the 13% increase, the 400% income cliff and the new full payback rule mean if you buy your own plan.

An open laptop on a wooden desk beside a notebook and pen in a small office.
AI and software for small business · Oct 26, 2026

Zapier vs Make vs n8n pricing turns on what each one counts

Zapier bills per successful action, Make per module run, n8n per whole workflow run. What that difference does to the bill for the same automation.

A car dashboard instrument cluster with the odometer mileage reading visible.
Student entrepreneurship · Oct 22, 2026

Student side income: a tax return is required at $400 of profit

What a student running a side business owes the IRS, why $400 of profit matters more than any 1099 form, and the 2026 rates and deadlines to track.