Rumors of a first-ever M3 Touring production car have been swirling around the Internet for almost a year now, but there’s no sign of it whatsoever. BMW built this exceptional M3 wagon in 2000 based on the E46, but it was merely a one-off used in-house for various chores. It looks like we won’t be seeing an M3 wagon anytime soon as BMW M boss, Markus Flasch, told Car Magazine a high-performance M Touring model is not on the agenda, which means you’ll have to settle for the M340i Touring:
“Touring estates are not part of our M plan. If I asked customers in Austria, Switzerland or Germany they would probably give it the thumbs-up, but we are a global company and we have so many things to deal with on the powertrain side that we don’t go into products like this. This is what the SUVs are for.”
In other words, while there’s demand for an M3 Touring in some parts of the world, it’s still not enough to build a solid business case. Globally, BMW M believes SUVs make more sense, which is why they’ve just launched the X3 M and X4 M to join their bigger brothers, the X5 M and X6 M.
Should you fancy a real BMW M wagon, you’re only chances are to find a used M5 Touring of either the super-rare E34 or the still-quite-rare E61 generation with its mighty V10 and not-so-mighty SMG transmission. BMW’s go-faster division only made fewer than 900 of the former and a little over 1,000 of the latter, so you won’t be running into them that often in the classifieds.
There are a couple of alternatives worth considering, namely the 202-mph Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo Touring a.k.a world’s fastest production wagon or the upcoming long-roof B3 we’ll see next month in Frankfurt as a hardcore M340i Touring.
As a final note, let's keep in mind what is perhaps the greatest wagon ever built by BMW, an M5 Touring (E34) equipped with a V12 engine from the McLaren F1.
At least five people are dead after a gunman hijacked a postal service van and shot at at least 21 people, Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said Saturday.
The gunman, who was shot and killed by police, was described as a white male in his 30s. Authorities have not yet released his name.
This shooting marks the second time in less than a month that Texas has been impacted by mass gun violence. Exactly four weeks ago, 22 people were killed and 24 more were injured when a man opened fire in an El Paso Walmart.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit that tracks such incidents, there have been 280 mass shootings in 2019, where at least four people were injured or killed excluding the perpetrators.
To date, including this shooting, 602 people have died in mass shootings in 2019 and 2,356 have been injured.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he will travel to Odessa on Sunday, and called the attack "cowardly." He offered his support to the victims, their families and the people in the Midland-Odessa area.
"I thank the first responders who have acted swiftly and admirably under pressure, and I want to remind all Texans that we will not allow the Lone Star State to be overrun by hatred and violence," Abbott said in a statement. "We will unite, as Texans always do, to respond to this tragedy.”
Here's what we know so far about what happened Saturday in Midland-Odessa.
What happened?
The incident began Saturday afternoon when Texas Department of Public Safety officers attempted to make a traffic stop, according to a statement on the DPS Facebook page. The suspect, who was driving a gold car, "pointed a rifle toward the rear window of his car and fired several shots toward the DPS patrol unit," according to the DPS post. One of the two troopers was shot but is in stable condition.
The suspect fled the scene and continued shooting innocent people, according to DPS.
This led to a chase, but it remains unclear where most of the other shootings took place or when the shooter changed cars and got into a USPS truck.
Civilian video broadcast by local TV station CBS7 showed a white USPS van, allegedly hijacked by the suspect at some point in his rampage, crashing into a series of police cars set up to block his progress. The van stops, and officers quickly approach the van with guns drawn.
Where are the victims?
At least five people are dead and 21 are injured, according to Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke. Three officers are among the injured, including one Midland police officer, one Odessa police officer and one Texas Department of Public Safety officer.
Thirteen of the victims were taken to Medical Center Hospital in Odessa according to hospital CEO Russell Tippin.
Seven victims are in critical condition, two are in serious condition, and one person has died, Tippin said. Two people were treated and released.
It was unclear if the victim who died was among the five dead that Gerke reported.
A 17-month-old baby girl initially taken to Medical Center Hospital was transported to UMC Health System in Lubbock, Texas, about 140 miles away. The hospital confirmed the child was in "satisfactory" condition Saturday night.
Where is Odessa-Midland, Texas?
Midland and Odessa, with a combined population of more than 200,000, is one of the nation's top oil and natural gas centers. Its situated on the West Texas plains between El Paso and Dallas.
Was there one gunman or two?
Online and police reports from earlier in the day reported that two shooters were traveling in two separate vehicles: One in a small Toyota truck and the other in a USPS postal van, but this information proved incorrect.
Authorities now believe there was only one gunman, and that he was shot and killed by police.
“Once this individual was taken out of the picture, there have been no more victims,” Gerke said.
CBS7 twice had its news anchors clear the set as police officers came through the mall with guns drawn. Later, the anchors said they had to leave the mall entirely, but they continued broadcasting via wireless microphones.
"For the safety of the public and law enforcement please stay away from the area and stay in your homes," the Midland Police Department said on Twitter.
The accident that led to the death of Ivorian music star, DJ Arafat was caught on camera.
A video has emerged from the before and after scene of DJ Arafat's ghastly motorbike accident that claimed his life. [Instagram/DJArafat]
A video has emerged from the before and after scene of DJ Arafat's ghastly motorbike accident that claimed his life.
The video is from a CCTV camera which was located at the point where the accident took place. The video was shared by our sister website in Ghana and from the scene, you can see how the accident took place.
The death of the Ivorian music star shocked the world of entertainment a few days ago as no one envisaged a piece of news as sad as that. DJ Arafat died after sustaining injuries from a motorbike accident.
DJ Arafat dies in motorcycle accident
"Pls tell me it’s not true!!! Not my brother !!!! God why!!!!!"he tweeted.
A few minutes later he went on to confirm the death of the music star with a photo of Arafat and captioned it with a quote;
"😢😢😢 RIP YOROBO I LOVE YOU! ❤️."
Reports have it that he was involved in a motorbike accident on Sunday, August 11, 2019, in Abidjan, the capital city of Ivory Coast.
The accidentDJ Arafat was involved in a motorbike accident on Sunday, August 11, 2019, in Abidjan. According to Tellerreport, DJ Arafat and a group of friends rode their bikes in the city capital.Arafat who is known for his love for speed got into a crash with an oncoming car which was driven by a journalist from Radio Côte d'Ivoire. He was later rushed to the hospital for treatment.DJ Arafat, or Arafat Muana, born January 26, 1986, as Ange Didier Huon. He is considered one of the most popular African artists in Francophone countries around the world. DJ Arafat is one of the first in his country Ivory Coast to obtain 1 million views in less than a day on his song ‘Moto Moto.
Brands have embraced automation to assist them perform a spectrum of everyday tasks. in keeping with a recent survey revealed by Social Media nowadays, seventy five p.c of promoting groups use some variety of associate degree automation tool. However, with growing quality, there ar growing considerations. a similar survey reports that sixty one p.c of marketers ar involved regarding the dearth of personalization thanks to automation. Likewise, a worldwide study by PWC found that as technology advances, most shoppers need brands to use technology as a tool for increasing customized support. Put simply, customers need a lot of human interaction, not less.
That's why it’s very important that today’s businesses realize the proper balance between automation and personalization. firms that go overboard on automation will bump into as detached and generic. On the opposite hand, people who get too personal with customers will return off as intrusive and creepy. Brands ought to catch on right to keep up a trusting relationship with their customers.
Here ar ways in which marketers will with success balance automation and personalization.
Offer Timely, Valuable Content
Email campaigns are an effective, low-cost way to leverage automation and personalization, but marketers need to be careful not to clog consumer inboxes. Instead, they should focus on offering relevant and valuable content that doesn’t involve using intrusive data.
Most consumers are familiar with receiving personalized content based on an action, such as an online purchase, that features a related product or service. Using transactional data to send automated, personalized emails can be less intrusive since it’s a natural, and at this point expected, component of the relationship.
Marketers can also use geographical data, such as a customer’s zip code or address, to deliver personalized content, like creating a segmented list of customers and offering them discounts to nearby events. Although consumers dislike when brands bombard them with irrelevant, generic messaging, they also don’t like overly personal messages that infringe on their privacy.
Respect Consumer Privacy
Research shows that 81 percent of consumers want brands to get to know them and understand when to approach them, but not at the expense of their privacy. There is a fine line between highly relevant content and tactics that take marketing personalization too far.
For example, sending mass emails to consumers with the same promotions or offers isn’t an effective strategy. Consumer interests vary significantly. Marketers should pay attention to their target audience and consider whether the interaction will make them feel special or unsettled. Customer data can be used effectively, but content that’s too personalized can disturb customers, thus putting them off the brand.
Enhance the Customer Experience
It’s crucial that marketers use technology to improve the consumer experience, rather than eliminate the human touch. For instance, British grocery chain Sainsbury’s delivered an exceptional customer experience with its “This Time It’s Ultra Personalized!” campaign. The store used smartphone location data to provide personalized offers to customers through their mobile devices as they walked around the store. Not only did the campaign promote in-store offers, but it helped the company gain insights about how people navigated the aisles. As a result, Sainsbury’s was able to make better merchandising decisions and improve its in-store customer experience. Marketers must remember that relationships are crucial in business and that automation tools provide additional support.There ar some ways marketers will combine automation and personalization, like inserting tags to feature customers’s names in emails to create them desire the message addresses them one by one. Going a step additional, marketers will encourage team members to move with potential customers by creating calls, causation emails or requesting a association on social media.
For example, if a traveller downloads content from the brand’s web site, it’s a decent plan to own somebody on the team reach out in person, now. in line with Associate in Nursing oft-cited Lead Response Management Study, waiting quite ten minutes to follow up attenuate %ages} of securing a lead by the maximum amount as four hundred percent.
If automation and personalization ar progressing to be effective, it is important to search out the way to balance the 2. Overdoing automation will build complete messages appear robotic and digressive. Likewise, obtaining too personal will overwhelm shoppers. A winning relationship between shoppers and types ultimately depends on the proper mix.
There are not any limits on WHO will become a good bourgeois. you do not essentially want a school degree, a bunch of cash within the bank or perhaps business expertise to start out one thing that might become ensuing major success. However, you are doing want a powerful arrange and also the drive to envision it through.
If you are on bourgeois, odds ar you have already got the drive, however you may not knowledge to start out building your empire.
That why we have a tendency to ar here.
Check out this stepwise guide to assist flip your huge plan into a thriving business.
1. Evaluate yourself.
Let's start with the most basic question: Why do you want to start a business? Use this question to guide what kind of business you want to start. If you want extra money, maybe you should start a side hustle. If you want more freedom, maybe it's time to leave your 9-to-5 job and start something new.
Once you have the reason, start asking yourself even more questions to help you figure out the type of business you should start, and if you have what it takes.
What skills do you have?
Where does your passion lie?
Where is your area of expertise?
How much can you afford to spend, knowing that most businesses fail?
How much capital do you need?
What sort of lifestyle do you want to live?
Are you even ready to be an entrepreneur?
Be brutally honest with your answers. This will create a foundation for everything you do moving forward, so it's better to know the truth now than later.
2. Think of a business idea.
Do you already have a killer business idea? If so, congratulations! You can proceed to the next section. If not, there are a ton of ways to start brainstorming for a good idea. An article on Entrepreneur, “8 Ways to Come Up With a Business Idea,” helps people break down potential business ideas. Here are a few pointers from the article:
Ask yourself what's next. What technology or advancement is coming soon, and how will that change the business landscape as we know it? Can you get ahead of the curve?
Fix something that bugs you. People would rather have less of a bad thing than more of a good thing. If your business can fix a problem for your customers, they'll thank you for it.
Apply your skills to an entirely new field. Many businesses and industries do things one way because that's the way they've always been done. In those cases, a fresh set of eyes from a new perspective can make all the difference.
Use the better, cheaper, faster approach. Do you have a business idea that isn’t completely new? If so, think about the current offerings and focus on how you can create something better, cheaper or faster.
Also, go out and meet people and ask them questions, seek advice from other entrepreneurs, research ideas online or use whatever method makes the most sense to you.
And, if you've exhausted all your options and you're still stuck, here are 55 great business options you can start.
3. Do market research.
Is anyone else already doing what you want to start doing? If not, is there a good reason why?
Start researching your potential rivals or partners within the market by using this guide. It breaks down the objectives you need to complete with your research and the methods you can use to do just that. For example, you can conduct interviews by telephone or face to face. You can also offer surveys or questionnaires that ask questions like “What factors do you consider when purchasing this product or service?” and “What areas would you suggest for improvement?”
Just as importantly, it explains three of the most common mistakes people make when starting their market research, which are:
Using only secondary research.
Using only online resources.
Surveying only the people you know.
4. Get feedback.
Let people interact with your product or service and see what their take is on it. A fresh set of eyes can help point out a problem you might have missed. Plus, these people will become your first brand advocates, especially if you listen to their input and they like the product.
One of the easiest ways to utilize feedback is to focus on “The Lean Startup” approach (read more about it here), but it involves three basic pillars: prototyping, experimenting and pivoting. By pushing out a product, getting feedback and then adapting before you push out the next product, you can constantly improve and make sure you stay relevant.Just realize that some of that advice, solicited or not, will be good. Some of it won't be. That's why you should have a plan on how to receive feedback.
Stop! Your brain will probably be in an excited state when receiving feedback, and it might start racing to bad conclusions. Slow down and take the time to consider carefully what you've just heard.
Start by saying ‘thank you.’ People who give you negative feedback won't expect you to thank them for it, but doing so will probably make them respect you and encourage them to continue be honest in the future.
Look for the grain of truth. If someone doesn't like one idea, it doesn't mean they hate everything you've just said. Remember that these people are trying to help, and they might just be pointing out a smaller problem or solution that you should look into further.
Seek out the patterns. If you keep hearing the same comments, then it's time to start sitting up and taking notice.
Listen with curiosity. Be willing to enter a conversation where the customer is in control.
Ask questions. Figure out whysomeone liked or didn't like something. How could you make it better? What would be a better solution?
Also, one way to help you get through negative feedback is to create a "wall of love,"where you can post all of the positive messages you've received.Not only will this wall of love inspire you, but you can use these messages later when you begin selling your product or service. Positive reviews online and word-of-mouth testimonials can help make a big difference.
5. Make it official.
Get all of the legal aspects out of the way early. That way, you don't have to worry about someone taking your big idea, screwing you over in a partnership or suing you for something you never saw coming. A quick checklist of things to shore up might include:
Business structure (LLC, corporation or a partnership, to name a few.)
Business name
Register your business
Federal tax ID
State tax ID
Permits (more on permits here)
License
Necessary bank account
Trademarks, copyrights or patents
While some things you can do on your own, it's best to consult with a lawyer when starting out, so you can make sure you've covered everything that you need.
Here are some questions you can ask when looking for a small-business lawyer.
6. Write your business plan.
A business plan is a written description of how your business will evolve from when it starts to the finish product.
As angel investor and tech-company founder Tim Berry wrote on Entrepreneur, "You can probably cover everything you need to convey in 20 to 30 pages of text plus another 10 pages of appendices for monthly projections, management resumes and other details. If you've got a plan that's more than 40 pages long, you're probably not summarizing very well."
Here's what we suggest should be in your business plan:
Title page. Start with name the name of your business, which is harder than it sounds. This article can help you avoid common mistakes when picking.
Executive summary. This is a high-level summary of what the plan includes, often touching on the company description, the problem the business is solving, the solution and why now. (Here’s what you should include in the summary and how you can make it appeal to investors.)
Business description. What kind of business do you want to start? What does your industry look like? What will it look like in the future?
Market strategies. What is your target market, and how can you best sell to that market?
Competitive analysis. What are the strengths and weakness of your competitors? How will you beat them?
Design and development plan. What is your product or service and how will it develop? Then, create a budget for that product or service.
Operations and management plan. How does the business function on a daily basis?
Finance factors. Where is the money coming from? When? How? What sort of projections should you create and what should you take into consideration?
For each question, you can spend between one to three pages. Keep in mind, the business plan is a living, breathing document and as time goes on and your business matures, you will be updating it.
7. Finance your business.
There are a ton of different ways to get the resources you need to start your business.Angel investor Martin Zwilling, whose business Startup Professionals provides services and products for startups and small businesses, recommends 10 of the most reliable ways to fund your business. Take a look and consider your own resources, circumstances and life state to figure out which one works best for you.
Fund your startup yourself. Bootstrapping your business might take longer, but the good part is that you control your own destiny (and equity).
Pitch your needs to friends and family. It can be hard to separate business from personal relationships, but if you’re considering asking for a loan, here’s a resource you can use to make it as straightforward as possible.
Request a small-business grant. Start by checking out our guide to small-business grants. Then, head over to Grants.gov, which is a searchable, online directory of more than 1,000 federal grant programs. It might be a long process, but it doesn’t cost you any equity.
Start a crowdfunding campaign online. Sometimes power is in numbers, and a bunch of small investments can add up to something major. If you think your business might be a fit for something like Kickstarter or Indiegogo, you should read up on 10 of the best-crowdfunded businesses ever or check out the most popular crowdfunding websites.
Apply to local angel investor groups. Online platforms such as Gust and AngelList and local networking can help you find potential investors who relate to your industry and passion.
Solicit venture capital investors. VCs typically look for big opportunities from proven teams that need a million dollars or more, so you should have some traction before approaching them.
Join a startup incubator or accelerator. These companies are designed to help new or startup businesses get to the next level. Most provide free resources, including office facilities and consulting, along with networking opportunities and pitch events. Some, also provide seed funding as well.
Negotiate an advance from a strategic partner or customer. If someone wants your product or service bad enough to pay for it, there's a chance they'll want it bad enough to fund it, too. Variations on this theme include early licensing or white-labeling agreements.
Trade equity or services for startup help. For example, you could support a computer system for office tenants in exchange for free office space. You might not get paid for this, but you won’t have to pay for an office, either, and a penny saved is a penny earned.
Seek a bank loan or line of credit. Here are 10 questions you should ask before applying for a bank loan, including whether you will qualify. If you do meet the requirements, a good place to start for loan opportunities is the Small Business Administration.
8. Develop your product or service.
After all the work you've put into starting your business, it's going to feel awesome to actually see your idea come to life. But keep in mind, it takes a village to create a product. If you want to make an app and you're not an engineer, you will need to reach out to a technical person. Or if you need to mass-produce an item, you will have to team up with a manufacturer.
Here is a seven-step checklist -- including finding a manufacturer and pricing strategies -- you can use for your own product development. A major point the article highlights is that when you’re actually crafting the product, you should focus on two things: simplicity and quality. Your best option isn’t necessarily to make the cheapest product, even if it lowers manufacturing cost. Also, you need to make sure the product can grab someone’s attention quickly.
When you are ready to do product development and outsource some of the tasks make sure you:
Retain control of your product and learn constantly. If you leave the development up to someone else or another firm without supervising, you might not get the thing you envisioned.
Implement checks and balances to reduce your risk. If you only hire one freelance engineer, there’s a chance that no one will be able to check their work. If you go the freelance route, use multiple engineers so you don’t have to just take someone at their word.
Hire specialists, not generalists. Get people who are awesome at the exact thing you want, not a jack-of-all-trades type.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Make sure you don’t lose all of your progress if one freelancer leaves or if a contract falls through.
Manage product development to save money. Rates can vary for engineers depending on their specialties, so make sure you’re not paying an overqualified engineer when you could get the same end result for a much lower price.
To help you have peace of mind, start learning as much as you can about the production, so you can improve the process and your hiring decisions as time goes along.
This process will be very different for service-focused entrepreneurs, but no less important. You have several skills that people are willing to pay you for right now, but those skills can be hard to quantify. How can you establish yourself and your abilities? You might consider creating a portfolio of your work -- create a website to show your artwork if you’re an artist, writing if you’re a writer or design if you’re a designer.Also, make sure you have the necessary certificates or educational requirements, so that when someone inquires about your service, you’re ready to jump at a good opportunity.
9. Start building your team.
To scale your business, you are going to need to hand off responsibilities to other people. You need a team.
Whether you need a partner, employee or freelancer, these three tips can help you find a good fit:
State your goals clearly. Make sure everyone understands the vision and their role within that mission at the very start.
Follow hiring protocols. When starting the hiring process you need to take a lot of things into consideration, from screening people to asking the right questions and having the proper forms. Here is a more in-depth guide to help you.
Establish a strong company culture. What makes a great culture? What are some of the building blocks? You can see our list of 10 examples of companies with great cultures, but keep in mind that you don't need to have Google's crazy office space to instill a positive atmosphere. That’s because a great culture is more about respecting and empowering employees through multiple channels, including training and mentorship, than it is about decor or ping-pong tables. In fact, office perks can turn out to be more like traps than real benefits.
10. Find a location.
This could mean an office or a store. Your priorities will differ depending on need, but here are 10 basic things to consider:
Style of operation. Make sure your location is consistent with your particular style and image.
Demographics. Start by considering who your customers are. How important is their proximity to your location? If you're a retail store that relies on the local community, this is vital. For other business models, it might not be.
Foot traffic. If you need people to come into your store, make sure that store is easy to find. Remember: even the best retail areas have dead spots.
Accessibility and parking. Is your building accessible? Don't give customers a reason to go somewhere else because they don't know where to park.
Competition. Sometimes having competitors nearby is a good thing. Other times, it's not. You've done the market research, so you know which is best for your business.
Proximity to other businesses and services. This is more than just about foot traffic. Look at how nearby businesses can enrich the quality of your business as a workplace, too.
Image and history of the site. What does this address state about your business? Have other businesses failed there? Does the location reflect the image you want to project?
Ordinances. Depending on your business, these could help or hinder you. For example, if you're starting a daycare center, ordinances that state no one can build a liquor store nearby might add a level of safety for you. Just make sure you're not the one trying to build the liquor store.
The building’s infrastructure. Especially if you're looking at an older building or if you're starting an online business, make sure the space can support your high-tech needs. If you're getting serious about a building, you might want to hire an engineer to check out the state of the place to get an objective evaluation.
Rent, utilities and other costs. Rent is the biggest facilities expense, but check out the utilities, as well, and whether they're included in the lease or not. You don't want to start out with one price and find out it's going to be more later.
Once you know what to look for and it's time to start searching for a place that fits all of your qualifications, these four tips can help.
Think on your own timeframe. Landlords are starting to offer shorter-term office rentals. Don't get stuck in a long-term lease if it doesn't make sense for your business.
Play the whole field. There are all sorts of places to use -- co-working spaces, office business centers, sublets and more. Keep your options open.
Click around town. You might be able to find the perfect place by using online resources.
Do the deal on your terms. Again, you have options. Don't get roped into something that makes you uncomfortable.
After you have a location, you can focus on the aesthetic. You can check out a few design ideas here.
11. Start getting some sales.
No matter your product or industry, your business's future is going to depend on revenue and sales. Steve Jobs knew this -- it's why, when he was starting Apple, he spent day after day calling investors from his garage.
There are a ton of different sales strategies and techniques you can employ, but here are four tenets to live by:
Listen. "When you listen to your clients/customers, you find out what they want and need, and how to make that happen,” says investor and entrepreneur John Rampton.
Ask for a commitment, but don't be pushy about it. You can't be too shy to ask for a next step or to close a sale, but you also can't make customers feel as though you're forcing them into a sale.
Don't be afraid of hearing "no." As former door-to-door salesman (and now co-founder of software business Pipedrive) Timo Rein said, "Most people are too polite. They let you make your pitch even if they have no interest in buying. And that’s a problem of its own. Time is your most important resource."
Make it a priority. As entrepreneurial wizard Gary Vaynerchuk said, “Actually creating revenue, and running a profitable business, is a good strategy for business. Where are we that people think users or visits or time on site is the proxy to a successful business?”
But how do you actually make those sales? Start by identifying targets who want your product or service. Find early adopters of your business, grow your customer base or put out ads to find people who fit your business. Then, figure out the right sales funnelor strategy that can convert these leads into revenue.
12. Grow your business.
There are a million different ways to grow. You could acquire another business, start targeting a new market, expand your offerings and more. But, no growth plan will matter if you don't have the two key attributes that all growing companies have in common.
First, they have a plan to market themselves. They use social media effectivelythrough organic, influencer or paid campaigns. They have an email list and know how to use it. They understand exactly who they need to target -- either online or off -- with their marketing campaigns.Then, once they have a new customer, they understand how to retain them. You've probably heard many people state that the easiest customer to sell to is the one you already have. Your existing customers have already signed up for your email list, added their credit card information to your website and tested what you have to offer. In doing so, they're starting a relationship with you and your brand. Help them feel as good about that relationship as possible.
Start by utilizing these strategies, which include investing in your customer service and getting personal, but realize your work will never be done. You'll constantly be competing for these customers in the marketplace, and you can never simply rest on your laurels. Keep researching the market, hiring good people and making a superior product and you'll be on your way to building the empire you always dreamed about.
Taylor Swift opened the MTV VMAs with a bang tonight. The singer gave her first live performance since her album Lover's release on Friday. She chose to sing "You Need to Calm Down" and then a more mellow "Lover." The stage was full of color as she opened the show.
Swift gave a passionate, heartfelt performance of both songs. Her friends Gigi Hadid and Camila Cabello were super into it.
Swift is up for 10 awards tonight. She has nominations for Video of the Year ("You Need to Calm Down"), Song of the Year ("You Need to Calm Down"), Best Collaboration ("ME!" featuring Brandon Urie), Best Pop Song ("You Need to Calm Down"), Best Video for Good ("You Need to Calm Down"), Best Direction ("You Need to Calm Down"), Best Visual Effects ("ME!"), Best Editing ("You Need to Calm Down"), Best Art Direction ("You Need to Calm Down"), and Best Cinematography ("You Need to Calm Down").
Swift was last at the MTV VMAs in 2015, her peak 1989 squad days. The singer spoke to The Guardian this weekend about how she feels, public image-wise, she can't really win. “I’m kinda used to being gaslit by now," she started. "And I think it happens to women so often that, as we get older and see how the world works, we’re able to see through what is gaslighting. So I’m able to look at 1989 [that era in my public life] and go...oh my God, they were mad at me for smiling a lot and quote-unquote acting fake. And then they were mad at me that I was upset and bitter and kicking back.”
ALYSSA BAILEYNews and Strategy EditorAlyssa Bailey is the news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton).
| Taylor performing YNTCD at the 
