Category: wmckissock

Cal Wilson / February 17, 2026

To be successful in the world of business, it is critical to be aware of the current trends that are at the forefront. Even if your operation is thriving, being in the know could be prevalent for any future market demands. In this week’s issue of The Pulse, we will be talking specifically about four trends to keep an eye on.

1. E-Commerce

Even though E-commerce has been around for several years, this digital channel has expanded to become crucial within in the current business climate.  According to industry leader Novatize, “globally, online sales already account for just over 20% of total retail sales, and that share is expected to reach approximately 21.5% in 2026”. This digital channel is no longer in the experimentation stage but has quickly become critical for business operations and growth.

2. Sustainable practices

ESG (Economic, Social, and Governance), is the structure in which companies use to measure sustainability, ethical impact, and risk management in addition to conventional financial benchmarks. This practice is no longer considered a voluntary obligation, but a necessary responsibility in terms of a sustainable future. Companies looking for investors in 2026 may find themselves scrutinized on this topic.

3. Brand Partnerships

This marketing technique has exploded in the last few years as a result of the increase of digital marketing.  It entails strategic partnerships with select brands that enable companies to expand their reach and elevate their brand image. By teaming up with well considered, like-minded partners, companies can develop new products and services while gaining access to new audiences through cross-promotion.

4. Marketing targeting Generation Z

Generation Z, or Gen Z, has become a huge presence in the current workforce, and therefore businesses have pivoted their marketing techniques to reach Gen Z consumers successfully. If your business is hoping to reach more of this demographic in 2026, consider the following criteria for your marketing strategy:

• Digital fluency
• Preference for short-form content
• Preference for authenticity and transparency behind brands
• Passion for cause-based marketing and social impact
• Tendency to shop, search the internet, and seek entertainment on mobile devices

 In conclusion…

These four trends are only a small portion of the ever-evolving direction of the current business world.  Keeping these top-of-mind as well as researching the multitude of other emerging business trends will keep your organization current and allow for room to achieve your future targets.

Ian Nairn / February 9, 2026

In this episode, William and Luke Cardillo have a conversation about his company, Atlas Professional Services. They handle clients IT support solutions and technology needs so they can focus on the things that make them successful. They provide scalable and innovative IT services in Tampa and surrounding cities to a variety of industries.

Ian Nairn / February 9, 2026

In this episode, William and Mark Stein have a conversation about his company, OutMarket Pro. They assist companies with multiple projects covering services such as marketing, lead generation, social media posting, email marketing, advertising, websites, artificial intelligence and bookkeeping. They take lean startup principles and extend them to the marketing world, develop a plausible theory and test it on a small scale.

Ian Nairn / February 9, 2026

In this episode, William and Fernanda Read have a conversation about her company, B.Hive Travel. They help companies, families and individuals create moments that build stronger teams, deeper friendships, and unforgettable memories. Whether it’s building a home in Mexico, supporting a school in Africa, or empowering a community in Brazil, our experiences connect people through purpose and leave an imprint that lasts long after the trip ends. At B.Hive, every trip blends luxury and adventure with purpose and impact, reminding us that the most unforgettable journeys are the ones that touch both hearts and communities.

/ February 9, 2026

Many businesses rely on gas for their operations. It’s a critical expense, but often unpredictable and costly. The good news for businesses who may dread seeing this particular invoice is that some experts are predicting lower gas prices in the coming year.

U.S. gas prices set to drop.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts a retail gasoline price decrease of 6% in 2026. They also predict that prices will climb 1% again in 2027, but likely remain lower than what was seen in 2025, with some regional exceptions. For example, refinery capacity limitations on the West Coast are likely to cause higher comparative prices to the rest of the country. On the other hand, businesses along the Gulf Coast can expect lower than average prices.

Why are gas prices dropping?

In the United States, the drop in gas prices is largely due to a decline in the cost of crude oil, “which has historically accounted for about 50% of the retail price. Now, that percentage is expected to fall below 45% in the coming years.” There has been a global increase in crude oil supply, but not as significant of an increase in demand, which explains this difference.

Will Canadians also see a decrease in gas prices?

It’s not as clear whether Canadians will enjoy the same lowered prices. While the global market indicates lower prices overall, a more competitive market may impact prices from Canadian producers, meaning Canadian businesses could see a drop, but less of a drop than their U.S. counterparts.

In conclusion…

Changes in the global oil market in 2026 may lead to lower gasoline prices. How much of a drop consumers and businesses alike are set to see is largely regionally dependent. Ensuring your business has a strategy to stay on top of fuel prices is still imperative.

/ February 3, 2026

While we’re used to suspicious emails being filtered into spam in our personal lives, it can be more confusing when you receive a fraudulent or phishing email on your secured work account. However, in 2026, this sort of scam is going to be happening at an increasing rate.

In this issue of The Pulse, we’re looking at Business Email Compromise (BEC); what it is, how cybercriminals practice it, and what your organization can do to mitigate the risk.

What is Business Email Compromise (BEC)?

Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a tactic spammers use to target your organization’s money or data. It happens when a scammer, under the guise of fake or stolen credentials, tricks employees into giving financial or other sensitive information. It sounds easy to avoid, like any other phishing email scam, but they’re becoming more and more sophisticated.

How does it work?

According to SentinelOne, BEC scam usually “begins with a compromised or spoofed email account. Under the guise of a trusted vendor, or a company executive, scammers typically use stolen or false credentials to trick employees into giving up financial authorization or confidential information permissions.”

What sort of financial scams do these entail? Sometimes, it’s instructions for a wire transfer that may look legitimate. Sometimes, it’s requests for a gift card to be sent to an email address. Essentially, any action that leads an employee to “unknowingly commit fraud by sending funds directly to the attacker.” Once those funds are sent, they’re unrecoverable.

This can be an expensive problem.

A 2023 report by the FBI found that “a single successful BEC attack costs a business an average of $137,132.” As scam attempts have only increased since then, the cost has likely only grown as well. For most businesses, this sort of loss is devastating.

BEC is a form of social engineering.

Any time a cybercriminal has to use manipulation to exploit human error, it’s a form of social engineering. According to cybersecurity company KasperSky, “these ‘human hacking’ scams tend to lure unsuspecting users into exposing data, spreading malware infections, or giving access to restricted systems. Attacks can happen online, in-person, and via other interactions.”

Because the whole point of these scams is to take advantage of an employee’s lack of knoweldge, the best way your business can fight BEC attacks is by arming your staff with information. You can do this by:

• Educating them about BEC scams
• Implementing a policy to follow in the case of receiving fraudulent emails
• Educating them about the actual process for financial authorization, so they’re aware it would never happen over email
• Educating them about how to flag an email as suspicious

In conclusion…

Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a social engineering scam targetting business employees’ emails. It can be extremely costly, with little recourse for the victim. Educating yourself and your organization will go a long way in defending against this method of fraud.

Ian Nairn / January 26, 2026

Warehouses and distribution centers are designed for efficiency, but energy isn’t always part of the equation. Their large size, fluctuating activity, and energy-intensive equipment create unique challenges, often driving costs that feel unavoidable. High ceilings, open layouts, and large bay doors mean energy is spent heating rising air, cooling underused spaces, and lighting massive areas, even when they’re unused. Spread across such large spaces, these inefficiencies quietly inflate energy usage without immediate notice.

The Scale Problem: Heating, Cooling, and Lighting Massive Spaces

Unlike office buildings, warehouses rarely have consistent occupancy throughout the building. Yet heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) as well as lighting systems are often designed to treat the entire facility as one uniform space. Considering 17% of commercial buildings in the U.S. are warehouse and storage buildings, that adds up to a significant amount of wasted energy.

Picking areas or shipping lanes may see constant activity, while storage aisles or overflow areas are used sporadically, so energy is used to condition and light areas that may often be unoccupied. Without controls that take into account different zones and occupancies, businesses end up paying to light, heat, and cool areas that aren’t actively supporting daily operations. Over time, this “one-size-fits-all” approach leads to ongoing waste that’s difficult to detect without a closer look at when and where energy is being consumed.

Equipment That Runs Around the Clock

Warehouses and distribution centers rely on energy-intensive equipment like conveyors, charging stations, automated systems, and material-handling machinery. This heavy-duty equipment requires a substantial power source. Even when not in active use, much of this equipment continues drawing power. Extended operating hours, overnight charging, and idle systems add to energy consumption. This creates a situation where energy usage remains high regardless of actual productivity.

Seasonal Spikes That Become Permanent Costs

Every industry has its peak season, which likely requires longer hours, added shifts, and increased output. Energy usage rises accordingly, but the problem begins when those temporary changes aren’t reversed back.

Lighting schedules, HVAC settings, and equipment run times adjusted for peak demand frequently remain in place long after volumes return to normal. As a result, businesses can find themselves paying peak-level energy costs year-round without realizing it.

Aging Infrastructure and Deferred Upgrades

Many warehouses operate in older buildings with outdated lighting, HVAC systems, or insulation. While these systems may still function, they are rarely efficient by modern standards. Upgrades are often postponed in favor of seemingly more essential operational spending. Unfortunately, the longer these inefficient systems remain in place, the more they quietly drain budgets over time through higher energy consumption and maintenance costs.

How Can It Be Combatted?

Addressing warehouse energy challenges doesn’t require a total overhauling of operations. Small, targeted changes can make a measurable difference, such as implementing zone-based lighting and motion sensors to limit energy use to active areas, or scheduling equipment more efficiently to reduce idle power draw.

Get To Know Usage Patterns

Regularly reviewing energy usage patterns will help to identify hidden inefficiencies and ensures that the energy being used supports operations rather than running independently of them. For a busy warehouse manager, this can be a daunting task. Partnering with a third-party consultant to provide expert analysis and actionable recommendations allows them to focus on day-to-day operations instead.

Energy Control Is an Operational Advantage

Warehouses and distribution centers will always require energy, but wasted energy is not inevitable. By understanding the unique challenges these facilities face and regularly reviewing how energy is used, businesses can turn energy from an uncontrollable overhead cost into a managed operational expense.

The most efficient facilities aren’t just moving faster; they’re ensuring every dollar spent on energy supports real productivity.

/ January 19, 2026

Is performance management a problem at your organization? In this video from Inc. Magazine, there are tips and insights to help you bridge that gap.

/ January 12, 2026

One payment trend business owners may encounter in 2026, whether they want to or not, is agentic commerce. As AI evolves and becomes a bigger staple in everyday life, the way consumers want to make payments is consequently affected. In this article, we’re taking a look at agentic commerce and what businesses that accept online payments can expect.

What is agentic commerce?

Simply put, agentic commerce is the process by which an AI agent shops and potentially makes purchases on behalf of a customer. It’s also being called ‘a-commerce.’

Think of it like this; a customer using an AI tool gives a specific prompt for a flight to be purchased. Leaving from a specific airport, arriving at a specific time, within a specific price range, etc. The AI agent scours the internet for the best options, at a quicker speed than the user can, and presents the best options. Once the customer approves, the AI agent completes the purchase. This prevents the customer from having to do their own manual research or even from dealing with the checkout window.

When a user gives an AI agent a search query, it uses different protocols – such as Model Context Protocol (MCP) – to check product data in real time, accounting not just for price but for factors like return policies, shipping estimates, and more.

What does this mean for businesses?

For businesses that rely on online marketing to boost their sales, agentic commerce may throw a wrench in your usual strategy. AI tools aren’t going to be as swayed by typical marketing techniques, favoring “clean and structured data, fast responses and zero guesswork.”

Of course, not everyone is adopting a-commerce. Traditional digital marketing strategies still matter. Businesses who find that this trend is impacting them must be proactive in appealing to both types of shoppers; human and artificial intelligence.

Part of that includes building payment processing flows that can handle agent-initiated payments; something you may need to speak to your merchant services solution provider about. Likewise, while a-commerce agents can search regular websites and product listings, some companies are starting to build sites optimized for this purpose, including product catalogues and checkout flows meant to be agent-readable, rather than best for human use.

Who are the agents in agentic commerce?

The agents in question are “autonomous or semiautonomous software programmes that use artificial intelligence.” But who is operating these platforms? AI developers as well as payment processing companies both have their foot in the door of this new landscape.  Stripe, Open AI, Google, and Amazon are all among the companies working to deliver these platforms.

In conclusion…

As AI becomes a larger presence in our lives, businesses have to adjust strategies to account for new consumer behavior, which businesses should be aware of if they do online sales. If your platform doesn’t account for it, your competitors’ may.