Category: Business

• Season four of "Bridgerton" is in the works.
• The next season will focus on Benedict Bridgerton's (Luke Thompson) love story. 
• Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan will reprise their roles as Colin and Penelope.

Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for season three of "Bridgerton."

"Bridgerton" fans have been patiently waiting, and Benedict Bridgerton's season is finally coming.

Season three of the Netflix series, centered on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington's (Nicola Coughlan) relationship, concluded with the release of part two on Thursday.

In giving Polin a happy ending, "Bridgerton" also heavily teased that Benedict, the second-eldest sibling, will get the main character treatment next season.

Here's everything we know about season four, so far.

Benedict's love story will be the focus of season 4

On the season finale, as Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) prepares to head off to Scotland with Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd), John Stirling (Victor Alli), and Michaela (Masali Baduza), she tells Benedict that she'll only be gone until next year.

"Do you think Mama would ever let me miss her Masquerade Ball?" she says.

Benedict, still not ready to settle down, replies: "I will be there, hiding out behind a mask, avoiding eligible ladies like the plague."

That not-so-subtle moment was a nod to Benedict's novel "An Offer From a Gentleman," which is part of Julia Quinn's "Bridgerton" book series.

In the third, "Cinderella"-inspired book, Benedict meets a woman named Sophie Beckett at a masquerade ball. Unbeknownst to him, Sophie is a servant to a rude stepmother named Araminta Gunningworth. By the end of the book, they express their love for each other and get married.

Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan will reprise their roles as Colin and Penelope Bridgerton in season 4

Coughlan told TheWrap that she and Newton will return on season four, but they "don't know anything about it." Meanwhile, showrunner Jess Brownell told the publication that she'd like the pair to continue on the show beyond season four.

"We will definitely hope to bring them back in future seasons because I think there's more story there," she said.

Newton similarly told Teen Vogue that he's committed to being on the show indefinitely.

"I feel very invested in the show… like I said before, I just love the people," he said. "I love my job. I love my role in the show, so I can't see myself going anywhere. I just want to finish the stories off. I would say there's still stuff to get sorted in season four, so yeah, that's why I'm there."

The 'Bridgerton' season 4 release date hasn't been announced yet

In an interview published by Town & Country in mid-May, showrunner Jess Brownell said that she was working on season four.

"We've broken out the whole season and are finalizing the scripts, and I'm super excited about where we're headed," she said.

Brownell also told Refinery29 that she didn't have an anticipated release date yet for the new episodes.

"We're still making sure that we write the best possible script that we can before we start production," she said.

In a season three finale post-mortem interview with Business Insider, Lady Danbury actor Adjoa Andoh said that filming for the new season is set to begin "sometime in the autumn."

That means "Bridgerton" will probably not return until 2025 at the earliest.

All episodes of season three of "Bridgerton" are now streaming on Netflix.

• China, the world's factory, is known for producing affordable goods quickly.
• But China EV makers shouldn't leverage on their price advantage in the long run as it's not sustainable, said a Bain consultant.
• The EU will impose up to 48.1% tariffs on Chinese EV imports next month to protect European economies.

China has been the world's factory floor for the last 40 years, propelling it into the position of the world's second-largest economy.

This ability to make affordable products quickly is one of China's key advantages in many product categories.

However, this isn't what Chinese electric makers should be leveraging in the long run, a management consultant said on Wednesday.

"The pricing advantage will eventually run out of steam. It is product quality, technology, and brand awareness that holds the key to Chinese carmakers' success," Helen Liu, a partner at consultancy firm Bain told reporters, per the South China Morning Post.

Liu's assessment came as the European Commission announced it will impose tariffs of up to 38.1% on Chinese EV imports from next month — on top of the existing 10%.

The move follows a monthslong probe into Chinese subsidies for Chinese EV makers.

The European Commission said in its announcement that the EV value chain in China benefits from unfair subsidization that causes a "threat of economic injury" to the EU's EV makers.

The latest blow to Chinese EV makers came after President Joe Biden announced a sweeping set of tariffs in May on $18 billion worth of Chinese imports — including a 100% tax on Chinese vehicles.

Chinese EVs have nearly no presence in the US, but account for 8% of the EV market share in auto powerhouse Europe, making the industry a geopolitical hot potato.

The West hits out over China's overcapacity

In recent months, Western countries have been lining up to criticize China for its barrage of cheap exports flooding the world's markets. They say China's dumping and unfair trade practices has hurt their economies.

However, Beijing has consistently pushed back on the West's criticism that it is dumping cheap goods on the world market. Chinese authorities say the West's accusations are protectionist and aimed at containing China's economic growth.

One contentious sector of dispute between the two sides is the hot new energy sector.

China is producing a lot of new energy products as the country navigates a painful economic transition, from one reliant on real estate and low-cost manufacturing to the hot "new three" sectors of electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and solar panels.

However, the West is also eyeing these fast-rising industries.

Philip Nothard, insight and strategy director at automotive services company Cox Automotive told Business Insider's Tom Carter on Wednesday that the EU's tariff hike will not be enough to keep Chinese EV companies away from Europe.

This is because big Chinese EV players like BYD have "highly efficient" manufacturing supply chains and are very quick to adjust their strategies.

"Chinese companies have the potential to redefine electric cars so that they can convince global customers of their products' competitiveness in performance and technology," said Bain's Liu, per SCMP.

• Céline Dion carries photos of her late husband to the doctor's whenever she goes for medical treatment.
• "I'm still married to René. He's still my husband," Dion told People.
• René Angélil, Dion's husband and longtime manager, died in 2016 after a battle with throat cancer.

Céline Dion still keeps her late husband and longtime manager, René Angélil, close to her heart — she even carries his photo around to feel supported at the doctor's.

"I'm still married to René. He's still my husband. When we have to travel to my treatments to see my doctors, I always bring pictures," Dion told People in an interview published on Wednesday. "And we have pictures, of course, all over the place in the house."

Dion and Angélil tied the knot in December 1994 and share three kids: René-Charles, 23, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 13. Angélil died in 2016 at 73 after a battle with throat cancer.

The singer also shared that her children will always remind her to bring photos of Angélil along whenever she packs for a trip.

"My kids are always asking, 'Did you bring Papa's pictures?' And I'm like, 'Yes, I have Papa's pictures!'" Dion said. "He's their dad, and he's my husband, and he will always be."

Dion first announced that she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome in December 2022.

Stiff-person syndrome is a rare, progressive neurological disorder that can cause symptoms such as muscle stiffness and spasms.

There is no cure for the condition, although it can be managed through medication, immune therapies, as well as physical therapy.

In April, Dion told Vogue France that she goes to therapy five days a week and trains "like an athlete" as part of her treatment plan.

Although stiff-person syndrome is very rare — affecting one in a million, according to one estimate — there are an estimated 129 million people in the US who have at least one major chronic illness, per the CDC.

While stress is a part of everyday life, those who are dealing with chronic illnesses may experience even more stress due to pain and the unpredictability of their symptoms.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, one way to manage the stress of having a chronic condition is to find support through family and friends. It can also be helpful to let go of unnecessary obligations and spend time more meaningfully, such as engaging in hobbies or other activities that spark joy.

Eating healthy, sleeping regularly, as well as reducing caffeine intake are also ways to manage anxiety and stress.

• Aritzia's Effortless Pant, at $148 apiece, has attained cult status for working women. 
• But Southeast Asian workers have a much more affordable local answer to it: Uniqlo. 
• Uniqlo basics have become the unofficial "work uniform" in parts of Asia.

Aritzia's Effortless Pant has made its rounds on social media as the work staple that stylish corporate girlies need to have in their wardrobe.

The pleated, wide-leg pant costs $148 a pop and is offered in a variety of colors, lengths, and materials. It has been touted on TikTok, with some users on the platform calling it "unmatched," and describing it as having a "choke-hold" on them.

So the Effortless Pant may have become 2024's work uniform for young working women in North America. But over in Asia, office-goers have found a regional answer to the Aritzia corporate uniform at Japanese fast-fashion retailer Uniqlo.

Take, for example, Uniqlo's $36 pleated pants and $30 linen button-downs. That means that for the price of one Aritzia Effortless Pant, a Uniqlo shopper over in Asia can purchase an entire work outfit.

In Singapore, particularly, the Uniqlo fit has been dubbed as the country's unofficial uniform or the "SG uniform."

The retailer has leaned into the Uniqlo-mania, turning it into a brand strategy.

"One AIRism Cotton Oversized T-shirt is sold almost every minute in Singapore," one of the company's advertisements on its Instagram proclaims.

It even used the term "SG uniform" on its Instagram, in a video that is captioned: "Styling the SG Uniform: Our AIRism Cotton Oversized Crew Neck tee is the essential T-shirt redefined."

Other popular pieces from the brand also include its various "Bra Tops," which essentially are tanks and tube tops with padded underwear built into them.

Uniqlo's other offerings — like its "Round Mini" crossbody bag — are also popular.

The bag went viral on TikTok in 2022, and was named the hottest product of the year by the fashion search platform Lyst in April 2023 — partly because of how much one can fit in it.

Lyst named it the cheapest item to ever be featured on The Lyst Index. The other items on the index include the $625 Rick Owens Kriester sunglasses and the $1,290 Alaïa Le Coeur Bag. For comparison the "Round Mini" now goes for around $15 on Uniqlo's Singapore site, and comes in 15 colors.

Young corporate women are seeking out work uniforms, and brands are answering the call

There is a reason why women are adopting work uniforms, experts say.

Richard Thompson Ford, a Stanford professor and author of "Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History," told the Wall Street Journal that the Effortless Pant is like a female equivalent of the "'Midtown uniform' for men, consisting of slacks, button-downs and fleece vests."

Forbes listed the Aritzia Effortless Pant as one of its five best wide-leg pants of 2024, and the best in the market for office wear.

Additionally, the comfort that the wide-leg pant offers is what makes it appealing as workwear. After years of remote work in activewear and pajamas, the idea of constricting oneself in tight skinny jeans or tailored trousers isn't all that appealing to the Gen Z office worker.

But there is one common denominator in Uniqlo and the Effortless Pant's success — that they create a timeless, classic silhouette, and lean into the simplicity the quiet luxury trend has made popular.

Of course, not all Asian Gen Zers have embraced quiet luxury and minimalism.

Young office workers in China, for instance, are ditching the work uniform entirely to rebel against low pay and grueling working hours. The trend — which surfaced on Chinese social media under the hashtag "gross outfits at work" — involved young Chinese workers recording their fits for the day, which ranged from shabby loungewear to oversized puffer jackets and fluffy slippers.

Representatives for Uniqlo and Aritzia didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• Things are starting to look up for Ukraine, a retired UK colonel said on Wednesday.
• Ukraine has notched a couple of wins after it was allowed to hit Russian military targets directly.
• Vladimir Putin, for his part, has also threatened to retaliate against Ukraine's Western allies. 

Letting Ukraine attack Russian military targets directly with its "wonder-weapons" is beginning to turn the tide of the war in Kyiv's favor, says a retired UK colonel.

"For too long, Ukraine has had to fight the invading Russians with one hand tied behind its back," Hamish de Bretton-Gordon wrote in a commentary for The Telegraph that was published on Wednesday.

The former soldier held multiple appointments in his 23-year military career with the British Army. Besides serving as the UK's Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Regiment's commanding officer from 2004 to 2006, de Bretton-Gordon also led NATO's Rapid Reaction CBRN Battalion from 2005 to 2007.

"At last, however, that is beginning to change. From now, with permissions granted from various Western countries — but most crucially the United States — Ukraine can strike targets far deeper into Russia," de Bretton-Gordon said.

Last month, Politico reported that the Biden administration had given Ukraine its permission to use US-provided weapons on Russian targets in Kharkiv. Russian forces launched an assault on the region in May as part of a summer offensive on Ukraine's second largest city.

"Whilst it is still obliged to prioritize the Kharkiv front by the nature of the permissions granted (Washington is still too afraid to give Kyiv carte blanche to fire anywhere), there is evidence that it has freed up the Ukrainian armed forces to use the other weapons it had in reserve to strike elsewhere," de Bretton-Gordon noted in his commentary.

The former colonel listed several Ukraine's recent military accomplishments, which included drone assaults on Russian naval vessels at Taganrog Bay and the Akhtubinsk airfield in southern Russia. The latter attack resulted in the destruction of Russia's latest stealth aircraft, the Su-57 fighter bomber.

"For too long Kyiv was fighting an uneven battle, putting it in the impossible position of seeing Russia massing troops across its own border, unable to hit them," de Bretton-Gordon said. "Now that has changed, I think the Kharkiv front will begin to turn back in Kyiv's favor."

The recent turn of events, de Bretton-Gordon said, wasn't something that Russia could simply withstand by relying on attritional warfare.

"Russia cannot sustain the industrial level of casualties it is currently facing — over 500,000 so far. I don't care how good Russia's industrial complex is. In the modern era that figure is simply not sustainable," he said.

But Ukraine's accomplishments in the battlefield could risk further Russian escalation.

Last month, Russian leader Vladimir Putin hinted that European countries who'd encouraged Ukraine to attack Russia directly could face reprisals.

"So, these officials from NATO countries, especially the ones based in Europe, particularly in small European countries, should be fully aware of what is at stake," Putin told reporters on May 28.

"They should keep in mind that theirs are small and densely populated countries, which is a factor to reckon with before they start talking about striking deep into the Russian territory," he added.

Representatives for Ukraine's and Russia's defense ministries didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from BI sent outside regular business hours.

• Ye, formerly Kanye West, apparently has an ongoing beef with stairs.
• One lawsuit against Ye included allegations that the artist is "reportedly" afraid of stairs.
• Ye also tried to replace the stairs inside his concrete Malibu home with a ramp, per The New Yorker.

Ye's apparent bad blood with staircases appears to run so deep that the rapper, formerly known as Kanye West, tried to replace the stairs inside a rare Malibu home designed by a famed Japanese architect.

For months, Ye has been trying to sell his beachfront property on Malibu Road in Southern California.

The home — one of a handful of residential properties in the US designed by the iconic Japanese architect Tadao Ando — is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit filed by Tony Saxon.

Saxon was the project manager Ye commissioned in 2021 to oversee the house's redesign. He is accusing the artist of putting him in dangerous working conditions and failing to pay his wages.

Ye's attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

Since he was hired, Saxon received a number of demands from Ye, including stripping the property of its windows, plumbing, and other amenities, according to the lawsuit.

A video provided to The New Yorker shows Saxon's coworker smashing the home's glass balustrade with a hammer.

Another request from Ye was to replace the home's concrete staircase with a ramp or a slide, Saxon told The New Yorker.

Saxon had proposed to the artist a slide made of stainless steel while Bianca Censori, Ye's wife, sent her husband three renderings of a concrete ramp, according to The New Yorker.

Ye has publicly shared his curious disdain for staircases.

In a 2022 interview with Alo Yoga cofounder Danny Harris, Ye said he was "really big on outlawing stairs" and that all homes should be designed to cater to older adults.

"We can have up-ramp but not upstairs," he said. "Everything should be designed like an old-folks home."

Ye's fraught view of stairs has even been mentioned in a lawsuit filed by former staff members of Donda Academy, Ye's secretive private school.

The ex-employees alleged in the suit that Donda Academy students were not allowed to have class on the second floor because the artist was "reportedly afraid of stairs."

The lawsuit accused Ye of seven labor code violations and discrimination. A trial is scheduled for April 2025.

Despite the artist's vision for universally designed homes, The New Yorker's Ian Parker, who reported on Ye's Malibu home and visited the property, wrote that the ramps that Ye proposed "appeared to be at least four times as steep as any allowed by the Americans with Disabilities Act."

Parker also wrote that the ramps ended near the edge of the home's terrace that lost its barrier or railings during the demolition process.

"Someone descending the ramp from the primary bedroom on, say, a skateboard, could expect to shoot off the edge and land some thirty feet below, on the beach," Parker wrote.

Ye's incomplete work on the home has essentially made the home uninhabitable due to the lack of power and plumbing.

The Malibu home was first listed last year with the Oppenheim Group real estate firm for $53 million. The asking price has since been reduced to $39 million.

Jason Oppenheim of Oppenheim Group told The New Yorker that a full renovation would cost at least $5 million.

A spokesperson for Oppenheim Group did not immediately return a request for comment.

• The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District approved a $17 billion development deal with Disney.
• The development plan could allow Disney World to build a fifth major theme park and two minor parks.
• Disney must award at least 50% of all construction work to Florida businesses.

Central Florida's tourism district unanimously approved a $17 billion development deal with Disney that could mean a new era for the company's profitable theme parks.

Members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District's board of supervisors pushed through the landmark deal on Wednesday evening during a meeting at its Lake Buena Vista headquarters.

The deal comes amid a détente between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose administration took control of the local tourism district from the entertainment conglomerate last February. Disney had previously self-managed any development in the area with little government oversight.

The resulting legal battle between Disney and the DeSantis administration began in 2022 but ended this March when both parties agreed to a settlement.

"This is the day we have all been looking forward to," Board Member Brian Aungst said prior to the vote. "Walt Disney World is inextricably intertwined in the fabric of Central Florida."

After the vote, Board Member Charbel Barakat thanked DeSantis for his leadership, inspiration, and "tireless efforts" to reach a deal with Disney.

The development deal, a version of which Business Insider reviewed, will allow Disney to spend billions of dollars on its Walt Disney World properties over the next 10 to 20 years.

It will also permit Disney to build a fifth major theme park and two minor theme parks — something Disney fans have fantasized about for years. Reddit boards and Disney-themed discussion forums have long speculated about the so-called "fifth gate," or a potential fifth theme park that would join the four existing locations.

Disney hasn't discussed how or when it could pursue the massive project, but fans have clamored for a villain-centric theme park in the past. Another popular idea was a Star Wars-based attraction, which came to life in 2019 when Disney unveiled Galaxy's Edge.

The development deal also authorizes Disney to add more rooms to its Central Florida hotel and expand its retail and restaurant space.

In return, Disney must award at least 50% of its related construction work to Florida-based businesses and fund at least $10 million toward "attainable housing projects." The company must also donate at least 100 acres of its land to the tourism district.

In a hearing last week, local businesses came out in support of the deal, which they view as an opportunity to grow the local economy and increase sales.

"The one thing we're sure of is that investment and reinvestment guarantee growth and excellence," George Miliotes, the owner and operator of Wine Bar George in Disney Springs, told board members. "So, when we see the billion-dollar number in front of the investment that's on the table, we get very excited."

He added: "We know that we're securing the future if we make this investment."

• Laurene Powell Jobs has dropped millions of dollars on four adjacent oceanside properties in Malibu.
• The billionaire investor recently spent $94 million on a property, according to The LA Times. 
• The property is located in Paradise Cove, an affluent Malibu neighborhood home to other billionaires.

Laurene Powell Jobs, billionaire investor and widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs, recently dropped $94 million on a prime oceanfront Malibu property, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The Paradise Cove plot is the latest addition to Powell Jobs' growing portfolio of properties in one of the country's most affluent neighborhoods. Since 2015, Powell Jobs has spent more than $170 million on neighboring Malibu properties in an apparent effort to build a sprawling compound on some of Southern California's most expensive cliffs.

Powell Jobs' real estate ventures are part of a larger trend in recent years that has seen the ultrawealthy buy up neighboring properties in order to build themselves secluded enclaves.

The recent $94 million purchase is the largest home sale in Southern California in 2024 so far, the LA Times reported. Paradise Cove has become a haven for billionaires like WhatsApp cofounder Jan Koum and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. Last year, Beyoncé and Jay-Z spent $200 million on a Paradise Cove mansion in a record-breaking real estate purchase.

According to the newspaper, Powell Jobs' new property includes four acres and a 1950s L-shaped home measuring 3,399 square feet and featuring four bedrooms and four bathrooms.

The billionaire investor bought her first Paradise Cove property in 2015, spending $44 million on a 13,000-square-foot home she eventually demolished. In 2017, Powell Jobs purchased a $16.5 million home next door and, in 2021, a five-bedroom cottage for $17.5 million, The Times reported.

A mansion Powell Jobs is reportedly building in Paradise Cove was damaged by the Woolsey wildfire that burned through Los Angeles County in 2018, The Real Deal reported that year.

When Jobs died in 2011, Powell Jobs inherited a fortune, including a massive ownership stake in Disney, Apple shares, and a 260-foot superyacht.

She is worth an estimated $14.7 billion, according to Forbes, and serves as founder and president of The Emerson Collective, an investing firm focused on reforms to education, health, climate, and immigration.

• After graduating, Lauri Union took over her family's failing corrugated roofing business in 1992.
• As a 27-year-old president and CEO, she managed to turn the company around and sell it years later.
• Union shared five principles she said helped her save the sinking business tied to her name.

I never set out to take over the family business. My grandfather started a corrugated roofing company in North Carolina in 1946, and in the 1990s it was run by my parents while I finished business school. My plan after graduation was to live in Boston with my husband.

But when my father fell ill, the company was in dire financial straits. My mother, who had no business leadership experience, stepped in and tried to turn things around, asking me for help. The business seemed hopeless, but I wanted to help clear my parents' debts.

That meant that in 1992, at age 27, I became president and CEO of a sinking ship. Morale was low, and we'd just lost our biggest client, who contributed 25% of our revenue.

I had to overhaul the company and was able to turn it around to profitability, eventually growing our staff head count to 350 and selling to a private equity firm in 2004. Here are five lessons for running a family business that helped me get there.

Check your ego at the door, and be comfortable with saying 'I don't know'

People often think being a leader means knowing what to do. When I joined my family's business, I arrived with prestigious academic degrees including an MBA from Harvard. But I only worked there before for 6 weeks in one summer, so I knew very little about it. I also had never led any organization.

I quickly realized that the people who worked in the business had tremendous knowledge and that I could contribute far more by asking open-ended questions than by trying to take control and tell people what to do. I spent most of my first few months interviewing people in the company and figuring out the business.

As a result, within a few short months, I had more knowledge about the business and industry than virtually anyone else in the company. While each person knew their role, I was the only one who had interviewed so many people that I had a broad perspective on the company. I envisioned it as everyone having their own pie slice, but my goal was to see the entire pie.

Stay close to your family, but don't let family emotions interfere with your decisions.

Working with family can bring up strong emotions, like frustration when a parent tells you what to do in front of other employees you are trying to lead. Or a feeling of rejection when a parent doesn't recognize what you consider to be a great achievement.

Families pass emotions between members, so negative emotions can spiral. Those negative emotions can lead people to make decisions that make them feel better, rather than decisions that work best for the business. And those negative emotions can seriously damage family relationships.

Be aware of your emotions and empathetic to your family, but be willing to make decisions that achieve shared goals, even if they are hard. Spending personal time away from work with my mom also helped us to stay close, even if we might disagree about something at work.

It's easier to get employees on board with your family's values. Use that.

Family businesses have a superpower in their ability to consistently lead through a set of values that employees and customers can relate to. That makes the work of running the business meaningful to you and to other stakeholders.

In my case, I realized that longtime employees remembered what my grandfather's company used to stand for, and were discouraged by many of the firm's more recent practices. Employees were lying to customers, and everyone behaved like they were on a losing team.

When I met one of the firm's retired former workers, he recalled how my grandfather insisted on not increasing roofing prices after Hurricane Hazel in 1954. That story spoke to me, so I shared it at a company meeting.

Other employees stood up and told similar stories. At the end of the meeting, we agreed that whatever happened, we would always do the right thing, even if that meant lower profits. We would never lie to a customer and always admit if we couldn't deliver what a client wanted.

That was a turning point for the company. Our employees felt they could be authentic, and it guided the company going forward and contributed to our growth.

Don't be afraid to take the business in a new direction from what your parents did

Family businesses can be slow to change because holding on to traditions or long-term relationships with employees and customers is valuable. Parents leading a family business may expect their children to join and follow in their footsteps.

But the average business today only lasts around 10 years. Families that try to get the next generation to follow the mold are at risk. The next generation may not be fully engaged, and the business may not be able to keep up with the times.

My advice is to find your own shoes and lead the business forward.

In my case, what was obvious about my family company was that it was a not very good business, and poorly positioned in a declining market. Our customer base was shrinking, our equipment was old, and employees hadn't been given raises for five years. We had six facilities in multiple states, most piling up with old products.

As I took over, we decided to change the company's model entirely. Instead of delivering in bulk to lots of customers in a large area, we focused on a small area of clients and delivered smaller shipments quickly. Eventually, we had enough money to buy one new machine, and we built on that success from there.

Don't try to live up to someone else's leadership style.

In family businesses, leaders can shape their own leadership style. Understand how others have led the business in the past, but don't be limited by that.

I was a young woman running a business in a male-dominated construction materials business. All leaders in the business, not just positions like the CEO, were men. Many managers' approaches were more authoritarian, with harsh language and aggressive stances.

I wasn't comfortable with that, but it was my family's business, so I could experiment with different ways to lead. I tried to be more calm and curious.

Finding my own leadership style, rather than trying to live up to someone else's, made me a more effective and genuine leader.

• Eight former SpaceX employees are suing the company and Elon Musk.
• They say they were fired after speaking up about a hostile work environment.
• The lawsuit alleges Musk treated women as "sexual objects" and used lewd banter.

Eight former SpaceX employees have sued the company and its CEO, Elon Musk, alleging they were wrongfully fired for speaking out against a hostile work environment in 2022.

The suit, filed in California, notes employees wrote an open letter to SpaceX management about their concerns. Musk then personally ordered their terminations, the suit alleges.

The complaint alleges Musk "runs his company in the dark ages — treating women as sexual objects to be evaluated on their bra size, bombarding the workplace with lewd sexual banter, and offering the reprise to those who challenge the 'Animal House' environment that if they don't like it they can seek employment elsewhere."

The lawsuit accuses Musk and other upper management of appearing in a video that made light of sexual misconduct, which was screened at an employee holiday party.

One scene shows VP of human resources Brian Bjelde "having an employee demonstrate how to spank him in the 'correct' manner," according to the suit.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

"Filing this suit marks an important milestone in our quest for justice, for holding leadership accountable, and for implementing responsible changes in workplace policies," one of the plaintiffs, Paige Holland-Thielen, said in a statement.

The lawsuit accuses SpaceX of creating a hostile work environment, retaliation, failure to prevent harassment, gender discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, and wrongful termination.

The same group of former SpaceX employee previously filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging they were targeted for retaliation.

But that case has been tied up after SpaceX sued the agency and said its enforcement processes violated the US Constitution. In May, an appeals court granted Musk's firm a temporary block that keeps the NLRB from pursuing its case.

Separately, the Wall Street Journal published a report on Wednesday alleging Musk had inappropriate interactions with female SpaceX employees, including a sexual relationship with a former intern.

The refreshed allegations of sexual misconduct come at a complicated time for Musk. On Thursday, Tesla shareholders will vote on Musk's contentious $55 billion pay package, potentially handing the billionaire a massive boost in wealth.