Written for the leaders, owners and professionals of the 11 million businesses with between $50,000 and $50 million in revenue.

Make no bones about it: The Ohio Supreme Court isn't playing chicken when it comes to controversial food rulings.

In a 4-3 decision that ruffled more feathers than the justices probably expected, diners at Ohio restaurants cannot expect wings advertised as "boneless" to actually be boneless. The case was in court because a man who'd ordered boneless wings had medical complications after a bone got stuck in his throat.

However, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that "boneless" refers to a style of cooking, not a literal warranty, "just as a person eating 'chicken fingers' would know that he had not been served fingers" in the words of one justice.

For almost any kind of business, liability insurance can save you some bones. Read business.com's guide to What Is General Liability Insurance?

Today's Edition...

Solidcore: Anne Mahlum's routine for building your brand

Intrepid Travel: Certified B Corp is doing ecotourism right

Microsoft Word: Viral 1989 video puts night owls to sleep

Anne Mahlum's Routine for Building Your Brand With a "Solidcore"

(Source: Dunn Pellier)

When Solidcore founder and fitness enthusiast Anne Mahlum entered her first Pilates class in 2013, she experienced a workout unlike anything she had tried and immediately sensed its commercial potential. "No one was building a brand around this way of working out," Mahlum recalls.

Over a decade, 100 studios, and an $88.4 million acquisition deal later, here's what Mahlum learned about setting a business apart.

Tighten the product

Differentiation is key. Although Mahlum was inspired by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates exercises, which date back nearly a century, she insists that Solidcore is more of a resistance and strength-training workout. As she built up her first eight studios in the Washington, D.C. area, Mahlum tweaked her method to be "more intense and athletic" than generic Pilates.

She also noticed that most Pilates classes didn't have great music and the instructors' voices weren't amplified. Adding up-tempo songs and incorporating microphones made Solidcore stand out early on.

Cut the fat

Mahlum initially licensed her Pilates machines from Lagree Fitness, but she was dissatisfied with how their agreement limited brand growth within specific geographic regions. After a legal battle with Lagree, Mahlum was free to handle manufacturing her own machines and scale Solidcore at a faster pace.

Strengthen your community

Mahlum found it unnerving that no one seemed to converse during normal Pilates classes. "There was this cooler-than-school vibe," she says.

With her own studio, Mahlum was determined to change that, encouraging coaches to get to know everyone who came in. Clients would bring their friends — and eventually, everyone started hanging out after classes. (In 2020, employees accused Mahlum of creating a toxic work environment. Last year, she told CNBC that she's better at respecting boundaries now.)

This community aspect became Mahlum's main marketing strategy for the first 25 Solidcore locations. "Everyone wants the social cred of introducing someone to something they know they are going to like but haven't tried before," she says.

In other words: Brands that generate word-of-mouth buzz will be in the best shape.

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Intrepid Travel: Certified B Corp Does Ecotourism Right

(Source: Intrepid Travel)

Looking for more in your next vacation than improving your tan and filling up your Instagram feed by the infinity pool?

Enter Intrepid Travel. Based in Australia and known for its immersive off-the-grid group tours, Intrepid supports over 50 local grassroots projects — from protecting coral reefs in Indonesia to empowering female entrepreneurs in Honduras. It's focused on wildlife conservation, human rights, and local artisans.

While ecotourism has existed for decades, the company's received criticism for greenwashing and even harming the places it aims to help. However, Intrepid went carbon neutral in 2010 and phased out elephant rides in 2012 ("the first global travel company" to do so, the company says, setting a new industry standard). Last year it raised $2.8 million for charity through its Intrepid Foundation.

"These adventures give you an authentic taste of local life and cultural heritage while ensuring the benefits of tourism stay with the people who actually live there," the company says.

1989 Microsoft Word Instructional Video Becomes Unexpected Viral Sleep Hack

The sleep industry has sold us meditation apps and herbal gummies, but all we really needed to doze off was "THE MOST BORING VIDEO EVER MADE," in the words of one YouTube uploader.

That video? A nearly two-hour Microsoft Word tutorial from the late 1980s, originally recorded by motivational speaker Randy Smith and newly discovered by 3.3 million sleep-challenged viewers who rave about its Ambien-like effectiveness.

Smith, who is now retired and living in Florida, feels confused by his sudden fame. "Why somebody who has no interest in Microsoft Word would be watching it, especially such an old version, I have no idea," he told The Wall Street Journal.

Whatever sends you off to Dreamland, right?