THRIVE, a Paychex Business Podcast

Mar 27 2025 446 ep. 19 mins

THRIVE, a Paychex Business Podcast artwork

Designed for those who crave the inside scoop on everything from people to policy to profits, each THRIVE episode transforms complex business and HR topics into clear, actionable advice. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a seasoned business owner, or an aspiring leader, this podcast is your go-to source for cutting through the noise and gaining a competitive advantage.

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The Fed on Interest Rates, EEOC on DEI, Small Businesses on AI

Mar 27 2025 7 mins

The outlook from the Federal Reserve is that everything is on target, so they aren’t budging interest rates. Not great news, according to Gene Marks, for small business trying to secure cheaper funding, but at least they feel the economic outlook is good. Over at the EEOC, executive orders from the new administration have businesses scrambling around DEI activities. Plus, Paychex

Paychex's Sarah Faye Pierce: Breaking Down Key Executive Orders & What They Mean for Your Business

Mar 25 2025 22 mins

How will the latest executive orders affect your business? Tune into this episode of THRIVE, where Gene chats with Sarah Faye Pierce, Head of Government Relations at Paychex. Sarah breaks down what executive orders are, how they influence regulations, and what they could mean for small and mid-sized businesses like yours. From tariffs to DEI, they cover critical updates to help you

Optimism Drops, Amazon Boycotts Hit Small Businesses, Botox Discrimination

Mar 20 2025 7 mins

Despite being at historic high levels, small businesses optimism dropped last month and recorded its second-lowest reading for uncertainty in the history of the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Gene Marks says we need to keep an eye on this. He also shares details of how boycotts don’t always impact those being boycotted. Plus, learn how a comedy club is helping com

Fed Talks Inflation and Uncertainty, Job Growth Moderate, OT Rule Appealed

Mar 13 2025 7 mins

The chair of the Federal Reserve said that Americans should expect economic fluctuation and inflation while adjusting to the implementation of new policies, but the target of 2% is on track. Gene Marks comments on that while noting that the Paychex Small Business Employment Watch continues to show moderate job growth but stagnant hourly earnings growth. In a surprising turn, the ne

Author Jason Dorsey: Generational Clashes at Work — How to Bridge the Divide

Mar 11 2025 32 mins

Do you know which generation is most frustrated with Gen Z? Or why millennials seem to get such a bad reputation? Join Gene Marks as he chats with Jason Dorsey, president of the Center for Generational Kinetics and author of Zconomy, to explore the dynamics between the five generations in today’s workforce. From bridging the divide between Gen Z and millennials to understanding w

A Tariff Workaround, SBA Leader Sets Agenda, and Impact of Mass IRS Layoffs

Mar 06 2025 6 mins

Another week, another set of tariffs against normal trading partners – and these steeper than the previous ones. However, host Gene Marks says businesses might be able to defer paying the extra cost by using bonded warehouses and several other avenues. He also shares that the SBA Director Kelly Loeffler plans, among her top 3 items, an extensive audit of the agency and its practi

Housing Market Woes, BOI is Back, and AI Shift by Crunchbase

Feb 27 2025 8 mins

The housing experts around the nation are not happy with the latest numbers – inventory up 28% but nothing is selling, while builders and architects report their sentiment indexes hit recent lows. Gene Marks says this is the news that worries small businesses that rely on that housing industry. Our host also shares the Beneficial Ownership Information reporting is back after a co

LinkedIn's Steve Cadigan: Rewriting HR, From Performance Reviews to Remote Work

Feb 25 2025 26 mins

The workplace is evolving faster than ever — are you keeping up or getting left behind? This week on THRIVE, Gene Marks chats with Steve Cadigan, author of Workquake and LinkedIn’s first Chief HR Officer, to break down the new rules of work. From career pivots to building a culture that spans four generations, Steve dives into the seismic shifts redefining the employer/employee

Inflation Rising, Monthly Hourly Earnings Decreasing, and Auditing Social Policies

Feb 20 2025 7 mins

The prices of goods and energy keep increasing, hitting 3% in January – the highest in seven months – and everyone is wondering when will the cost of eggs go down. Gene Marks points to some factors impacting inflation and expresses some concern that the monthly hourly wage growth, as reported in the Paychex Small Business Employment Watch, is at 2.87%, meaning wages aren’t ke

Funding Freeze Chills Labor Market, Acquisitions Rise, OpenAI Lessens Research Time

Feb 13 2025 6 mins

There are more than 7.5 million Americans whose jobs are directly connected to the federal government, so some private-sector and nonprofit businesses began shedding workers when the federal funding freeze was announced. Gene Marks talks about some of the short-term fallout. He also shares details on why acquiring businesses rose in 2024 and the impact of lending criteria on future