In 1991, Nadeem Bajwa immigrated to the United States from Pakistan. While attending college in Indiana, he worked a few jobs, including delivering pizza for restaurant chain Papa John’s, where he made $4.25 an hour.

Today, the 58-year-old has a fast food empire. Bajwa is now a major franchisee of Papa Johns in North America, with more than 270 locations across the country.

He is also the CEO of Bajco Group, which he co-founded with his two brothers, and holds a diverse portfolio of companies spanning construction, technology, accounting, his Papa Johns portfolio and more.

Bajwa’s path to success wasn’t an easy one. In his early twenties, he was the first in his family to move to the United States, where he encountered many challenges upon arrival.

“Coming to the U.S., actually, that was my first flight [ever.] I’d never flown before,” Bajwa said. “Just getting into the plane, it was a full flight coming here by myself, [there was] a lot of anxiety … but I was determined to make it.”

He said he experienced some culture shock and struggled with communication because he wasn’t fluent in English at the time. “Sometimes, when you are away from family, and you’re alone … it was very, very difficult,” Bajwa said.

To help fund his university expenses, Bajwa picked up some side gigs.

“My first summer, I did three jobs … washing dishes [during] breakfast time, and then delivering pizzas in the afternoon, and late night, working at Taco Bell,” Bajwa told CNBC Make It.

“I was living in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and … I just started delivering for Papa John’s when they came in town and from there, just started loving it, and tips were good, so that helped,” he said.

Bajwa quickly moved up the ranks at Papa John’s. By the time he graduated from university in 1996, he had already transitioned from being a delivery driver to area manager. After graduating, Bajwa applied to a few corporate roles because that’s what he always expected to do after his studies.

“I applied for some jobs, and on back of my mind, I was sort of hoping that I don’t get a corporate job, but I wanted to try it because that was one of the … check marks I had to check,” he said. “I just did not want to have that regret that I never applied, because all of life, I thought I would go corporate sector.”

“But when I went to find a [corporate] job, I couldn’t get [a] job that would pay me … more than what I was already making [at Papa John’s],” Bajwa said. For that reason, he decided to stay in the pizza business, and ended up running multiple pizza stores before becoming a franchisee himself.

In July 2002, with the help of family support and bank loans, Bajwa opened his first Papa John’s store in East Liverpool, Ohio.

“I bought used equipment for very low price, and at that time, I built the store for half [of] what I would have [paid], because I did a lot of [the labor] myself,” he added. “My whole thought was to open with as little money as possible, and spend the money towards marketing.”

The cost for the buildout of his first store was about $150,000, he said.

Bajwa learned a few lessons early on, thanks to some key mistakes.

Before opening his first restaurant location, Bajwa focused heavily on getting the word out about the store’s grand opening.

“I did too much marketing, and the first day [that the store opened], half of the crew walked out because it was chaos,” said Bajwa. “Too many people showed up because I advertised too much, and I focused more on advertising than training people to make pizzas … Then I learned how important it is to be ready before [opening].”

Then, within six months of this first location opening, Bajwa saw that the store’s revenue was ahead of forecasts, so he quickly went on to open a few more locations.

“After two stores, I thought, no problem. We opened three more immediately after that, and guess what, I did not have [the best people] around me, and [then we] started struggling,” he said. So, he and his team had to take a step back and give it some time before trying to expand again.

“There was a time that we grew too fast and hit the pump. [In] 2008, [during the] economic meltdown … those were tough times,” he added. Ultimately, Bajwa said, he’s grateful for these early failures because they taught him all that he knows today.

Throughout his journey, Bajwa said, he learned the importance of self-reflection. “You have to be humble, because the day you start thinking you got it all, I believe your downfall will start.”

In 2024, Bajco Group signed an agreement with Papa Johns International to develop 50 new restaurants by 2028. Bajwa said his goal is to get to 500 restaurant locations. With the growth of his Papa Johns portfolio over the years, Bajwa has also built adjacent businesses.

“We’ve developed a call center, construction arm, offshore accounting setup, and technology arm to bring [efficiencies] to our Papa Johns portfolio, which now have become separate businesses & serve multiple clients within and outside the Papa Johns brand,” he said.

“I never dreamt of this growth. [I just focused on] doing my best … and learning from my mistakes … and the rest just came,” Bajwa said. “So everything started with delivery pizza. Can you believe that?”

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I once had an MBA student who checked every box. He was whip smart, well-spoken, genuine, and clearly hard-working. He attended a respected college and spent two years at a top consulting firm. He was a typical top pick for the companies he was courting.

And yet, he kept getting rejected after job interviews. Something wasn’t adding up.

Finally, after asking him to do a mock interview with me, I quickly spotted the problem.

When I asked the classic “What are your long-term career goals?” he smiled and told me he wanted to start his own business one day.

Perhaps you can still hear me screaming, “No!”

As a CEO, here’s my advice to job seekers: Announcing your desire to someday leave the company that is trying to hire you is one of the three sudden death interview answers.

Let’s talk about what to avoid, and what to do instead.

To a recruiter, this answer sounds like you’re planning your exit before you even walk through the door.

Why? Because every company understands that once you arrive as a new hire, the deal they’ve made is not fair. They will be paying your salary. But for several years, while they invest in your training, you will barely be worth it.

In fact, at most companies, executives agree new hires start making financial sense after about three years. If you signal that your plan is to leave and launch your own thing, most companies won’t want to take that bet.

My student thought it made him sound ambitious. And it does. But here’s how to frame it better: “My career goal is to rise to a leadership position, manifesting my ambition and initiative — right here at your company.”

Yes, we all want balance. But if you say this is your top priority, you’ll instantly disqualify yourself, at least in the eyes of many hiring managers.

Companies want to know that you’re motivated, that you want to win, and that your goals align with theirs. Productivity and passion matter.

Our research at Becoming You Labs shows 65% of Gen Z identify self-care as a top value. That’s not wrong. It’s real. But in interviews, you need to balance it with what the company values, too.

Here’s a stronger approach: “I care about well-being, but I’m most driven by growth, excellence, and being part of a high-performing team.”

This shows that you’re human, but also hungry.

(Most companies have a set of well-honed questions to get at your values; others ask you outright. I recommend taking The Values Bridge test to explore your values before the moment of truth.)

On the surface, it sounds benign. But seasoned executives know that in many layoffs, companies pluck out the top performers and reassign them elsewhere in the organization. And they are wondering why that didn’t happen to you.

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So you need to explain your situation in more nuanced detail, signaling that you know what they’re thinking. For instance, you might explain that your company was getting out of a certain business line entirely, and thus your skills no longer applied elsewhere in the newfangled enterprise.

If you want to be very authentic, which is always a plus, you might even say something like: “The layoffs taught me a lesson I’ll never forget, that you have to constantly be expanding your expertise with training, because business changes constantly.”

The job market today is challenging, and people are having to work hard just to land interviews. That’s why once you’re in the door, every answer has to hit right. And when in doubt, ask yourself: Does this answer show I want to be here, grow here, and win here? If not, rethink it.

My student learned that the hard way. But now, he’s back in the game, and hopefully his next play is a score.

Suzy Welch is an award-winning NYU Stern School of Business professor, acclaimed researcher, popular podcaster and three-time NYT best-selling author, most recently with ”Becoming You: A Proven Method for Crafting Your Authentic Life and Career.” A graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Business School, Dr. Welch is a frequent guest of the Today Show and an op-ed contributor to the Wall Street Journal. She serves on the boards of public and private companies, and is the Director of the NYU | Stern Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing.

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Work-life balance looks different for different people.

For some, the term can mean not working nights, weekends and holidays. Others may look at it as no text messages and emails about work after 5 p.m., prioritizing self-care in the evening instead. While this divide may give you a sense of happiness and fulfillment, it isn’t always realistic, says Walmart executive vice president and chief people officer Donna Morris.

“I’ve never believed in the term work-life balance,” says Morris, who oversees the experience of over 2.1 million employees. “I call it work-life integration. There are times that your life requires a lot more, and there are times that your work requires a lot more. … I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”

When Morris is visiting family, for example, her main focus is on them. But if there’s something at work that needs her attention, she won’t wait until she’s back in the office to do so. Work-life integration helps her stay on top of her work duties while still showing up for herself and the people she loves, she says.

“You might be [at your kid’s] soccer game, but you happen to look at a few emails,” Morris says. Maybe you’re chatting with your boss via text while waiting for an appointment, or tying up a few loose ends at work before you put the kids to bed. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a workaholic who lacks boundaries — rather, you find ways to combine your personal and professional duties that work for you, instead of being strict and inflexible with your time.

Morris’ insight comes as young professionals are demanding more out of work, shaping new professional norms like relaxed dress codes and mental health days. Along with an inadequate salary and burnout, lack of work-life balance is one of the top reasons why Gen Zers would quit a job, according to a 2022 report from Talent LMS, a workplace training company, which surveyed over 1,200 respondents between ages 19 and 25. 

The pursuit of work-life balance can also cause mental distress, Jeff Karp, a professor of biomedical engineering at Harvard Medical School and MIT, told CNBC Make It in September 2024. 

“We hear these things from others, [like] trust in the process [and] balance is so important, we need more balance, it’s the ultimate goal,” Karp said. “It ends up being very frustrating and can lead to anxiety, because we’re constantly feeling like we’re not in balance. There’s a state we should be in [and] we’re never in that state.”

Of course, sometimes you may actually need a complete reset, shutting off your laptop for a few days and turning your work phone off. But if your boss doesn’t use their vacation time, or is constantly reaching out during your time off, unplugging can feel impossible. 

That’s why it’s up to leaders to set the tone for boundaries in the office and what good work-life integration may look like.

“If I never take a holiday, the tone that I set for everybody is, don’t take a holiday — you can’t do that. And I don’t think that that’s right,” says Morris. “As leaders, we have a responsibility to role model what we expect of others.”

“At the end of August, I’m going away [on vacation],” she adds. “And my team will all know, [so] when they’re able to actually go off and do something, they should go off the grid and do it.”

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While many businesses grapple with slimmer margins and declining revenue as they face higher tariff costs to import goods into the U.S., wedding dress retailer David’s Bridal says it’s profiting from the policy shift. 

“I’m going to be the only person that’s going to answer it this way: Tariffs helped us,” David’s CEO Kelly Cook tells CNBC Make It. 

Because David’s owns nearly 40 manufacturers around the world, the company has been able to turn its supply chain into an additional revenue stream, Cook says. Since President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on April 2, Cook tells CNBC Make It the company has signed nearly a dozen deals with other businesses looking to produce their goods in David’s factories located in countries with lower tariff duties.

“There are people that are winning,” says Brian Pacula, a partner in supply chain practice at business and technology consulting firm West Monroe. Just over one-third of U.S. companies say they are experiencing positive effects from tariffs, according to a survey released by the firm in June.  

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly which types of businesses are benefiting from tariffs, but Pacula says companies that primarily manufacture in the U.S. or have sources of supply outside of countries that have higher tariff levies are better situated to weather the tariff storm.   

David’s Bridal is among a small group of companies benefitting from tariffs, but for most large corporations and small businesses, tariffs are creating significant strain, experts and entrepreneurs tell CNBC Make It.

The impact of tariffs varies depending on where businesses choose to source materials and manufacture their products. On Aug. 7, updated tariff rates took effect on dozens of countries, ranging from 10% to 41%. The current U.S. tariff rate on Chinese imports stands at 30%, but it peaked at 145% in April and could return to that level in November. 

David’s Bridal manufactures 90% to 95% of its inventory in-house, the company told CNBC in March. Cook says the company’s design and production centers around the world produce more than just wedding dresses for the brand — they also make suitcases, men’s suits, bathing suits, shoes and home textiles. 

When Trump announced plans to implement tariffs, many businesses that primarily manufactured in China began looking for alternative locations with lower tariff rates, like Vietnam and Sri Lanka, where David’s Bridal already had established factories, Cook says. Goods imported from both countries currently face a 20% tariff.  

“We’ve been in multiple countries for many years, and we did it simply to manage costs,” and now it’s a move that’s paying off, Cook says. 

David’s Bridal, which emerged from a second bankruptcy two years ago, did not disclose how much the added business will affect revenue for the year, but a spokesperson for the company says it’s “positively impacting the company’s revenue stream and profit margins for 2025 and 2026.” 

“We were in the right place at the right time,” Cook says. “We actually have more demand [from outside brands] than my team can keep up with right now … It just sort of blew up and took off.” 

Smaller businesses — which generally have less cash flow and lobbying power — are left especially vulnerable, entrepreneurs and experts say. Some have had to lay off staff and cut salaries to stay afloat, and others are at risk of closing their companies altogether because they can’t pay their bills at the border, small business owners recently told CNBC Make It.  

Even large brands are taking a hit: Activewear brand Nike estimates it will incur an additional $1 billion in costs due to Trump’s tariffs, the company’s chief financial officer Matthew Friend said on an earnings call in June. 

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Like David’s Bridal, some businesses say they are searching for new revenue streams to offset the cost of tariffs. Nearly 1 in 5 business owners say they have pivoted or launched a new business in direct response to rising tariffs, investing an average of $20,000 to do so, according to a recent survey of 250 business owners conducted by Clarify Capital.

That’s no easy task, says Busy Baby CEO Beth Benike, whose company manufacturers baby mats and teething toys in China. Recently, she started making a small amount of money letting two other companies store their goods in Busy Baby’s Minnesota warehouse, she says.

“We’re bringing in additional revenue that’s helping us stay afloat,” she says. “People are looking to the Midwest to move their warehousing … We have lower expenses, so we can charge less.”

However, that extra revenue is only a drop in the bucket, she says. The warehouse is making roughly $10,000 each month, and $7,000 of that goes toward rent, Benike estimates. She is in talks with other companies who want to use her warehouse, but if the current tariffs on imported Chinese goods stay in place, Busy Baby will add a 10% tariff surcharge at checkout by the end of the year, she says. 

Whether businesses continue sourcing from foreign suppliers facing tariffs or shift to more expensive domestic producers, production costs will rise, and those costs will be passed along to the consumer, Pacula says.  

Some small businesses, like Busy Baby, and large businesses, like Walmart, say they will have to raise prices to keep running. As a result, tariffs could cost U.S. households an additional $2,400 on average in 2025, estimates The Budget Lab at Yale University, a nonpartisan research center.

If businesses don’t pass along their increased costs to their customers, “it’s going to come through and lower margin, lower [earnings], lower share price, etcetera,” Pacula says. “It’s either hitting our 401(k), or it’s going to hit us right now as we go to the checkout counter.” 

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One of the most common myths about long-term relationships is that couples eventually run out of things to say. It’s easy to believe: Life gets busy, routines take over and conversations become more about logistics than connection.

As a psychologist who studies couples, and based on my own experience being happily married, I know how tricky communication can become if you’re convinced there’s nothing left to say. But couples in healthy relationships make a habit of talking about things that matter, every single day.

Their conversations stay fresh, connected and meaningful because they never stop learning about each other. Here are five things people in the happiest relationships talk to each other about every day — that most people neglect.

Couples in thriving relationships always make a point to check in and make sure the other partner is happy.

On some days, that means asking: “Do you feel loved? Supported? Connected?” Other days, it’s about expressing appreciation, sharing a laugh over a favorite memory or talking about something they’re looking forward to doing together.

Having these daily check-ins help prevent small misunderstandings from growing into larger issues.

In the strongest relationships, both partners stay curious about what excites the other. It could be a song they can’t stop listening to, a book they’ve been devouring, a hobby they’re exploring or even a TikTok that made them laugh.

Regardless of whether their interests overlap, they stay curious about each other’s passions. This is what keeps the spark alive.

Over their years together, these little updates remind one another of perhaps the most important thing to remember in a relationship: “We’re constantly growing and evolving, and we’re doing it together.”

Happy couples are never stuck in the present or past. They often have conversations about long-term goals: owning a home, traveling more, starting a business or raising kids.

They also don’t shy away from less practical, more whimsical topics, like what they’d do with a year off, how they’d renovate their dream kitchen or where they’d go if money wasn’t a concern.

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Discussing dreams, no matter how realistic or farfetched, keeps the relationship future-oriented by instilling a joint sense of purpose and possibility. Even if a dream can’t be acted on right away, talking it over allows them to keep track of each other’s values.

Happy couples aren’t uncomfortable bringing up what’s bothering them. A healthy relationship should feel like a safe space where couples can work through their troubles together as a team.

Whether it’s a tough day at work, a lingering insecurity or even a fear about the relationship itself, they trust their partner to respond with empathy.

Over time, this daily practice of being emotionally honest builds a rock-solid sense of safety. Both partners will never feel like they have to carry their baggage alone.

Even a half-formed musing can be a fun way to connect. Happy couples never think twice about sharing their random ideas: their shower thoughts, their “what-ifs,” their “this just popped into my head” theories.

And these don’t always have to be deep or profound. In fact, they’re usually pretty silly, weird or seemingly irrelevant. Adding a little bit of playfulness and spontaneity into every conversation also makes space for laughter and even intimacy.

I always remind couples that a big part of building a successful relationship is about being intentional with the conversations you choose to have. Couples who stay connected day after day create a shared space for curiosity, growth and joy.

Mark Travers, PhD, is a psychologist who specializes in relationships. He holds degrees from Cornell University and the University of Colorado Boulder. He is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, a telehealth company that provides online psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching. He is also the curator of the popular mental health and wellness website, Therapytips.org.

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