Preparing for fun winter sports

The leaves are beginning to change colors and the days are getting shorter. While some people look drudgingly at swirling leaves, others are filled with anticipation as their favorite winter activities draw closer.  It is very important for winter sports enthusiasts to train and do specific conditioning exercises before hitting the snow because, due to […]

Systematic changes needed to fix broken loan program

Access to capital is vital to the success of small businesses. Without it, small business can’t grow in a way that helps them create or retain jobs, both of which are critical to the economic recovery of our state. Yet, providing small businesses with loans they can’t repay doesn’t help the business or the economy. […]

Businesses striking out with health care reforms

 Imagine a World Series where players aren’t allowed to swing their bats and instead strike out just for stepping up to the plate. That’s how American small business owners trying to create jobs will feel in 2014 when a provision of President Barack Obama’s health care law gets underway.   The passage of the Patient Protection […]

At your service: SBA strives to assist underserved communities

The U.S. Small Business Administration remains committed to providing access and opportunity to Americans who are — or want to become — small business owners. For a variety of reasons, some communities are underserved when it comes to getting the tools they need to help grow businesses and create jobs. This includes residents of some […]

Economics: The mixing of biology and business

On the last Friday of each month at Coffee Muggers, entrepreneurs, business owners, and folks with ideas meet to talk about growing their businesses. It is a light, casual, open conversation, but there’s also some evident concern, even anxiety, about the future and whether their ideas will work. It’s not easy to predict how a […]

Have you checked the cheese lately?

Complete success in business lies in the details. It is the multitude of seemingly insignificant little things that, when done well, lead customers back to your doors. Customer attraction and retention is the life blood of any business that wants to succeed, and therefore, must be a priority. Recently, my girlfriend and I visited a […]

Understanding the basics of mortgage loans

Today’s interest rates really are as low as they have ever been, and using them to your advantage is a great way to get ahead in the game. When choosing what to write in this article, it seemed natural to touch on something we deal with on a daily basis. The question: Is now the […]

Social media integration and text message marketing

Text (SMS) Message Marketing is a simple, affordable advertising platform that enables small to medium sized businesses to have the same powerful impact that larger companies have been able to leverage for years in traditional advertising efforts. With the massive growth of social media, businesses can now integrate text messaging with the social media platform […]

Companies should prepare now for coming wave of job hopping

Kristin Donohue, Employment Dimensions Consulting Services Something’s knocking on the door of your business. Do you hear it?  It’s turnover! “What?” you ask.  “Turnover isn’t a problem for me.  Haven’t you heard there’s a recession?  People are lining up to work for me.” In the wake of the Great Recession, businesses have reported record-low turnover. […]

(Not enough) time to work out!

It is the oldest excuse in the book. I am guilty of it myself. When life gets busy, sometimes the first thing to go is the workout routine. Although we know we need it and it will improve our day, it still often gets the shaft. So, why do we make ourselves victims of the […]