Startup Blog
Changing course in changing times.
As the economy begins to ramp back up, many businesses are discovering that what worked in the past won’t work going forward. Businesses will have to navigate a new norm where making a buck may take a back seat to soothing customer and employee concerns about their...
Cloudy with a chance of business.
The storm clouds of a global pandemic are hovering over us as I write this. All the long-range plans of businesses large and small have gone out the window as a once-bustling economy unexpectedly ground to a halt just six short weeks ago. Which leads us to...
Finding opportunity in times of crisis.
To say that times are tough for small businesses is almost laughable. In the history of our economy, we have never seen anything like this. In the Great Recession and even the Great Depression, there were clear warning signs long before the fall. With COVID-19, we...
The home or away game.
You’ve finished your business license, got your UBI number and you’re ready to open your doors. Now for the big question: What doors are you opening? The one to your spare bedroom? The one leading to your basement? Or perhaps you’ve got keys to a brick-and-mortar...
A taxing situation.
Every April my dad would lock himself up in our living room. My brothers and I were all told not to bother him under any circumstance, but I would occasionally sneak a peek through the louvered doors. Through a raised slat, I could see him hunched over an adding...
Cha-ching!!
For me, the most exhausting part of running a business was the endless sales cycle. First off, I sucked at sales; still do. Second, I had a nasty habit – at least in the early days of being in business – of counting handshakes as actual sales. Whether we like it or...
On the 12th Day of Business…
It’s December already. Time to close out the year that's soon to be behind us and look to the year ahead. For me, the end of this particular year has been particularly nostalgic. As I was clearing cobwebbed path in my garage that leads to the holiday decor, I came...
Being your own boss.
It’s Global Entrepreneurship Month (GEM) here in Washington State. Time once again to tap into that latent entrepreneur hiding inside of you to explore the idea of starting and running your own business. From morning coffee with an entrepreneur to full-blown business...
Focus pocus.
Even though my doctor says it isn’t a “thing,” I am positive that I suffer from Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS). I’ve been a victim of it all my life. SOS was even responsible for my foray into entrepreneurship. As I noted in the August blog, I became an entrepreneur in...