I saw a great video a long time ago about a Massachusetts business called The Hungry Ghost Bakery. While they prefer to use organic flour for their bread-making, the cost of growing wheat in Montana, shipping it to South Carolina to be milled, then shipping to the Massachusetts bakery -- that tripled the price of the flour in a one year …
Devoting Your Life To Something Meaningful
I've been reading Po Bronson's book, What Should I Do With My Life? Has anyone read it? It's a series of stories about how people found meaningful work and a meaningful life. Not every story has a happy ending (which I appreciate) and some people didn't get to follow their dreams until they were in their 60s. In one story, the woman was …
The Vote Is In – How You Like to Learn
THANK YOU to everyone who responded to our survey, How Do You Prefer to Learn? I appreciate the feedback about how you prefer to learn new information, skills and ideas. I think these results will be helpful to you if you are creating any boot camps, classes or teleclasses in the next 12 months. This information is also helpful if you're creating …
The Best of Times, The Worst of Times
What would happen if your revenues decreased by 44% in one year and looked like they would continue to fall in the next 12 months? Or increased by 30% rapidly and because of an unpredictable series of events? The recent downturn in the mortgage market reminds us how quickly things can go sour. Countrywide, a mortgage lender, …
What a Five Hour Hike Can Teach You About Business
It was intended to just be a short hike, as the afternoon temperatures were predicted to be in the mid-90s. This past weekend, my husband suggested we maintain the stamina we achieved by hiking in Yosemite, and go on a short hike through our local State Park. Because the afternoon was supposed to turn hot and humid, we set out at 9:00 AM and …
Retirement Plans for Small Businesses
For many small business owners, just making your financial obligations month-by-month is difficult. But as your business grows and becomes more profitable, it's time to start thinking about saving some of that profit towards your retirement. The IRS has a guide to help define the different types of retirement plans and how they affect your taxes. …