Stories and articles about starting and growing a successful business.
I was the shy kid through high school. In a graduation class of over 500 students, I was just one of the crowd. I met girls that I had graduated with but had never seen before when I went to a small college. Does this sound like you? Yeh, I know. You are connected with … Read more
Someday Never Came—And That’s a Good Thing I’ve been asked, “How can you do something for over 30 years without getting bored or burnt out? The answer is simple: I’ve made it a journey filled with FUN, meaningful challenges and plenty of growth along the way. One of the biggest mistakes new entrepreneurs make — … Read more
We all know the feeling. We get up early and work all day. Before we know it, it’s time to go to bed and we still haven’t gone all the way through our “To Do” list. Sound familiar? Owning your own business, or even just working at a job, is time consuming and can be … Read more
It seems like yesterday, but in actuality it was many, many years ago. The afternoon heat in the deep South drove us to the front porch where there was occasionally a breeze flickering through the leaves of the trees around us. My sister and I worked on the crocheting that our Mother was teaching us … Read more
Becoming an entrepreneur can be very exciting but is rarely very glamorous. Managing the daily activities of running a business can be anything but a dream. Unless you’re just working on a hobby, your days won’t be easy and worry-free, particularly in the beginning. But if you really have a passion for the business you … Read more
When I first saw Smokey Bear at the Washington National Zoo back in 1960, he was already ten years old and well-known to kids everywhere as the symbol of the U.S. Forest Service’s Fire Prevention campaign. The story of his life along with the evolution of the “Prevent Forest Fires” campaign featuring Smokey is an … Read more
If you have a business, you may have started it for many different reasons. To stay home with the kids. To get away from the 9 to 5 routine. Where you could make lots of money with little investment. But that’s not most of us — particularly those of us who are in the gift/gift … Read more
Make this world a better place. Make your industry a better place. Make your home a better place. A tall order? Impossible? Not at all. You can do it—starting with you. Many years ago, when I was living in Yreka, California, I saw problems in the town — problems that I felt the City Council … Read more
During my lifetime, I’ve lived in towns and cities of all sizes. Large cities like Washington DC and Berkeley, California. Mid-sized cities like Pensacola, Florida and San Jose, California. Small cities like Santa Cruz, California and Flagstaff, Arizona (where I finally landed). But since my husband was a forest ranger, we’ve lived in some tiny … Read more
Mistakes aren’t always bad. They can actually be very good sometimes. And they can even prove to be very profitable. A well-known example is the accidental discovery of pencillian. Two other, but lesser known, examples are “Post-It Notes” and “Chocolate Chip Cookies.” Post-It Notes, sometimes called sticky notes were invented until the early 70’s. Art … Read more
Some people fold after making one timid request. They quit too soon. Keep asking until you find the answers. In sales there are usually four or five “no’s” before you get a “yes.” Jack Canfield There are a number of reasons why a business folds and closes its doors. But many of them quit too … Read more