Uncategorized RSS feed for this section

Gather your forces and lead the way!

Contractor Hotline connects homeowners with vetted contractors for remodels and repairs, large and small. Throughout Washington’s 2-1/2 month stay-home order, owner Cari Barron stayed in touch with her contractors—calling and emailing to check in. Homeowner referrals initially dropped off, but the more time people spent in their homes, the more people felt compelled to plan […]

Stylists are in-demand. Paroba College is ready to train them.

Innovation within your business comes from conviction about its strengths and dedication to solving a problem. We Run Clean has been cosmetology school Paroba College’s motto for years. Running clean means do it right, go by the rules or change them, be honest and fair, practice safety in all things. I don’t think it’s possible […]

Comments Off on Stylists are in-demand. Paroba College is ready to train them. Continue Reading →

From great to growth: casting seeds of change

LEADPrep Academy is an accredited micro-school serving 6th through 12th graders at two campuses. Except for now (you know, the pandemic). Every day—since the very first day schools closed—LEADPrep provides students with a full-day schedule. All of them. At home. School starts at 9:00 am. Teachers run online classes, assign in-home learning activities and science […]

What would you give to build a dream team? A Help Wanted ad that’s also great advice.

You want a team of star employees. You know, the ones that boost morale and make sure every customer gets the best product and service and feels appreciated. Great employees ensure your company’s long-term success by creating loyal customers and contributing to a culture that fuels your business. As the owner, you sleep a lot […]

Comments Off on What would you give to build a dream team? A Help Wanted ad that’s also great advice. Continue Reading →

Trudge less. Happy-dance more!

Like every other business owner I know, Tracey Warren of InSpark Coworking has exhilarating moments intermingled with times of anguish. Ironically, as the Chief Connection Officer/Chief Sparkler for the InSpark Community, Tracey’s got no space she can call her own. You know…to get deep work done. She needs to be visible and available within InSpark’s […]

When the logical next step backfires

High-quality girls’ gymnastics outfitter Leap Gear by Pelle saw a rosy future after sustaining top-selling sales on Amazon for several years. Co-owner Owen Fowler set out to leverage the company’s leadership position. Following conventional wisdom he raised prices on par with better-known brands which were selling offline and through their company websites but not on […]

Walk backwards in your customers’ shoes before marching forward

Introducing a product innovation takes deep consideration of all the ways customers will be impacted—positive and negative. Education company The 2 Sisters planned two years in advance so it could align every product and service with the introduction of new tools for teaching literacy. It started in 2017 with an outline for The CAFE Book, […]

Comments Off on Walk backwards in your customers’ shoes before marching forward Continue Reading →

Patience vs. Avoidance: Which is it?

Patience isn’t trending on Twitter today.  Yet it’s frequently referenced, hard to practice when needed most and obnoxious when presumed (“Thank you for your patience” says the email telling me my order’s been delayed for two weeks; they clearly can’t see that I’m seething mad or hear my screams as I realize the delivery date […]

Designers

Honor Thy Designer

I gained new appreciation for my designer brethren by taking a beginner Adobe Photoshop class last year.  It was comical by the second class and hopeless after the third (out of five).  I did successfully construct a visual BLT (yes, a bacon/lettuce/tomato sandwich).  Despite expert instruction, my assignments after that looked like cheap stock photos […]