Business Advice and Career Development

“Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit.” – George Carlin What type of worker are you? Do you just do the minimum to keep your job? Do you go above and beyond? I have discussed in previous articles about my three round system…

The Veterans Incubator for Better Entrepreneurship (VIBE) at University of Washington-Tacoma has launched its first ever business plan competition. With the goal to create future business leaders in Pierce County, and Tacoma in particular, the competition is open to all colleges and universities in the South Sound and members of the broader community as well.  The…

// Using this tried-and-true practice can provide a wealth of information to business owners, and help your employees grow as well It’s pretty much a given that if you are an entrepreneur, you are a very busy person. For those who have families to tend to, multiple business locations to maintain or other areas in…

Last year when Dan Price, founder and CEO of the Seattle-based credit card payment processing firm Gravity Payments, announced that he would raise the company’s minimum salary to $70,000 a year, he was roundly praised by many – and roundly criticized by others, notably his own customers. It seems that in his zeal to do…

In a lot of ways, service industry businesses – restaurants, auto repair shops, beauty salons, etc. – are unique ventures with their own set of challenges and rewards, and number one among these is the people who walk through the door. Service industry businesses depend on the lifeblood of interacting face-to-face every day with a…

With fall having arrived and school now back in full swing, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to get kids interested in business – how to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit in young people starting at the earliest age possible. Myself, I was engaging in business transactions going back to grade school when I…

In the April 29 Tacoma Weekly article “Local entrepreneur talks about the quandary of hiring,” I discussed my three-tier hiring procedure that has worked out rather well for me despite the difficulties of finding quality people to hire. Granted, it’s not a perfect system but I can say that it has allowed me to find…

When big companies fail, we always seem to hear about or read an analysis of why from an outside observer – “business experts” and the like – but never really from someone inside the company laying out exactly why the business had to close. It could be that people just don’t want to face their…

There is perhaps no better endorsement for a product than true testimonials from the entrepreneurs who create and market it. This is the case with Todd and Jocelyn Ellis – a.k.a. Paleo Pushers – who launched their all-natural, preservative free cookies business by making their own and sharing with their friends. Todd Ellis credits his…

A fact of life that all new parents soon learn is that kids grow out of clothes – quickly. So what do you do when your little one’s collection of too-small sizes starts to pile up? You can give things away to friends and family – if you just happen to know someone with a…