Archive By Section - Business Columns
Bob Khalsa: Open letter to lawmakers regarding mortgage deduction
Fiddling with the mortgage interest deduction to balance the nation's books would impact much of the nation, yet eliminating it or even limiting it would have a particularly destructive impact on California's high-cost housing market and the state's budding economic recovery.
Ken Keller: It’s very easy for a business to make trust disappear
A Gallup research study conducted and released in late 2012 found that only 21 percent of American adults surveyed found business executives high or very high in honesty and ethics.
John Milburn: Management by agreement: the other ‘MBA’
It is generally agreed that being an effective manager involves taking calculated risks. As in most things, the rewards or outcomes of any actions tend to be proportional to the risks involved. Generally, the greater the risks, the more positive the potential results can be. Thus, managers who take few risks may not fail as often, but they also limit their success. If you have an aversion to risk-taking, I am not advocating that you ...
Ken Keller: Real labor shortage stems from problem employees
There are many people out of work that want a job. The government says that the unemployment rate is falling as the economy grows and organizations add to payrolls.
There are new rules for home mortgage borrowers
In an attempt to put the "service" back in mortgage servicing, new rules have been devised that are intended to make it easier for borrowers facing financial stress to quickly learn about alternatives to foreclosure, speak directly to the loan servicer, and get errors fixed when there's been a mistake.
Ken Keller: Weeding out the disengaged
These individuals show up every day, are present physically but not always mentally for the required period of time, and leave at the end of the day, not having accomplished much at all.
What makes America strong
So, a few weeks ago, did you notice that barely perceptible stirring in the air? A surge of genuine ecstasy?
Marketing trends for 2013
First the good news: Budgets, particularly public relations budgets, are projected to increase for 2013, mobile social media will continue to rise as consumers' vehicle of choice, strategic focus on content marketing will continue to build, and unprecedented volumes of data on client profiles and buying habits will continue to build challenging even the most experienced marketer. The bad news: how to use all this newfound knowledge to your advantage.
Bridging the Skills Gap
One of the challenges that jobseekers may face when trying to find employment or re-employment is having out of date skills, or a gap, in their employment history.
Bob Khalsa: Internet primary research tool for most home buyers
Modern real estate consumers have the world at their fingers via the Internet, yet a new study stresses the importance of "local" search terms and websites.
My New Year’s wish list
The dust has settled from the Holidays and now everyone is back to work. I thought it would be appropriate to get beyond "wants" and "nice to haves" to focus on "what's really needed." This January I've created a list of gifts. These are, in my opinion, of "what's really needed" for every owner and leader. These items are for those who are already successful and wish to maintain that success; for those that desire ...
Steven Tannehill: Part II - Do You Have What it Takes to Start a Small Business?
In Part I of this article I covered the basic ingredients in deciding if you are ready to start a small business – having entrepreneurial drive and vision, identifying market opportunities, and developing a solid business plan. In this part I'll touch on the basic ingredients needed to get your small business off the ground.
Janice France-Pettit: Saving for college
Saving for a college education is an investment for the future, whether it is for your child, your spouse or yourself.
Ken Keller: The most success comes from a team effort
Ten years ago, Patrick Lencioni published The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. I continue to recommend it to business owners and leaders for building teams focused on execution and results.
Bob Khalsa: Optimism running high on housing recovery
As the new year gets underway, a recent survey of California homebuyers has found optimism about the housing market on the rise with three out of every four buyers confident prices will increase over the coming decade.
Articles by Section - Business Columns
Ken Keller: Here are ten mistakes that business owners make
A former leader of a large Fortune 500 company was quoted in an interview that "People who do things make mistakes. The biggest mistake is doing nothing."
Ken Keller: Front line makes bottom line
Once a month, like clockwork, a gentleman comes to my house in the early morning and sprays for insects and bugs. We've spoken a few times and he always hands me his card, telling me to let him know if he needs to come back between visits. I think I have called him once in the last decade.
Bob Khalsa: Rising prices lift sinking homeowners
Local home resale prices last month hit the highest level in five years, with each leap up in prices rescuing legions of underwater owners, in effect, throwing them a life preserver and pulling them to dry land.
Ken Keller: Lessons learned in college apply to business
Thirty-six years ago this month I graduated from college. I didn't study a major that paid immediate dividends, meaning a job, and I wasn't ready for graduate school.
Ken Keller: Permission to argue is granted
Peggy Noonan wrote a column in the Wall Street Journal on April 20 about her attendance at Margaret Thatcher's London funeral service. She commented that Mrs. Thatcher was often frustrated with her staff. Thatcher once said to her aides, "I don't need to be told what, I need to be told how."
Bob Khalsa: Statewide median home price at five-year high
Heated market conditions fueled by a tight inventory and strong sales in higher-cost coastal regions drove California's median home price in March to its highest level since May 2008. Local prices, right here in the Santa Clarita Valley are headed higher, too.
Ken Keller: How one company turned it around
This week I'd like to introduce a company in a far different place compared to just a year ago. The organization has gone from despair to celebrating success. At the end of the first quarter of 2013, the owner said his company had "…Increased sales, reduced costs and improved our overall financial position in terms of positive cash flow and profitability, as well as reduced debt."
Steven Tannehill: What do businesses want, anyway?
This is part two of a two-part column.
Bob Khalsa: Feds ease loan modification rules
Some homeowners who are still struggling to avoid foreclosure may soon benefit from streamlined rules that offer an easy way to lower monthly payments and modify their mortgage without requiring financial or hardship documentation.
Ken Keller: Here are the vitamins a leader must distribute
Looking back on those individuals who were my bosses, a clear distinction comes to mind.
Holly Schroeder: New homes benefit more than just buyers and builder
The only people who benefit when a house is built are the family members who get to live there, and the builder who constructed and sold the home, right?
Steven Tannehill: What do businesses want anyway? Part I
This column is part one of a two-part column.
Ken Keller: Lessons to be learned from lack of feedback
In 1970 I started my first official job. I worked nine hours a week at a small grocery store. For the next two years I grossed $11.25 a week.
Bob Khalsa: Prices, sales rise as SCV’s housing market continues its recovery
The residential housing resale market in the Santa Clarita Valley continued to recover during February, with sales and prices up to their highest levels in years.
Ken Keller: Getting crystal clear about your business
There is a terrific exchange in the courtroom drama "A Few Good Men." Colonel Jessup, played by Jack Nicolson, turns from being a witness in a court martial to being the prosecutor when he asks Lieutenant Kaffee, played by Tom Cruise: "Have you ever spent time in an infantry unit, son?"
