Archive By Section - Business Columns
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One of the challenges that jobseekers may face when trying to find employment or re-employment is having out of date skills, or a gap, in their employment history.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.
Ken Keller: In 2013, learn from the movies
Business owners and leaders are busy people. Many of them say they do not have time to read books or articles, attend workshops or watch webinars.
Ken Keller: A 20-day plan to start your new year strong
Leading up to Christmas, business owners and leaders are not in the mood for anything but the essentials.
Miguel Palmer: Manager explains Social Security retirement benefits
For almost every American worker, Social Security is "part of the plan" for a secure retirement. If you are among the roughly 95 percent of workers in the United States who are covered under Social Security, here's a primer on retirement coverage.
Erika Kauzlarich-Bird: Homebuyers optimistic about market, prices
Based on what I see here in the Santa Clarita Valley, I'm unsurprised at the result of a statewide survey of recent homebuyers.
Steven Tannehill: Do you have what it takes to start a small business?
Many people dream of starting a small business. Most have a passion for a product or a vision for a service they would like to bring to the local community that they perceive the community doesn't have, and thus will find desirable, which will bring the entrepreneur satisfaction and success.
Ken Keller: Three recommendations for a planning session
Through the years I have facilitated and participated in many year-end strategic planning sessions. Many meetings of this ilk fail. Let me share with you three suggestions on how you could conduct a successful year end planning session.
Articles by Section - Business Columns
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?"
Disaster recovery — is your business prepared?
Is your business prepared for a disaster? While it is not something any of us like to think about, businesses should have a disaster plan in place.
Joe Klocko: The conundrum: supply and demand, wages and the skills gap
Most people understand the basic economic principle of supply and demand and incorporate it into their daily decisions. They may not do it consciously, but economic decisions are made every day by each and every one of us.
