Archive By Section - Business Columns
Kenneth W. Keller: Businesses can learn from college football
Sept.3 was the beginning of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) football season.
Oscar Dominguez: Importance of customer service
While excellent customer service should be a staple for every small business, today's challenging economic environment requires extra attention toward this important mainstay.
Joseph L. Stark: COBRA health insurance changes policy
In today's economy, many individuals are, unfortunately, becoming familiar with the difficulties of retaining insurance coverage in the face of layoffs and other involuntary terminations.
Kenneth Keller: Take care of your business like it is your family
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that there are profound differences between children and adults. I recently spent time with my two-year-old granddaughter and had time to observe her. As I played with her, read to her and watched her, it struck me that within an organization there are substantial barriers between the owner and employees.
Jim Lentini: Figure out the return of your investments
One of the greatest philosophers I have quoted and respected for his wisdom and simple common sense is Will Rogers.
Brian R. Tinkham: A venti-sized decision for hospitality industry
Hospitality industry employers recently received a double shot when an appellate court reversed a trial court decision that awarded Starbucks' employees over $100 million in restitution and interest due to a tip-allocation policy. Who would have thought that a small tip jar in your local restaurant/coffee shop would cause such a large fine and headaches for employers?
Kenneth W. Keller: The two questions you must truthfully answer
Many companies today have two problems. The first is that they are not consistently generating enough qualified leads. Put another way, whatever is happening in marketing is not working as well as it needs to be.
Jim Lentini: Retirement savings strategy is important
With the current financial crisis affecting retirement saving strategy, an interruption of planned contributions can greatly impact your retirement plan.
Oscar Dominguez: Choosing the best credit card to fit your needs
Whether you've just received your first credit card offer or are looking to add an additional credit card to your wallet, there are some key factors to consider when choosing the best credit card to meet your needs.
Gina G. MacDonald: An executor has many responsibilities
Being the executor of an estate is not a task to be undertaken lightly. This person has the responsibility of managing the administration of a deceased individual's estate.
Kenneth W. Keller: A few good expenses
Every business owner is on a quest to reduce expenses. Every organization is leaking money and costs can be reduced by 6 to 10 percent simply by doing things differently. Those changes will likely have minimal impact as to how an organization operates but will change the cash flow and profitability immediately for the better.
Jim Lentini: Be confident in retirement
Americans who are retired or are planning to retire are facing challenges today that did not exist twenty or thirty years ago.
Oscar Dominguez: How to determine if you can afford a home
In today's challenging economic climate, it is all the more important for Santa Clarita Valley residents considering the purchase of a home to determine the price range they can afford prior to their search.
John F. Grannis: High court thwarts tort reform
"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." - Dick Butcher, King Henry VI, Part II, Act 4, Scene 2 Shakespeare's Dick Butcher was a rebel thug who saw lawyers as protectors, not enemies, of Lady Justice. For him the killing of lawyers was a means to corrupt ends, not a means to end corruption. Until 2004, a major source of disgust with lawyers was nuisance litigation under California's Unfair Competition Laws. For ...
Randall D. Armour: Make sure that you make your health care wishes known
Health care directives are an important part of any estate plan. Although this has always been the case, this fact was brought to the attention of many people for the first time recently when the Terri Schiavo case in Florida that made national headlines. Terri Schiavo suffered a massive heart attack in 1990, at the age of 26. The heart attack left Terri Schiavo in what the doctors called a persistent vegetative state. She could ...
Articles by Section - Business Columns
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.
Ken Keller: Learning from the Pumpkin Patch
Last week I provided the Pyramid of Business Success, a nine layered structure. Layer seven was the Growth Plan.
Bob Khalsa: State’s pending sales at four-year high, share of distressed sales drops
The recent rise of pending home sales to the highest level in nearly four years supports experts who believe California's home resale market will achieve full bloom this spring.
Ken Keller: The Pyramid of Business Success
I've long admired Coach John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success." In business, whatever blueprint, instructional manual or paint by number kit being used before the enterprise launches is quickly tossed aside once the doors open. After that, it becomes a freelance-thing or a free for all, for those lacking mentors, a Sherpa or the time to figure it out.
Peter Bellas: Now that we’ve been forecasted
Once again we are upon the season of forecasts. A quick perusal of any investment website will turn up some very rosy and optimistic forecasts for the coming year and a least a few doom and gloom predictions.
Ken Keller: Keeping yourself motivated
One challenge of being a business owner or holding a position of leadership is keeping motivated.
Bob Khalsa: Real Estate Talk
January is typically a dormant time of year for the residential real estate market in the Santa Clarita Valley, yet this market recovery is so unusual that no one was surprised when statistics showed January posted the highest sales total for the month in six years.
Buying distressed properties
Real estate development during the Great Recession has proven to be a very challenging endeavor. Even seasoned professionals have found themselves struggling to service debt on projects that are producing monthly net negative cash flows.
Ken Keller: Do the right thing, quickly
Last week I wrote about the 2012 Gallup Poll where only 21 percent of U.S. adults rated business executives with high or very high in honesty and ethics.
Ken Keller: What is it that you believe in?
In the course of working with business owners and leaders, I have observed that the organizations that are the most successful over the long run are the ones that have a strong focus.
