Archive By Section - Business Columns
Carl Kanowsky: Car-buying adventure begins as lease ends
The lease on my sporty Volkswagen convertible ends in August, so I've been on a mission to replace my ride with a new, sexy vehicle.
SCV prime for home sales
After years of dismal news reports about the residential housing market, it has been pleasurable to have month after month of uplifting reports.
Brad Watson: Understanding HOA decisions
Dr. HOA, After nearly 20 years with the same management company, and the same manager at our clubhouse, our association's board of directors decided to change management companies. We did not even learn of the management change until after they were already hired. Can the board of directors hire and fire our manager and management company without a vote of the homeowners? Wouldn't this decision need to be made during a board meeting with homeowner ...
Should you pay down your morgage or not?
Security and peace of mind are everyone's concern. More than ever before, having "a roof over your head" seems so important.
Ken Keller: How to be a better people manager
Scientific research says that the single most important determinant of individual performance is a person's relationship with their immediate manager. Lacking a strong relationship with a manager that sets clear expectations and is willing to make investments to improve performance, an employee is unlikely to perform, let alone stay.
Carl Kanowsky: You can’t walk a mile in this guy’s shoes
You've probably heard the proverb, "Never criticize someone until you've walked a mile in his shoes." Well, for Jose Robles, this old saying has come to haunt him.
Health care law’s effects detailed
One of our goals at the Small Business Development Center at College of the Canyons is to provide the small business community with actionable information on economic opportunities that can affect their business.
Signal Sales Beat - July 17, 2012
Every week the Signal sales staff updates readers on local business news and tips it picks up while out in the field.
Signal Sales Beat - July 10, 2012
Every week the Signal sales staff updates readers on local business news and tips it picks up while out in the field.
Signal Sales Beat - July 3, 2012
Every week the Signal sales staff updates readers on local business news and tips it picks up while out in the field.
Signal Sales Beat - June 26, 2012
Every week the Signal sales staff updates readers on local business news and tips it picks up while out in the field.
Signal Sales Beat - June 19, 2012
Every week the Signal sales staff updates readers on local business news and tips it picks up while out in the field.
Signal Sales Beat - June 12, 2012
Every week the Signal sales staff updates readers on local business news and tips it picks up while out in the field.
Signal Sales Beat - June 5, 2012
Every week the Signal sales staff updates readers on local business news and tips it picks up while out in the field.
Signal Sales Beat - May 28, 2012
Every week the Signal sales staff updates readers on local business news and tips it picks up while out in the field.
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.
