Archive By Section - Business Columns
Ken Keller: Goal setting, coaching builds a successful team
I had the opportunity to visit the Dallas Cowboys' football training camp last weekend in Oxnard.
Jerry Citarella: Where can you find retirement income now?
There's long been a tradition in our country of working hard for most of our adult lives. We accumulate as much savings as we can; possibly get some type of retirement benefits from our employers, and then retire on income generated from a few different sources. If we saved more, we'd have a bit more income and if our employers were generous we might have even more income through a hefty pension plan. Nevertheless, we ...
Ken Keller: Foundation of business growth
Many business owners want to grow their businesses; they want more clients, more revenue, higher revenue per client, improved cash flow, reduced variable and fixed costs and high profits to reinvest back into the business to grow it even more.
Carl Kanowsky: Facebook, social media and employment law
Joan applied for the receptionist job at Imagoner Funeral Home. She was tired of her job at Tilted Hooters, wanted something not as exhausting and a job where people looked at her eyes, not elsewhere.
Joe Klocko: Employee-focused metrics improves every business
What are the key metrics that you use to manage your business? Undoubtedly, they include the "big three," which are sales, profit and cash flow. After that, there's a lot more variability than you might imagine. Especially when moving between industries such as consumer products versus durable goods and manufacturing versus service.
Ken Keller:NFL coaches lessons
No business can win with the wrong employees on the payroll. The responsibility of the owner is to make sure that only the right people are on the team, and to coach them individually and as a team, to success.
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.
Articles by Section - Business Columns
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.
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.
