Small Business Boomers

One in four U.S. households are dealing with caregiving issues. That means that in many cases Baby Boomers are the caregivers, with elderly parents needing the care. A Boston.com article addresses this question. The article mentions an online resource caregiverhelper.com, whose mission is to “ provide an online community resource that facilitates communication between multiple non-paid caregivers in support of a loved one.
It looks like you have to register. It’s free to join. I wish I had known about this site when we were caring for my mother and mother-in-law. I really do …read more

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If you’ve lived as long as I have, you’ve made your share of mistakes, both stupid and smart.  Because I have a little introspection, I now recognize why others make mistakes as well.  Each night when I go to bed, I am thankful that I have never made a mistake that killed or physically harmed anyone.  I also pray I die with that record.  I’m sure cops, political leaders, those in the military, health-care professionals and many others have the same prayer.
However, I do see a class of people everyday who would be overjoyed at causing physical harm or death.  …read more

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Interesting article in today’s WSJ about vultures buying condos in Miami; interesting on two points.
First, the article implied that a buyer shouldn’t expect the same good deal from new condo towers built side by side, because the builders cost are different depending on if they were started before or after the last big hurricane season.  As a buyer, I don’t care what the seller paid for anything.  The market dictates the price.  That’s why people are so angry at builders who are discounting houses 30% below the selling price two years ago.  Selling price of real estate is dictated by the …read more

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In my search for individual/business health care coverage, I’ve found some articles and information to share with you. It appears that health insurance plans are able to provide coverage within specific states. In each state, I found, there is a list of plans that are available, and some that aren’t. One plan I looked at was not available in my state. (Find your state’s department of insurance (or insurance commission) by googling “state name” and “department of insurance.” I found some good information on Health Insurance Info (from Georgetown University) by going to …read more

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A woman opened up a coffee shop 2 years ago in a strip mall near my house.  Unfortunately, a second coffee shop opened about a mile up the road, along with a Penara Bread store.  The second coffee shop, with a drive thru, closed.  A dance studio opened in the strip mall next to the first coffee shop.  Now, the first coffee shop is doing gang-buster business from the moms waiting for their daughters to get out of dance lessons.  The Penara is doing very well.
The key here is that the woman who opened the first coffee shop owned the …read more

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You have an extra day this year.  It’s leap year.  You can procastinate a day in paying your bills.  You can spend a day at the movies.  You can take your significant other to lunch.  What are you going to do with the extra day?
 And, happy birthday to all those leap babies.

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In a small business everything depends on you, the small business owner. If you don’t have an every day enthusiasm for your business, you can’t give it to anyone else. In fact you should think of selling ou or finding a way to get that wow factor back.
Often times enthusiasm and physical energy go hand in hand. Maybe you need a real break from your business to recharge. Maybe you have a health problem. Have it look at. You would be surprised what a little exercise can do for your outlook. I could …read more

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Customers don’t recommend your services because they feel your customer service was OK; they recommend because they feel the customer service was fantastic!
If you want your employees to deliver fantastic customer service, you need to employ people who are both High in Productivity/Efficiency, and High in Personal Attitude. These kinds of people are difficult to find, so here is my suggestion:
1. Hire for personality. You want people who smile, who are friendly and helpful, and who like helping people. You can’t train personality, so you have to find it where you can.
2. …read more

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What can you learn as a business person and or investor from the sub-prime mortgage bust and other bubbles?  Seems obvious, but if your in a boom there will be a bust.  Prepare for it.  Just as the old stock market saying says “No tree grows to the sky”; no boom last forever.
How do you prepare?  Look for the signs of the bust.  They happen as the boom becomes for frantic.  Look for the bad news early.
Some people say it is important to have people around you who will tell you bad news.  That’s a great idea with an exception; if …read more

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When I “retire” from my current job (in a few years) I will no longer have health insurance. I do have a small business, so I decided to look into health insurance for myself through my business. I have lots of questions, and I know just enough to be dangerous, but I also know this is an important decision for me. So, I thought I would share with you what I find in this process.
First, someone told me to check out EHealthInsurance.com to get a quote. I first went to their small business insurance page, …read more

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