Category: smallbiz

Bend, Don’t Break

A windstorm came through central Colorado last month. The wind meter at the airport clocked gusts of up to 79MPH, breaking the all time record.
In my neighborhood, I counted 8 broken-off ponderosa pines as I drove down the main road the next day.
There was one tree with a five foot diameter trunk, broken completely off. [...]

Companions in Adventure

Most adventures are meant to be shared.
Think: The Three Musketeers. Han Solo and Chewbacca. Holmes and Watson.
It’s just more fun to have an adventure buddy.
In life, my family members are often my adventure buddies. This usually (but not always) works out well, and makes for great family memories. Here is my daughter and my pooch, [...]

Grow Tomatoes, Not Leaves (in Your Business)

I am a newbie, amateur, fresh-faced tomato grower.
I have three planters that I take out on my deck in the morning, and bring inside my house at night. (I live in the mountains of Colorado, so leaving them outside at night — even in July! — would mean death, dysfunction, or dormancy for them).
Since I’m [...]

I Didn’t Get the Job at IBM. Cool.

Most startups struggle at the beginning and mine was no exception.
My business partner and I started our software consulting company in 1986. By mid-1987, I had little left in savings. My wife and I did have a new baby on the way. And we had a new mortgage too…with a wonderful mid-80s fixed rate note at [...]

Small Businesses Hunkering Down

I was talking to a software entrepreneur friend the other day. We were comparing notes on how our businesses were faring during the Great Recession.
My friend said that these days, his business is ‘hunkering down’ and just surviving. If the bills are getting paid and the doors are staying open, that is enough for now.
I’ve [...]