Being the founder doesn’t always equal being the president

Linda LaitalaBusiness, ManagementLeave a Comment

Pete knew in college that he wanted to be a food scientist. He loved discovering new flavor formulas. After he graduated he worked days for “the man” at a big food producer and nights for himself developing specialty foods for hospitals. But years of double shifts began to wear Pete down. He dreamed of owning his own business and being

If you ever meet a “Mike” – hire him!

Linda LaitalaBusiness, ManagementLeave a Comment

It was late in the afternoon and my staff and I were trying to hold a much-needed status meeting in the front office. A man I’d never seen before (Mike) walked in and asked if he could fill out an application. The bookkeeper gave him an application on a clipboard; put him in the next office and we resumed our

It’s hard to make wood with a dull saw

Linda LaitalaBusiness, ManagementLeave a Comment

My father is an active, energetic 87 year old. One of the things he’s always done and still enjoys is “making wood”. He burns wood for heat and he sells a few cords as well. Dad has always taken good care of his saws. The blades on his chainsaws (he has five in all) get sharpened and oiled regularly. I

It was a rotten day on the range

Linda LaitalaBusiness, ManagementLeave a Comment

You have to admit, Saturday was not a nice day. It was cold and it was wet. It was the kind of day to curl up with a good book and Grandma’s quilt. Unfortunately, that wasn’t in the cards for me. My husband and I spent the day at the Gopher Rifle & Revolver gun range in Harris scoring targets

Don’t Run Your Business the Way Some Idiots Drive

Linda LaitalaBusinessLeave a Comment

I spend a lot of time driving to appointments and meetings; lately it seems that more drivers are making dumb decisions on the road. Some of the decisions they make behind the wheel could be correlated to the way business owners run their companies. See if you agree. Driving 40 MPH when it’s snowing (Speed limit is 55, roads are