Many Gadgets, Many Risks Small companies are giving their employees a lot of leeway with gadgets. Letting workers use personal laptops, tablets and cellphones on the job. This policy has tremendous upside but there is a cost. Listen as Dave summarizes this timely article. United Way in Anchorage What does the United Way do? You may [...]…

If You Want to Beat ‘Em, Learn From ‘Em First Sound research for your new business starts with looking closely at your competitors. Dave ran across an article with some great tips on how to research competitors. Read the entire article here. Paying for College with a Start-Up How would you pay for your college [...]…

Small Business Optimism Ticks Up Slightly Listen as Dave summarizes the latest NFIB index. While up slightly, the overall index remains at recessionary levels and continues to set low records. 6-Point Investment Philosophy Listen as Jeff Pantages, over 30 years in investment management, talks investment philosophy. His 6 point philosophy is availab…

Looming Tax Hike Motivates Owners to Sell Why you should sell your business before the end of 2012. Listen as Dave discusses a Texas small business owner who is selling his business before the year-end– A 9% increase in capital gains taxes. This business owner figures it would take another 4 years of steady growth [...]…

For Twitter Founder Jack Dorsey, These Days It’s Hip to Be Square Inc. The founder of Twitter is shaking-up the credit card industry with a Square that lets merchants process credit or debit cards on smartphones. Listen as Dave talks about an $11 billion industry that could grow to $57 billion. Read the entire article [...]…

Hiring Plans Plunge: Small Business Optimism Drops 0.1 The monthly “Optimism Index” from NFIB is out for September, and it isn’t very optimistic. Listen as Dave summarizes this report. ”Since the start of this monthly survey in 1986, sampled quarterly prior, the index has been below 93.0 a total of 56 times; 32 of which [...]…

Economic Headwinds Listen as Dave gives his summary and grade for our economy. Tomorrow, we will be voting in the most important election of our life time. In Alaska we have the unique opportunity to make big changes in our state’s legislative body. On a state level, we will be voting on 59 out or [...]…

Economic News Summary September 2012 You may want to listen to the old buffalo Springfield song “For What It’s Worth.” “There is something happening here what it is, ain’t exactly clear” but it doesn’t look good. Listen as Dave portends our sinking economy with his first failing grade. Read the entire story here. Advertising with Google [...]…

How much should I pay for PR services? This is a bit of a different news item. Listen as Dave talks about the benefits and costs of a PR campaign. Public relations are an often overlooked but cost effective part of an effective marketing strategy. Find entire story here. Olympic Medal Winner Henry Boucha Getting Down [...]…

Small Businesses Push Congress for Tax Certainty To end some of the political uncertainty, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to the President and members of Congress urging certain tax policy. Find entire story here. State Senate Candidate Representing customer and stockholder interests is a lot different from representing constituents. Bo…

Small-Business Optimism Sees Slight Bump in August Few positive signs for the future, little change likely long-term. Small-business owners continue to show resilience in the face of economic and political uncertainty. Listen as Dave reviews the NFIB monthly optimism report. Speaker Mike Chenault The Speaker of the House for the Alaska State Legisl…

When Freemium Fails Giving your product or service away violates the basic business model- Buy Low, Sell High and Keep the Difference. Yet companies like Dropbox Inc., LinkedIn Corp., and Skype Incorporated have successfully used “Freemium,” giving away their products and services free to build a customer base. Go It Alone Self-employment beats eve…

‘Angels’ Can Fund Your Next Step Friends Jackie Graham & Emma Mahon started a business with savings and a bank line of credit. Realizing after two years that they needed more to reach their goals, they successfully turned to so-called angel investors. Listen as Dave talks about angel funding and read the whole article. Culture [...]…

Street Fight: Food Trucks vs. Restaurants A street fight is brewing between gourmet food-truck vendors and restaurants, not over the grub but where it’s sold. Dave asks the question: Are food-truck operators being punished by offering innovative service? Listen to the summary or read the whole article. Email David@waconsult.com with your opinion. B…