Buy Local? The Small Business Struggle…..

Jun 28

Buy Local? The Small Business Struggle…..

I was recently sent a message by a local person commenting on a group I work with to help local businesses and the community, it is called The Business Ideas Exchange (BIX) and it stuck with me, do local business owners really want to succeed? Here is the comment…. “This is a good start. I prefer to buy local when possible — and that’s a big...

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Customer Service 101: The Market Chef – Friday Harbor, WA

Oct 13

Customer Service 101: The Market Chef – Friday Harbor, WA

Many of my friends accuse me of being a food snob. It’s true, I am. But, even greater than my appreciation for amazing food is that of truly outstanding and authentic customer service.  It doesn’t matter if I’m getting an oil change or a seven course meal, I remember much more about how I am treated than the actual goods or services I’m...

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JENGA: Playing Games With The Local Economy

Oct 09

JENGA: Playing Games With The Local Economy

Have you ever played the game JENGA? It’s a fun-yet-terrifying game, the one with the small rectangular blocks of wood that are stacked in perpendicular rows to create a large tower while your job is to take turns at removing blocks from the lower tower in order to stack them on top to create an even taller tower. Of course, the fun (stress) of the game comes...

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Turning Guilt and Anger Into Hope and Success

Feb 12

Turning Guilt and Anger Into Hope and Success

I’m not the typical character in your average modern business success story. I don’t have an MBA from a fancy school, I don’t come from an influential family, and I don’t have a resume filled with Fortune 500 companies. In fact, I’m a high school drop-out...

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Thankful For Everything Local

Nov 25

Thankful For Everything Local

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I found myself needing to take a moment to reflect on my own thankfulness for the amazing past year! Our Partners: We have the amazing honor and privilege to be partnered with hundreds of like-minded individuals across the country who are devoting their lives to rebuilding their local economies in order to help their communities...

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