The Great Bank Shakeout
Community banks failures offer an opening to the small lenders that survive
With about 10 percent of total banking assets, community banks are the source of almost half the nation’s small-business loans and 43 percent of its farm loans. New regulations and low interest rates have shut down many smaller banks or forced mergers, but the survivors say they’re poised to take advantage of market openings and an improving economy.
Is Your Client a Problem Child?
3 steps for setting boundaries and knowing when to say goodbye
Every service business has had one: the dreaded problem client. These clients seem to bring more trouble than their business is worth, and dealing with them can quickly become a time sink. When dealing with a problem child, you need to implement solutions and be prepared to sever the relationship if those solutions don’t pan out. Here’s how:
The Family Fleece
Heart and Soul Alpacas & Spinnery in Penn Valley
“Our business allows us to center our livelihood around our family, rather than our family around our livelihood,” says Karen Ball. “We probably work harder and longer because of it, but we love what we’re doing.”
Powering Forward
Clean energy empowers Native American tribes seeking self-sustainability
Tribal sovereignty is an age-old Native American value that today is becoming synonymous with energy independence. With help from JLM Energy in Rocklin, the Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria tribe is on the leading edge of the movement in California.
Strategic Thinking for the Future of Higher Ed
Acuity with Steven Currall
Steven Currall is the Chancellor’s Senior Advisor for Strategic Projects and Initiatives and a management professor at UC Davis, where he is leading campus-wide deliberations about the vision for the university’s long-term future.
The Art of the Long View
What if an executive’s pay was dependent on the performance of his successors?
Economists refer to it as the agency problem: The incentives of executives are misaligned with the incentives of the company. If you have stock options that vest in five months, who cares what happens in five years?
Are Cricket-Hungry Chicks a Food-System Fix?
Bitwater Farms empowers farmers with a new solution for livestock feed
For Sean McDonald, improving the food production system is the future of his business — and the entire agriculture industry. His work toward those improvements starts with … (drumroll please) … crickets.
Swim Above the Sharks
What negative publicity taught me about my narrative — and my community
A calm and graceful response to any negative publicity is the best way to maintain control over your own narrative.
Living the Brand
Why it’s important for new hires to fit your company’s culture
From your customer service representatives to your sales team, your staff’s day-to-day decisions on the job quite literally make or break your brand experience. Which means, at the end of the day, your brand is only as strong as the crew you’re letting run the ship. So how do you hire a cultural fit?
Lessons from a Community Kitchen
Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op teaches healthy eating on a budget
When Leah Yadon saw a flier for the Sacramento Natural Food Co-Op Community Kitchen sessions at Wellspring Women’s Center in Sacramento, she signed up immediately. Food has always played a big part in her life, Yadon says, but no one ever taught her the basic building blocks of a healthy lifestyle.