While we’re several months away from the deluge of articles and general business obsession over 2017 goals, plans and strategy, now is the ideal time to determine your first quarter goals and plans.

It doesn’t matter if you are a recent college graduate or a high level associate; you must have a dynamic LinkedIn profile. It is the first thing recruiters look at when searching for a candidate and when current associates consider you for a promotion. Here are some action items you can do today to get your LinkedIn profile up to par.

Lately, with the news worldwide being somewhat bleak, I thought I’d write about trust -— since it seems to be waning a bit. Trust is something we commonly talk about in business, in leadership, in politics. It’s something we aspire to build and yet still seems challenging to grasp. So here’s my attempt to define trust and how it manifests in our lives.

Once players make it to Triple-A, the prospect of being called up to the majors is more tangible. Only about 10 percent of all minor league players make it to the big leagues, and the majority are pulled from the more talented and experienced Triple-A teams, which represent the highest level of Minor League Baseball. 

It’s not yet tax season, I know, I know. But as a self-employed freelancer, solopreneur or consultant, and doer of all things for your business, it’s quite imperative that you prioritize estimated quarterly taxes — the next deadline is just around the corner. And actually, there are penalties if you ignore these taxes. So listen up, freelance friends!

The phrase “typical day” is not one Larissa Meltz and Alex Larrabee have uttered recently and, as they get closer to their expected Labor Day weekend opening of Big Stump Brewing Company at 1716 L St. in Midtown Sacramento, their schedules will likely only get busier.

I was fired for not meeting 100 percent or higher of my performance goals. I feel these goals are unattainable. People are fired if they are at 99 percent. Is an employer allowed to set those types of goals?

We all deserve time off from the daily grind, even if we don’t get a traditional paid vacation. I’m looking at you, fellow freelancers.

It’s a rare occasion when burning a professional bridge is necessary — extremely rare. In all other cases, you’ll want to wrap up your employment experience on a good note and keep those connections open for references and possible networking in the future.

Boundaries are the metaphorical lines we draw to ensure we don’t slip into doing things that counter our value systems. Having clear boundaries prevents other people from taking advantage of you and helps you keep your distance from possible dubious activities. While there are no hard-and-fast rules for setting your boundaries, these tips may be helpful.

How better to understand the complexities of time than going directly to the source. Not Father Time or Einstein, but the next best thing, someone who makes time for a living.

Among private law firms, a dam is about to break. According to research by two Los Angeles legal marketing experts, 96 percent of leaders at the country’s biggest 100 private practices are baby boomers or older. But many of their clients are younger. 

The perception of life as a freelancer is changing. The U.S. is moving into a new economy where freelancing is a viable option for workers in many industries and occupations. And the numbers don’t lie: A 2015 study commissioned by Freelancers Union and Upwork found that nearly 54 million American workers — or one-third — freelance, with 60 percent of freelancers having started doing so by choice.

When it comes to mental and physical well-being, the rules seem simple: Those who drink plenty of water, get enough sleep, eat healthy foods, exercise regularly and engage in joyous activities will be rewarded with decreased likelihood of falling ill, improved mental focus and better overall health.

If I have learned one thing by working with people in organizations, it’s that there’s much more telling than asking going on. As a business coach, my clients will expect me to ask, at some point in their session, “So what’s the question?”

I’m a 27-year-old high school English teacher, but my long-term goal is to open a performing arts school. I’m torn between obtaining an MFA so that I may bring a strong creative background to my future students, and earning a business degree so that I may learn how to run the school. I worry the MBA will be too broad but that the MFA will be less valuable.

You may not know them by name, but their successes have defined Sacramento’s culinary scene: Thanks to brothers and native Sacramentans Mason, Alan and Curtis Wong, the energy on a two-block spread of L Street comes to a rapid boil on game nights, weekends and holidays — that is to say, most nights of the year.

You’ve got plenty of clients. Or perhaps your product is flying off the shelves. So if business is this good now, why spend precious dollars investing further in your brand?

Meetings are the organizational fulcrum where individuals work together cooperatively as a team. At their best, good meetings get people’s brains fired up. At their worst, meetings provoke a fight-or-flight instinct in the poor souls gathered at the table — they shut people’s brains down.

I recently developed a sensitivity to fragrances. I get headaches, suffer from vertigo and generally feel awful. My boss allowed me to post signs that say “Fragrance-Free Zone,” but some people persist in wearing fragrances. I’m non-exempt and can’t work from home: Part of my job is to take notes in meetings, and the biggest fragrance offenders are in these meetings. What can I do?