Getting Down to Business®

Garry Smith, President of American Popcorn Company, dba Jolly Time Popcorn talks about his family business.  For over 100 years this company its employees and suppliers have bought us great popcorn.  Listen to their business story. IN THE NEWS Why Cash Is Pouring Into Small Companies   The SEC's new fundraising rules for private companies are scarcely three weeks old, but already they're helping entrepreneurs raise the cash they need. New rules for raising money are already having a big impact on some small companies.

The really hard part about financial projections estimating sales.  It is much easier to estimate expenses but it is vital to understand all expenses both fixed and variable and what it teaches you about your potential business.  Listen as Dave takes you on a journey through business expenses.     EMPIRE OF WEALTH   Successfully managing the financial demands of war determines who will win.  The American Civil War pitted the manufacturing based northern economy against an agricultural based southern economy.  The key to financing was tapping what Dave calls the “non-accredited” investor .  Listen as Dave talks about how the war was financed. 

Author James Glenn Reynolds talks about why he wrote his book presenting the theory that history repeats itself.  He feels that we are in a time, politically, similar to the 1850’s.  Listen and find out why.   IN THE NEWS A Radical, New Way to Interview Job Candidates   What happens before an interview can be far more important than what happens during one.  Here is a radical, new way to interview candidates. 

Most small business owners do not have the resources to manage their social media outreach.  Michael Perry, Founder & CEO of KIT CRM, Incorporated tells Dave and his listeners about how technology can leverage resources to wring profits out of social media.    EMPIRE OF WEALTH   Our economic system predates the formation of the U.S.  The Revolutionary War was a financial event separating the colonies from their colonial master without changing the economic system.  Listen as Dave talks about how the war was financed. 

Dr Ivan Misner, Founder/Chairman of BNI® talks about starting and growing a networking organization with over 7,000 chapters in 58 countries.  Great story about how Misner practically invented modern business networking.     IN THE NEWS SMALL BUSINESS OPTIMISM RISES IN MAY, YET NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT   SMALL BUSINESS OPTIMISM LEVEL IS FINALLY BACK TO A NORMAL LEVEL.  The Index of Small Business Optimism increased 1.4 points to 98.3 in spite of 5 months of lousy growth. 

The most important part of your business plan, projected sales.  Using Dave give you solid insight into projecting your first years sales.             EMPIRE OF WEALTH                               The importance of finance played a pivotal role in our Civil War.  List to the first of Dave’s two-part series on how the war was financed.    

Mark Babbit, President of a company called Switch & Shift believes that there is a more human way to do business in the “Social Age”.  List to his reasoning.  IN THE NEWS Small Firms Aim to Raise Capital More Easily Under New Rules As of Friday, companies can take advantage of provisions that cut some costs, reporting requirements.   Some entrepreneurs and business owners say they’re preparing to raise up to $50 million in capital from investors, without facing the legal costs and financial reporting requirements of going public, taking advantage of new rules that kick in Friday.

Chris Pobieglo, Business Risk Management Expert talks about some of the technical aspects of your business policies.  Listen to this must-have advice!              EMPIRE OF WEALTH                               Our mercantile economic system has produced and distributed more wealth than any other economic system.  Credit Mobilier is a blight on the system.  Listen as Dave talks about this colossal scandal.     

Meghan Conroy, Founder/CEO of CaptureProof, Inc. talks about how her interest in medicine and photography combined to form her company’s product.  She is literally changing how doctors review patient records. IN THE NEWS SEC OKs Equity Crowdfunding, So Anyone Can Invest In Private Companies   Earlier this week, March 27, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced a new set of rules implementing Title IV – Capital Expansion, of the JOBS Act.

Michael Ferris, Document Management Expert, takes on the IT security issue from a different perspective.  Does your business have unsecured devices touching your network?  Listen to Mike and fix that problem.            EMPIRE OF WEALTH                                 The tale of two Transcontinental Railroads one built with government funding and one funded by a business.  Listen to find out which one was the more successful venture.       

Erik Davidson, Chief Investment Officer, with Wells Fargo, joins Dave to discuss the current investment outlook.  Listen and find out what Erik thinks is the key indicator for small business owners to watch. IN THE NEWS Small Firms Shift Toward Cloud-Based Software   Many business owners increasingly want to access data from mobile devices

In April Esty, Inc was the second “B” Corporation to launch an IPO.  Dave reviews the reasons behind forming a corporation.  Taking a close look at an “C”, “S” and now the “B” Corporation.           EMPIRE OF WEALTH                        On July 4, 1828 the cornerstone for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was laid.  Launching rail travel in the United States.  Listen and find out how long it took railroads to make a profit.     

This is a rebroadcast of our previous interview with Susan Bennett a voice-over artist.  Get the business story behind the voice business.  A rebroadcast of interview with new “NEWS” item by Dave.     7 Things the Best Leaders Never Fail to Do   Want to rise to the top? Take this advice distilled from 24 women who've done it.  How does a seemingly ordinary woman become a super-successful business leader?

Greg Wolf, Executive Director of the World Trade Center Anchorage talks about potential overseas markets for small business.  Maybe a great way to expand your business.         EMPIRE OF WEALTH                        Who invented the railroad locomotive?  Listen and find out what Matthias Baldwin contributed to the process.    

Andrew Foust a Vice President with Wells Fargo specializes in small business issues.  Listen as Andrew talks about some really great tools and a new contest.    SMALL BUSINESS OPTIMISM RISES, BUT FUTURE SALES CLOUD OUTLOOK    9 OF 10 Components in NFIB’S Economic Trends Report Increased in April After All Fell in March.  The NFIB Small Business Optimism Survey rose 1.7 points from March to 96.9, a decent month-over-month reading but overall still below the historical average.

Dave starts the business planning process with the Market Analysis.  Listen and find out how and most importantly why.         EMPIRE OF WEALTH                        History must be looked at in the context of its time.  The industrialists of the past need to be viewed in the context of their time.  Listen as Dave talks about the context.  

Geoff Burch, author and small business expert returns to Getting Down to Business® to help celebrate its sixth anniversary.  Geoff talks about honesty and business.  Listen because it not what you think!      IN THE NEWS Women Started Smaller Percentage of U.S. Businesses in 2014   Just 36.8% of new U.S. businesses were opened by women last year.  The share of new businesses started by women fell last year .

Dave is joined with Russell Ball, Founder/CEO of ACB Solutions our first programs guest is joined by Chris Pobieglo, President Business Insurance Associates along with Michael Ferris, President of Alaska Enterprise Solutions.  Great roundtable discussion about the economy from the unique perspective of three small business owners.    

Chris Gay, MD, talks about how quality medical training provides his businesses customers with exceptional service.  Dr Gay shares his unique business perspective.  Great business start-up story.      IN THE NEWS 7 Habits of Remarkably Successful Startup Entrepreneurs   All successful entrepreneurs may be different from one another--but not in certain key ways.  On the surface, successful entrepreneurs seem to be the same as everyone else. Great information!

Michael Ferris, Document Management Expert in his monthly Connect Key segment provides great easy ways for make your office green.  Listen to his great tips!    EMPIRE OF WEALTH                        Transportation makes our economic system successful.  Dave talks about the reason and significant of the Erie Canal.   

Sam Silverstien is an experienced entrepreneur who concluded that accountability is the basis for a successful organizational structure.  Listen to his impassioned presentation.    EMPIRE OF WEALTH                        Wednesday, April 19, 1775 the battles of Lexington and Concord opened the Revolutionary War. It took four days for the news to reach New York City and reached London 5 ½ weeks later.  Listen as Dave talks about the beginning of electrical communication.  

Lavie Sak and Sergey Feingold share their business startup story including their experience with a Kickstarter campaign. IN THE NEWS 8 of the Biggest Business Mistakes in History   Your worst mistakes probably don't come close to these gigantic goof-ups.

Describing the concept of your business requires more than a company name.  Listen as David describes how to develop a business risk management manual.  EMPIRE OF WEALTH                        In the 1850’s Cornelius Vanderbilt entered the railroad business eventually moving completely out of the water transportation business.    

Successfully syndicating a cartoon strip take work and talent.  Robb Armstrong is writing a book list as he describes the process adding his own brand of inspiration. IN THE NEWS OPTIMISM READING FELL WELL BELOW THE LONG TERM AVERAGE   The NFIB Small Business Optimism Survey for March fell 2.8 points to 95.2 the lowest reading since June of 2014.  “It is no surprise that optimism is muted and owners’ expectations about the future are less than exuberant.

Write it down is the advice from Chris Pobieglo, Risk Management Expert, listen as he describes how to develop a business risk management manual.  Every small business owner needs to listen to Chris’s message. EMPIRE OF WEALTH                        The Civil War influenced the development of the railroad industry.  Cornelius Vanderbilt moved from water transportation to railroads at this time.  The railroad business had the same impact on society in its days as the internet today.    

Great interview with Susan Bennett vocal artist and female voice of Apple’s SIRI Belle Hilmer.  Great business story! IN THE NEWS 7 Signs You Will Fail as an Entrepreneur   You don't need the Sharks to pass judgment. Listen and make your own assessment.

Listen as Michael Ferris our Document Management Expert talks how to identify and calculate your businesses print costs. EMPIRE OF WEALTH                        In 1833 Cornelius Vanderbilt was seriously injured in a train wreck.  Despite his almost fatal experience he became a dominate figure in the railroad business, internet of its day.   

Belle Hilmer, turned her love of leather and making quality products from a small regional producer to the national stage.  Great business story! IN THE NEWS Startups Offer Unusual Reward for Investing Simple Agreement for Future Equity promises benefits later if the firm is able to move forward.  When a young Boston entrepreneur sought half-a-million dollars to launch his startup last fall, he turned his back on today’s usual tactics such as selling equity stakes or issuing convertible notes. FINAL THOUGHTS 5 Secure Apps for Running a Small Business   88 percent of cloud of mobile applications are unsanctioned or not monitored by IT.  Are you making sure your data is secure?

When Kevin Turkington founded his home healthcare business in 2002 he ran into an unexpected problem.  Listen to hear his story of fighting city hall. EMPIRE OF WEALTH                        Cornelius Vanderbilt moved from a simple steamboat company into an international steamship company.    The story about growing a small business.  

Jerry Fritz, Corporate Trainer, returns to talk about developing a successful “WOW” customer service strategy for your small business. IN THE NEWS The High Cost of Saving a Failing Business When small firms file for bankruptcy protection, the cost is often $100,000 to $300,000, and sometimes twice that.  For small businesses facing bankruptcy, the path to a fresh start isn’t cheap. FINAL THOUGHTS The 6 Best Industries You've Never Heard of    Sometimes the key to identifying a market opportunity requires looking where everyone else isn't.  

David Weatherholt has written dozens of business plans designed to obtain funding.  He believes “Executive Summary” is the most critical part of your business plan’s ability to secure capital. EMPIRE OF WEALTH   Cornelius Vanderbilt started his own steamboat line competing on price against his competitors.  The lesson is that every small business must compete on their strength. 

Find out how the primer business accelerator started.  Duncan Logan, Founder/CEO of Rocket-Space, Incorporated tells their story. IN THE NEWS Cybercriminals Are Misappropriating Businesses’ Web Addresses   As a Result, Customers Can’t Find the Real Companies on the Web.  Cybercriminals targeting businesses are stealing more than customer passwords and credit-card numbers some are misappropriating their very Web addresses.

Since the 1980’s companies have planned on going paperless and thirty years later we are still talking about the elusive paperless office.  Michael Ferris, Document Management Expert, reports on progress toward this goal in spite of paper usage increasing by 30%.   EMPIRE OF WEALTH   At the age of 16 Cornelius Vanderbilt, the entrepreneur, ferried passengers from Stanton Island to Manhattan for a fee.  This humble beginning grew into his transportation empire.  Every business does indeed start small. 

John Penton built an international corporation based on driving motorcycles off-road.  Listen to this fascinating story from the John himself.  IN THE NEWS Toy Maker Gives New Life to Old Bears   Startup designs dolls based on classic literary characters like Babar and Madeline; hitting it big with Paddington

Don Rosene started his business career as a computer programmer racing off-road motorcycles on the weekend.  Listen to Don’s story of following passion and finding a mentor.  EMPIRE OF WEALTH   Robert Fulton and his partner Robert Livingston successfully combined the steam engine and a ship.  Innovation in shipping and also a great example of government involvement in the private sector.  Listen as Dave talks about the interstate commerce clause. 

Justin Ong visits to talk about low cost online IT management tools.  Managing IT for your small business just got easier.   IN THE NEWS: SMALL BUSINESS OPTIMISM FALLS, BUT STILL IN NORMAL ZONE   Readings Drop after 2 Strong Months

Chris Pobieglo, Business Risk Management Expert, develop “101 Rules” for implementing a comprehensive risk management program for your small businesses.  Chris has previously covered half of these rules.  Listen as Chris recaps. EMPIRE OF WEALTH   John Jacob Astor was the first multi-millionaire in the U.S.?  Using his business acumen, hard work, and our economic system he created a financial empire.  Listen as Dave talks about his journey. 

JUMPING INTO ENTREPRENEURSHIP The Starting Point Rebecca Romero dreamed of owning a business.  Listen as she talks about how she started the process.  IN THE NEWS: How to Start a Small Business in a Few Hours   Starting a business is surprisingly simple--you just need to take the first step. 

The third largest cost of your small business, printing.  Michael Ferris, Document Management Expert, provides advice on how to reduce this cost. EMPIRE OF WEALTH   The Indigo Trade was an economic causality of the Revolutionary War.  Cotton took its place but required enormous labor to extract the seeds.  America ingenuity solved the problem with the cotton gin.  Listen as Dave talks about its inventor Eli Whitney.The third largest cost of your small business, printing.  Michael Ferris, Document Management Expert, provides advice on how to reduce this cost.  

Good customer service is not enough.  Listen as Jerry Fritz, Corporate Trainer, talks about how to move from “Good” to “WOW!” customer service.     IN THE NEWS:Bootstrapped Startups Risk a Lack of Connections Financial Self-Reliance Can Come Back to Haunt Entrepreneurs if They Suddenly Need Investors More entrepreneurs in recent years have tried to bootstrap their companies, starting with very little capital and deliberately avoiding outside investors.  But as the economy improves, many of those relying solely on their personal finances—and business earnings to finance young companies are coming to grips with the downside of that strategy. FINAL THOUGHTSThe American Dream Is Dying: How Entrepreneurs Can Change That   A report from the Milstein Commission Co-chairs Steve Case and Carly Fiorina propose 5 solutions to the entrepreneurship crisis in the U.S.

Most small business owners do not have the resources to manage their social media outreach.  Michael Perry, Founder & CEO of KIT CRM, Incorporated tells Dave and his listeners about how technology can leverage resources to wring profits out of social media.    EMPIRE OF WEALTH   Our economic system predates the formation of the U.S.  The Revolutionary War was a financial event separating the colonies from their colonial master without changing the economic system.  Listen as Dave talks about how the war was financed. 

Greg Wolf, Executive Director of the World Trade Center Anchorage, visits with Dave.  World trade make up 10% of Alaska’s gross domestic product.  Greg provides an update on 2014 while looking forward to 2015.  Does world trade affect your local economy?   IN THE NEWS: SMALL BUSINESS OPTIMISM PERKS UP IN DECEMBER BEST READING SINCE OCTOBER 2006   The NFIB Small Business Optimism Survey rose 2.3 points to 100.4 in December, its highest level since October of 2006, with positive gains in eight of 10 indices.

The detail to the “Art & Start “of business planning is what Dave talks about in this podcast.  He gives the listener a clear method for estimating sales and starts estimating expenses.   EMPIRE OF WEALTHThe steam engine like the internet was improved with additions of others.  Savery, Newcomen and Watt improved the physical machine. Listen as Dave talks about the invaluable contributions of Matthew Boulton.

Author James Glenn Reynolds talks about why he wrote his book presenting his theory based on history repeating itself.  We are at time similar to the 1850’s.  Find out why.   IN THE NEWS:A Radical, New Way to Interview Job Candidates   What happens before an interview can be far more important than what happens during one.  Here is a radical, new way to interview candidates. 

Do you what to start a business and want to test that idea before investing time and money?  Yes what you are considering it is “Art” and Dave talks about a low cost way to “Start” the process. EMPIRE OF WEALTH   James Watt created SteamPower 3.1 adding to Thomas Savery patented steam engine (SteamPower 1.1) and Thomas Newconen’s SteamPower 2.1.  James was the first contributor to steam power not name “Thomas”. 

Nolan Klouda & Samuel Callen with the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development join Dave to discuss manufacturing in Alaska.  Nolan & Samuel discuss their recent study and its results.   IN THE NEWS: Sellers Need Amazon, but at What Cost? Aware That E-Commerce Platform Is Also a Rival, Firms Aim to Lessen Dependence;   In a Way, It’s a Deal with the Devil’.  Some small-business owners are coming to grips with the reality that Amazon.com Inc. is not just a partner—it is a rival, too.

Chris Pobieglo, Risk Management Expert lays out potential risks with you company’s pension plan. EMPIRE OF WEALTH   Thomas Savery constructed and patented the first steam engine in 1698.  Dave talks about his contribution to the “industrial revolution”.

Jon Snare, Senior VP & Regional Investment Manager with Wells Fargo joins Dave to discuss the investment outlook for this New Year. IN THE NEWS: Plane-Sharing Startup Sues FAA Over Ban on Service A startup that connects private pilots with passengers is challenging the Federal Aviation Administration in federal court over the agency’s effective ban on the flight-sharing service, FINAL THOUGHTS 6 Ways to Develop a More Positive Work Culture in 2015   Here are six ways to develop and maintain a more positive corporate culture in 2015.

Who can drink only one beer?  It’s the same with the “Alaskan Amber Story”.  Andy Kline visited Dave earlier in the year sharing the amazing story of making lots of beer on “The Last Frontier”. IN THE NEWS: SoundCloud May Soon Join the Billion-Dollar Startup Club The German startup may be good at raising money, but it still has many pieces to put into place to be a viable competitor in the music-streaming industry. FINAL THOUGHTS 8 Surprising Ways to Make Your First Million Dollars   Easy? No. Quick? No. Counterintuitive? Yes. And effective. 

You may hate the budgeting process but David will convince you of its value and some easy tips on how to prepare. EMPIRE OF WEALTH   First there was man then beast and water powered the world.  Steam power change the whole world.  Listen as Dave introduces the development of the steam engine. The New England colonies did not have big agriculture as an economic option listen to their economic story.

If you remember the “motivational power” of Zig Ziglar than Jack Zufelt, will be a breath of fresh air.  If you don’t remember Zig, remember that Jack delivers a powerful motivational message. EMPIRE OF WEALTH                    Mule, man and water powered the industrial world.  New England embraced water building a waterwheel and industry on almost every river.  Listen as Dave describes the beginning of the industrial revolution in America.