Allan Vander Hamm is a principal and the Director of Business Valuation and Transition Services at Berntson Porter and Company in Bellevue, Washington. Allan’s practice focuses on designing and implementing comprehensive owner succession and transition projects; completing successful Merger & Acquisition transactions; and providing business valuations for transition, transactions, buy-sell agreements, divorce and estate and gift... View Article
As Chris Corrigan so aptly stated, “You can never over-prepare in business!” Yet, we know, from strategic plans to budget plans and marketing plans to staffing plans, business owners find it difficult to fit it all in. Now I raise the issue of succession plans… another one of those plans that doesn’t seem critical today;... View Article
Catherine Dovey is the founder of Compensation Works LLC and offers this guest blog with insights as to how and when to communicate with employees about compensation. ————————————- Several surveys show that up to 70% of employees are planning to look for new opportunities after the economy recovers. Most of us assume that we need... View Article
Scott Verrette of Resourceful HR offers us our guest blog post this month on how to create value in employment relationships. Scott will be one of our guest speakers at the Equinox Focus Event: Creating Value Through Employer-Employee Relationships on July 28. Resourceful HR helps companies grow through increased employee efficiency. You can also sign up for... View Article
Many studies show employers the value of “happy employees” to a business’ productivity and success. An obvious question arising from these studies is: “What makes for a “happy employee?” The studies address this to varying degrees; but to me, a particular employee’s happiness in his or her work depends on many factors such as age,... View Article
Our guest blog post comes from Dana Fuhrman , COO of TRG Floors. She speaks from experience about the importance of understanding your patent options and staying on top of the process. ———————– To Patent Or Not to Patent. Domestic only or International. The first one should be an easy decision, right? We’re so excited... View Article
Our guest blog post comes from Steve Brilling, Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship Center and Family Business Roundtable at Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics. ———————- It all comes down to communication—clear, concise, honest communication, with a dash of compassion thrown in. Whether it is in a legal document or simply a written... View Article
Experience is the best learning tool. Our guest blog post comes from Bill Altland, a family business owner of Whale Tail Pharmacy in Craig, Alaska. ———————— The word that comes to my mind relating to communication issues in family businesses is the word “insidious”. It can be difficult to separate the business issues from family issues... View Article
Our guest blogger this month is Lauren Owen, family business consultant and founder of Lauren Owen LLC. She will be co-presenting our seminar “Managing Family Business Relationships” on May 19. Learn more. ——————————— The dynamics of a family business can sometimes cause what we call the “elephant in the room syndrome: unspoken topics that no... View Article
