Archive for April 2023
A Few Words from Jim
April 2023 I witnessed my first bank run, ok it was my second, the first one was in Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Last month, I watched as twitter frenzied tech millionaires and billionaires transferred with a tap on their phones $50 BILLION dollars overnight from Silicon Valley Bank making it insolvent and forcing…
Read MorePyramids, Concrete Walls, and Excellence
A Fine Line by Greg Henderson 50 years before Columbus discovered America – at an incredible altitude of nearly 8,000 feet – Machu Picchu was constructed by unlicensed Peruvians. The stone construction project, with several walls, still stands built without concrete. Over 500 years ago! The concrete blocks that form a privacy wall across my…
Read MoreSome Human Issues with Scaling Your Business
During the lifecycle of small businesses, the inevitable question is arrived at and asked at one time or another. This question is: As I need to grow my business to survive or to take advantage of growth opportunities, how am I going to find the people I need to have working with me? This question…
Read MoreOregon State Treasury Completes Nearly $1 Billion Bond Sale, Offers State Residents Opportunity To Invest In Oregon
Funds from offering will help support projects for schools and universities, affordable housing, public safety, and more Salem, OR—The Oregon State Treasury recently completed a $990 million General Obligation (GO) bond sale through its Buy Oregon Bonds Program. Proceeds from the sale will fund projects for affordable housing, facility improvements at K-12 schools and state…
Read MoreWelding – Beyond the Sparks and the Arc
What do skyscrapers, automobiles, rockets, and ships have in common? In all likelihood, they have all been welded. According to the American Welding Society, an estimated 50% of the United States gross national product is affected by welding. Anything made of metal, no matter how big or small, can be welded. Skyscrapers, bridges, and highways would…
Read MorePeople’s Bank sends message to customers following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank
To the Valued Customers of People’s Bank of Commerce, Given the events that have occurred in the banking industry over the past few days, your team at People’s Bank of Commerce wanted to reach out and share with you that our bank remains well capitalized and well positioned to continue to serve our customers and…
Read MoreOregon Hourly Earnings Zoom Higher
Earnings in Oregon increased sharply over the past year, surpassing the high rate of inflation. Total private average hourly earnings increased by 9.1% between February 2022 and February 2023. This growth rate was much higher than the comparable national growth in private earnings of 4.6% in that same 12-month period, and faster than the U.S.…
Read MoreOregon’s Commercial Fishing in 2022
Oregon’s commercial fishing industry revenues dropped 41% to $231 million in 2022, mostly due to a delayed Dungeness crab harvest. It was the worst crab year since 2015. Total commercial fishing harvests averaged about $192 million (2022 dollars) over the previous five years. But after a bumper year in 2021, the 2022-2023 Dungeness crab season…
Read MoreDon’t Sell Yourself Short, or the Value of a Bachelor’s Degree
A 2018 survey by the Pew Research Center found that nearly all adults believe a college degree is valuable. The data reveals that 61% of adults feel a college education is important while an additional 31% feel a college education is essential. Folks are split, however, on the purpose of college. Nearly half of adults…
Read MoreInterview with ChatGPT about AI and Small Business
How will AI and ChatGPT and OpenAI.com change the future for small business owners? AI and ChatGPT, as well as other OpenAI technologies, have the potential to greatly impact small business owners in a number of ways: Increased efficiency: AI-powered tools can automate many repetitive and time-consuming tasks, allowing small business owners to focus on…
Read MoreCan ChatGPT write a business plan for a Coffee Kiosk?
I asked Chat GPT to write a business plan for a coffee kiosk with the goal of earning $30K a year as the owner. Create a business plan for a coffee kiosk called Ok Zoomer with financials to make enough profit to pay for the owner to earn $30k a year Ok Zoomer is a…
Read MoreOregon Economic Development Agency Launches Program to Boost Rural Businesses
The Oregon Economic Development Agency (OEDA) has launched a new program to help boost rural businesses across the state. The program, called the Rural Business Development Program, is aimed at providing funding and support to small businesses in rural communities that have been hit hard by the economic challenges of the past few years. The…
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