Star Local Store

I was attending an event recently and spotted a guy I had met a few months before at a previous event.  You know how it is…You seem to run into the same “usual suspects” at these gatherings… Anyway, when I went up to him he was just getting off a phone call. He looked stressed, but gave me a smile anyway as he reached out to shake my hand. I could tell instantly the weight of the world was on his shoulders, so I asked him “What's up?” He said, “Oh, just some ongoing drama with a team member we hired about a month ago. My team is having challenges with him. I'm having challenges with him. And I've just about had it.  He doesn't do what he says he's going to do…Especially when it comes to delivering what he promised. It’s always some new excuse  OR  he’s blaming someone else on the team.” I immediately sympathized with his situation, as I think we all would. We’ve all experienced this with someone in our life  (business or personal)  somewhere down the line… Often ref...

There’s no doubt about it. The consumer market has evolved  exponentially  with the multitudes of products and services available to us.  Take a product like  milk  for example …  There once was a time when the only kind of milk available was whole milk  (sourced from a cow)  and the only way to get it was from a milk delivery service.   It eventually became available at local markets, including the introduction of different fat variances  (skim milk, 2% milk, and whole milk) .   Then organic and A2 specific cow options arrived, followed by more and more competing brands.  Somewhere in that timeline was the onset of different source choices of milk. Soy milk, goat milk, rice milk, oat milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, almond milk, etc.  Let’s not forget all the different variations to some of those milk sources too (vanilla, plain, chocolate, unsweetened, etc.) You get the idea.  Choices, choices, and then more choices.   Here’s a fun fact that might surprise you … The average adult makes...

I recently read an article that further validated what we already know about the importance of cultivating a strong company culture ...  Here’s what  REALLY   grabbed my attention:  “Companies with strong cultures have seen a 4x increase in revenue growth” ... And ... “Companies that appeared on Fortune’s annual 100 best companies to work for list also see higher average annual returns, with cumulative returns as high as 495% compared to 156%” ... To read the full article on Forbes.com, click  HERE . There are  very few elements  that continue to contribute to  business success  like  culture  does.   How  I KNOW  this to be true … We have a team member that recently came on board with Business Nitrogen that has worked with some of the top direct marketers in the industry. After working with us for a few months, she told me that in the last 24 years, she has never seen or experienced a company culture like ours before … The difference compared to other companies was literally night and...