Cover Story
Digging deep
Storm Creek develops high quality, eco-friendly apparel for people to wear outdoors. It’s a socially conscious company that donates significantly — to the tune of more than $1 million in 2022 — to organizations ranging from the American Cancer Society to Secondhand Hounds. It’s built a following among its customers and owner Teresa Fudenberg taps […] Continue reading →
Letter From the Editor
A business for the end times
A career in business reporting turns up many unusual ideas, but in 30 years I’ve never seen anything like Fortitude Ranch. On a visit last summer to its central Wisconsin location, which I had to swear to keep secret, I found the ultimate in pandemic-era concepts: a members-only survival community equipped to ride out any […] Continue reading →
Focus
Unlocking a second chance
Music producer and environmental innovator Mike Martin started r.Cup with the idea of partnering with cities to reduce trash and reuse the cups attendees use when attending sports, concerts and other events. The company has wash hubs active via partnerships in Denver, Seattle and Los Angeles with San Francisco beginning operations this month. Headquartered in Minnesota, he hopes to begin operations here this year too. Continue reading →
Business Builders
The power of seller financing
When a business owner is planning their exit strategy, they should seek to minimize risk and maximize net proceeds from the sale. Seller financing can be a powerful tool in this regard. Seller financing drives higher prices Business buyers are also looking to reduce risk. And the fact is, an all-cash deal has more risk […] Continue reading →
Beyond stress management: How fostering well-being can improve your business
Everyone talks about stress, especially since the pandemic hit. There’s no doubt that managing stress is vitally important for your employees to stay physically and emotionally well. But simply dealing with stress isn’t the whole story. The real opportunity is helping employees become more resilient — and improving your company’s ability to manage change and […] Continue reading →
Make media buying your secret weapon
When most small business owners think about advertising, they focus on what they want to say. But in a crowded and chaotic media environment where the average American is now bombarded with 4,000 to 10,000 ads a day, the “where” can be even more important than the “what.” This fact should be a huge consideration […] Continue reading →
Catching up
Thread Logic still sewing its own way
In the early days of Thread Logic, Jeff Taxdahl had no interest in becoming an e-commerce company. He figured if the internet was going to work for an embroidered product company that someone would already be doing it. But he also had told his wife, Wenda, who also is his co-owner of the business, that […] Continue reading →
