Cover Story
Operating at the airport
Michelle Gayer was pretty skeptical when first approached about trying to take Salty Tart, and its selection of pastries, breads and cakes, into Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. She’s primarily familiar with seeing national brands and other big-name companies operating there. And she had been a supplier to another operator there previously until the companies could not […] Continue reading →
Letter From the Editor
Resilience
LIKE MOST small-business owners who fought through the last recession, Lisa Hannum felt wrung out afterward. “I felt personally low energy. I felt something had to shift,” the founder of Beehive Strategic Communications told me. “I went on an extreme personal journey to boost my energy,” and then she began bringing her staffers into the […] Continue reading →
Focus
Staying focused:
Ben Cowan was just getting through some struggles with the city of St. Paul in 2009 after regulations related to 24-hour staffing at fitness facilities significantly slowed his ability to open two Snap Fitness locations when Upsize first tracked his story. He did get those open — his third and fourth locations overall. Eventually, he […] Continue reading →
Business Builders
Communications
“HEY, LOOK AT US — we’re different!” It’s always tough to cut through the clutter, especially when it feels like everybody in your industry is saying virtually the same thing and positioning themselves almost exactly the same way. The good news is that your communications team likely has the skills and expertise to hone and […] Continue reading →
Business audit
OWNERS POUR ENDLESS amounts of time and resources into growing their businesses. But, just like children, growing companies develop different needs as they expand. Sometimes it’s hard to see what a growing company may need to foster continued success. Conducting a business audit can help identify areas to target for improvement in a company’s operation, including […] Continue reading →
Taxes
THE TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT, signed into law at the end of last year, is set to have a significant impact on both businesses and individual Minnesotans. The changes are numerous and complex, and they’re no doubt going to affect businesses of all sizes — not to mention owners and employees. JNBA Financial Advocates, […] Continue reading →
SBA myths
I’VE BEEN IN BANKING for over 30 years and, in my time, I’ve seen it all. My niche, though, is working with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan programs, helping business owners realize their dreams. The ability to dream big within the limitations of a small business structure is what makes an SBA loan […] Continue reading →
