Making Money in a Tough Economy
As seen in Cascade Business News - 01/18/2023

Pricing is one of the most important, and perhaps one of trickiest aspects of business design and operation, but it’s critical to profitability. Price too low, and you leave money on the table and reduce the legitimate profit you could have had. Price way too low...and you go out of business. Price too high and you risk customers shopping your competition, you risk losing sales, you risk diminishing customer satisfaction, you risk producing overly demanding customers, and you risk alienating customers forever"...[keep reading]

Highest and Best Use of Central Oregon Land
10/31/2022

Often people point to land use laws and regulations as if they are God-given rights or Constitutional provisions. The truth is, they are all made up. When Central Oregon was settled, there were no property boundaries, zoning laws, environmentally protected zones or urban growth boundaries. These artificially created distinctions evolved to meet the changing needs of a growing population. It’s time for them to change again"...[keep reading]

Breakthrough Strategies for 2023
As seen in Cascade Business News - 09/21/2022

I believe a pro-business legislator should produce events that support and bring together the business community. Thus, I’m producing the first annual Central Oregon Small Business Forum on October 11, 2022. We need business sense in Salem, and the same tool that I use to help business leaders enjoy innovation and breakthrough success is applicable to bringing fresh ideas and strategy to Salem...[keep reading]

Establish Your Exit Plan On A Firm Foundation
As seen in Cascade Business News - 8/03/2022

My professional life has been devoted to serving small business owners. After decades of consulting and coaching entrepreneurs, I have a deep appreciation for and understanding of business. Consequently, I’ll be a strong champion for small business as a State Representative. Here’s an example of the practical advice I offer to small business owners... [keep reading]

Negotiating Lessons From Big Whitewater
As seen in Cascade Business News - 7/20/2022

Tons of books have been written about negotiating. Many of them focus on manipulative tactics or hard-nosed, hip-shooting techniques that you're supposed to use to beat the other guy. Most of this stuff is useless or detrimental. Fortunately, there are better and more effective ways to think about negotiating... [keep reading]

Taxpayer alert: Your home mortgage interest deduction is at risk
As seen in the Bend Bulletin - 7/14/2022

Wouldn’t it be great if our government officials had to take the political equivalent of the medical doctor’s Hippocratic oath: “First, do no harm?” If they did, we would not see the growing interest among state political leaders in eliminating the home mortgage interest deduction. This is a tax deduction available to every single homeowner and potential homeowner in the state of Oregon, regardless of demographics. At a time when many Oregonians are just scraping to get by, and with tougher times ahead, it’s foolish of our state leaders to consider eliminating a tax benefit available to all working-class Oregonians....[keep reading]

Small Business Resilience – Strategies for Challenging Times
​As seen in Cascade Business News - 7/6/2022

These are challenging times for small businesses in Central Oregon. We face inflation, labor shortages, lingering employee COVID fears, employee motivation issues, retention challenges, rapidly escalating wages, skyrocketing cost of goods sold, supply chain shortages and delays, increasing taxes, and never-ending government regulations. Unfortunately, things will likely get worse before they get better....[keep reading]