Last month, I answered a reader’s question about getting started in the food business. No doubt, there are just as many people thinking about getting into agriculture and farming. I asked my friend and colleague, Ellen Polishuk, author of Start …
Dear Julia: My daughter is a senior in high school and is seriously considering a career in the culinary field. Two summers ago, she worked at a new bagel shop in town, and helped the owners start it up. Since …
In their retail shop in Melrose, MA, Carol and Giulio Caperchi, from Seven Hills Pasta, had been tinkering away at their techniques for handmade pasta. They’d been selling it in their shop and at farmers markets for the last few …
Dear Julia, Quick question…. We bought a delivery van this year, and I’m not quite sure how to deal with it on my QuickBooks. We paid $3,700 for the down payment, and now have monthly payments. Can I just put …
When I was studying for my MBA– we learned about business principles through the “case study” method. We read a narrative about a real business with some sort of challenge. We looked at their financial statements, and then answered some …
My clients often ask me about benchmarks and ratios. They want to know how their business financials compare to industry standards. What’s the appropriate profit margin for a farm business; or what should I expect to spend on labor? There …
Success is an ethereal concept that means something different to each entrepreneur. In fact, when I query new clients for their definition of success, I hear a wide range of answers: “Being profitable doing something I love” “The farm sustains …
Let’s be honest, old business receipts don’t spark joy; even for the most fastidious bookkeepers. If you want to declutter your desk and create an inviting space to keep up with your paperwork, then you may want to recycle all …
When the New England Patriots came off their 2017 Super Bowl win over the Atlanta Falcons, coach Bill Belichick attributed their success to “No Days Off”. He coined the mantra as a reference to how hard the team works. As …
Can I let you in on a little secret? I hate writing reports. I know, I know, everything sucks some, of the time. And one thing that sucks for me about my job is writing reports. I write reports to The …