Posts Tagged ‘Flathead Beacon Newspaper’
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Come to Kalispell Aug 30-31
By DILLON TABISH - The Mountain Madness Airshow, featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, comes to Kalispell August 30-31 at the Glacier Park International Airport.... more
Earning Return Business, Part Four: Confidence
By MARK RIFFEY - Your clients' confidence in you is critical to earning return business. Take a pizza for example...... more
Tourism Mishaps
By KELLYN BROWN-As a 20-something slinging trash for the park service in the early 2000s, I was privy to my fair share of tourist mishaps, from the comical to the tragic. ... more
Earning Return Business, Part Three: Little Things
By MARK RIFFEY - Getting you to return comes from you getting the little things right, even if you're the only game in town.... more
Earning Return Business, Part Two
By MARK RIFFEY - Not long ago I heard someone say “Excuses are a lie wrapped in a reason.” Training is a critical component to building a team that brings clients back repeatedly.... more
Wayne and Kathleen Newton Set Up Shop in Lakeside
By JUSTIN FRANZ-Kat’s Korner is one of several new shops and restaurants that have popped up in the small community of Lakeside and Wayne Newton, 72, said it’s no surprise the town is growing.... more
Earning Return Business
By MARK RIFFEY - When you make client service decisions, do you weigh the cost of losing the client?The incremental cost of service is usually tiny compared to losing the client.... more
Busy Business Owners Have No Time
By MARK RIFFEY - The average CEO says they only spend about 25% of their day doing what they feel is meaningful work. Does that sound like your typical work day?... more
Help Them Produce Their Best Work
By MARK RIFFEY - No matter what business you’re in and what summer does to your workload – summer is a great time to implement improvements that help your staff produce their best work.... more
Chilled Yellow Corn Soup
By CHEF HOWARD KARP-Perfect for summertime get togethers and family style dinners, here’s a refreshing and tasty chilled soup that presents well with striking colorful garnishments.... more
Business is Personal: Even Black Cats Need a Reason Why
By MARK RIFFEY - I didn’t do a Friday the 13th promo last week. Did you? There are all kind of reasons to do a promotion, but they are more productive if there’s a reason behind them – even if the reason ... more
Choose your Legislature Carefully
By MARK RIFFEY - What does "serve the people" really mean? Primary season is upon us. It's time to pick someone to serve the people's needs, collectively and individually--and that applies to business too.... more
You Aren’t the Business owner You Need to Be
By MARK RIFFEY - Are you preparing yourself so that you're ready to lead the company your business will be in six, nine or 12 months? Are you learning enough to be ready to manage your company's needs?... more
Choose Your Market Or Craft It? Or Both?
By MARK RIFFEY - Sometimes you choose your market, and sometimes it chooses you. Today, we get a little of both.... more
Tourist Season is Coming. Are You Ready?
By MARK RIFFEY - It's almost tourist season. Are you ready? Is your facility ready? Here are some steps to help you make tourist season better than expected:... more
Business Rules of the Road
By MARK RIFFEY - While they vary from person to person, our values are the central driving force in our everyday lives. It's worth considering where your rules come from and how you use them.... more
‘Winter in the Blood’ Screening in Whitefish, Bigfork
By DILLON TABISH -A conversation with filmmaker Andrew Smith, whose critically acclaimed film 'Winter in the Blood' will be screening in Whitefish, Bigfork.... more
Customer Relationships – Do Yours Mature and Adapt?
By MARK RIFFEY - Why do our companies, software, processes, communications and systems so infrequently adapt to the state of our customer relationships?... more
Breaking Through Business Frustrations
By MARK RIFFEY - What things about your business are you fed up about? Sometimes it might be everything or the biggest things, but at other times the tiniest of things.... more
Where Does New Business Hide?
By MARK RIFFEY - Are you monitoring the sales thermometer? If you're not, how can you consistently produce new business from existing and new customers?... more
Prevent Lost Customers With These Five Words
By MARK RIFFEY - Small businesses are always interested in getting more new customers, but sometimes forget that keeping existing customers is less expensive than the cost of replacing them.... more
Pivots Make Customer Service Personal
By MARK RIFFEY - In customer service, the pivot is that little thing you do to transform what could be a customer-losing experience into one that almost guarantees they'll be back.... more
Win On Low Price, Lose On Low Price
By MARK RIFFEY-Do you depend on having the best price to win business? If so, are you sure that's really how you want people to choose your company? ... more
Warren Miller: Knee Deep Powder
By WARREN MILLER - When I produced my first ski movie, there were fewer than 15 chairlifts in the world. Everyone who went in the ski business during the following 25 years was a real innovator.... more
The Perfect Montana Meal
By JUSTIN FRANZ - FVCC’s Howard Karp prepares a bison rib eye steak with coffee beans and a Flathead cherry velvet chili sauce.... more
Your Business Culture is Embedded in Daily Conversation
By MARK RIFFEY - Here are a few commonly-used phrases in business conversation that raise the hair on my neck: 'Industry Norms', 'Best Practices', 'Human Capital' and 'Innovation'.... more
Pineapple Coconut Cake
By Chef JOSHUA AUERHAMMER - For last week’s Chinese menu I made this amazing Pineapple Coconut Cake for the first time and it was a real hit.... more
Gluten-Free Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream
By CAILIN BRINEY - This summer I decided to make cupcakes for a family party, and I wanted to have a gluten-free option. I decided on this mocha cupcake with coffee buttercream. ... more
Take Your Kids Skiing
By WARREN MILLER - I was able to teach all three of my kids how to enjoy the scenery and the freezing cold mountain air and somehow they are still skiing 50-plus years later. I hope you give your kids the same ... more
What if You Actually Followed Up?
By MARK RIFFEY -Does your business follow up with your clients and prospects like you should? Consider what "like you should" means, before deciding whether you follow up properly or not.... more
They Really Aren’t Very Good At Marketing
By MARK RIFFEY - One of the most common marketing mistakes I see is focusing solely on new clients and doing so in a way that annoys everyone else who has (or had) a relationship with your business.... more
Habit Forming: What Do You Do Every Day?
By MARK RIFFEY - Having a routine, a ritual or habit is a good way to start the day. Not only does it go well with coffee, it signals your mind that it's time to switch to "work mode". ... more
Everyone is Someone’s Hero
By MARK RIFFEY -What if you could leap tall buildings, throw balls of fire or swing from webbing that shoots out of your wrist? What's your superpower? Does anyone know about it?... more
Put Your Mask On First
By MARK RIFFEY - Flight attendants ask us to put on our oxygen mask first, then help others, because we can't help others if we're unable to breathe. What about your business mask?... more
Doing Ahead vs Thinking Ahead
By MARK RIFFEY - Quite often, I talk with business owners about thinking ahead. But I'm concerned that small businesses are thinking ahead, but stopping there. And here's why that concerns me:... more
Which Customer Wants to be an Insider?
By MARK RIFFEY - This past weekend, I checked off two to-do list items with one coffee stop. I was looking for a good place to sit, sip and write. I got more than I expected.... more
Perfect Prime Rib
By CHEF HOWARD KARP - Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, it’s time to start preparing for your perfect Christmas dinner. Prime rib is one of the most popular choices for this special occasion.... more
Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Autumn is in full swing. Comfort food is back on the menu. You want to use up some sweet potatoes you have lying around. You're craving enchiladas. Perfect. Here's a recipe.... more
Pumpkin Season and Whoopie Pies
By CAILIN BRINEY-It’s the start of pumpkin season! I recently made these pumpkin whoopie pies with nutmeg cream cheese frosting, and they have received rave reviews. Here's the recipe and directions.... more
How to Segment Your Customer List
By MARK RIFFEY - Have you heard that you should "segment" your customers before marketing to them? Ever wondered what that means, much less how you'd do that? ... more
Battle in the Big Sky: College Football Preview
By DILLON TABISH - Bobcats are back and ready to defend their Big Sky Conference Championship, Grizzlies return ready for a fresh start.... more
Which Matters Most When Hiring: Experience or Cultural Fit?
By MARK RIFFEY - Doctor Obvious says "Hiring the right people is crucial for any small business." But what matters most when hiring? Experience? Attitude? Cultural Fit?... more
Whitefish hosts the Huckleberry Days Arts Festival Aug 9-11
By MOLLY PRIDDY - Huckleberry Days (Aug. 9-11) is one of the biggest art festivals hosted in Whitefish over the summer, drawing in thousands of patrons and more than 100 vendor booths.... more
Miracle Fish
By ROB BREEDING - I caught a trout the other day. Then another, almost. That second fish exploded out of the water, holding itself above the Flathead River by the fury of its beating tail. ... more
Deaths a Stark Reminder of Glacier Park’s Peril
By TRISTIN SCOTT - In a single month between June 26 and July 25, four people died of trauma in Glacier National Park.Their deaths offer a sobering reminder of the perils involved in off-trail exploration.... more
The Best Surprise is Truly No Surprise
By MARK RIFFEY - Hotels often provide fuel for writing and a recent trip I took was no exception. Hospitality 101: everything that impacts a guest's stay is everyone's job - particularly simple little things.... more
The Most Expensive, Stressful Thing On Your Desk
By MARK RIFFEY - Nothing destroys a work day like distractions. Clutter doesn't help - and I mean clutter of all kinds - physical as well as electronic. These things are waiting to distract you. Eliminate them.... more
The Unexpected Message Clients Get From You
By MARK RIFFEY - Have you ever received a "new-customers-only" offer from someone that you already do business with? Is it better than what you're paying? How does that make you feel? Mad as hell? It should!... more
Judge: Jesus Statue Can Stay On Big Mountain
A Jesus statue that has for six decades been a curiosity to skiers as they cruise down a popular run at a northwest Montana ski resort will not be evicted from federal land a judge ruled Monday.... more