By: Roger Warehime, General Manager, Owatonna Public Utilities In our August newsletter, I warned about increased utility costs coming this heating season. I said your natural gas prices could be 50% higher than last year and electricity prices would be higher as well because we were anticipating a rate increase from our wholesale provider, SouthernRead more
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Rising interest rates, coupled with an already tight and competitive market, are impacting purchasing power of would-be home buyers. Consequently, the housing market is starting to see a shift in who is buying homes-especially in the millennial age group. Millennials are now the largest generation of potential homebuyers, but this age group is becoming moreRead more
One of the best ways to grow your business and increase sales is to convert one-off customers into repeat customers. You can build solid relationships with your customers by providing high-quality products and services and offering unique content or experiences that make your customers want to return for more. Repeat customers are the lifeblood ofRead more
In today’s evolving world of digital growth and prevalent social media presence, email may seem to be an old-fashioned style of communicating with clients. Yet, it remains an effective tool to advertise and speak with a relevant audience. Now while building a substantial email list from scratch may sound like a daunting task, there areRead more
Spotlight Tier Member When Matt and Deb Gillard made the decision to open their real estate office, it was an easy choice to align with RE/MAX – a global real estate leader founded 50 years ago in 1972. They purchased their RE/MAX franchise and gave careful consideration as to how they would operate their brokerageRead more
Every entrepreneur wants to grow their business. As a result, penetrating the target market remains a great measure of success. Additionally, this strategy can allow a boost in revenue, increased brand awareness or evidence of brand loyalty, and more. At the chamber, we believe that business owners require a focused strategy that aligns with theRead more
CEOs today are increasingly sensitive to creating more inclusive leave policies. Although you may concentrate more on engagement activities such as fancy corporate retreats, today’s employees are looking for more inclusivity. Note that nuclear families — consisting of a father, mother, and 2.2 biological children — don’t represent the typical American family structure. A studyRead more
They say that you only get one chance to make a first impression, and nowhere is that more important than in the retail industry. You’ll need to draw customers into your store from the moment they step foot inside, and this requires care and attention to detail when planning the entrance to your shop. Here’sRead more
Maybe you’ve heard the value of word-of-mouth advertising; according to Nielsen ratings, 92% of consumers trust their friends’ and family’s recommendation over traditional advertising. That doesn’t mean you can simply sit back and assume that the quality of your product is so much better than your competition’s that customers will be raving about it toRead more
In 2008, Taliban militants, who had taken over the Swat Valley of Pakistan the previous year, banned girls from going to school. This edict hit an 11-year-old girl hard. Malala, who loved her school and loved getting an education, began to blog about her school’s closing for the BBC. When the Pakistani Army started fightingRead more
