White Center Business Journal

Photography by Greg McCorkle

2012-02-07T15:55:00.001-08:00

WHITE CENTER B.O.S.S. HAPPY HOUR

2012-01-31T10:06:00.001-08:00

WHITE CENTER B.O.S.S. HAPPY HOUR

Tuesday, January 31, 2012
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

COMPANY

Jubilee Days Garden Tour Winners Announced

2011-12-04T14:24:00.000-08:00

White Center Cleans Up, May 2011

2011-06-04T15:58:00.001-07:00

Steve Cox Memorial Art Dedication

2011-05-12T09:43:00.000-07:00

Dragon Dance

2011-02-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

Dragon Dance, New Year Celebration. White Center, Feb 3, 2011

White Center, Good for business, and a good place to live.

2010-12-31T21:45:00.000-08:00

If you've never experienced White Center, Washington, now is as good a time as any to do so. Maybe now is the best time ever for a nice visit to White Center. Whatever your interests, there is sure to be something here that you will find appealing. From the great cultural centers to the fabulous sporting events and the wonderfully mild climate, White Center is a great place to visit.

In addition to the wonderful climate, there are plenty of indoor and outdoor activities that should keep you, and anyone traveling with you busy for quite some time. The biggest problem I foresee is finding there is too much to do and too little time in which to do it all. Such is the bane of vacations. White Center is a Community that has natural beauty and is surrounded not only by water, but by beautiful countryside as well. The views all around are nothing short of spectacular and I'm sure that you will find plenty to do to keep everyone in your party entertained and happy.

For those who love culture, there are many opportunities to soak up all the culture you can manage. From wine tours to museums and gourmet food, nearby Seattle has plenty to offer
the discerning tourists. Not to mention Benaroya Hall where the symphony performs and other cultural experiences such as the Seattle Opera or the Seattle Chamber Music Society. If this isn't enough for your sophisticated demands there is the Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Seattle Repertory Theatre.

For those of us with more sophomoric pursuits there is plenty around to keep our minds and hearts entertained. In addition to the activities mentioned above, there are plenty of sights to see in Seattle. There are walking tours around the city, driving tours to outlying areas and even duck tours, which are sure to delight the little ones among us.

For those who have an interest in pop culture there is the Experience Music Project, which is truly unique and very much worth the hefty price tag that admission demands. If you are going to make one splurge during your trip to Seattle alone, this would be the one I recommend most strongly. If money is no object, then count yourself blessed and take a look at what this 'experience' has to offer. In addition to the Experience Music Project there is the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. As a science fiction enthusiast, this is a favorite of mine.

If you like animals, there is plenty to offer by White Center. There is Cougar Mountain Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, the Seattle Aquarium, Northwest Trek, Wolf Haven, and the Woodland Park Zoo in addition to the many whale-watching tours that are available.

If you like studying about other cultures, perhaps you should visit the International District, take a tour to Tillicum Village, visit the Wing Lake Asian Museum, or Uwajimaya Village. Each of these places offers a glimpse into the lives of those from other cultures.

In addition to all of these really fun things there are professional sports for almost every season in White Center. For basketball there is the Seattle Storm (WNBA). If your interest lean toward football, you will be happy to know that the Seahawks call Qwest Field home and baseball fans will be delighted that the Seattle Mariners are still playing at Safeco Field. For the hockey fans around, there are Seattle Thunderbirds, which are part of the Western Hockey League and call the Key Arena home.

These are only a small sampling of the many great things to do and see while visiting White Center. Just remember that Rome wasn't built in a day and it is highly unlikely that even the fastest among us can enjoy all that this great city has to offer its visitors in a day either. Take your time and remember that it is very likely that if you didn't get to one of your destinations today, it will be there tomorrow.

Next week we will guide you to places in the White Center Central Business District.

JUBILEE DAYS BBQ

2010-08-12T22:57:00.000-07:00

WHITE CENTER, Aug. 13, White Center Jubilee Days will host a Sponsor Appreciation BBQ Potluck August 28, 2010 Noon to 6 pm at White Center Heights Park. Nearly 100 Sponsors, Community Supporters and Volunteers have been invited to enjoy food, entertainment, and participate in lawn games. A brief awards ceremony will commence at 3pm.

About White Center Jubilee Days
The White Center Jubilee Day's festival celebrates, supports, and fosters community involvement in White Center and the surrounding neighborhoods. They just celebrated their 22nd anniversary as a SeaFair sanctioned event. Jubilee Days dates back to 1965, although White Center summer festivals under other names began in 1923. It is typically attended by approximately 25,000 people. For more information visit http://www.jubileedays.org/.

Contact
David Krause
david@whitecenter.biz
(206) 202-4093

# # #

Social Networking Service

2010-06-20T00:10:00.000-07:00

The internet has come about to be an effective marketing tool. The fact that more and more people are realizing that this global platform can be used effectively to widen their horizons is evident from the huge number of websites that are being created each day. Advertising online brings forward a whole lot of opportunities which was otherwise unimaginable. Once the website is created the next step would definitely be increasing the traffic to the website so that the client base can be widened with more number of visitors.

If You Are Not Using Facebook Ads and Social Marketing to Drive Traffic and Sales to Your Websites You Are Missing Out on a HUGE Opportunity!

www.aaaez.com/socialnetworkingexplosion/

Trying to find new and more effective ways of getting traffic to the website has resulted in developing new concepts like social networking services. You can register with any of the popular social networking sites by opening an account and creating a profile. You must be an active member on the forums of the social networking website. This would bring about an interaction between you and like-minded people and once you have established yourself on the social networking site you would realize that it provides a great platform to market your products and services.

Once you have established yourself on the social networking site , it would be a very productive platform to promote your business. Social networking not only gives you an opportunity to connect with like minded people but you can also simultaneously promote your business and increase the traffic to your website and thus make a positive impact on the profitability of your business.

All that you have to make sure is that your site is interesting for people to go back and visit again. The content of the site should be interesting and should not only be able to attract the attention of the visitor but also retain it. Regular updates would work in the favor of the site. SEO is another technique used for generating traffic to the site. People have content on the site that has a certain keyword density . This gets the site a high page rank in the search engines priority list thus, the site would get a lot more traffic which the search engine itself would divert based on the keyword searches.
Social bookmarking services are another way of increasing traffic to the website thus, contributing to the profitability of the business. One has to register the website with a social bookmarking service . This would lead to the website being listed with the social bookmarking service and any person making a search here would be directed to your site. With social bookmarking sites being very popular , by registering with a social bookmarking site you can actually cash in on their popularity.
With a little bit of effort and creativity the internet can be converted into a gold mine that would generate business for you on a regular basis. There are several social networking sites like Myspace, Tribe and the like. The secret to success lies in finding the right social networking service. Once you know how to utilize the services on the web to generate traffic then there is absolutely no looking back.

Consultants Help Fine Tune Your Business Performance

2010-05-27T02:06:00.000-07:00

A consultant is a professional who provides expert advice in a particular area of expertise such as IT, management, marketing, or finance etc. Consultants identify companies' marketing or business needs, and they help companies improve their performance and profitability by analyzing existing business problems and developing future strategies.

They help determine the most effective marketing and business solutions to your business, as well as the best ways to execute these solutions for the betterment of your business. Consultants generally use formal methodologies to analyze problems or to suggest better ways of completing business tasks. Consultants help execute your business plan and strategies, allowing you to focus on other important business issues and business meetings.

Management and business consulting grew rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s with industry growth rates of 20%. Consulting is highly cyclical and is sensitive to general economic conditions. The consulting industry declined between 2001 to 2003, but has been experiencing some growth since.

Nowadays there are three major types of consulting firms. One type is the
larger consulting firm that offers a wide variety of consulting services, ranging from IT consulting to management consulting. Another type is the established management and strategic consulting firms that focus mainly on management consulting that covers any specific industry. Yet another type is the smaller boutique consulting firms with consulting focus and expertise on specific industries or technologies.

The more established consulting firms today include Arthur D. Little, a general management consulting firm; Booz Allen Hamilton was the first consulting firm to serve clients in both the government and the industry; McKinsey & Company, was one of the first pure management consulting firm and currently leads the field. It was also one of the first consulting firms to hire graduates of top MBA schools rather than hiring experienced industry personnel. Boston Consulting Group brought an analytical approach to the study of strategy and management. Bain & Company introduced its focus on shareholder wealth. Traditional accounting companies such as Arthur Andersen and global IT services firms such as IBM also set up consulting departments.

Businesses or companies can engage a business or management consulting firm or an individual business consultant who will draw up suitable business plans and strategies and implement them. Consultants are generally well paid with some business consultants charging $150 per hour, and sometimes even as high as $2,000 per day for their services.

Building Great Business Relationships

2010-05-27T01:57:00.000-07:00

If you’re in a business relationship with anyone – a client, vendor, or customer – how important is that relationship to you? Do you value the relationship? Do you want to nurture it?

A business relationship, like any relationship, is a two-way street. The expectations of both parties needs be clear and easily understandable. Applying the Golden Rule is also a good idea: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” That is a very powerful statement, and one I try to practice in my daily life, both in business and personal matters.

Good communication is key for any business relationship to grow and thrive. Even when conflicts surface (and they will), keeping the
lines of communication open at all times is extremely important. Meet conflicts head-on, no matter how frightening they may seem at the time. The sooner the issues are out on the table and dealt with, the sooner you can get back on track and back to business-as-usual.

Another thing to keep in mind is letting people know you appreciate them. Thank you notes, cards and e-mails are always a good idea, and they never go out of style. People love to be appreciated. If you are receiving great business from someone, always be sure to let them know. You will feel better for it, and so will they.

Another great idea is to reach out and “touch” your clients and customers on a regular basis by sending them monthly newsletters. This is a wonderful way to keep in touch, both to let them know you are thinking about them, and to remind them about you as well.

Remember, you get out of a great relationship what you put into it. Value those you do business with. Nurture the relationships, so they are always growing and prospering. Keep this up and you will always have a garden full of healthy, happy business contacts.

A Successful Business Financial Projection Can Be The Key To Securing Financing

2010-05-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

A business seeking capital can’t afford to underestimate the importance of business financial projections. A business financial projection is simply forecasting your sales and revenue to the lender. This information is important because it is a key indicator to your ability to repay a loan.

If you are unsure about financial forecasting and how it relates to your business it is best to hire someone who does know. Most lenders will want to see a three or five year projection. There are 14 different items to include and fully support in your financial projections. With these different items it is best to give a month-by-month breakdown for the first year, a quarterly breakdown for the next two years, and an annual breakdown for the final two years you are projecting.

The different items to include in your projections
are; sales revenue estimates, administrative costs, production costs, sales costs, capital expenditures, gross margin by product line, sales increase by product line, interest rates on debts, income tax rate, accounts receivable collection plan, accounts payable schedule, inventory turnover, depreciation schedules, and the usefulness or depreciation of assets.

The income projection enables the owner/manager to develop a preview of the amount of income generated each month and for the business year, based on industry supportable predictions of monthly levels of sales, costs, and expenses. When determining the total net sales you will be finding
out how many units of products and services you expect to sell at the prices you are projecting. Make sure to think of what returns, allowances, and markdowns can be expected. The sales costs needs to be calculated for all products and services used. Ensure that when determining the costs of sale that you don’t forget anything such as commission paid to sales representatives, transportation costs, or any direct labor costs.

For the gross profit you would subtract the total cost of sale from the total net sales. To get your gross profit margin you will divide the gross profits from the total net sales. This will be expressed as a percentage of total sales or revenues.

When formulating your business financial projections there are five items that will ruin the accuracy of your projections, and hurt your chances of being approved for business financing. The first one is wishful thinking or being over-optimistic about your sales potential. Ask yourself: “Is it possible to achieve the sales levels you’re forecasting?”. A good example is that a sales team can only visit a certain number of customers each week or a factory can only manufacture a given amount of products on each shift. Make sure to keep your projections realistic and even more important to be based on supportable evidence. It is imperative to also make sure that your sales assumptions are linked directly to your sales forecast or your information will contradict itself. Most lenders are “by the numbers”, so if your numbers don’t add up, you will get declined. A good example of this is to say that you expect increased sales in a market that is declining. That just does not add up.

Another thing not to do when projecting your business finances is to spend a lot of time refining the forecast. Try to avoid tinkering with the target numbers once they are set. Many business owners neglect to ask the opinions of the sales people who know the buyer’s intentions about what they think the projected sales should be. It is important to make sure your sales team agrees on any sales targets that will be set. One other fatal mistake made by business owners when working on financial projections is not getting feedback on the projections from an accountant.