A good friend recently sold his parents' home in Grand Rapids as it became too much for his elderly mother to care for. The house wasn't on the market for a day or two before an eager buyer snapped it up at the family's asking...
Two films square off on fracking, an issue that could possibly surface on the state's November ballot.There is a movement to ban fracking in Michigan even though oil and gas companies have fracked about 12,000 wells in the state over the past 50 years. Fracking...
By Chris Wendel3.5 stars out of 52013 - Hardcover $19.99, Kindle $$9.99It's not often that I'm able to write about farm animals that run a fictional company. At first glance, it's easy to be pessimistic about the potential of the fable-esque...
Success in business is not always just about a good idea and a business plan.For Matt and Keegan Myers, success hinges on happiness and good relationships. Be happy where you are and who you are working with. Then you can build it, and they will...
TRAVERSE CITY - Numbers don't lie, and the statistics and stories alike point to a new real estate boom in Traverse City.The residential real estate rebound is a classic case of supply and demand, with supply of homes in Traverse City down 41 percent in...
According to the Family Firm Institute, only 30 percent of family businesses survive into the second generation, and by the third generation, only 12 percent remain viable. There are many reasons why family businesses fail, but all too often, they succumb because the owners neglect...
A new venture that could help farmers and budding entrepreneurs turn ideas and recipes into marketable products - and possibly businesses - is coming onto the northern Michigan food scene.Grow Benzie, the community nonprofit farmstead in Benzie County's Benzonia, is launching a state-licensed incubator kitchen...
Many entrepreneurs are just as cavalier in an unsteady business environment as they are during boom times. When I opened my own web presence and digital marketing business last year I jumped in with both feet. Like a geek, I always enjoyed building websites, blogging...
TRAVERSE CITY - Carter Schmidt's business sense belies his age - except when he shows off the toy figurines that the budding entrepreneur buys with some of his earnings.Schmidt is eight years old, a third grader at Eastern Elementary, and has just celebrated the one-year...
Two enterprising youths launch businesses aimed to help - and help feed - animals.Declan Hilt's wish for a dog led not only to his family getting Bauer, a Jack Russell and Beagle mix, but also the start of a successful business."I haven't met a dog...
