Workforce Challenges Often Triggered by Childcare Issues. Autumn Zellner, CEO of STARS Early Learning Academy, Explains.
Posted On December 25, 2023
Childcare was in a crisis before the pandemic. Too many kids. Too few spots. Many people who wanted to work were forced to stay home and care for young children and this burden impacted females much more so than males. Not much has changed since. In fact, it may have gotten worse. Many of the grants and subsidies offered during the pandemic are no longer available. Autmn Zellner runs STARS Early Learning Academy. She gets multiple calls each day from parents despreate to work and desperate to find a safe place to leave their children during the day. Autumn turns… Read More
Categories: Libsyn
Sometimes, success means hitting the market at just the right time
Posted On December 22, 2023
Sometimes a business model just has to be started at the right time to find success. What wouldn’t have worked at one time may be the Next Big Thing in another. So it was for Josh and Jarred Higginbotham, our guests in the latest episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston.” The Higginbothams took about 100 kernels of heirloom corn from a freezer in a barn on the farm that’s been in their family for generations and have built a thriving business, Bayou Cora Farms. There once wasn’t much of a market for heirloom corn – a pre-1940 variety that… Read More
Categories: Blog, Entrepreneurship, What's Working with Cam MarstonSolstice
Posted On December 22, 2023
Yesterday was the winter solstice. Brings back memories… —– Yesterday was the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Said another way, there is more darkness on December 21st than any other day. It’s also the day I got engaged many years ago. The story I like to tell is that my wife, who was then a collegiate volleyball coach, was watching VHS videos of players she was hoping to recruit. I asked her to stop the video and pay attention to me for a moment or two. She reluctantly did with a “this better be good” expression. I… Read More
Categories: Libsyn2
Stepping back from your passion in order to grow your business
Posted On December 21, 2023
If you’re going to turn your small business into a multi-million dollar company, chances are you’re going to have to step outside your comfort zone and try some new things. You’re also going to have to trust others to do the things you enjoyed doing to get that business off the ground. Marty Grunder, our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” says learning how to delegate and how to develop new skills and new roles for yourself is important to the growth of any business. Grunder started Grunder Landscaping in the Dayton, Ohio, area while… Read More
Categories: Blog, Entrepreneurship, What's Working with Cam Marston, WorkplaceFrom Less than 100 Kernels in a Freezer to Needing More Land – The Remarkable Story of Bayou Cora Farms.
Posted On December 18, 2023
Josh and Jared Higginbotham found just shy of 100 kernals of heirloom corn in a freezer in a barn. They were the last of their grandfather’s stash and these brothers decided to plant it and see what happened. Today their Bayou Cora Farms non-GMO corn products are purchased across the country from their farm in south Alabama and they’re looking for more acreage to try to meet the rising demand. Show Sponsors: Mason Hills Farms – True Farm to Table Meats E3 Termite & Pest Control Roy Lewis Construction Trey Langus – Transworld Business Advisors Allison Horner – State Farm… Read More
Categories: LibsynLeena’s China
Posted On December 15, 2023
A family tree of photographs is at the top of the stairs at my father’s house. —– A picture hangs at the top of the stairs at my parent’s house. It’s of my mother’s grandmother, my great grandmother. I think it’s Grandma Leena. My father and I were trying to figure out who it was. My mother had told me about the picture and about Grandma Leena for years. I never listened. There are a bunch of other pictures. At the top, near the ceiling, are pictures of my mother and father’s family and they form a family tree, coming… Read More
Categories: Libsyn2
When a side gig becomes the main gig
Posted On December 14, 2023
Sometimes a side gig can become your true calling. So it was for our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston.” After Danny Lipford started a remodeling business in Mobile in 1978, he was looking for a way to set himself apart from competitors. He made himself accessible to local media, did local speaking engagements, and 10 years later, he got the opportunity to do a home improvement TV show on a local station. Thirty-five years after those beginnings, the “Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford” television show, which Lipford hosts along with his daughter Chelsea, is… Read More
Categories: Blog, Entrepreneurship, What's Working with Cam MarstonMarty Gründer Did So Well Developing His Business He’s Now Coaching Others on Developing Theirs
Posted On December 11, 2023
Marty Grunder began Grunder Landscaping in 1984 as he was making his way through college, running it from his dorm room to pay his bills. Today it’s a regional powerhouse in the industry and Marty has taken the lessons he’s learn to create The Grow Group which coaches other landscaping companies across the country in their growth. Marty’s lessons on leadership transfer across industry. He tells his story and shares his secrets for growing and cultivating a successful company. Marty’s connections on LinkedIn and Instagram. Show Sponsors: Mason Hills Farms – True Farm to Table Meats E3 Termite & Pest… Read More
Categories: LibsynThe Master is Dead
Posted On December 8, 2023
This may be a bit over the top but it’s what it looks like to me: —– The apprentice to master model in the workplace may be dead. It was declining prior to the pandemic but now, after the struggles from the pandemic are largely behind us, the apprentice to master model is gone. And it’s a shame. Our society today, our workplace, our government, all of it comes from this model. It served us well. We’ve left it behind. Out to pasture. It’s not a good thing. Begun in the trades ages ago, its basic tenants are that a… Read More
Categories: Libsyn2
What’s in an accent? And can it be changed?
Posted On December 5, 2023
What does an accent mean? How do we get them? And can we change them? Accents and dialects are the specialty of University of Alabama Assistant Professor Paul E. Reed, Ph.D., our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston.” He says that our accents are developed at an early age, but can change over time. “You tend to sound like the people who raised you,” he said. “As you grow and become more independent, there are certain things that because of the input you receive, they fade away.” And yes, we can choose to change certain… Read More
Categories: Blog, What's Working with Cam Marston