Making it in the restaurant business is about more than just the food
Posted On September 6, 2019
Does a restauranteur ever get tired of foodies trying to pick his brain? Not Chris Rainosek. “No, not at all, because I am one of them,” Rainosek, owner and head chef of The Noble South in Mobile and our guest in the latest episode of “What’s Working With Cam Marston,” says of food aficionados. “It’s one of my favorite things in the world to talk about, to dissect food and see what’s going on in the bigger picture.” Much lower on Rainosek’s list of favorite things are the bad reviews that sometimes pop up on internet sites like Yelp. But… Read More
Categories: What's Working with Cam Marston
Scrap that top-down thinking: Listening to your employees is important
Posted On September 3, 2019
If one were to read a book by a man who built a scrap metal business that includes 77 locations and handles 3½ million tons of recycled metals a year, that book would be about recycling scrap metal. But the book that George Adams, owner of California-based SA Recycling, decided to write isn’t about recycling. It’s about leadership. And it contains some advice that’s important in any business, whether it’s recycling scrap metal, serving hamburgers or building skyscrapers. “A company is a shell until you put people in it,” says Adams, our guest on “What’s Working With Cam Marston” recently…. Read More
Categories: Entrepreneurship, What's Working with Cam Marston
How to stand out: the differences between manners, etiquette and protocol and why they matter
Posted On August 30, 2019
Have you ever been invited to a formal dinner and didn’t know what to do? Been in a meeting and weren’t sure if it was rude to check your smartphone? Joined a conversation in progress and didn’t know how or when to introduce yourself? Our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working With Cam Marston” has some answers. But more importantly, she wants to tell us why they matter. Cindy Grosso is a corporate etiquette expert based in Charleston, S.C., who founded the Charleston School of Protocol and Etiquette. Knowing manners, etiquette and protocol is important not just to… Read More
Categories: Education, Parenting, What's Working with Cam Marston
How a family-owned coffee company is brewing for a new generation
Posted On August 26, 2019
It’s not often that I get to do a radio show with the owner of a company while I’m consuming his product. But in the latest episode of “What’s Working With Cam Marston,” I sipped on some coffee with chicory produced by Baton Rouge-based Community Coffee while talking with the company’s fourth-generation owner and president, Matt Saurage. He shares a brief history of the company with us (including the story behind the house drawn on the package), his goals in running a family business, and why, although its habits are different, the millennial generation is as bountiful a market for… Read More
Categories: Entrepreneurship, Generation Y / Millennials, What's Working with Cam Marston
Gen X won’t be overlooked by financial industry for long
Posted On August 22, 2019
As the Baby Boomers enter retirement and millennials are now the largest segment of the workforce and the consumer base, we’ve noted before that Generation X has somewhat of a middle child syndrome. This might seem particularly true in the financial industry, where Boomers essentially built the industry as we currently know it, and millennials are the group that seems to have grabbed its attention as investors. That leaves a generation in the middle that, despite being in its peak earning years, has gotten less attention from the financial industry despite likely needing it the most, according to a story… Read More
Categories: Financial Services, Generation X, Retirement
The Gospel of Murder Point Oysters: How to build a boutique seafood business
Posted On August 20, 2019
Boutique businesses are all the rage. From craft beer and small batch bourbon to organic produce and specialty cheeses, small operations that reach and build followings among specific segments of the market are thriving in a number of industries. But seafood? How do you build a following for that? Our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working With Cam Marston” knows how. Lane Zirlott of Murder Point Oysters and his family got into the oyster business almost accidentally and have built a brand that is now being asked for by name. Zirlott comes from a successful family of shrimpers… Read More
Categories: Entrepreneurship, What's Working with Cam Marston, Work
Outside the comfort zone: The value of adventure travel for teens
Posted On August 19, 2019
In today’s digital age, with almost limitless entertainment at their fingertips and parents hovering overhead, it’s easy for today’s young people to forget what it’s like to do something difficult. But there’s value to facing difficult challenges, and in leaning on the help of peers to help get through them. Our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working With Cam Marston” creates these challenges for today’s young people and believes they’re a life-changing experience. Hayes Hitchens is the founder of Moondance Adventures, a company that produces what he calls “adventure travel for teens” that are much more than just… Read More
Categories: Education, Travel, What's Working with Cam Marston
PowerPoint: Not just for conference presentations anymore
Posted On August 18, 2019
PowerPoints are a useful digital tool. They make it easier to organize your thoughts or prepare a presentation. They have become the go-to method of presenting information at conferences, business meetings, professional development and any number of other professional settings. And now, apparently, they can also help you find your friend a date. According to the New York Post, many millennials are using the popular tool to create easy-to-read dating profiles for friends who are looking for relationships. DateMyFriend.ppt allows people to create three-minute profiles for their friends and pitch them to potential suitors at a bar or other social… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials
Hitting the road to win over a new generation to Napa Valley wine
Posted On July 29, 2019
Millennials are not only the largest sector of the workforce now, but they’re also the largest sector of the marketplace. And businesses that hope to thrive are not only looking for way to attract millennial employees, but how to win over millennial consumers. That can be difficult in an industry many millennials may see as makers of products their parents used. It’s not necessarily a losing battle, however, according to my guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston.” Michael Honig is president of Honig Vineyard and Winery in Napa Valley, a business that has been in… Read More
Categories: What's Working with Cam MarstonWhy it’s still a good idea to hire an architect
Posted On July 28, 2019
Architecture isn’t exactly a lost art. Buildings are being designed, restored and repurposed every day all over the country. But the way residential buildings, in particular are designed has changed significantly over the years. Our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” Mobile-based architect Pete Vallas, says it’s becoming more and more rare for architects to be asked to design residential spaces. Often these days, people find plans in a book or online and take them straight to a builder. There is still value than an architect can bring to a project, however. If a client… Read More
Categories: What's Working with Cam Marston