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
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
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
Keeping up with technology a matter of survival in auto repair business
Posted On July 25, 2019
Technological advances in the automotive industry have made today’s cars safer and more fuel efficient. Those advances also present a challenge for the people who must fix them when they break – keep pace or perish. Our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,”Cockrell’s Body Shop owner Tim Cockrell, says two of the most challenging aspects of his business are finding good employees who are young enough to grow with the business and keeping up to date with the technology. “You’ve continuously got to be on top of your game,” Cockrell says. “It’s going to roll… Read More
Categories: What's Working with Cam MarstonLighting up the cigar industry with a hot new idea
Posted On July 22, 2019
We all would love to be ahead of the curve, to have that hot new business idea that disrupts an industry and sets a new trend. In a recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” I talked with someone who has done just that – Jeff Zeiders, co-founder and CEO of CigarClub.com. Traditionally, cigar smokers are older white men who find a couple of brands of cigars they like and buy them from local shops or from large online providers. CigarClub.com has developed a new distribution model to reach a new customer base and to grow by utilizing new… Read More
Categories: What's Working with Cam Marston
Workplace culture is too important to leave to chance
Posted On June 28, 2019
We all know – or we say we know – that workplace culture is important. Not only important, really, but critical to the success of a company or organization. But how many CEOs or other company leaders are actually being proactive and deliberate about creating the culture within their organizations? Our guest in this recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” David Friedman of High Performing Culture LLC, says that number is surprisingly low. “Every other aspect of our business that we would say is critical – our finances, our strategic planning, our operations, our sales – we’re really… Read More
Categories: What's Working with Cam Marston, Workplace
How to build a successful, family-run import business
Posted On June 12, 2019
How do you turn a sawmill into a successful family import business that’s still thriving over a century later? With a little foresight, a lot of travel, and paying attention to Mom. Our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston” is Luckett Robinson, whose family’s company, Overseas Hardwoods Company, imports wood from all over the world for a variety of uses across the country. In 1917, Robinson’s grandfather began the family’s immersion in the lumber business with the purchase of a sawmill. While that sawmill was ultimately sold to Scott Paper Company in the 1960s, Robinson’s… Read More
Categories: What's Working with Cam Marston, Workplace