Patch's New Site for Small Businesses Offers Tips, Info and More

The newly launched website provides practical advice and innovative ideas for those small business owners.

Patch has launched a new site — smallbusiness.patch.com — to educate and empower small businesses with the digital tools, social media strategies and marketing know-how needed to ensure long-term growth. Readers will have access to exclusive interviews with well-known founders and CEOs, and small business industry experts who share their experiences, advice and tips for success. One of the latest articles features an exclusive interview with successful real estate entrepreneur, Barbara Corcoran, founder of The Corcoran Group. In this Q&A, Corcoran discusses the how to take advantage of the size of a small businesses, and why making big “mistakes” made all the difference in her success. Click here to read about the tactics Corcoran used to…

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Charity Begins at Home

There are so many places to share the blessings of the season, and the best part is that most of those are right in your own back yard. Here's a guide that no doubt will grow - feel free to add your own!

  Jerome Drugs - in their entry space is a giving tree for 'Home Instead' seniors. This one's a bit urgent, as the final donations are due Dec. 5 for distribution on Dec. 12 and 13. Muskego Moose Lodge - also has a 'senior' Santa tree, but other opportunities are available to help bring a Merry Christmas to local families. Deadline for the senior tree is the same as Jerome Drugs, but other opportunities give you a little more time. Stop in for more information. Muskego Regency - holding a toy drive this month as well on behalf of the Marine Corps Toys for Tots, in its 65th year through Dec. 7. For more information, call 262-679-0888. Edward Jones/Katie Orvis - Donations of food, cash and gift items are being accepted during regular …

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Small Business Owners Invest in Communities

The owners of small businesses throughout the Metro Milwaukee area say it works for them to be part of the fabric of their communities.

Small businesses work for a strong community. The days of Henry Ford coming into a community to build a plant and hire 25,000 workers are gone. But the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well on a much smaller scale. From neighborhood diners and booksellers with a handful of employees to niche operations with dozens of employees, small business owners have found ways to be profitable while strengthening the community in which they operate. Paul Schueller, CEO and part owner of Franklin Energy Services in Port Washington, Wis. was an engineer for Wisconsin Natural Gas Company.  Schueller saw an opportunity and struck out on his own.  “It’s more cost effective for energy companies to find ways to improve energy efficiencies than to build …

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Small Businesses Have Holidays on Saturday and Beyond

While a mini-holiday dubbed Small Business Saturday is gaining momentum the day after Black Friday, Muskego businesses say they're here with specials and events well beyond Nov. 24

To make sure the "little guy" isn't overlooked in all the frenzy of the crowds camped out in front of big box retailers for days, Small Business Saturday was born. Muskego's local retailers, however, want to spread the word that your business is important every day of the week, and they plan on wooing you throughout the entire Christmas shopping season. While there is a list of specific local participants in the Small Business Saturday efforts through American Express, here are just a slice of specials and events found right here in your own backyard: Thomas Jewelers - plans a Ladies Night on Thursday, Nov. 29, where women-only are welcome to browse and put things on their list so their significant others don't have to guess. Kurt Fifield…

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Strong Small Businesses Make Communities Better

Local business improvement district leaders say a thriving small business climate makes the whole community stronger, but it takes support from residents, the government and business owners to make things work.

Thriving businesses are one-third of a triumvirate of a vibrant community. “You need good schools, a quality housing stock and a solid commercial area,” said Tim Ryan, president of Shorewood’s Business Improvement District.  Ryan is invested in all three. He and his family live in Shorewood, his daughter goes to school in Shorewood and he is the president and owner of Harleys: The Store for Men on Oakland Avenue in Shorewood. Small businesses line the commercial corridor that runs east and west along Capital Drive and north and south along Oakland Avenue, Ryan said. “Unlike many small communities, our business district is spread out on two thoroughfares.” Small businesses, like Harleys, are invested in a community the way national chains …

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David Tatarowicz

5:09 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012

@Ab Fab You make some very good points and more importantly ask some very good questions. I noted that Ryan said " thriving small businesses reduce the tax burden for homeowners and buoys home values." which is just not true. Property tax rates are the same for commercial property as it is for residential property. In Wisconsin, unlike some other states, the local communities get no share of the …   more ›

Local Investors Have to Wait On Sandy

Edward Jones' Advisor Katie Orvis said it's 'business as usual,' but trades can't be completed until the markets open on Wednesday.

With the financial heartbeat of the United States located in New York City, there's almost no one left unaffected by Hurricane Sandy, and Muskego investment advisor Katie Orvis had to break the news to her clients yesterday. "Due to Hurricane Sandy making landfall on the East Coast, the U.S. equity and bond markets are closed," she posted on Facebook. "First and foremost, my thoughts are with those who are in the path of Hurricane Sandy, and I hope it passes with as little damage as possible. Our concern is for the safety of our clients, associates and everyone living in that area," she wrote. Get great local stories like this on Facebook. Click to join us! Today, markets remain closed, and Orvis said while bond markets had closed midday …

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Editor's Corner

SCORE Helps Business Owners

No, there's not a catch. SCORE's experienced mentors will help you take your business to the next level.

When it comes down to it, behind just about every small business is an entrepreneur hoping to turn their passion into a paycheck. But, as many wise business advisers have noted: Hope is not a strategy. Business owners need support to turn dreams into reality. That's why Patch is pleased to announce a new partnership with SCORE, a nonprofit organization with 12,000 business experts nationwide who provide free mentoring to small business owners. The partnership makes sense because we believe that when local commerce grows, the whole community gets stronger. Patch already provides free listings for local businesses and other tools to help build local brands. Whether you're a 10-year-old jewelry designer or a 79-year-old who carves wood knives…

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Muskego is about to Get its First "Cash Mob"

Cash Mob scheduled to help Island Ice Cream on July 28

Muskego is about to get its first ever “cash mob.” A cash  mob is a concept that originated with the Occupy Wall Street Movement and is modeled after “flash mobs.” National Public Radio, in a recent story, described a flash mob as being when “a mass of people invade a public space to make a scene.” A cash mob is similar. It's “where large crowds of consumers show up at small businesses to spend money.” The goal is to help small businesses. Cash mobs have occurred in Milwaukee and across the nation. And now the owner of the new ice cream shop at Idle Isle Park is bringing it here. Kristin Formolo, owner of Idle Isle Ice Cream, has organized the first cash mob for her shop.  And she’d like Muskego to expand the concept to other small …

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Governor Talks Wisconsin Jobs, Mining and Education at Rotary Appearance

Gov. Scott Walker said, among other things, that he supported extending unemployment benefits through a worker's unpaid training period.

Gov. Scott Walker addressed job growth, responsible mining and the pressing need for skilled labor on Tuesday while speaking to a full house of almost 300 people at the Milwaukee War Memorial Center. The Milwaukee Rotary Club sponsored the appearance, during which Walker fielded questions from an audience without a protestor in sight. The governor thinks so. Walker said he's noticed a trend among small manufacturers — while there are jobs galore available and employers are desperately in search of employees, there are just not enough people to fill these jobs with the right credentials. "One of the most frustrating things for me, is employers telling me that they have jobs, but they don't have enough skilled workers to fill those jobs, …

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Steve

12:04 am on Saturday, March 10, 2012

It's not a soil sample but an exploration drilling core sample. Soil or overburden is removed before mining to get down to the "rock". Only one core? Before mining a lot of core samples are taken to find the ore body's width and depth. I hope they found some pyrite "The oxidation of pyrite (iron sulfide) by molecular oxygen produces iron(II), or Fe2+:" would be a crappy mine without iron   more ›

Getting Government Out of the Way so Small Businesses Can Succeed

In this week's radio address, Governor Scott Walker talks about how regulations for small businesses need to be smarter to help entrepreneurs succeed.

The state has partnered with the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association to produce and distribute brief radio address once a week.  Audio files and a written transcript of this radio address can be accessed on http://www.wi-broadcasters.org and http://walker.wi.gov/Weekly-Radio-Addresses.  To download an mp3 file you can visit, right click the radio address link and click “save link as.” Hi. I'm Scott Walker. Touring the state and talking to small business owners, one thing has become crystal clear to me: government regulations need to be science based, predictable and practical.  All too often I hear about how government is standing in the way of those who want to grow jobs in our state. This is why I just signed Executive Order 61, which …

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Adam Wienieski

10:25 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Bren said "The important thing to remember about government is the potential for politicization." Yes, I think that's a point we can all agree on. The founding fathers were so opposed to the concept of omnipotent government they listed a limited number of powers for Congress and said everything else belonged to the people or the states. It was the first time in history the power of government had…   more ›