Business Coaching

B2B Stories

Take Me to Your Leaderboard: Lessons Learned from This Year’s Masters Contenders

As we begin Day 4 of Post-2026 Masters, life is returning to normal in Augusta. Here at Augusta University, students are in the homestretch of the Spring Semester, and many local businesses are experiencing a combination of celebration and relief.  There are lessons learned from the golfers who contended for this year’s Green Jacket. Prior to the start of the 2026 Masters, there were many questions swirling around many of the potential favorites to win the tournament. Defending champion Rory McIlroy had not played competitively in the month since he

Read More »
B2B Stories

Finding money to start a business

“Show me the Money,” a phrase made famous in the movie Jerry Maguire, could easily describe an upcoming class for small business owners. Registration is open for “Unlocking Capital: An Owner’s Guide to Funding a Small Business,” sponsored by the UGA Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC) in Augusta. Program coordinator Shelby Carl told ABD that this class is specifically for small business owners and entrepreneurs who are trying to understand different funding options. “Especially for anyone who’s considering approaching the bank, but they don’t know exactly what type of

Read More »
B2B Stories

Learning to track the dollars and cents

One of the most important skills for small business owners is developing a comprehensive bookkeeping method.SCORE, the organization of volunteers that helps small businesses, teamed up with Block Advisors by H&R Block for an online webinar explaining why quality bookkeeping is vital.  Led by Sonia Chanani and Sandra Martin of H&R Block, the workshop taught how to turn bookkeeping into a simple, manageable task.  Chanani agreed that bookkeeping can be daunting for a small business owner already juggling multiple responsibilities. The goal is to find a way to make it

Read More »
B2B Stories

ANWA Golf Star helps train 70 CSRA children

17-year-old Asterisk Talley (above), who led this weekend’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur tournament, was one of eight current or legendary female golfers to help kids with golf lessons and life skills, while in town. Before Talley and other ANWA players teed off at Champions Retreat this past Wednesday, they spent an afternoon at Jones Creek Golf Course working on chipping, putting, and swinging. This clinic is part of Bank of America’s Golf with Us program, in partnership with Youth on Course, to expand affordable access to golf nationwide. Augusta youth from the Boys &

Read More »
B2B Stories

Hope Springs Eternal: What Business Can Learn from Baseball

MLB teams are typically optimistic about their prospects for winning in the upcoming season, and often such optimism is warranted. In the last four seasons (2022-2025), since MLB expanded its playoffs to 12 teams, 23 of the 48 teams making the playoffs did not make the playoffs in the previous year. Since teams can improve their competitiveness year over year, so can businesses and organizations. The Los Angeles Dodgers have the highest payroll and best talent in baseball and have won the last two World Series championships. However, last season,

Read More »
B2B Stories

FREE business event in CSRA

Now more than ever, ethics is a critical character trait. A New York City executive from a major financial institution is in town next Thursday to inspire business students and area professionals. The event is free. The Hull College of Business is putting together the Russell A. Blanchard Lecture Series in Ethics featuring Veronique Ferguson, Executive Director, Compliance, J.P. Morgan Chase (NYC). With more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of law, finance, and ethics, Ms. Ferguson currently leads Investment Banking Compliance for North America at J.P. Morgan. A trained attorney and

Read More »
B2B Stories

Your company is like your body. It needs regular check-ups.

Business owners learned the importance of performing a health check on their companies during a recent workshop sponsored by the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce. “The Health of Your Business: What’s Working. What’s Stuck, and Why?” was presented by Danielle Folsom, founder of The Productive.  That is a local consulting firm helping businesses be more efficient through clarity, alignment, and strong people systems. Folsom believes, like humans, businesses also have a DNA specific to its operation and business sector.  “My theory is that every business has a face, a heart and bones,

Read More »
B2B Stories

Training future pilots and techs to take flight

Augusta native, Jamail Larkins, was just 14 years old when he made his record-breaking flight as the youngest pilot to solo flight a Cessna 172. Now, he’s helping to host an event next weekend to give interested CSRA STEM students a chance to use scholarship money to carve out a career pathway. This fast-growing job sector is also propelled by internship opportunities through a few local school systems. He and another local flight expert will be teaching the future generation at Augusta Regional Airport (AGS) next Saturday. His AviationStart company

Read More »
B2B Stories

Integrity, Courage, and Service: Business Essentials

Publisher’s Note: Do churches run like businesses? That’s a debate for another day. Today, Dr. Rick Franza shows us how principles we learn at church carry over to the business world. Earlier this month, my Augusta church held a day-long Men’s Conference, entitled “Dare to Be Different: Men of Courage, Integrity, and Service.” More than 150 other men attended the spiritually fulfilling day. We enjoyed fellowshipping and listening to three young pastors who had grown up in our church. They discussed how integrity, courage, and service are important attributes of how

Read More »
B2B Stories

Setting business owners up for success

There is a workshop next week, organized by experts who can point business owners to successful outcomes. This is the 12th year for the CEO Breakfast Workshop, sponsored by the Augusta office of the University of Georgia’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC). The two-hour workshop will feature a panel of experts who can address the three topics for this year’s event. “We’re going to discuss the HR component, the financial component, and the risk assessment component,” Rebecca Mixson, Director for the Augusta office, explained for ABD. “We’re going to talk

Read More »