B2B Stories

B2B Stories

Simon Says: Best labor markets in Georgia, S.C. are on the coasts

Last week, I compared the labor market in Augusta to other metro areas in Georgia. However, two counties in the August metro area are in South Carolina (Aiken and Edgefield), so how does Augusta stack up against South Carolina cities? Like Georgia, the fastest-growing labor markets in South Carolina are on the coast. The Labor Market Index (LMI) for Charleston grew at 2.5 percent over the last year and by a whopping 4.7 percent in Myrtle Beach. (The fastest growth in Georgia was Savannah at 3.6 percent). Over the past

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B2B Stories

Local business owner invests in three downtown properties

A local business owner and investor has added three more properties to his growing portfolio of dozens in downtown Augusta. Rafy Bassali has purchased 1293, 1296, and 1297 Broad St., according to the Finem Group with Meyboym Commercial Properties, which represented the seller in this transaction. Bassali, who owns the building next door to these businesses, said all three are currently occupied. “It’s the gateway to downtown Augusta, and I think in the future, it can be beautified,” he said. The Girl Cave Boutique occupies 1293 Broad St.; Johnson, Laschober

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B2B Stories

Thoughts from the General: Insights from flawed leaders and their enablers….

I may be one of the few folks in our area who watched, on live TV, the McCarthy, Nixon, and Trump hearings. There are some interesting comparisons between and among these powerful political leaders and their close advisors. As a cadet at West Point, I watched the McCarthy hearings in 1953. I was in the hospital and a black and white TV was at the far end of my ward. Twenty years later, I watched intently many of the 1973 Watergate hearings. Within the past couple of weeks, the January

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B2B Stories

Local photographer to provide headshots for Chamber members

A local photographer and the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce have teamed up to provide professional headshots exclusively for its member businesses and their employees. Crystal E. Smith Photography, LLC will take these photos on Monday, July 11 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday, July 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Chamber boardroom. Various timeslots are available on both days. “There is availability for five sessions per half hour, and each person will receive three digital images for $65,” said Chamber Executive Vice President, Angie

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B2B Stories

Branding Your Small Business

  Don MacNeil is the former Marketing Director of Windsor Jewelers and long-time on-air radio professional.   Is it just me, or… Branding Your Small Business Editor’s Note: This first ran a year ago in ABD but it still offers timely advice for any business. No, this isn’t going to be some highfalutin’ cerebral slog. Branding your business should be fun, but please, do me (and yourself) a favor by not trying to do it yourself, and then too late, call in a pro after you’ve blown through the cash

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B2B Stories

Local young professionals selected as top future business leaders

Dalton Self is a local entrepreneur with a passion for creating opportunities for future business leaders. Self, Vice President of Jani-King of Augusta, was selected by the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce and Augusta Magazine as one of the Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch. Self, who is also responsible for overseeing other Jani-King locations, including Macon, Savannah, and Memphis said in the future, he will be one of the top business leaders in the CSRA because he strives to help others become successful commercial cleaning franchises. According

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B2B Stories

Sister act paints their way to curbside success

Painting curb numbers in the summer heat may sound like a brutal way to make a buck, but for young entrepreneurs, Bailey and Reese Kirkland, it’s the perfect summer job. The twin sisters started their business in mid-May. They had little input and a lot of support from their family. Think of it as a summer gig to make a little pocket money. So far, these young ladies surpassed their goal of a couple of hundred dollars by a long shot, with earnings of a couple of thousand. “The idea

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B2B Stories

A love for plants turns into a growing business

Carrie Turner has always had an affinity for raising plants, but it turns out she’s also got a green thumb when it comes to growing a business. Turner owns The Plant House in Martinez, a mecca for those who love house plants, and the business is thriving as much as the plants she sells. But Turner, who is a hairstylist by trade, is an “accidental entrepreneur.” It started with her love for plants. “I’ve always loved working in the yard,” she said. “Any place we’ve lived, I always tore out

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B2B Stories

Faced with slumping sales, Onnie Sanford reinvented her business

What do you do when the business you started, the one that brought you success, begins to sink? For Onnie Sanford, it meant reinventing her business. Sanford began and operated Paleo Num Yums five years ago in The Centre at Furys Ferry Road in Martinez with paleo diet meal plans. For four years, she rode a wave of success. Then things changed. The normal August and fall boost her business usually experienced didn’t materialize, despite tweaks to advertising and scrutiny of P&L statements. Then, the anticipated January spike in business

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B2B Stories

Thoughts from the General: Thoughts about Top Gun: Maverick

First of all, Top Gun: Maverick is a great movie and will remain a classic for many decades in the future. Like the first movie, it will be a great recruiting tool for anyone interested in military aviation in the United States and nations throughout the world. The first Top Gun movie was first-rate but Top Gun: Maverick is better. Here are some areas of accuracy, some questionable areas, and some areas of total nonsense. Accuracies  Pulling 9 Gs will cause most pilots to black out. The air-to-air film in

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