Begin with the Infinite End in Mind
By Dr. Jim Bailey At the beginning of the year, there’s a lot of fuss about the resolutions we make regarding our health, financial situations, relationships, and the like. Experience (and the media) reminds us that most of our resolutions have failed by the second...
One Step Very Often Leads to Another
By Brett Cafferty There are many reasons we struggle to get in gear on whatever tasks or goals we have determined are important or necessary. Within the small business community, there are many professionals who are creative, capable, hard-working people that fully...
Dealing with Discontent
By Dr. Jim Bailey A fun fact about me - the mute symbol on my TV remote is worn off. The television is only six months old, and the mute button is worn because I have a habit of muting the sound during commercials. I’ve never had patience for TV ads that attempt to...
Ducks and Geese
By Brett Cafferty Back in 2009, my daughter and I took a road trip together to attend a family wedding in Western New York. We first drove to Northern Virginia where my brother lived to join up with him and his daughter, then the four of us (two dads and our teenage...
Discerning the Changing Seasons of Your Life
By Dr. Jim Bailey In late August, I was in the mountains of North Carolina and, though it was still summer, the mornings were fall-like, with temperatures in the 50s and highs around 80. Autumn is my favorite season, and I could see the gold of summer afternoons being...
Marketing at Human Scale
By Chuck Morris What in the world do we mean by “Marketing at Human Scale?” Or, drop the marketing part for now - what is “human scale?” Human scale is a term typically used in architecture and interior design to describe the built environment’s purpose to meet human...
A Simple Beach Vacation Becomes a Life Lesson
By Dr. Jim Bailey A friend once told me, “Until your kids can drive, it’s a family trip, not a vacation.” It’s sort of a Murphy’s Law for life with children. Well, recently Murphy showed up at my family beach vacation and taught me something that is going to make my...
From Postage Meters to Publishing
By Brett Cafferty I have had the adventure of working in very different businesses in my career, with exposure to all kinds of situations, people, technology, and have gained an appreciation (and some great stories) of the quirks and cultures that come with a given...
Are You Evaluating Yourself Accurately?
By Dr. Jim Bailey I’m sometimes asked, “What brings clients to your website or business?” My quick answer is “pain.” Then I’ll explain, “Most of us have a deep desire to be competent and capable of solving our own life problems. It’s painful to embrace the idea that...
Who is Your One?
By Andy Barton May was Mental Health Awareness Month. This means something different to each of us. For some, it’s more acute and sometimes tragic. For many, it’s just another month. However, we should all be cognizant of our own mental health and that of those we...
Finding Purpose and Meaning in Your Later Years
By Dr. Jim Bailey Every once in a while, I’ll get contacted by someone who is approaching retirement age and is curious about whether I can help them determine how to live in their next chapter. “Yes,” I respond, “I’ve helped quite a few people discern what will make...
In Advertising, It’s Often Both/And, Not Either/Or
By Chuck Morris, Guest Columnist When I was just starting my career a thousand years ago in the early ’90s, print advertising was king. I worked for a media company then, and we believed in print’s effectiveness so strongly that we were able to sell and develop...
Getting Ready to Get Ready?
By Brett Cafferty I came across this “note to self” from a few years ago about a common challenge many of us face. I know that I welcomed the reminder and I thought you might, too. There is a basic human character trait many of us struggle with as we seek to get in...
Keeping Talent is Sticky Business
By Kurt Greene Back in 2016, “failure to attract and retain top talent” was the number one concern in a respected survey of CEOs. Today, we know from author and speaker Chris Czarnik that it’s still a problem, except that now the math is painfully simple: There are...
Have You Heard About Blue Zones?
By Brett Cafferty My decision to port a landline phone number to a VoIP (voice over internet protocol) resulted in our internet and cable provider deleting our 30 year old account. I called for repairs the same day, and a technician was sent to restore internet...
Change the Pattern to Change the Pattern
By Brett Cafferty Recently, in speaking with many small business owners, the most common topic is the slow return to a more normal, post-Covid business environment. The pandemic changes that took place - limiting in-person interaction, the isolation of working from...
Knoxville is Growing… A Lot!
By Brett Cafferty What a difference just a couple of years makes! Knoxville has had significant growth in just a short time. In order to reach more communities while providing the best exposure for our advertisers, Everything Knoxville is expanding our distribution to...
Are You a Kite or a String?
By Brett Cafferty Dr. Jim Bailey’s recent article on ADHD got me thinking about my own tendencies and those of our immediate family. I am thankful for his comments, as they both helped me recognize characteristics I possess and perhaps gain a greater appreciation of...
A Different Understanding of Attention Deficit Disorder
By Dr. Jim Bailey Recently, I received an email from a man with whom I’d met to talk about career coaching. He’s a married middle-aged guy with three kids and has made a good living in his chosen field, but recently he’s been restless and his work doesn’t hold his...
Customer Service: An Acquired Skill
By Brett Cafferty About every other month, my wife makes a major re-supply run (which I am grateful for) to purchase exciting and necessary household items like garbage bags, light bulbs, batteries, etc. Rather than go to several stores, we go to a national big box....
Real Reasons People Quit Jobs
By Dr. Jim Bailey During and after the Pandemic, a lot of people quit their jobs. As you might expect, quite a few (36%) left for higher pay and better benefits, but there are several reasons people quit that may surprise you. According to a McKinsey and Company...
Be Careful Not to Burn That Bridge
By Brett Cafferty When invading hostile territory, Roman Empire generals often burned the bridges after they were crossed, eliminating the possibility of a retreat. The only option was to push forward and fight to survive. Two thousand years later, the term is...
Ever Wonder If You Need a Will?
By William E. Duffey, Jr. If you are like most people, you want to have some control over who will take possession of your property when you die. In order to direct who gets your assets upon your demise, the most frequently used document is a will. The only...
Mentors: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
By Brett Cafferty Recently, we’ve spent time with younger folks who are early in their careers. The benefits of mentor guidance in their “adult” jobs came up. Recalling a few of my own experiences, two significant but very different outcomes came to mind… One of my...
In Other Words
Taking Advantage of Life’s Possibilities By Dr. Jim Bailey Because I’m a former university professor, the beginning of the school year always feels like the start of the year. For me, fall feels full of potential and possibilities for things to begin, grow, and...