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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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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20 Facebook Pages Sussex, Menomonee Falls Residents Should 'Like'

Check out some of the top local business pages available on Facebook.

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 ›

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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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 ›

Business Spotlight

Ace’s II Rock Shop Specializes in the Unique and One of a Kind

Local rock shop caters to collectors and hobbyists with wide variety of stones and gems.

Some customers stop by to check out minerals. Others are more interested in fossils. Still others are looking for one of a kind pieces of jewelry or for the loose stones and gems needed to make their own jewelry. Stones, rocks, gems, beads, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, crystals, you-name-it. If you’re into unique rocks and stone items, Ace’s II Rock Shop probably has what you’re looking for, or they can help you find it. “They come looking for something that they don’t already have,” said owner Liz Fuher of her clientele. “If it’s something really rare, we put it on our shopping list. They give us prices, and when we go on our buying trips we try to find these pieces for them. Otherwise they just find beautiful pieces that are already …

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Business Spotlight

Family Fun Abounds at Flabbergast For Kids!

Sussex indoor party and play facility offers wide variety of fun options for children.

So the kids are home from school, it’s too cold for them to play outside and they’re getting a little restless. What to do, what to do? As a parent, you might want to consider taking the little ones over to Flabbergast For Kids! This indoor children’s party venue opened its doors at W248 N5250 Executive Drive in Sussex about two and a half years ago and continues to grow in popularity. “It’s a family entertainment center, an indoor playground,” said Dana Amstadt, one of the managers. “We’ve got five inflatables, a huge climbing structure and a 50-piece arcade. The kids like to come here and jump around and play with their friends and family. We have all-day play every day and we also host birthday parties for families.” Flabbergast is an …

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Business Spotlight

M & M Restaurant Celebrates a Half Century of Business in Sussex

Breakfast and lunch specials have highlighted the friendly neighborhood dining experience at M & M Restaurant in Sussex for 50 years.

Back in 1961, there weren’t a whole lot of eating establishments to choose from in Sussex. However, a certain restaurant established 50 years ago became a popular place to gather, eat and socialize in town. Today, the M & M Restaurant maintains that same inviting atmosphere at the same location on Main Street near Highway 74. “For many years, we were one of the few restaurants in town so it was the gathering spot for a lot of the guys in the morning,” said Didier Babits, M & M’s current owner. “We’re strictly breakfast and lunch and are probably known more for breakfast than anything else.” Babits’ parents, Steve and Nicole, purchased the business 33 years ago and he’s been involved in the business off and on for more than 20. M & M offers…

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