Small Business

Black Swan

Don Kleiner — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:09:01 -0500

I have been reading The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb for the last week or so. It is an interesting idea given the recent economic turmoil. For a description of the idea visit this link in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_swan_theory

Bailout GM?

Don Kleiner — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:57:24 -0500

OK I’ve held myself back as long as I can about me bailing out first the banks and now the domestic auto makers. The banks made bad loans used bad judgment and because of that we all must pay. Of course no one was fired for that lapse in judgment and of course loans for a small business like Maine Outdoors were difficult to get during the good times and are now impossible. If banks are not interested in helping me I need a better reason to want to help them.

A Task Force on Maine’s Natural Resource Agencies

Don Kleiner — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:18:10 -0500

As you may remember I was appointed by Governor Baldacci to the task force to on Maine’s Natural Resource Agencies. We met throughout the summer and fall and completed a variety of tasks outside of meetings. At the end of the process there was only one proposal with much support. The proposal put forward by the Natural Resource Network had the support of more than half of the task force members. But because we were operating under consensus rules voting on various proposals was not done.

Starting to think about next season

Don Kleiner — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:58:58 -0500

I was interested to read that a legislative committee has held hearings on whether it is difficult for Maine small businesses to get loans in the current environment. Here is the article in Tuesday’s Portland Press Herald.

Meetings all week!

Don Kleiner — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:26:12 -0500

We are in the gray and dreary part of November; rainy wet weather is in the forecast for the next several days. On a gray overcast day it stays dark until nearly 7AM and is pretty dark by 4 PM making for short dreary days to be sure.

Registered Maine Guides

Don Kleiner — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:31:30 -0500

Over the years I have worked alongside a number of other guides and during the last couple of seasons I have hired a few to help with large groups or when Maine Outdoors has multiple trips going. Most of them are great folks to work with and understand that the primary goal is for clients to have a good time while being safe. Some of them do not understand that being a guide is actually work and that being successful takes more than a license from the state.

Guide Seminar Online?

Don Kleiner — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:52:30 -0400

Sometimes I have a few odd minutes to fill and am always on the lookout for something fun and useful to do with the time. I was sent a link to a lecture on TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) that I found interesting. So I spent some time checking it out and discovered that the talks can be downloaded as Podcasts and loaded onto my iPod. I had to wait for the Yukon to be repaired yesterday and the casts were a perfect way to fill the hour or so that the repair took.

It's Show Season

Don Kleiner — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:22:10 -0400

Spring in Maine is marked by a number of outdoors shows and exhibits. Over the weekend I attended two of them and as always it was great fun to visit with old friends from around the state and in different aspects of my business. Saturday I attended the LL Bean fishing expo at the new hunting and fishing store in Freeport. They had a good turnout with lots of interesting seminars. I spent a half an hour or so watching someone else teach flyfishing which I found extremely helpful. There is nothing like watching a different approach to teaching an activity.

Interesting conversation

Don Kleiner — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:37:42 -0400

I was invited to a business roundtable last week by Mainebiz. Mainebiz is a bi weekly paper that covers business in our state. They were interested in learning how they are doing in covering business in general and our area specifically. I appreciate any business that takes the time to ask customers questions.

Amazing to think this could happen

Don Kleiner — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:18:51 -0500

One of the things I pride myself on and have a one of my business principles is staying current on and using the latest technology. I am one of the few guides in Maine writing a blog on his web site, have been publishing an electronic newsletter for some time and I produce my own brochures and ads on my desktop computer.