September 28, 2012

Cakes, Franchising and Marketing

Share the goods.

Today’s Your Biz, Your Town show guests are a diverse bunch, and we love it.
I would like to point out that I am not sure how Shelley manages her radio, TV show, emceeing 3 times a week, running 8 days a week and being mom to 3 little fur balls..has anyone checked to make sure there is only one of her? Or does she not sleep?
Well onto our guests.

Grand River Signs, FranNet
When Clark Communications told me about FranNet and local business owners, Russ & Donna Ramsay from Grand River Signs…I was very interested. FranNet provides education and support to individuals who are interested in exploring self employment as a career option through franchised business ownership. I have often had conversations with my husband about starting a business and we have always said that running an existing franchise is the way to go…but so many choices..where do you even start?

Local business owners, Russ & Donna Ramsay will share their story.
Here are some quick facts about franchising:

42% higher success rate for franchises over startups.
Provide $660.9 billion of annual payrolls
Over 3,100 franchise concepts in over 90 different categories
There is no correlation between the cost of a franchise and the potential return.
Over $2.3 trillion business

Cakabakery
Local. Yummy. Creative. Those are the words that come to mind when I think of Cakabakery…and the fact that I hear the greatest things about owner, Jason Kakabaker. Yes, that is really his last name and if that isn’t fate, I don’t know what is.
Cakabakery makes all of their cakes and desserts just for you from raw ingredients. That means they can make just about anything you’d like. They create desserts of all flavors, fillings, shapes and sizes.
Oh…did we mention he submitted an entry for the Food Network Cupcake Wars?

AMA West Michigan
The American Marketing Association of west Michigan is a professional association for individuals and organizations involved in the practice, teaching and study of marketing worldwide. It is an organization that holds educational programs centered around current trends, topics and issues in the world of marketing.

Check out their upcoming programs.

Every month Your Biz, Your Town strives to highlight professional associations, nonprofits, upcoming events and spotlight small business.

Interested in being profiled? *@*******gn.com“>Email us.

Recent Musings

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5 Biggest Mistakes Companies Make in a Crisis (and How to Avoid Them)

Panel table set up with microphones, water bottles and name cards for a perimenopause discussion featuring three guest panelists.

It Is Time to Have More Uncomfortable Conversations About Perimenopause

Kim stands at the front of a room. She's holding a microphone giving a speech to a room full of PR professionals.

Keeping Humans in the AI Loop: A Guide to Responsible AI Adoption

Something on Your Mind?

A little rain didn’t slow @bodespeaks down.

Kim was in Washington, D.C., this past week for #AUSA2026 - three days where Army leaders, industry partners, and the defense community come together for innovation, insight, and connection.

We can’t wait to hear some of her takeaways. Stay tuned for more soon.

@ausaorg #DefenseIndustry #Leadership #AUSA

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A little rain didn’t slow @bodespeaks down.

Kim was in Washington, D.C., this past week for #AUSA2026 - three days where Army leaders, industry partners, and the defense community come together for innovation, insight, and connection.

We can’t wait to hear some of her takeaways. Stay tuned for more soon.

@ausaorg #DefenseIndustry #Leadership #AUSA

Who made all these rules anyway?

Don’t wear color. Don’t share your ideas. Don’t put yourself out there. Don’t talk about your family.

We’re told to follow them, but @bodespeaks says question every single one. Then uncover your big hairy audacious goal, throw out the rulebook, and build a personal brand that actually works for you.

Thank you to Aggie and Cristy for having Kim on the @badass_women_in_business Podcast and, well... for being total badasses.

Listen to the full episode in bio.

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We had some fun in the office this week and asked some of the 8THIRTYFOUR team what “square up” means.

Surprisingly, the Gen Z of the group got it, but one of our Gen X’s did not (not saying any names…)

How do you “square up”?

#trending #fyp #squareup #agencylife

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We had some fun in the office this week and asked some of the 8THIRTYFOUR team what “square up” means.

Surprisingly, the Gen Z of the group got it, but one of our Gen X’s did not (not saying any names…)

How do you “square up”?

#trending #fyp #squareup #agencylife

The 834 Learning Hub is where we throw fun shindigs, where cool people come to work, where Big Deal Energy gathers, and where we push you to get uncomfortable.

It’s not your typical event or coworking space - and we like it that way. The lighting, colors, wallpaper, layout, and yes, the dogs, are all very intentional.

If you need a spot to host your offsite team training, leadership quarterly, photo shoot (dogs can be included), or you just need a space to network or cowork - reach out.

We got the goods:
- A sweet sound system
- State-of-the-art digital whiteboard
- A really big T.V. Like it’s big.
- Your own private entrance
- Free parking
- A dog (or two) if you ask nicely

Drop us a line at hello@8thirtyfour.com or click the link in bio to rent the Hub today.

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The 834 Learning Hub is where we throw fun shindigs, where cool people come to work, where Big Deal Energy gathers, and where we push you to get uncomfortable.

It’s not your typical event or coworking space - and we like it that way. The lighting, colors, wallpaper, layout, and yes, the dogs, are all very intentional.

If you need a spot to host your offsite team training, leadership quarterly, photo shoot (dogs can be included), or you just need a space to network or cowork - reach out.

We got the goods:
- A sweet sound system
- State-of-the-art digital whiteboard
- A really big T.V. Like it’s big.
- Your own private entrance
- Free parking
- A dog (or two) if you ask nicely

Drop us a line at hello@8thirtyfour.com or click the link in bio to rent the Hub today.

We love Dr. Karen May’s mission.

What if we taught our daughters AND our sons about women’s health, hormones, and pregnancy? Not as a whispered “talk” or a one-time awkward conversation. Just normal dinner-table stuff.

The girls deserve to know what’s coming (perimenopause shouldn’t be a surprise party nobody wanted). And the boys? They’ll be partners, dads, coworkers, and bosses to women going through all of it.

Thank you, Dr. May, for sharing your best practices to keep the women’s health conversation going at our Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause event.

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We love Dr. Karen May’s mission.

What if we taught our daughters AND our sons about women’s health, hormones, and pregnancy? Not as a whispered “talk” or a one-time awkward conversation. Just normal dinner-table stuff.

The girls deserve to know what’s coming (perimenopause shouldn’t be a surprise party nobody wanted). And the boys? They’ll be partners, dads, coworkers, and bosses to women going through all of it.

Thank you, Dr. May, for sharing your best practices to keep the women’s health conversation going at our Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause event.

Showing up to an interview with an iced coffee? Not the move… unless it’s for @bodespeaks

#icedcoffee #agency #PR #trending #grandrapids

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