by Robb Zerr | Apr 1, 2024 | Marketing
Growing up in Renton, I fondly recall going to McLendon Hardware. The original store on Second Avenue was filled with anything you could possibly imagine. Their slogan back then was, “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it,” and from my experience, that held true. The...
by Robb Zerr | Oct 2, 2023 | Entrepreneurship, Starting a Business
Fall is upon us. I don’t even have to look outside. The scent of pumpkin spice is in the air, from craft beers and lattes to candles and tempting treats. It is a veritable bonanza for many small businesses smart enough to cash in on our seemingly insatiable appetite...
by Robb Zerr | Sep 1, 2023 | Starting a Business
When I ran my own business, I had lots of customers. Truth be told, some were better than others, not just in terms of our working relationship, but their value to my company. Customers cost money, and while you may think that new customers are the way to build a...
by Robb Zerr | Mar 1, 2022 | Entrepreneurship, Rebuilding a Business, Starting a Business
Before I came to Commerce almost a decade ago, I had a secret life. If you’ve read these Startup Blogs for any length of time, you know that I was an entrepreneur and small business owner before joining the state. But as you can see by the headline, I am also a...
by Robb Zerr | Jan 31, 2022 | Access to Capital, Entrepreneurship, Starting a Business
When I started my business, oh, so long ago, I knew virtually nothing about managing a company’s finances. About four years into it, I famously had a ton of money in the bank to brag about, but it’s only because I didn’t pay my taxes. The feds found out, and that big...
