CONTEMPORARY EXPLORER

I grabbed the dog and walked down to the corner market. The shagginess and unruly nature of my dog remind me of my youth. No one would want him or me then. The morning air  freshened as I sat in front of the market with coffee and paper. https://anchor.fm/david-young7/episodes/ANNE-FARMER-e557dl I grabbed the dog and walked down to the corner market. The shagginess and unruly nature of my dog remind me of my youth. No one would want him or me then. The morning air freshened as I sat in front of the market with coffee and paper. A small article on the entertainment page caught my eye, “Jack Ely Dies.” The article went on, “Ely famous for singing Louie Louie…” Our old high school song, I thought. It was sung at every football game and dance. The memory threw me back to those times. Awkward and an outcast, they were long years for me.  A small article on the entertainment page caught my eye, “Jack Ely Dies.” The article went on, “Ely famous for singing  Louie ...

Li Qiang rolled out the dolly with the cartons of product and started restocking the shelves. He thought to himself about this special day. After ten years of work, he would make the final payment on the market to the former owner. With the market paid for, he could start saving for the education of his young children. At least one doctor or lawyer, he thought. The immigrant way, he would work hard. The success of family the reward. There were, however, concerning events on the horizon. Li tried not to think about them as he continued to stock the shelves. Li thought back to how he became owner of Mighty Midget Market. The area was the only place Li could afford to live when he came to the USA. A backwater corner of the city, poor as dirt, the only scenery the freeway. He went for the first “Help Wanted” sign he found, a run down Seven-Eleven. Chet the long-time owner was skeptical at first. Li didn’t speak much English, but he blurted out “Li Qiang means very strong in Ch...

“Every building has its own soul with the entry on the backside” – Carl City Porter Backsides of buildings are the most ignored and sometimes avoided parts of the city. The fronts are pretty faces. The backsides are the workings of the city. It is where trains leave, supplies come in, and the work done. They echo the sounds of the city, have its messages scrawled out, and a certain art of their own, only made with the patina of time. They are the backstage of life, but what makes it all possible. All they ask in return is POST NO BILLS… David Young

“In a big place, you need to subtract things to make it interesting, in a small place you only have to add yourself.” – Richard Hugo, Poet We had taken a risk traveling to this small town in the low country of South Carolina. But here we were at the elegant Victors behind a unique hotel. The table, with a view of the bar, was set to reveal a wonderful evening.  I have been an urban dweller most of my life. My camera likes the vivid hustling landscapes of the city. Time and age though change your sense of things. More importantly, you learn to trust those senses more. Now I seek a deeper meaning to my experiences. The South is about small cities and towns full of great people and deep history. It is there that you really begin to experience life in the South and maybe a different you. The small towns are picturesque. Some though you want to take in your arms and fix, too many empty storefronts and years of neglect. The results of the huge economic swings...

To be a small business owner or single practitioner is to experience times of revenue drought or stagnation. Other times business opportunities seem to abound. They suddenly appear like a flock of starling. They delight and excite with an ever-changing pattern of swoops and rising together. Their brilliance seems there for the catching, but just as suddenly they can disappear over the horizon.  Entrepreneurs are always searching for opportunity. So how do you catch the elusive starling? How do you capture a true business opportunity? Large companies have entire departments devoted to evaluating and implementing new opportunities. As a small business owner, its all on your shoulders. The right opportunity can make your business. The wrong one can ruin it. There are excellent articles (see footnotes) on this subject. Here are some of their highlights together with my own experience from working with clients. Passion - The best opportunities are always the ones you have pas...