Townsquared

Sage, a leader for integrated accounting, payroll and payment systems, shared with Townsquared their research and strategies to tackle common small business challenges. Read on for their tips and advice, so you can focus on the more exciting aspects of your business: http://townsq.co/2z07bh2

Implement gratitude hacks to say thank you to your employees, your clients, and your community. Expressing gratitude all year long motivates and boosts team morale and improves company culture. And it feels good too! How do you show your gratitude? http://townsq.co/2kHwuQ9

When you figure out how to address the pain points of each of your target customers, it’s easier to position products and please your customers. Your business will become more focused, and your messaging will become more appealing and relevant. Our friends at Spatially give some great tips on understanding your customer's pain points to create loyalty and customer satisfaction. http://townsq.co/2BoulmE

We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our city’s mayor, Ed Lee. Townsquared sends it’s deepest condolences to his family and his staff. Thank you, Mayor Lee, for your service to this city and all that you did to make it a better place for everyone. http://www.sfgate.com//San-Francisco-Mayor-Ed-Lee-dead-at-

Gandhi's quote Be the change that you wish to see in the world, is the mantra that Dr. Derek Strachan lives by and one of the reasons he and his wife Tamara founded Divine Spine Chiropractic Studio, located in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. Dr. Strachan has dedicated his life to health and wellness. The practice encourages a wellness lifestyle and focuses on preventative care and education for all ages. Dr. Strachan also believes in giving back to the community. One way i...n which the practice embodies this spirit is through its Gratitude Month. For the past 12 years, every December, Divine Spine encourages the community to donate food, toiletries, and money to benefit the Ballard Food Bank. They offer a complimentary Wellness Check-Up to donors who make a cash or check donation exceeding $40.00. All of the proceeds, collected at their office, are given to the Food Bank. And to keep to the theme, they have a Gratitude Tree in the office where practice members can write on a card what they’re thankful for. The cards are hung on the tree for all to be inspired by. Contribute to Divine Spine’s Gratitude Month by dropping off donations of non-perishable foods, cash, or checks made out to the Ballard Food Bank at their office at 5429 Russell Ave NW, Suite 300 just above the Hi-Life Restaurant. And make an appointment for a Wellness Check-Up today! Photo by Lauren Max Winkelman

Terry Currier's first record, Pushing Too Hard by The Seeds, began his love (and obsession) for rock and roll music. He's owned and operated Portland's Music Millenium for decades and gets to introduce younger music lovers to his passion. What's the future of the record store in today's digital music world? Read what Terry thinks here: http://townsq.co/2jSBXDe

Urban Craft Uprising was founded in 2005 to showcase the work of independent crafters, artists and designers to provide a unique, high quality, hand-crafted alternative to big box stores and mass produced goods. UCU was co-founded by Kristen Rask, who started her first craft business at the age of 13. She has been craft show vending for 20+ years and has grown UCU to be the Pacific Northwest’s largest indie craft show. Starting this weekend, Urban Craft Uprising, in partnership with the Downtown Seattle Association, launches their month-long Holiday Market at Westlake Park. Townsquared is sponsoring the Green Room all weekend at Urban Craft Uprising’s Fourth Annual Shopping Preview Night. See here for more details on the Holiday Market: https://www.facebook.com/urbancraftuprising/

Shahasp Valentine is turning her childhood obsession and 30-year career into a brick-and-mortar business, Rock & Rapture - jewelry art music. We'll follow Shahasp as she maneuvers the ins and outs of opening a retail shop in San Francisco. Read the first installment of the series here: http://townsq.co/2irZJJD And visit Shahasp at her pop-up every weekend in December at Onyx Boutique San Francisco.

At Townsquared, we are grateful to have the opportunity to create something that builds community and helps our members be even more successful. We are inspired every day by your passion, grit, and determination. Happy Thanksgiving from everyone atTownsquared.

One of the few bakeries in the world where you need an ID to purchase its goods, Prohibition Bakery was born out of the co-owners’ love of cocktails. From their tiny 200 square-foot bakery, long-time friends Leslie Feinberg, an ex-bartender, and Brooke Siem, a classically trained chef, bake thousands of bite-sized #boozycupcakes with flavors such as Sangria, Pretzels & Beer, Old Fashioned, Margarita. While one cupcake isn’t enough to catch a buzz, it always leaves one delighted and happy. Photo by Kersten Green Photography

Architect-turned-business owner Mae Chan Frey decided after giving birth that she didn’t want to go back to a 9-to-5 job and was looking for something more personally and professionally fulfilling. She opened Ruby's Garden Kidwear & Gift in 2006, when her daughter Ruby was three, as a refuge for stay-at-home moms who needed a place to feel welcome during the long and lonely days of babyhood. Eleven years later, her shop, which sells children’s clothes and shoes featuring Bay ...Area local and independent artists, is still going strong. Community is still the main theme at Ruby’s Garden; Mae feels it’s something that brick-and-mortars do well because it’s no longer just about the product, which you can buy anywhere. It’s about being part of something bigger. Ruby’s Garden is participating in Plaid Friday Week! See the full directory of participants and events here: https://www.oaklandgrown.org/holiday2017. Photo by Abby Wilcox

Coffee. Food. Friendship. That’s what Erica Escalante envisioned when she opened Portland’s The Arrow Coffeehouse PDX. To further build this community, Erica started Kitchenhood Commissary, a collaborative kitchen co-located in the same space as Arrow. It's run by Escalante and her business partner Lyla Wolfenstein, who also operates the Full Belly Fare - Handcrafted Dinners Delivered, a meal delivery service. The concept behind Kitchenwood Commissary is to create a community for smaller food-based businesses to thrive, promote, and support each other, while providing an affordable, well-provisioned kitchen space. The space hosts regular pop-ups for the Kitchenwood members and also sells some of the delicious goods made on premise. Photos by Kersten Green Photography

Phil Morgan’s father taught him about margins at 15, when the two of them purchased, rebuilt, and sold a classic car. The concept stuckhe’s applied it to the many restaurant and bar businesses he’s founded over the years, including Hecho Inc. and Building on Bond, both in Brooklyn. He could write a primer on how to make it in New York’s restaurant industry. Read more about it here: http://townsq.co/2AGGMGl. Photos by Hecho Inc.