Debbie Swanson

Imagine you’re about to make a speech before a distinguished gathering of professionals. While you’re being introduced, you wait nervously—knowing that this introduction will make or break your presentation. Depending on what they hear, audience members will either perk up or tune out.
Your curriculum vitae has that same power. It can portray you as a desirable candidate or cause your reader to yawn and flip to the next applicant in the pile.
Whereas resumes are typically shorter and used for...

Imagine you’re about to make a speech before a distinguished gathering of professionals. While you’re being introduced, you wait nervously—knowing that this introduction will make or break your presentation. Depending on what they hear, audience members will either perk up or tune out.
Your curriculum vitae has that same power. It can portray you as a desirable candidate or cause your reader to yawn and flip to the next applicant in the pile.
Whereas resumes are typically shorter and used for...

When it comes to customer loyalty, Dunkin’ may just have an edge on its closest rival
Cultivating satisfied, loyal customers has always been an important factor to the success of any business, but since social media has enabled rapid-fire opinion sharing, happy customers are more important today than ever. According to a 2016 Forrester Research report, 72 percent of businesses say improving customer experience is their top priority. In the ongoing coffee wars between Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbu...

Two years after Don Fox became CEO of Firehouse Subs in 2003, he did something most franchise owners wouldn’t dream of: he encouraged franchisees to gather and form an independent franchisee association, and pledged the brand would recognize it. Ten years later, he made another move that might raise an eyebrow: he added four franchisee seats to what was then a nine-member board of directors, increasing the overall board size to 13 members, and giving the franchisees a super majority.
Where ma...

Jesse Keyser, of St. Louis, Missouri, purchased his first franchise unit, Little Ceasars, in 2005, and soon expanded to five restaurants in Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois. Fueled by that success, Keyser began looking into other brands, and purchased Valpak in 2008, which provided an unexpected source of insight.
“Working with Valpak, I did extensive interviewing of business owners in different industries, and realized the area had a need for both carpet cleaners and hair salons,” he s...

After successfully completing cancer treatments, Julie Eaton’s 81-year-old father wanted to resume living on his own at his home in Albuquerque, N.M. The family, scattered around Kentucky, California and New Mexico, enlisted professional services as well as technology to support his wishes. “(When he passed), every one of us said how technology helped us take care of our dad, no matter where we were,” Eaton says.
In a survey released by AARP, 87 percent of adults over 65 want to remain in the...

When a friend or family member is knee-deep in caring for a loved one, a common gesture is to drop off a casserole, or remind him or her to “let me know what you need.” But as genuine as your intentions may be, they may not be the best ways to ease the caregiver’s load.
“The person who offers help almost has to be a detective to figure out what the caregiver actually wants or needs,” says Marty Schreiber, a former governor of Wisconsin, advocate and caregiver. Once you do break through, he ad...

When you’re responsible for the care of a loved one, thoughts of escaping to a white sand beach, a fun, bustling city or even just a nearby charming little town may seem out of the realm of possibility. But caregiving experts agree that planning for leisure time is important.
“Stress can build when there’s no relief in sight,” says Tafa Jefferson, CEO and founder of Amada Senior Care, based in San Clemente, Calif. “Taking time to recharge allows (you) to provide better long-term care.”
Whethe...

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