First Parry-Furlo Camping Trip

For the first time in recorded history and Parry and Furlo clan headed over to Oregon's coast for a good ol' fashioned camp out. For the most part it was pretty sweet. It was the first time the Parrys had been as an entire family which meant it was hilarious watching their kids experience the greater outdoors for an extended period of time. I would say both Grace and Ethan handled it very well - especially the nearby sand pit. It was also no surprise that Ethan loved smorse.

The only semi-weird part of the whole experience were the neighbors. You went to a camp ground called Sandbeach. We thought, "Oh cool, sand and a beach. Perfect." We quickly realized that the rest of the world recognized this as a perfect spot to go ATVing. Thankfully there were quiet hours from midnight through 6am, so we at least got a couple hours of quiet. Still, after the first evening we acclimated to the constant drone of engines and not-quite-all-burned exhaust. We did go out and see what all the fuss was about, and I must admit that does look pretty fun. We decided that next time we'll try a different location or buy ATVs so we can join in the fun.

I'm not sure when Kelli is going to talk about it, but you can check http://parryfamilychronicles.blogspot.com/ to read more about the fun.

Review of "Growing A Business" by Paul Hawken

I just finished the book "Growing A Business" by Paul Hawken. I actually started it a year ago, but between audio books and online news articles, reading "real" books slowed down.

Anyways (do you really care about my reading habits?), since I've finished the book, I thought I'd share a little bit about it.

This book is designed for people who want to start, or have just started a business. I would also say it's for any owner that is looking for ways to improve their existing business.

In some ways it's a classic business book, but with a non-acumen bias. All the examples are simple and easy to understand. He starts from the beginning - do something you love - and goes through hiring and retaining people to help you grow beyond the start-up stages. Through the book he shares good examples and gives concrete ideas and tries really hard to keep the book generalized and timeless.

One of my favorite things about this book is his view of patience. His business was bootstrapped (not that he used that word, it's too buzzy) and therefore gives advice on how to grow smart and slow. He talks about setting up structures so your business doesn't get too big and you lose control.

His tips are practical and I felt like I could implement them right away. For example, he talks about getting permission from the market place to sell to it, and how to go about it. This is something I can work on right away with Univera.

Amazon also has some good reviews as well. I recommend it.

Oh yeah! At the end of the book it made me want to start up a bagel shop in Corvallis. Of course, I think there's also a huge opportunity for something fast and convenient off of 99. Maybe a gas station that doubles as a bagel shop would be promising. I'll have to noodle on it. :)