Ingram's Magazine: May 2014

Helping Business Owners in Recession’s Aftermath

The 2008 financial crisis and subsequent tepid recovery produced flat or declining sales for many businesses. This has affected balance sheets, but more profoundly, it has altered business valuations and has had a far-reaching impact on the lives and plans…more

When Your Customer Goes Under

There are several types of bankruptcy, and the options available to a creditor vary with the type of relief sought by a debtor. In general, Chapter 7 cases seeking liquidation of assets are unlikely to yield distributions to unsecured creditors,…more

Darwinian Law: Evolution in Action

In 1850, the Town of Kansas was incorporated, shortly thereafter to become known as Kansas City, Missouri. Producing the articles of incorporation must have been an interesting exercise, because the first practicing attorney in town, one Henry B. Bouton, didn’t…more

Making It All Add Up

Roughly 14 years ago, when Matt Robertson started at the St. Joseph offices of what is today CliftonLarsonAllen, a new push was coming down the accountancy pike: The paperless office. It didn’t catch on quite as quickly as the visionaries…more

Faster, Cheaper, Better: The New M.O. for Law Firms

In the past six months or so, two law firm mergers of significance came about in the KC market, with markedly different incentives behind each.The one that captured the most headlines was the Jan. 1 official merger of Stinson Morrison…more

Best Companies to Work For

Foosball tables, Keurig coffee makers, big-screen TVs, Beer Fridays, birthday bonuses—creative employers can come up with about a jillion ways, large and small, to demonstrate concern for the worker. Each one of those trappings, however, is just a tool. And…more

‘How Do I …’

The challenge in business isn’t just getting things done—it’s getting them done the right way, at the lowest cost, with the greatest long-term return on your investment of time and resources. But whether you’re a start-up entrepreneur or a C-level…more

The Fire Within

Something was missing.In retrospect, it might be hard for most people to look back on the retail construction scene in the Kansas City region circa 2006 and come to that conclusion. The Legends had just opened that spring, a 100-store…more

Questions That Matter Most in a Sales Presentation

If your sales presentation focuses onlyon your company or product, you lose.When you’re giving your sales presentation, do you really know what the customer is thinking or what they’re asking themselves as you’re presenting? I doubt it. You’re too busy…more

A Wing and a Prayer

Do we need a new terminal design at KCI? Maybe—but make the case with numbers, please. I’ve got airports—and airline customer service—on my mind, particularly after a recent trip to Los Angeles to shoot the front cover of this month’s…more

The Undying Myth of the 77-Cent Dollar

Like a stubbornly persistent zombie, (I’ve been watching too much Walking Dead), the notion that women get paid less than men for the same work does not die easily. Unlike zombies, however, this notion requires a certain finesse. You cannot…more