Month: March 2020

The town with a women’s rights museum
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The town with a women’s rights museum

Seneca Falls, New York, came to my attention as an avid fan of the film, It’s A Wonderful Life. There are many similarities between the fictional Bedford Falls of the movie and this lovely Finger Lakes town. So much so that Seneca Falls started a winter festival every December, which my wife and I attended.

Statue Seneca Falls

Statue commemorating women’s rights in Seneca Falls, N.Y.

What we learned when we got there was the town’s connection to the American suffragette movement and women’s rights. Seneca Falls is home to the Women’s Rights National Historic Park, celebrating the first women’s rights convention in the U.S., held here in 1848. There’s also a unique store called WomanMade Products, just across the street.

“I am thrilled that WomanMade Products has found a home in Seneca Falls, home to Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer and the first women’s newspaper, The Lily,”  owner Becky Bly says on her website. “For WomanMade Products, Seneca Falls is a feminist address for a feminist business.”

In 2015, I took a motor coach full of tourism operators and farmers from Norfolk County here, to explore how this town uses its unique attributes to attract tourists. Check out the blog post.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Navigating bureaucratic bottlenecks
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Navigating bureaucratic bottlenecks

Time is money, so knowing how it’s being wasted will improve your bottom line.

people walking down the stairsBusinesses have the best of intentions when embarking on new construction or expansions. After engaging engineers and architects, filing planning approvals and building permits, everyone hopes the project will proceed as planned.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. For lots of reasons, bottlenecks materialize. Someone fails to communicate. Paperwork goes missing. A policy hasn’t been followed, or someone gets sick. Maybe someone over-promised and under-delivered.

Every agency and business involved in your project has a vested interest in saving face, so people sometimes point fingers of blame in all directions. An objective perspective is important.

Open the lid on stalled projects

Business owners and managers are busy, and don’t have the time to open the lid on a stalled project. Getting things back on track is crucial for success.

Consulting services are available to review the status of a project within the local government approval process, be it building permits, planning permission or other issues. Think about hiring someone to assist you.