A6
Business
wallowa.com
Sometimes less is more
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
I
t’s the traditional time of
year for setting resolutions
and a lot of us are going to
be deciding to lose weight, ex-
ercise more, eat out less, spend
less money on “stuff,” get se-
rious about our careers, save
money and so on.
All great resolutions and
most of them are on my list,
too.
But I’ve been thinking
about business-related reso-
lutions that lead to business
¿WQHVV
For many of us here in
Wallowa County, being able
to serve customers online is an
important part of our business.
“Most of the business-
es in our area with walk-in
businesses have social media
or web pages as well,” said
Happy
New Year!
BIZ BUZZ
Kathleen Ellyn
Kristy Athens, outreach spe-
cialist for the Northeast Ore-
gon Economic Development
District. “But there are differ-
ent levels of engagement, from
letting local people know you
are here to marketing outside
of the region.”
M Crow, for instance has an
international business through
their website. Other businesses
with a strong online presence
helping draw interest from out-
side the region include Arrow-
head Chocolates, Wild Carrot
Herbals, beecrowbee and Sim-
ply Sandy’s.
For smaller or part-time
businesses, however, a Face-
book page may be enough.
In fact, it may be more than
enough. And here is where my
New Year’s resolutions come
in.
I began a jewelry business
on the west side of the moun-
from everyone
at
tains before moving back to
Wallowa County. Over there,
, KDG ¿YH YHU\ ODUJH ED]DDUV
lined up and a shop set up for
shipping my product. Then I
moved to Wallowa County.
I no longer have shipping fa-
cilities and I attended just two
ED]DDUVWKLV\HDU
7KDW¶V ¿QH IRU QRZ 0\
“problem” is that I have a
Facebook page I haven’t
WRXFKHG LQ ¿YH PRQWKV ,¶P
guilty of failing to make use
of my resources. Worse, I’m
setting myself up to disappoint
customers.
It appears I’m not alone in
this.
Four times in the last two
months when I’ve been unable
to get local business people on
the phone, I’ve taken informa-
tion from their Facebook or
web page for my column or
a story — and received calls
asking me where the heck I got
that information because it’s
incorrect! Well, folks, I got it
from your very own website or
Facebook page.
It’s hard to keep up with
201 East Hwy 82
Enterprise, OR 97828
541.426.0320
Teal!
When it comes
Still Open
Seven Days a Week
10 am – 5 pm
Celebrate
the
to your home
or year
business,
new
with
the Safe Way
new name brand
is the Best Way!
appliances!
Uptown Clothing & Accessories
in Downtown Joseph
12 S. Main St. • 541-432-9653
T HE B OOKLOFT
AND
S KYLIGHT G ALLERY
Finding books is our specialty
541.426.3351 • 107 E. Main • Enterprise • www.bookloftoregon.com
social media, especially if our
businesses are starting out or
going through changes.
The fact is, as with any
New Year’s resolution, we
may need to both commit to
better business behavior and
scale back our ambitions at the
same time. It’s not a step back,
although the word “back” is
in there. Scaling back on your
marketing footprint can be
a professional decision that
allows you to focus on some-
thing more critical — quality
of service.
One of the best pieces of
advice I’ve received recent-
ly is to scale my social media
IRRWSULQWWR¿WP\DELOLW\²LQ
the same way I would begin an
exercise program that actually
¿WVP\FXUUHQWSK\VLFDODELOLW\
So, using myself as an ex-
ample: since making a few
ED]DDUVD\HDULVWKHEHVW,FDQ
do right now, I’m going to re-
design my Facebook presence
WR¿WWKDW0DNHLWFOHDUWKDWP\
SURGXFWLVDYDLODEOHDWED]DDUV
DQG ZKLFK ED]DDUV WKRVH DUH
Don’t fail miserably in cus-
tomer service by providing a
way for folks to order online
and then not being able to ship
products in a timely manner.
Consider scaling back on
the services you provide.
That might not sound like
the actions of someone who
wants to succeed — but within
the context of an overall plan,
like an exercise plan, it is the
wisest course of action.
Once consistency is built,
the business can be expand-
ed, because consistent service,
like consistent exercise, is es-
sential to success.
Please send your Biz Buzz
news tips to Kathleen Ellyn at
kellyn@wallowa.com.
January 13, 2016
Wallowa County Chieftain
Recreational pot to
be taxed 25 percent
FKRO] UHDVVXUHG WKH SXEOLF
that OLCC was ready for the
oversight position.
“Even though the mari-
juana tax program is new to
Oregon, administering tax
programs is what we do every
GD\´%XFKRO]VDLG
OLCC plans to start issu-
By Kathleen Ellyn
ing licenses to retail facilities
Wallowa County Chieftain
in late 2016. At licensed retail-
The Oregon Department ers, consumers will be able to
of Revenue (ODR) has an- buy more types of recreation-
nounced that medical mari- al marijuana products, includ-
juana dispensaries will start ing immature plants, edibles,
collecting a 25 percent tax on concentrates, extracts, and
the retail price of recreational topical products. Retail sales
marijuana products on Janu- at licensed facilities will be
ary 4, 2016.
taxed at 17 percent.
7KH WD[ DXWKRUL]HG LQ
Cities and counties can
House Bill 2014, will be ad- adopt an additional local tax
ministered by the Oregon of up to 3 percent on retail
Liquor Control Commission sales. The State Department
(OLCC) and will remain in of Revenue is not involved in
effect until Dec. 31, 2016.
the collection of local mari-
ODR Director Jim Bu- juana taxes.
Liquor Control
prepared for
oversight,
official says
State on pace to reverse
drought designation
Fall, winter
precipitation
sparks optimism
USDA’s Natural Resources
Conservation Service — all
basins in Oregon are experi-
encing above-normal snow-
pack levels, an estimated 125
percent of average.
That’s for the basins. The
By Kathleen Ellyn
news gets even better. Snow-
Wallowa County Chieftain
fall levels already have sur-
Cold weather and heavy passed the peak levels of last
snowfall this winter may year’s snow season in all loca-
mean the end of drought in tions statewide. All locations.
2016 — maybe.
Water managers are cau-
$FFRUGLQJ WR WKH ¿UVW tiously optimistic that the
water supply outlook report state will see drought recov-
for the year — released by ery.
“This is the scenario we
had hoped for following last
year’s extreme drought con-
ditions,” said Melissa Webb,
NRCS snow survey hydrolo-
gist. “The fall and early win-
ter precipitation have started
WR ¿OO UHVHUYRLUV DFURVV WKH
state ... and snowpack that we
have right now in the moun-
tains is more than we had at
15% off all dental cleanings and assessments now
any time last year, which is
through the end of February, even for our horse friends too!
very encouraging.”
Most reservoirs in Oregon
Call and schedule an appointment today!
had below-normal amounts
of water stored for this time
541.426.4470
of year except in the Willa-
basin, where fall rain
Double Arrow Veterinary Clinic mette
boosted
many of those reser-
Your high-tech, home-town veterinarian.
voirs
back
to normal levels.
Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
It’s early for predictions,
but given the abundant
snowpack in the mountains,
VWUHDPÀRZ IRUHFDVWV DUH H[-
pected to be near normal to
well above normal for this
summer.
The NRCS survey mea-
sures snow and provides
VWUHDPÀRZ IRUHFDVWV DQG
snowpack data collected from
81 SNOTEL sites, 42 manu-
ally measured snow courses,
and 26 aerial markers.
301 W. Main, Enterprise • 541.426.3177
BIRTHS
ACROSS
DOWN
1. Color properties
5. Arabian greeting
10. Frozen spike
12. Levels
14. Tear down social stiffness
16. Rapper Hammer’s initials
18. Midway between E and SE
19. Shooting marble
20. Edward __, British composer
22. Largest English dictionary (abbr.)
23. Cygnus’ brightest star
25. Goidelic language of Ireland
26. Midway between N and NE
27. Auditory organ
28. Last month (abbr.)
30. Indicated horsepower (abbr.)
31. Mediation council
33. Aussie crocodile hunter
35. Sylvan deity
37. Clears or tidies
38. In a way, emerges
40. Whimper
41. G. Gershwin’s brother
42. Begetter
44. Seated
45. Old world, new
48. Girls
50. “Song of triumph”
52. A covering for the head
53. Attack
55. Norwegian krone
56. Coach Parseghian
57. No good
58. Task that is simple
63. A way to move on
65. In a way, advanced
66. Loses weight
67. Shift sails
1. Go quickly
2. Fiddler crabs
3. Cervid
4. Gundog
5. Gushed forth
6. Caliph
7. Shoe cord
8. Give extreme unction to
9. Of I
10. “A Doll’s House” author
11. Documents certifying authority
13. Drunk
15. Principal ethnic group of China
17. Crinkled fabrics
18. Longest division of geological time
21. Pancake
23. Small pat
24. A garden plot
27. Strayed
29. Surgical instrument
32. No. French river
34. Modern
35. Now called Ho Chi Minh City
36. Set into a specific format
39. Exhaust
40. Individual
43. Moves rhythmically to music
44. D. Lamour “Road” picture cos-
tume
46. Having earlike appendages
47. Certified public accountant
49. Outermost part of a flower
51. Supplement with difficulty
54. Plains Indian tent (alt. sp.)
59. Electronic warfare-support meas-
ures
60. Displaying a fairylike aspect
61. Taxi
62. They __
64. Syrian pound
A daughter,
Harper Elizabeth Layton,
was born December 22,
2015, in Enterprise to Jacob
and Kelsey Layton of
Wallowa. Grandparents are
Elizabeth Phelan, Terry
Kamlade, and Rene and
Ronnie Layton.
A son,
William Bishop Hurley,
was born December 24,
2015, in Enterprise to
Thaddaeus and Robin
Hurley of Joseph.
Grandparents are Sara and
Dr. Brian Bowe, and
Susanna and David Hurley.
A daughter,
Trinity Ann Schoeszler,
was born December 26,
2015, in Enterprise to Paul
and Maddy Schoeszler of
Enterprise. Grandparents are
Rebecca Marino,
Gordon Richardson, and
Janette and Mike Schill.
A son,
Case Asher Stockdale,
was born December 31,
2015, in Enterprise to Craig
and Erica Stockdale of
Joseph. Grandparents are
Kristen & Darrel Gilliland,
and Kim Stockdale.