Erica Pefferman

This is always a challenging issue for me to write every year. We do a finance issue every year as it is so core to our community and our homes. No family is untouched by the effects of rising prices on everything from groceries to gas to interest rates on everything. On the way to work this morning, I heard on the radio that the cost of rent has risen 25 percent in the last four years while wages have not been able to meet that increase. Families are paying more for everything.

I have a very unpopular opinion within our current societal norms. I think it’s a disservice to families and children to schedule them in too many activities. A day doesn’t go by when I don’t talk to a mom or dad who isn’t a slave to their kids’ schedules. They are busy, rushed, and often have a haze of anxiety that just envelopes them. These days, it feels like kids’ schedules are busier than ever.

The most essential marketing tool for any business is a website. Your website will attract new clients and help retain your current clients. It acts as a communication channel with clients, conveys your brand message, and most importantly, sells your product or service. However, the process of building one seems to fill people with dread. A week doesn’t go by when we don’t talk to a client about how awful their previous experience was building their website.