By Ashlee Amber

There is no question that the food tends to be the focal point of any picture perfect wedding, gala or affair. However, choosing a menu that features gourmet offerings does not necessarily have to break the bank.  Here are some tips for getting the best value at your event:

-          Choose Light Hors d’oeuvres: Hosts sometimes make the mistake of having TOO much food! Don’t have your guests stuff themselves before a sit-down dinner; rather estimate about three to four bites per person and opt for budget-friendly options like bruschetta or stuffed mushrooms.

-          Offer Fewer Entrée Choices: While it may be tempting to offer your guests a choice between fish, shellfish, chicken, steak and lamb… limiting the choices will help your pocketbook. Streamline the menu and offer two to three entrée options for guests to choose from.

-          Stick with Similar Sides: Pairing different sides with each entrée translates to additional cooking and preparation fees behind the scenes. Instead stick with perennial favorites like fingerling potatoes, haricot verts or roasted asparagus that pair perfectly with a plethora of proteins. 

-          Downsize the Cake: Bigger doesn’t necessarily have to be better. While it is easiest to estimate one serving per person and serve the cake following dinner, chances are you will be spending money on uneaten slices. Instead, have the cake served at the sweet table with a cake sized to accommodate approximately 75 percent of your guest headcount.

By Jorge G. Zavala | Creative Director

It’s not how many hours you work nor is it how many hurdles you must overcome, rather business is about getting from point A to point B in the quickest manner possible while maintaining product quality and healthy margins. Often, when starting a business, entrepreneurs think too much about small, unimportant details. Since time is our most valuable asset, this carries a high opportunity cost.

In fact, a business can be up and running in a much more timely manner than most think. Here are 7 steps to get you there:

1. Determine your offering and market demand – Entrepreneurship is not about hitting a home run; trying to create the next “big thing” is a challenge and will often cost more (both time and money) to create than the payoffs are initially.

Instead of long shot, pick a job. Think, what do you want to do for a career? Determine what you want to sell based on what you’re passionate about rather than what you think will make money. If you love what you do, you’ll find ways to monetize it. Conversely, if you chase money, you’ll end up unhappy and worn-out.

2. Determine your pricing – If you’re a newcomer, don’t be afraid to price yourself under market. You could always raise your pricing in the future, but when you’re “green” you’re a risk to a client so give them some motivation to use your services.

The most profitable businesses that exist today (Walmart, Costco, Amazon) all compete on price while maintaining some form of quality. At first, worry about living expenses and getting through the first few months and obtaining those initial clients. Once you get some work under your belt, become more concerned with how much you can charge.

3. Determine how long it is going to take to make your 1st sale – If it is going to take 6 months to initiate a sale, have a year’s worth of income to live off of.

When it comes to budgeting, always play it cautious as shortage of money and chasing after unrealistic goals will lead to significant stress which hurts performance.

4. Determine your differentiators -Besides price, how does your product or service differ from competitors? The nice thing is in a service based business, if you learn how to sell and become an expert at what you do, you can be the differentiator.

I’ve come to realize that in any service based business, self-assurance and trusting one’s intuition is a differentiator in of itself. In time, you’ll learn what aspects of the product or service are important and secondary to the client. Until then, think price and quality.

5. Determine marketing – (figure out how to get leads) Make it simple and put up a website. Read about PPC and SEO.

If you’re selling business to business services, social media will help your search engine efforts, however you’re not going to be directly making money off of it. There are some great blogs to get you started on any topic.

6. Learn how to sell – The best salesmen / saleswomen don’t sell. Instead, selling can be broken down into two different parts, listening and knowing what you’re talking about.

Running a public relations firm, I’ve learned the difference between the average and wealthy sales professional or entrepreneur is that they can create realistic expectations for the client through gaining the client’s trust via your expertise.

The entrepreneurs who “Yes” to death end up letting their clients’ expectations get out of whack and, in turn create a relationship where only arguments, not money exchanges hands.

7. Learn how to execute the steps needed to take project to completion – Finally, put a set, organized process in place to take the service or product from start to finish in a predictable manner that yields the desired results. Think: Step A, Step B, etc. This is ultimately the game changer in the solution.

By Sandy Chang | Investigative Reporter

On December 9th, 2013, Faisal Afzal, a novice entrepreneur, was spotted acting less than the professional image he likes to adorn.

Afzal received some controversy when anti-women and anti-gay speech was posted on his personal Facebook account along with that of his blog. Afzal, a Pakistani Muslim, stated "where the hot bitches at?" after an evening workout, in which he immediately hashtagged "#NoHomo, #MuslimDudes, #Inshallah". A few minutes after posting, an updated version appeared free from such language.

The images speak for themselves, particularly on his blog's Facebook account where derogatory names for fragrances appeared earlier this month. Additionally, his brand, which is not a registered business but already has over 4 complaints against him and his business partner, Amadeusz Topka, with the Better Business Bureau, is causing problems. They recently received a D- for their treatment of clients and discriminatory remarks towards women and the LGBT community.

Some local retailers, including a well-known pharmacy chain store, are thinking twice about keeping their products in stores.

This is a developing story.

By Jerry Arroyo | Business and Investment

New grads: congratulations on landing your first adult gig! Young professionals: continue being amazing at life and keep on truckin' that suave office job. Experienced others: you're our inspiration - keep it up!

Being professional is one of the most important things about one's work life and environment. It helps one gain popularity, get your office work organized, and even allows a diligent worker to gain more clients. Being professional is a gifted thing, and we understand how tough it is to maintain a professional and business identity while still maintaining those Facebook friendships with co-workers and enduring countless happy hours with the boss.

To alleviate the burden of deciding how to act in front of those strategic work and business individuals, we've come up with some of the most essential basics on professional for the young, savvy go-getter in you.

1. Jot down everything that needs to be accomplished. A good professional knows the difference between things that need to get done urgently and things that can wait. He/she sets priorities and works accordingly.
2. Don't wait until tomorrow. Complete priority tasks ASAP, then go down the list accordingly. Don't be that one guy who stays late on Thirsty Thursday because he didn't get a chance to complete the dockets for a large client.
   
3. Your customers need attention. Look at your business the same way your customer would look at it. Always be sympathetic to the potential questions that would arise in everyday use of your product and service so as to act more like a liaison to the client's needs versus a bully.
   
4. Be systematic. Get yourself a time table made so that you can work with breaks and time slots. A professional is the one who follows time and keeps his/her customers/employers happy. A client's satisfaction should be a number 1 priority.
   
5. Enjoy what you do. Be comfortable with your workplace and position at first. Have patience and keep calm over petty issues.
   
6. Keep good, professional relations. Be it your employer, employees, co-workers or clients, your ultimate aim is to keep them satisfied. However, there is a fine line to walk regarding happiness on the job and maintaining a strong work-life balance. It is vital that you are respectful, polite, and diligent while maintaining the peace in your work environment, but keep in mind that getting too close with anyone at work can have negative consequences down the line. Assure your work peeps that you will support the team during the good and the not so hot, but maintain the required distance.