Mitchell Banks
For more than 20 years I have owned and operated a small business. I am a husband, father, scout leader and veteran.
I was born and raised in Southern California. After high school I signed up for a 6 year stint in the military. After that I began college and working toward my own career in law enforcement. But family got in the way of what I wanted and I ended up doing what I'd tried my whole life to escape, taking over the family business.
Over the years I tried a few times to leave the business and go off and do something else, work another career, started other businesses, but my family simply could not run their own company. Every time I went off and did something else I had to come back. Fate? Destiny? Karma? Or just plain old bad luck. If I hadn't come back to keep the company afloat then two generations of my family would have gone bankrupt and been homeless at the same time. What was I supposed to do? On the plus side it is through that business that I met and married my wife who was working for the company. If not for this I would not have my son so maybe all things do really work out for the best in the end. And the freedom of owning my own business left me with lots of time to spend with my family, camping trips, my return to the military, and time to be a scout leader. At the beginning of the dot-com explosion I took the company online and we did well with that for many years. Of course when 9/11 hit many suppliers in my industry panicked at the drop in sales. They didn't have the experience to know that it would pass. This started an out of control spiral in this industry that we haven't recovered from yet. I'm third generation in this family business and 2 years ago I took the company strictly online. It was something that I had planned to do but the recession moved up the process by 5 years. As of 2009 my small business has been run completely out of my home, garage, and a couple of large storage sheds.
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I was born and raised in Southern California. After high school I signed up for a 6 year stint in the military. After that I began college and working toward my own career in law enforcement. But family got in the way of what I wanted and I ended up doing what I'd tried my whole life to escape, taking over the family business.
Over the years I tried a few times to leave the business and go off and do something else, work another career, started other businesses, but my family simply could not run their own company. Every time I went off and did something else I had to come back. Fate? Destiny? Karma? Or just plain old bad luck. If I hadn't come back to keep the company afloat then two generations of my family would have gone bankrupt and been homeless at the same time. What was I supposed to do? On the plus side it is through that business that I met and married my wife who was working for the company. If not for this I would not have my son so maybe all things do really work out for the best in the end. And the freedom of owning my own business left me with lots of time to spend with my family, camping trips, my return to the military, and time to be a scout leader. At the beginning of the dot-com explosion I took the company online and we did well with that for many years. Of course when 9/11 hit many suppliers in my industry panicked at the drop in sales. They didn't have the experience to know that it would pass. This started an out of control spiral in this industry that we haven't recovered from yet. I'm third generation in this family business and 2 years ago I took the company strictly online. It was something that I had planned to do but the recession moved up the process by 5 years. As of 2009 my small business has been run completely out of my home, garage, and a couple of large storage sheds.
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Education/Experience
Graduate US Army Command & General Staff College. Certified Emergency Manager.Motto
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Displaying Results 1 - 55 (of 55) for All Content
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Keeping My Small Business on a Budget in 2012Making every penny count is absolutely vital in today's recession. If your small business is going to weather the storm you have to control your spending, and that starts with a budget.
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More Corruption Exposed Inside California National GuardIn yet another example of the unethical and corrupt leadership within the California National Guard, COL Thomas Melvin Murphy has plead guilty to operating a Ponzi scheme of more than 2.5 million dollars in fraud while on active duty in California.
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How I Started and Re-Started My Small BusinessIt is an American dream: owning your own business. And while owning my own business was never my intention, it is where I ended up. Many people falsely believe that owning your own business is a panacea for financial ills.
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Federal Judge Rules California National Guard in Contempt of CourtDespite a "public" mandate from the Governor to clean up corruption, the California National Guard defies multiple court orders in what appears to be a cover up of a practice to suppress complaints from its members.
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Was General David Baldwin Completely Candid with the California Senate?Commander of the California National Guard tries to hang on to his job during senate hearing, but was he completely forthright with the Senate? What were all those documents being hastily brought into the hearing room by Senate staffers during the hearing
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First Person: I Should Have Waited to Deposit Those Tax Refund ChecksEvery penny counts when you own a small business. But don't be too quick to deposit IRS refund checks. It may cost you more in the end,Also published on:
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What No One Tells You About Your Son's Eagle ProjectI never imagined that it would take my son a year to get through the Eagle process, but it did. Along the way my son and I learned some hard lessons and hard truths. Here are 12 things I wish someone had told us before he started.
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National Guard General Fired After Exposing CorruptionBrigadier General Larry Dudney survived tours in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan and survived a suicide attack on the Pentagon in 2001. But in August 2011 his 34 year military career came to an end less than 30 days after he exposed Army corruption.
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My Special Sneak Peak Preview of 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows'This December my wife and I went to a special sneak peak preview of the new Sherlock Holmes movie, Game of Shadows. Going to a preview event is like going through security at an airport and the wait is just about as long, but the movie was worth it.
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Small Business Question: How Much Longer Does My Local Paper Have?We know that the Internet is changing the face of many businesses, especially that of media companies. Your small business has to change with the times, just make sure that those changes are for the better.
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I Just Don't Get the 'Occupy' Wall Street MovementAs a small business owner I just don't understand the Occupy movement. Unlike typical demonstrators these folks don't seem to have any achievable goal, they are simply shouting for the sake of shouting. I would rather fix the problem than to create more.
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First Person Road Test: My 2003 Ford F-150 XLTI've had my 2003 Ford F-150 XLT now for three months. It has some features I like and more that I don't. But it will tow my trailer and it is what I could afford. It's like being married: I have to get used to the thing.
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The Most Overrated Car Accessory: TelevisionNot a day goes by that I'm not passed on the highway by a speeding SUV with a soccer mom at the wheel and a bunch of little zombies in the back watching t.v.
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First Person: How I Will Plan and Save for My Next Family VacationThe family vacation is part of the American Dream. In today's economy it can be tough to go on a real family vacation. But with a little planning and a little saving it is still possible. -
First Person Story: How I Will Plan to Save for My Next Tech PurchaseYour next technology purchase doesn't have to break the bank. I paid for my new computer by recycling. In more ways than one. -
How I Got a Better Rate on My Auto Insurance After My Son's AccidentAfter your teen's accident the second thing you need to do (the first being to make sure they're o.k.) is to make sure that your auto insurance isn't going to go up.
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Using Recycled Materials for Packing Supplies This Holiday SeasonDuring the holidays we all send gifts to distant friends and relatives, but you don't have to buy new packing materials to send them. Everything you need is right at home. -
Should Students Have to Maintain a High GPA for Student Loans?Financial institutions who make student loans are looking to a student's GPA as their 'credit score'. But just like how a persons credit score doesn't tell the whole store about the borrower, neither does a GPA tell the whole story about a student. -
Amazon Grinch Shuts Down Small Business Competition During Holiday SeasonTo own your own small business is part of the American dream. But for thousands of small businesses that dream is stolen during the holidays by the Amazon Grinch.
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Small Business View: Consumer Confidence is FleetingThe Consumer Confidence Index may be up this week but my small business wasn't surveyed. The government declared the 'Great Recession' to have ended in 2009 but from my perspective, it's still going.
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Why I Stopped Selling on Ebay. Advice for Small Business OwnersAs a small business owner renting space in a local mall you expect there to be some rules for safety and appearance. But Ebay dictates not only how your store will look but what your store policies will be. Small business owners should stay away from Ebay -
How to Make Money on the Internet with No Work and No Selling… NOT!As a small business consultant I frequently have clients ask me how to make money from a web site or how to start an online business to make money without selling anything or having to do any work. I tell them that the Internet is not a cash machine. -
Yahoo Answers Has No AnswersIf you are a small business owner looking for advice on how to run your business, you won't find it at Yahoo Answers. -
Net Neutrality and Your Small BusinessWhether you are an e-merchant or traditional store or even a service company, make sure your small business watches this issue closely. -
U.S. Senate Introduces Another Internet Sales Tax BillThe U.S. Senate yesterday introduced yet another bill in the war of Internet taxation. The battles are heating up and small business owners need to keep their finger on the pulse of this issue. -
I AM the FLAGA poem about the American flag.
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Watching Your Money Too Closely May Cause More Harm Than GoodThe stock market is like going to Las Vegas: Never put money into them that you are not prepared to lose. Returns on investment require time and patience and making knee-jerk decisions about your money because of one news story will undermine years of gains.
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10 Years With Our iPodTen years ago my wife won an iPod in a contest. Before that I never would have considered spending money on this device. But having one changed my mind about this unique little gizmo.
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Retail Giant Files Suit to Enforce Tax Laws Against Online Giant Amazon.ComAs online merchants do battle with brick-and-mortar establishments the Simon Property Group files suit to get Indiana to enforce their own tax laws. The threat to brick-and-mortar stores by online merchants may be greater than was thought.
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Bank of America Cancels Debt Card Fee, Good Idea or Bad?BofA recently tried to implement a $5 monthly fee for debit card holders. Other banks would not get on board with the idea and customers stated they would revolt, so BofA cancelled the plan. This is good for customers but bad for business.
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My Military Leadership Skills Are Crucial to Running My Small BusinessIt might sound cliché but some of the principals upon which military service is centered upon such as honor, courage and commitment, have been instrumental in my starting and succeeding in my small business.
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Downsizing of the Post Office is an Opportunity for Small Business OwnersAs the USPS closes post offices and changes their business model there is an opportunity for small entrepreneurs to make profit.
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How to Market Your Small Food BusinessOwning a small food business is one of the riskiest investments you can make. If you have the right business model you can succeed. Here are 8 tips for marketing your small food business.
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How Small Businesses Can Survive the Latest Google Shopping ChangesEach time search engines change their algorithms small businesses that sell products online need to keep up with the changes or watch their sales wither and die.
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The US Postal Service Isn't Going Quietly to the Grave!In the 21st century when newspapers, magazines and video stores are dead or dying, the post office is spending countless millions of dollars trying to convince people to go back a century and start sending more paper mail.
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First Person: How Our Family of Three Lives on Less Than $30,000Saving money isn't rocket science, it just takes work. Once you accept your situation you can find ways to save money that you may never have thought of.
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Should I Let My Son Get a BB Gun?When you ask a question like this you are bound to instantly polarize people. I went through this with my son and this is how I handled the situation. When making this decision parents need to decide what is best for the child.
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Starting Your Own Small Business: Choosing What Business You Want to OwnOpening a business isn't for the feint of heart. A mistake can cost you your life savings, even your home. If you find yourself wanting to open a business and you have to research what kind of business you want to open, this may not be for you.
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NetFlix Didn’t Have Bad Ideas, Just Bad TimingPoorly implemented changes at Netflix caused a customer revolt and left the company in worse shape than before they tried to fix their problems. They tried to do too much to fast and their customers revolted.
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How to Handle Your Teen's First Car Accident: 5 Top Tips for ParentsIt's the day our teens look forward to and that we parents dread, the day they get to drive. This is my experience with my son's first (and so far only) car accident along with a few tips for parents for when their time comes.
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September 11: Reflections of a Business Owner, Father, SoldierWhen the phone rang early that Tuesday morning I knew it wasn't good news. We hurriedly turned on the TV to see the smoking first tower. A few minutes later we watched the second plane live. I knew things would change I just didn't know how much.
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The Best Truck I Ever OwnedA lot of people have stories about their favorite truck. Especially men. To a man a truck is an extension of them. In many ways it reflects their personality. Trucks are seen as powerful, strong, tough, and their owners want to be seen that way too.
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My First Visit to Yellowstone National ParkFor American’s, Yellowstone National Park is an icon. It symbolizes not only the beauty of this country but its vastness. Its geysers have been immortalized on film and featured in countless movies and television commercials.
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Crossing the Finish LineWhen you're a senior in high school nothing else matters but reaching the end.
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Biking to work in California: Laws you need to knowBefore you start riding your bike to work in California there are a few legal matters you need to consider first.
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Bin Laden's Death: Will My Life Change? A Soldier's ViewToday the President announced that US forces had killed Osama Bin Laden, mastermind behind the 9/11 attack. A soldier reflects on what this news will mean for him, his family and his comrades.
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Preparing for a Natural Disaster in a RecessionYou don't have to spend $3,500 on a stockpile of dehydrated food to prepare for a disaster. You can do it with just a budget of $2 a week and a little planning.
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Biking to work: Ten tips to think about before you rideThey say that once you learn to ride a bike you never forget. But riding your bike to work may not be as simple a premise as it sounds. Here are some tips that you want to consider before you take the plunge.
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The Disappearance of California's Emergency ResourcesThe number of police officers and National Guard troops in California is in a steep decline. Unions, wars, and a souring economy are chipping away at the state's ability to respond to emergencies or even patrol the streets.
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My Favorite Mini Golf Place is Camelot Golfland in Anaheim, CaliforniaEach generation has their own memories, their own places. While we are all living on the same planet it's as though we are living in our own worlds. For my generation I can't think of a summer that didn't involve going Miniature Golfing.
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How I Transformed My Small Business in a RecessionWhen the economy changes you have two choices, adapt or die. My small business has weathered several recessions in the last 60 years. We did it by changing.
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Real Ways to Save Money on TravelWith the economy in the dumps everyone is looking for ways to save money. I'm not a travel guru but I did go on vacation to Disney World once for less than $800.
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The Small Business LieWhile I have taken a few college level business courses there is one thing that no one ever told me, that there is no such thing as a small business! At least as far as a bank or landlord is concerned.
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The Best Video Game Ever May Not Be What You ThinkToday's video games have lightning speed and graphics that rival a Pixar movie, but bigger isn't always better. If you're looking for a great video game check the dinosaur isle of your local computer store.
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The Day I Swam to Canada, AlmostTrapped on a 100 ton floating island with my mother-in-law in the frigid waters of Alaska. If you jump, can can you make it to shore?
