{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1", "user_comment": "This feed allows you to read the posts from this site in any feed reader that supports the JSON Feed format. To add this feed to your reader, copy the following URL -- https://starthealthy.com/tag/business/feed/json/ -- and add it your reader.", "home_page_url": "https://starthealthy.com/tag/business/", "feed_url": "https://starthealthy.com/tag/business/feed/json/", "title": "Start Healthy", "description": "Start Healthy Magazine", "items": [ { "id": "https://starthealthy.com/life/finances/build-a-smart-succession-plan/", "url": "https://starthealthy.com/life/finances/build-a-smart-succession-plan/", "title": "Build a Smart Succession Plan", "content_html": "

If you own a small business, a critical stage of management is acknowledging that you\u2019ll someday need to hand it over to another party. Astoundingly, about 4.2 million Americans reached age sixty-five in 2025 alone, and if you find yourself in this retirement age soon, it may be time to start planning so you can step into your golden years with total freedom and complete peace of mind.

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Phase 1: announcing your departure

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Some wealth managers recommend that you begin preparations at least five years before departing your position. Leaving a long runway allows you to take comprehensive steps and ensure that you are not only ready to retire but also feel confident that your business is being looked after.

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The first step to each of these is to define your exit vision, which can involve an internal transfer (a fellow owner or employee takes on your ownership of your business) or an external sale. Obtaining an accurate business valuation from a professional, like a certified valuation analyst or certified public accountant, will help you understand precisely what your ownership is worth, guiding which option you take.

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While some business owners may prefer to transfer their company to a family member or an employee, selling could be a lucrative route. Depending on your retirement needs, this could essentially convert your ownership into enough cash to retire early or even pass this wealth on to others as an inheritance.

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Then again, if your valuation falls short of your retirement needs, your tasks in the following years should pivot to enhancing enterprise value. You can do so by taking steps like slashing operating costs and investing in new marketing campaigns.

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Phase 2: Developing leaders

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Succession planning is not just about replacing who owns the company but also who will take charge of its major duties. If you follow these three steps, you can prepare another party to take on such responsibilities.

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    \n
  1. Define the profile
    \n    Start with an objective assessment. Develop a rigorous leadership persona that outlines the specific skills and characteristics needed to take the reins.
    2. \n
  2. Focus on adaptability
    \n    Whether your succession candidates include a family member, business partner, or internal mentee, evaluate them as objectively as possible. Consider factors like their seniority within the company and experience, showing characteristics that suit your leadership profile.
    3. \n
  3. Develop a road map
    \n    Write a formalized development strategy for nurturing your chosen successor(s). A reliable leadership approach for doing so is adopting the 70-20-10 rule: 70 percent experiential learning, 20 percent verbal coaching or mentoring, and 10 percent formal training.
    4. \n
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Phase 3: making your exit

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From there, assemble a strategic team of financial professionals, which could include a tax advisor, estate planning attorney, or wealth manager, to highlight your goals and help you structure your deal beneficially for both you and the business. With their aid, you can prepare all needed documents and find the best option for handing off your held value in the company (e.g., the aforementioned approaches versus gifting interests, a management buyout, etc.). Reviewing these options can help reduce your capital gains tax responsibility and protect your assets as you enter retirement.

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Every situation is unique when it comes to passing a business on to a different leader. However, if you tackle each of these phases diligently, you can realize your dream of easing into retirement knowing that your former enterprise will remain in good hands.

\n

The post Build a Smart Succession Plan appeared first on Start Healthy.

\n", "content_text": "If you own a small business, a critical stage of management is acknowledging that you\u2019ll someday need to hand it over to another party. Astoundingly, about 4.2 million Americans reached age sixty-five in 2025 alone, and if you find yourself in this retirement age soon, it may be time to start planning so you can step into your golden years with total freedom and complete peace of mind.\n\n\nPhase 1: announcing your departure\nSome wealth managers recommend that you begin preparations at least five years before departing your position. Leaving a long runway allows you to take comprehensive steps and ensure that you are not only ready to retire but also feel confident that your business is being looked after.\nThe first step to each of these is to define your exit vision, which can involve an internal transfer (a fellow owner or employee takes on your ownership of your business) or an external sale. Obtaining an accurate business valuation from a professional, like a certified valuation analyst or certified public accountant, will help you understand precisely what your ownership is worth, guiding which option you take.\nWhile some business owners may prefer to transfer their company to a family member or an employee, selling could be a lucrative route. Depending on your retirement needs, this could essentially convert your ownership into enough cash to retire early or even pass this wealth on to others as an inheritance.\nThen again, if your valuation falls short of your retirement needs, your tasks in the following years should pivot to enhancing enterprise value. You can do so by taking steps like slashing operating costs and investing in new marketing campaigns.\n\n \nPhase 2: Developing leaders\nSuccession planning is not just about replacing who owns the company but also who will take charge of its major duties. If you follow these three steps, you can prepare another party to take on such responsibilities.\n\nDefine the profile\nStart with an objective assessment. Develop a rigorous leadership persona that outlines the specific skills and characteristics needed to take the reins.\nFocus on adaptability\nWhether your succession candidates include a family member, business partner, or internal mentee, evaluate them as objectively as possible. Consider factors like their seniority within the company and experience, showing characteristics that suit your leadership profile.\nDevelop a road map\nWrite a formalized development strategy for nurturing your chosen successor(s). A reliable leadership approach for doing so is adopting the 70-20-10 rule: 70 percent experiential learning, 20 percent verbal coaching or mentoring, and 10 percent formal training.\n\n\n \nPhase 3: making your exit\nFrom there, assemble a strategic team of financial professionals, which could include a tax advisor, estate planning attorney, or wealth manager, to highlight your goals and help you structure your deal beneficially for both you and the business. With their aid, you can prepare all needed documents and find the best option for handing off your held value in the company (e.g., the aforementioned approaches versus gifting interests, a management buyout, etc.). Reviewing these options can help reduce your capital gains tax responsibility and protect your assets as you enter retirement.\nEvery situation is unique when it comes to passing a business on to a different leader. However, if you tackle each of these phases diligently, you can realize your dream of easing into retirement knowing that your former enterprise will remain in good hands.\nThe post Build a Smart Succession Plan appeared first on Start Healthy.", "date_published": "2026-08-13T08:00:58+00:00", "date_modified": "2026-08-13T20:50:25+00:00", "author": { "name": "jshaw", "url": "https://starthealthy.com/author/jshaw/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/82c9132115b5cb74c8d4fb20cf990f4e3fb8822fa552fdc3e362ead755a6b041?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://starthealthy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/succession-featured.jpg", "tags": [ "Business", "Employees", "Financial Planning", "Hiring", "retirement", "Small Business", "Finances", "Life" ], "summary": "Follow these tips to hand the reins of your business to your loved ones prudently." }, { "id": "https://starthealthy.com/life/editorial/a-wondrous-water-adventure/", "url": "https://starthealthy.com/life/editorial/a-wondrous-water-adventure/", "title": "A Wondrous Water Adventure", "content_html": "

Photos courtesy of: GlowRow

\n

Zack Jurasek, founder of Texas-based GlowRow, discusses what makes his company\u2019s nighttime kayaking tours uniquely fun, visually stunning, and surprisingly good exercise.

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\"\"
\n

 

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What is GlowRow? What inspired you to found it?
\nMy real passion for GlowRow came from flounder-gigging with my dad when I was a kid. We\u2019d walk around in ankle-deep water with a lantern and a gig and catch our dinner for the night; when we did, we could see everything under the water. I wanted to re-create that experience, allowing people to witness aquatic creatures in their natural habitat. That\u2019s exactly what people do with our clear, well-lit kayaks and paddles at our ten locations.

\n

What\u2019s your guide-to-customer ratio?
\nFollowing the American Canoe Association\u2019s policy, we assign one guide per five boats, or ten customers, since we use two-person kayaks. The maximum number of boats on the water at once can vary, especially when we accommodate large groups like church outings or corporate teams. We can have up to forty people, in twenty clear kayaks, with four guides. That said, we\u2019re aiming to set a Guinness world record by getting a hundred clear kayaks on the water at the same time.

\n
\"\"
\n

 

\n

Which tours are most popular?
\nA few would be in the running. Our North Padre location, which is going nonstop, is right next to a popular seafood restaurant we have a partnership with. So right after you\u2019re done GlowRowing, you can go get dinner or have a drink. Another one would be Port Aransas; the wildlife immersion there is really in-depth. In addition, we are trying to relocate our popular Austin location down to the lakefront for an even better experience.

\n

We\u2019re also the only kayak company in the world that gives you the chance to paddle right up to the hull of an aircraft carrier. In Corpus Christi, after the season\u2019s first couple of cold fronts, the bay calms down enough for us to safely circle the USS Lexington, now a museum. It\u2019s also jellyfish season then, so we show guests how to properly hold them, identify which species are harmful, and even highlight the bioluminescent comb jellies. Another popular tour is during the Fourth of July and New Year\u2019s fireworks shows in the marina.

\n

Does night kayaking offer any other unique experiences?
\nHere\u2019s a fun one. A specific type of fish is drawn to the light frequencies we use, and they sometimes leap into the kayaks. We\u2019ve actually had guests leave five-star reviews after being hit by a fish because it\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime moment. All you hear are screams, squeals, and laughter!

\n

And I\u2019m excited to say that we have a brand-new experience: immersive movie shows on a giant screen at the shoreline. Each kayak will have Bluetooth speakers, and we\u2019ll have a remote-controlled alligator head in the water for a movie like Lake Placid and a shark fin swimming around the marina while folks are watching Jaws, really amping up the whole fear factor.

\n
\"\"
\n

 

\n

Is kayaking a good workout?
\nMost definitely. One of my goals for creating GlowRow was to get people out there doing something extracurricular because obesity is a big problem in the United States. As far as the workout it provides, I\u2019d consider it comparable to riding a bicycle, except with your arms instead of your legs. You\u2019re consistently paddling in that cyclic motion. How much exercise you get depends on tides, wind direction, and currents, even on the rivers. The route is designed to mitigate the wind; we paddle out halfway and typically try to drift back. So you\u2019re really only paddling half the time, about forty-five minutes.

\n

How does the GlowRow experience make people feel good mentally and emotionally just by being out on the water?
\nOh, man. There are a few stories that exemplify this. The oldest guest we\u2019ve had is a ninety-seven-year-old woman. I\u2019ll always remember that night when I was guiding her. Goodness gracious, she couldn\u2019t stop saying that it was the best thing she had done in her entire life.

\n

There\u2019s another story that I repeat constantly because it really tugs at the heartstrings. One night, I was out guiding a group, and as another guide was doing the kayak briefing, one customer just started crying. I asked her if she was OK; she said she was, but it was a lifelong dream of hers to paddle with dolphins. Providing such experiences is exactly what keeps my fire going for this business. Guests doing GlowRow have one-of-a-kind experiences and make memories that just can\u2019t be replaced.

\n

For more info, visit glowrow.com

\n

The post A Wondrous Water Adventure appeared first on Start Healthy.

\n", "content_text": "Photos courtesy of: GlowRow\nZack Jurasek, founder of Texas-based GlowRow, discusses what makes his company\u2019s nighttime kayaking tours uniquely fun, visually stunning, and surprisingly good exercise.\n\n \nWhat is GlowRow? What inspired you to found it?\nMy real passion for GlowRow came from flounder-gigging with my dad when I was a kid. We\u2019d walk around in ankle-deep water with a lantern and a gig and catch our dinner for the night; when we did, we could see everything under the water. I wanted to re-create that experience, allowing people to witness aquatic creatures in their natural habitat. That\u2019s exactly what people do with our clear, well-lit kayaks and paddles at our ten locations.\nWhat\u2019s your guide-to-customer ratio?\nFollowing the American Canoe Association\u2019s policy, we assign one guide per five boats, or ten customers, since we use two-person kayaks. The maximum number of boats on the water at once can vary, especially when we accommodate large groups like church outings or corporate teams. We can have up to forty people, in twenty clear kayaks, with four guides. That said, we\u2019re aiming to set a Guinness world record by getting a hundred clear kayaks on the water at the same time.\n\n \nWhich tours are most popular?\nA few would be in the running. Our North Padre location, which is going nonstop, is right next to a popular seafood restaurant we have a partnership with. So right after you\u2019re done GlowRowing, you can go get dinner or have a drink. Another one would be Port Aransas; the wildlife immersion there is really in-depth. In addition, we are trying to relocate our popular Austin location down to the lakefront for an even better experience.\nWe\u2019re also the only kayak company in the world that gives you the chance to paddle right up to the hull of an aircraft carrier. In Corpus Christi, after the season\u2019s first couple of cold fronts, the bay calms down enough for us to safely circle the USS Lexington, now a museum. It\u2019s also jellyfish season then, so we show guests how to properly hold them, identify which species are harmful, and even highlight the bioluminescent comb jellies. Another popular tour is during the Fourth of July and New Year\u2019s fireworks shows in the marina.\nDoes night kayaking offer any other unique experiences?\nHere\u2019s a fun one. A specific type of fish is drawn to the light frequencies we use, and they sometimes leap into the kayaks. We\u2019ve actually had guests leave five-star reviews after being hit by a fish because it\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime moment. All you hear are screams, squeals, and laughter!\nAnd I\u2019m excited to say that we have a brand-new experience: immersive movie shows on a giant screen at the shoreline. Each kayak will have Bluetooth speakers, and we\u2019ll have a remote-controlled alligator head in the water for a movie like Lake Placid and a shark fin swimming around the marina while folks are watching Jaws, really amping up the whole fear factor.\n\n \nIs kayaking a good workout?\nMost definitely. One of my goals for creating GlowRow was to get people out there doing something extracurricular because obesity is a big problem in the United States. As far as the workout it provides, I\u2019d consider it comparable to riding a bicycle, except with your arms instead of your legs. You\u2019re consistently paddling in that cyclic motion. How much exercise you get depends on tides, wind direction, and currents, even on the rivers. The route is designed to mitigate the wind; we paddle out halfway and typically try to drift back. So you\u2019re really only paddling half the time, about forty-five minutes.\nHow does the GlowRow experience make people feel good mentally and emotionally just by being out on the water?\nOh, man. There are a few stories that exemplify this. The oldest guest we\u2019ve had is a ninety-seven-year-old woman. I\u2019ll always remember that night when I was guiding her. Goodness gracious, she couldn\u2019t stop saying that it was the best thing she had done in her entire life.\nThere\u2019s another story that I repeat constantly because it really tugs at the heartstrings. One night, I was out guiding a group, and as another guide was doing the kayak briefing, one customer just started crying. I asked her if she was OK; she said she was, but it was a lifelong dream of hers to paddle with dolphins. Providing such experiences is exactly what keeps my fire going for this business. Guests doing GlowRow have one-of-a-kind experiences and make memories that just can\u2019t be replaced.\nFor more info, visit glowrow.com\nThe post A Wondrous Water Adventure appeared first on Start Healthy.", "date_published": "2026-08-10T08:00:04+00:00", "date_modified": "2026-07-30T15:15:35+00:00", "author": { "name": "jshaw", "url": "https://starthealthy.com/author/jshaw/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/82c9132115b5cb74c8d4fb20cf990f4e3fb8822fa552fdc3e362ead755a6b041?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://starthealthy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/glowrow-featured.jpg", "tags": [ "Business", "Kayaking", "Outdoor Activities", "Texas", "Water Sports", "Editorial", "Life" ], "summary": "Get in the know about GlowRow, a kayaking experience that shines at night." }, { "id": "https://starthealthy.com/health/wellness/water-done-right/", "url": "https://starthealthy.com/health/wellness/water-done-right/", "title": "Water Done Right", "content_html": "

The post Water Done Right appeared first on Start Healthy.

\n", "content_text": "The post Water Done Right appeared first on Start Healthy.", "date_published": "2024-06-20T08:00:42+00:00", "date_modified": "2024-06-06T14:34:20+00:00", "author": { "name": "ajimenez", "url": "https://starthealthy.com/author/ajimenez/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/370fd3ef5b2313c7465c0026a4c2af9d14c7c1f31fb160ddbba3f572f8b74842?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Business", "Eco-friendly", "Recycle", "Sustainability", "Water Bottle", "Wellness" ], "summary": "A look at RightWater\u2019s mission to change consumers\u2019 drinking and recycling habits one can at a time." }, { "id": "https://starthealthy.com/food-recipes/desserts/pops-with-a-purpose/", "url": "https://starthealthy.com/food-recipes/desserts/pops-with-a-purpose/", "title": "Pops with a Purpose", "content_html": "

The post Pops with a Purpose appeared first on Start Healthy.

\n", "content_text": "The post Pops with a Purpose appeared first on Start Healthy.", "date_published": "2024-05-10T08:00:24+00:00", "date_modified": "2024-04-09T20:56:29+00:00", "author": { "name": "ajimenez", "url": "https://starthealthy.com/author/ajimenez/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/370fd3ef5b2313c7465c0026a4c2af9d14c7c1f31fb160ddbba3f572f8b74842?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Business", "Healthy", "Ice Pops", "Mental Health", "Desserts", "Editorial" ], "summary": "JonnyPops CEO Erik Brust discusses how natural ingredients and a social mission are intertwined in his company\u2019s popular frozen treats." } ] }