San Francisco has noticed a trend over the past couple of years: its population is shrinking. In both 2019 and 2020 more people left the city than moved into the city. This isn’t exclusive to San Francisco. The entire Bay Area has been impacted by population movement.

Recent news stories like to paint a picture of a California exodus. Likely, this is influenced by the number of people leaving San Francisco. The one city doesn’t represent the whole state, and those who leave the Bay Area don’t always go too far. …

Americans seem to have an obsession, and it has been growing over the past couple of decades. If you look at the popular podcasts or television shows, you’ll know what we love: true crime. Docuseries continuously top the streaming charts, and each week we seem to get a new podcast centered around murder and deceit. Yet we can’t seem to get enough.

These shows are engaging, but something about the obsession seems really messed up. We’re engaged in stories that cost people their lives and forever changes the lives of family and friends. …

If you’ve spent any time walking around Southern California you’ve likely seen someone with a “v” on the left leg of their shorts. Brand names are splashed across a lot of the clothing you’ll find in this part of the country, but the locals know the “v” is for Vuori. This Encinitas-based athletic line has built a strong following, and has been experiencing stready growth since it was found in 2015.

In the right part of the country, Vuori is an established brand. In other parts, this brand is going to be popping up on yogis, surfers, and lifters. Clearly…

A lot of brands needed to make some adjustments while the world was transforming in 2020. Consumer behaviors changed, restaurants closed, and confusion guided our behaviors. In the middle of the hysteria and misinformation was the brand Corona, known for their Mexican lagers.

I don’t think I need to explain why 2020 was a really bad time to have the name “Corona.” Naturally, there was some fear for the brand who would be impacted by consumer’s illogical responses. Early into the pandemic, a reported 38% of people surveyed said they would avoid Corona because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Fortunately, Corona…

I have a lot of be proud to in my life. I can pay my bills, have a supportive group of family and friends, and I love the place I live. By many measures, I am successful. There are times when I feel I am a failure or I’m not meeting my full potential, but I also know there are millions of people who would love to have my accomplishments. Part of this comes from the fact that I didn’t obtain my current status overnight; it took effort.

We’re all works in progress. Along the way we face adversity, and…

I remember watching the Super Bowl in 2005. I’m not a huge sports fan, but I said I was watching for the commercials. Turns out, there was a commercial that actually caught my attention. It was from a name I’d never expect: Napster. In the commercial, they highlighted their legal music service. For $15 a month, you could fill your MP3 player with all the music you wanted.

Later in the week I would go online and search for Napster. I’d find out the ad was voted the worst Super Bowl commercial of the year. Despite this, the offer was…

I was walking down the street the other day, and saw myself sharing the sidewalk with an unexpected companion. Parked next to me was an e-scooter, and not a Bird or Lime scooter. It was a new company I’d never seen before named “Link”.

In 2019, the streets were littered with sharable electronic scooters and bikes. They were weaving through traffic, zipping past walkers on the sidewalk, and blasting through stop signs. It seemed no traffic laws applied to the scooters, but there’s no doubt they were popular. Different parts of the country were exposed to different brands, but San…

I’ve reached a point in my life where I need to admit something: I’m getting old. I’ve replaced the phrase “when I grow up” with “when I choose to be an adult,” and most grown-up responsibilities have become part of my routine. Life is full of commitments, and whether or not I want to, I need to address them. Ignoring them could have serious repercussions on my finances, health, or relationships.

I’m now in my early 30’s. This means I am young enough to remember some of the things I could get away with as a young adult. In fact…