Data That We Track January/February 2018
How Our Target Area Fared The expected is realized as jobless rates in the north peak in January and February. Mackinac leads the way at 24.2% and Cheboygan…
What is Marketing?
The definition many marketers agree upon is this: Putting the right product in the right place, at the right price and at the right time. Successful businesses know how to…
What is Marketing Success?
The first step in determining whether your marketing efforts have been effective is to define your measures of success. For some businesses, success might come in the form of an…
Data That We Track, October 2017
Musings from the Month When NI President Dennis West first arrived 20 years ago, he says, "I had a couple of meetings where I was told that…
Making Sense of Financial Statements
Reviewing financial statements on a regular basis can help you accurately gauge your business’ performance, guide strategic decisions and identify opportunities for growth. Practice will lead to proficiency, but what…
The Big Picture Conversation
Every day, our entire team here at Northern Initiatives talks to many people. Our lending staff talks with customers, that often times might not qualify for traditional bank loans, about…
Data That We Track, September 2017
New Data and New Information We added six counties to our target market. When you look at the September data, we are now looking at data for 52…
Brand Audit
Branding is critical to the success of any business. It represents the unique qualities that set you apart from the competition, influences consumer perceptions and helps to guide/motivate your staff.…
Data That We Track, August 2017
New Data and New Information The August numbers showed the reaches of seasonal employment into Northern Michigan. Five of the 51 counties in our service area had rising…
Celebrating 1,000 Loans Strong, and Growing!
Northern Initiatives itself once a startup, made its 1,000th loan, demonstrating a strong entrepreneurial culture in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan. Northern Initiatives closed its 1,000th loan…
