What Does WorkIf you’ve ever avoided opening your business bank account for weeks, felt your stomach drop at the word “invoice,” or found yourself doing literally anything else instead of reconciling your books — you’ve probably also gotten the advice to “just look at your numbers more often.”For a lot of business owners, that advice works fine. For others, it doesn’t — and it's not because they lack discipline, intelligence, [...]

After 15 years as a CRNA in a high-stress hospital setting, Elizabeth Greenfield left to build her own functional medicine practice, expecting entrepreneurship to bring relief. Instead, her stress compounded, and lab testing at age 45 revealed her biological age had climbed to 102, more than double her chronological age. Despite years of teaching clients to listen to their bodies, she found herself overriding her own signals in the name [...]

Congratulations to Maryam Mardkhe, owner, founder of Stirbar Lab, for being selected as a Women of Influence, Silicon Valley View Page > Women of Influence 2026 >

Stage 3 — Refusal of the Call Entrepreneurship is often framed as a decisive leap, but many overlook the stage that comes before action: hesitation. In The Entrepreneur’s Hero’s Journey: Stage 3 — Refusal of the Call, Dr. MJ Yang explores the moment when fear, doubt, and the desire for stability begin to surface after the initial spark of possibility. Drawing from the Hero’s Journey framework and a Jungian psychological [...]

A Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM) is a detailed document prepared during the sale of a company to present prospective buyers with a comprehensive understanding of the business. It typically includes financial statements, operational details, market positioning, customer data, growth opportunities, and risk factors. The CIM serves as a central resource that allows buyers to evaluate whether the company aligns with their strategic or financial goals, and it helps streamline the [...]

Mission-driven organizations are doing important, meaningful work that creates real impact in their communities. But impact alone doesn’t always translate to clarity. Without clear and thoughtful design, even the most powerful work can be overlooked or misunderstood. Strong design helps organizations communicate their mission in a way that builds understanding, trust, and connection with the people they want to reach. In this article, we explore three reasons why mission-driven organizations [...]

Forecasting your business’s future starts with disciplined measurement and a repeatable framework: track the right metrics, stress-test scenarios, and align your team around a clear strategy. Financial forecasting isn’t crystal-ball work; it’s disciplined preparation. Below are six practical ways to predict financial success and shape a resilient future for your company. Read More ➤   Wendy Roberts CPA, CEO of NorthStar Strategic Partners, Inc. Email: wendy@northstar-sp.com Website: https://northstar-sp.com/ [...]

Government contracting represents one of the largest economic opportunities available to small businesses, yet many entrepreneurs still find the system difficult to navigate. Ensuring that procurement processes are transparent, competitive, and accessible is essential to unlocking those opportunities for California’s business owners. As Chair of the Procurement Process Committee for the California Department of General Services Small Business Advisory Council (SBAC), Leslie Murdock is working alongside state leaders and [...]

Stage 2 — Call to Adventure Entrepreneurship is often described as a strategic or financial decision, but it can also be understood as a profound inner journey. In The Entrepreneur’s Hero’s Journey: Stage 2 — Call to Adventure, Dr. MJ Yang explores the moment when an individual begins to sense the pull toward entrepreneurship. Inspired by the Hero’s Journey framework and viewed through a Jungian psychological lens, this stage represents [...]

Six ways to keep your customers’ happiness as your core strategy In today’s competitive landscape, customer satisfaction isn’t just a goal — it’s a strategic imperative. Businesses that consistently delight their customers do so not by accident, but by embedding operational excellence into their core strategy. At NorthStar Strategic Partners, we strongly advocate that chaotic operations can significantly erode a company’s profitability and customer trust. Our 4 Points of [...]