The Coeur d'Alene Review

08/22/2026

Today I had this meal from Yaki Smoka.

Good stuff! I got the carb-less chicken with extra meat.

You can find it at the Post Falls Pavilion.

08/15/2026

Today I talked to the founders of North Idaho Tote Co.

This is a new local business that serves CDA and the surrounding area with rentable totes.

Tote rental offers quality reusable boxes for anyone moving or in need of tote boxes for a couple of weeks.

Janae and Justine are tapping into a great market for this area. If you're interested, find them on Facebook, Instagram, or their website. The website includes an email and phone number for contact.

🌐 https://www.northidahototeco.com/

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DISCLAIMER: Only my second video like this. Editing really helps make the interview more succinct😂

08/10/2026

07/24/2026

BUSINESS IDEA FRIDAY: Cold packs

Well, it's hot outside. Today, I'm sharing a business idea that can be deployed locally and abroad.

Are you familiar with rice pouches that you microwave? Well you can do the same thing but for cold packs. The product is a pouch filled with gel pebbles that you keep in the freezer. Or it could be a vest filled with gel pebbles. Choose the form factor. You can make it yourself, buy products to help you assemble it yourself, or get a manufacturer.

You could sell it from your existing business, or do this on its own. People often impulse buy comfort. This is something they can re-use and you can conveniently provide to them ready to go. Keep it in your freezer, and have a sample pack ready to try out.

Maybe a crazy idea, but sometimes crazy ideas work.

If you're interested, do your due diligence and research. Follow for more ideas!

07/20/2026

1 hour per shift is 5 hours/week and 260 hours/year (excluding any time off/holidays). Imagine how much someone could do with that amount of time. Some employees experience more, others less. But imagine utilizing 200 "extra" hours each year.

Employees can be given downtime tasks or incentives for making company impact by completing projects. Employees could use this time to work on their own business, study for school or do something else meaningful. Here are some ideas.

1. Vibe coding. This time could be used to vibe code an app or website. It's easier now than ever.
2. Reading. This may not be doable or convenient, but even online research is something. If you can read books, this will stack them over time.
3. Social media. This time could be used to engage on the business social media pages. Reply to comments, share content, run polls, etc.
4. Deep cleaning. Pop in some ear buds and listen to a podcast, sermon, or meaningful music (not more rap).
5. Sales. This time could be used to try a hand at sales. Cold outreach, email campaigns, etc.
6. Create standard operating procedures (SOPs). This time could be used to put systems in place to run the business better. Procedures for cleaning, making food, social media, sales, customer interaction, etc.
7. Customer engagement. This time can be used to get to know customers better. You can learn how to serve them better, or implement their suggestions.

There are many possibilities! I'm no expert in this, and I've never been perfect at utilizing downtime. But this is something I've thought about, and I find interesting. At my last job I worked on CDAR (CDA Review) during some of my downtime. I hope this helps someone! Just don't pin your employees down relentlessly. I want this to encourage opportunity for anyone reading.