Ray's Take: Do you have a credit card or bank account that your spouse does not know about? Have you ever told a little white lie to your significant other about how much something costs?

Graceland will kick-start the holiday season Nov. 15 when country music stars Scotty McCreery and Marty Stuart flip the switch on a lighting display and made-in-Memphis Hallmark Channel movie “Christmas at Graceland” makes its world premiere.

William Mitchell’s fascination with real estate began during the summer of 1974 when his brother urged him to take a real estate course at then Memphis State University.

A group of Venezuelan-American businessmen, who manage a local network of pharmacies and medical clinics, are turning a vacated building on the Main Street Mall into a “lifestyle hub.”

According to the FTC, businesses that proclaim “satisfaction guaranteed” or “money-back guarantee” must be willing to give full refunds for any reason. Any limitations on the guarantee must be clearly stated. The BBB’s Code of Advertising contains similar guidance.

My favorite way to experience a city is by foot, and New York tops the list. It doesn’t matter the neighborhood, there’s always something unique to experience by foot.

Editor's note: Part Three of a four part series.

Sales professionals who understand they are in the emotional transportation business win the day. Harvard Professor Gerald Zaltman explains that 95 percent of purchasing decisions are subconscious and largely based on emotion versus logic. Once that emotional decision has been made, the brain seeks out logical input to support it.

We often hear about big company data breaches like eBay and Equifax. In fact, just last week, both Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s warned their customers of a potential online hack.

Dear Hiring Manager,

Memphis-based ServiceMaster announced Monday, Oct. 1, it has completed the spinoff of Frontdoor, the parent company of American Home Shield, a market leader in the home warranty industry.

Keith and Amy Watson, a couple in Rockford, Illinois, have combined their love of travel, design and history into a side business – Bygone Brand, a retro apparel company.

With a vision to repurpose an older building into a boutique hotel, Jay Kumar and Snay Patel immediately fell in love with the charm of the former Press-Scimitar building, located at the corner of Madison Avenue and B.B. King Boulevard.

Phil Trenary was an accidental Memphian who became one of the city’s staunchest promoters.

Bridge Builders vice president Dana Wilson has been named the next president and chief executive officer-in-waiting of BRIDGES, a Memphis youth leadership development organization.

Ray’s Take

Editor’s note: Memphis stands at the threshold of incredible possibility. In this series, New Memphis introduces innovative Memphians who are driving our city forward and forging its future success.

“Just as tapping into an artesian aquifer helped restore the city of Memphis back to health after the yellow fever epidemic in the late 1880s, Artesian Schools Inc. will be the catalyst to restore vibrancy to post-secondary opportunities for students in our community.”

If you look at some of the biggest and most successful companies of our time (think Amazon, Google and Apple), one thing they all have in common is their commitment to properly budgeting for technology. IT departments handle an increasing amount of responsibility as we rely on technology to carry out many day-to-day business functions. In order to remain on the competitive edge of your industry, it’s important to allocate proper dollars, staff and resources to ensure your organization continues running smoothly and efficiently. Here are several tips for creating and maintaining an IT budget:

Paced by $10 million from FedEx, Epicenter Memphis has raised $40 million to support emerging businesses and is pushing toward a $100 million war chest.

Attorneys are often asked, “Should I have a will?” The simple answer is yes. Every adult, regardless of their financial worth, should have a will and estate plan.

Tripp Thompson has been named president of FirstBank Investment Partners, a bank investment division with offices in Tennessee and North Alabama. He succeeds president Bill Reid, who's retiring next year. Thompson comes from First Tennessee Bank, where his 31-year career included managing FTB Advisors since 1999. FirstBank's new regional headquarters will be based at the TraVure office complex in East Memphis.

It’s official. It’s less than 60 days until Thanksgiving. Although you shouldn’t stop your job search when the turkey has been served, hiring will slow down as the holidays heat up. It’s just a fact of life. If you’ve been thinking of finding a new job, this is the time.

Custom-wrapped Nissan Versas loaded with pet food and supplies rolled out Monday, Sept. 24, as part of Hollywood Feed's same-day delivery pilot program in the Memphis area. Hollywood Feed president Shawn McGhee said the Memphis-grown chain is offering deliveries as a convenience for customers.

Part two of a four-part series