Lily Therens

Back Designer

Lily Therens is a graphic designer and illustrator based in midtown Sacramento. As a former staff designer for Comstock’s magazine, she continues to create illustrations for the publication. She remains true to her modern, isometric style with a subject matter focused mainly on characters and their environments. When she’s not working, she’s hanging out with her pug Stanley and watching SF Giants games.  

View more of her work at lilyct.com.

By this person

New Spenders

As millenials climb into their highest spending years, financial institutions must go digital to catch their coveted dollars

Ann Thompson, a regional sales executive for Bank of America, knows that the surest route into the hearts and minds of millennials is through their hands — not hand-holding, but talking to them through technology. “They want to be self-served and want things convenient,” Thompson says. “So, we have to reach them through that thing they hold in their hands, a smartphone.”

Mar 29, 2016 Bill Sessa

The Big Pitch

Local investors are taking a leap of faith to bring Major League Soccer to Sacramento  — what comes next could define a new era in the capital region

In December, the Sacramento City Council unanimously approved a preliminary term sheet to finance and build an MLS stadium at the Sacramento Railyards, drawing the region closer than ever to bringing a major professional sport to the city since the Kings set up shop 30 years ago. If it seems like this has happened seemingly overnight, that is because in many ways, it has.

Jan 20, 2016 John Blomster

Show Them That You Care

10 ways to let your clients know you appreciate them

Of course we care about our clients, but are they feelin’ it? You may think you are doing a great job of appreciating clients, but consider this disconnect: According to a Harvard Management Update generated by Bain and Co., 80 percent of companies believe they deliver a superior customer experience, but only 8 percent of their customers agree. Obviously, it’s time to consider some appreciation tactics. 

Nov 23, 2015 Gordon Fowler

Difficult Employees with Good Intentions

Don’t give up on a great worker who can’t communicate

You might experience a scenario like this at the office: A colleague, boss or employee is incredibly gifted; they are technically skilled, knowledgeable, strategic and very smart.  But a frustrating paradox is that they are terrible communicators: unable to take on other’s perspectives, constantly interrupting and long-winded, putting themselves ahead of others, defensive, inflexible, emotional — you get the drift.  

Nov 19, 2015 Tania Fowler

Digitize Your Operating Manual

A company wiki will make office life easier

It’s September, the nationally recognized time to get back to school and learn something new. Even if you graduated long ago, it’s still a great time to introduce new systems to improve your business. Whether you’re a brick and mortar, a solo entrepreneur, exclusively online or fall somewhere in the middle, documenting what you do and how you do it is more important than ever.

Sep 28, 2015 Kelly Azevedo

3 Tips for Taking a Vacation

You’ll have to plan ahead to truly unplug

We often get so caught up in the planning of our time away that we fail to consider what needs to happen at the office while we’re gone. Make it as easy as possible for your team to cover essentials while you’re gone, and set yourself up for success upon your return

Aug 31, 2015 Kelly Azevedo

Polish that Message

10 strategies for creating a diversified ad campaign

Super Bowl ads aren’t for everyone. If you’re a multi-billion-dollar global brand, shelling out $4.5 million for 30 seconds of airtime may be perfectly reasonable. For the rest of us, there are a few, slightly more affordable options for spending those marketing dollars. And spend them you should. A solid advertising strategy is essential to growing your business.

Aug 27, 2015 Gordon Fowler

Sick Leave Switches

How does the new law impact household employees?

I am a working single mom, and about six months ago I hired a nanny to help around the house on days I work late or the occasional weekend. Until now I’ve paid an hourly wage for hours worked, and I’m wondering how California’s new sick leave act will impact how I pay my nanny?

Aug 14, 2015 Coral Henning

Minimum Wage: In Support of the Working Poor

Letting the minimum wage remain stagnate is inhumane and bad for our communities

When the economy serves people by allowing them to earn money, they can invest money back into the economy, thereby increasing economic health for everyone. We want an economy where full-time workers are self-sufficient and not dependent on government aid to supplement their wages. We want an economy that works for us. But here is a glimpse of our reality:

Jul 6, 2015 Bishop Esley Simmons

Cleaning Up the Paper Trail

How to ditch marketing materials that don’t match your brand.

Every company’s brand collateral begins with the best intentions. There’s usually a business card, maybe some letterhead and envelopes, possibly a brochure. Then it all just gets away from you until one day you find yourself standing in your office’s storage room staring at boxes of mismatched promotional items. Before this spins into a business identity crisis, take charge and detox your branding collateral.

Jun 11, 2015 Gordon Fowler

Legacy in Waiting

If Mayor Johnson moves on, just what will he leave behind?

I think Mayor Johnson is ready to move on. He has been a big fish in our small pond long enough. The grand opening of the arena in October 2016 will likely be his public farewell, a metaphorical victory lap. Cuts ribbon. Drops mic.Take my prediction with a grain of salt. But if 2016 is his last year in office, how will he be remembered as mayor?

Jun 10, 2015 Thomas Dodson

From Dreamers to Movers and Shakers

Past winners of Calling All Dreamers still going strong

Ask Andy Paul or Ana Manzano about launching their businesses and they’ll answer with smiles. The two previous winners of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s Calling All Dreamers contest have gone on to successfully launch their dream companies, including brick-and-mortar storefronts that will serve as milestones in the revitalization of downtown’s shopping corridors.

Apr 15, 2015 Andy Galloway

Past the Ping Pong Tables

Your internal brand matters more than your office perks

Thinking about progressive company cultures probably brings to mind businesses like Google, Twitter, Facebook — companies with free snacks and bean bag chairs. But it’s not the toys and perks that create these cultures. Collaborative-style seating and ping pong tables are the side effects, rather than the catalysts, of enviable and innovative company cultures.

Feb 9, 2015 MaryJayne Zemer

Raise It Up

Our minimum wage should leave no one behind

Improving the minimum wage and making Sacramento a better place to do business are not mutually exclusive goals. Done properly, an increase to the minimum wage targeted at Sacramento’s working poor will strengthen the economy, benefit the entire community and help create the Sacramento that we all want.   

Jan 7, 2015 Jay Schenirer