Soho_p465_june09

En tre p re n euri al P ro fi l es •

Soc i a l Me di a • B u s i n e s s

June 2009

Get Creative, Stay Focused page 3

Always Offer A Helping Hand page 14

Gazelles: Growi n g Business, G rowing C o m m u n itie s

Andy Theimer, Romke de Haan and Nelson Soler soho players

Understanding Your Ideal Clients page 18

New Berlin, WI • Email: [email protected] June 2009

VanderBloemen Creative

Ridding the world of bad design

Entrepreneurial Profiles • Social Media • Business

owners - publishers, cd vann, steve ball & jim schlesing • editor, jim kogutkiewicz photographer, i do photography • director of social media & marketing, meghan martin layout & design, vanderbloemen creative

Armed with talent, knowledge, and a desire for perfection.

SOHO PLAYERS

We are a group of superhero designers, writers and marketing experts dedicated to helping businesses succeed. For a FREE consultation with a real hero, call us at 414.828.2123.

VanderBloemen Creative LLC marketing & design for growing businesses

www.vanderbloemencreative.com

S O H O E XPE R T S 2 The Social Media Cocktail Party 14 Always Offer A Andy Theimer Romke de Haan

Nelson Soler

GAZELLES: growing their businesses, growing their communities page 9

Scott Baitinger MADE® Communications Group, Inc. 262-241-0011 Email: [email protected]

3 Get Creative, Stay Focused

Jessica Steinhoff Contributing writer for Spreenkler, LLC Phone: 262.353.6562 Email: [email protected]

5 Racing Past Web 2.0 In A Taco Truck

soho advisory board Socially networked & Authentic professionals We are a group of Socially Connected Professionals looking to learn more about the latest social media tools and social networks. Each month we will demo features on sites such as sohobiztube.com, Blog Talk Radio, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and more. Learn good SEO Techniques, MAC Techniques, iPhone and Blackberry Tips and Tricks and MORE.

Where: Bucketworks When: Every Fourth Thursday Time: 5:30PM – 8PM Cost: $10.00

Steve Glynn, Spreenkler Advisory Team President Adrian Zilvetti, Disciplined Financial Services Inc. Advisory Team Vice President Stephanie Kern, VanderBloemen Creative Attorney Katherine Andersen, Women’s Angel Network Jason Kayzar, MC

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Tracy L. Coenen, Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting Scott Baitinger Mader Communications Group Inc. Jeff Larche Digital Solid Heather Nill National City Bank

Jeff Larche Digital Solid Phone: 847.317.1575 Email: [email protected]

7 Traveling To The Most

Important Day In Your Life Katie Cianciolo CruiseOne Phone: 262.347.4776 Email: [email protected]

8 Do You Have A Plan B For Your Overhead Expenses? Jason Seyfert Northwestern Mutual Financial Network Phone: 414.358.5110 Email: [email protected]

13 Are You Afraid To Be Held Accountable?

Jim Palzewicz ActionCOACH Business Coaching Phone: 262.790.1213 Email: [email protected]

Helping Hand

Jason Jacobsohn Sales Results, Inc. Phone: 773.368.0229 Email: [email protected]

16 Beyond Referrals: Creating Quality Introductions

Steve Fretzin Sales Results Inc. Phone: 847.317.1575 Email: [email protected]

18 Understanding Your Ideal Clients

Michael Cummings 360 Direct Phone: 414.464.5000 Email: [email protected]

19 Permits And Procedures:

A Crucial Business Process Explained Mark. W. Siler Weiss Berzowski Brady, LLP Phone: 414.270.2538 Email: [email protected] Jeff Cox Wine Maniacs, LLC. Phone: 414.507.5743 Email: [email protected] Jason Kayzar MC2 Incorporated Phone: 414.788.1800 Email: [email protected]

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social media strategies, channels & tools

Dressing For The Social Media Cocktail Party Scott Baitinger Recently, I came across an interesting article that compared Twitter to a cocktail party. In his BtoB magazine article, “B-to-B followers flock to Twitter,” Rich Karpinski quoted Scott Townsend, the marketing director of a uniform service company, as saying, “If you approach Twitter as cocktail party conversation, ask yourself, ‘Would I show up to a party, shove business cards in everyone’s hand and tell them about my business and why they should buy from me?’” Not if you wanted to be invited back. The more I thought about this, the more brilliant and understandable this analogy became. If your company is venturing into the realm of social networking, you better brush up on the social etiquette of any good cocktail party.

> ce i v d a e m o s s ’ e e h Her t g n i h s a r c r fo ng i k r o w t e n l a i c o s : y l e v i t c fe f e y t par

1. Be selective about which party you attend. If you want to connect with influential business

people, don’t show up at the fraternity kegger. Utilizing social media for your business or personal brand growth means selecting the appropriate social networks, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, social tagging and other Web 2.0 sites. Before you select your party, determine your social media campaign goals. This will help you identify which network is better suited for specific elements of your campaign.

2. Upon arrival, start mingling. Ease into the

4. Make guests feel special. Remember the

Golden Rule and treat people the way you want to be treated. Be considerate and respectful. Compliment your followers. Let them know you appreciate their interest in your company. If someone acknowledges you or a post you’ve made, return the favor.

Get Creative, Stay Focused Jessica Steinhoff Working together: It sounds easy, but it’s actually quite difficult when you recognize what a wide range of personalities and learning styles comprise many

5. Don’t monopolize the conversation. The key

word here is conversation, not lecture. Social networking is all about engaging in two-way communication. If you’re selfish and don’t allow others to talk, you’ll look like a bore and people will move on.

6. Don’t say something you’ll regret tomorrow. Granted, the honest commentary of social

networks, such as Facebook and micro blogs like Twitter, appeals to followers. That being said, don’t get carried away in the moment and reveal something you shouldn’t. Keep those little privacy, proprietary and legal issues in mind. For this exact reason, Kodak publishes guidelines and suggestions for Kodak employee tweeters.

groups of people – inside and outside the office. Academics in fields that study group dynamics – in particular, psychology and education – have worked hard to design theories of teaching and learning that account for individual differences while harnessing the power of collective decision making and collaborative action. One useful concept that’s emerged from the fray is constructivism, which recognizes the gains that result from hands-on learning processes and activities that are group-focused, yet tailored to the individual needs of their members. It’s an idea based upon the assumption that people don’t just learn from experiences but create meaning from them. In an era when corporate culture is often lampooned

7. Be cool. Obviously, your company hasn’t entered social networking for fun or altruistic reasons. But at the same time, you are not there for the hard sell. Your presence should be more about building and living your brand, engaging your customers, facilitating their loyalty and finding out what they need. The last thing you want is for people to wonder who invited the salesman to the party – and split.

8. Know when to leave. You don’t want to allow

room. Check out who’s there. Listen to what people are talking about. There are monitoring tools, such as twitscoop, that can help you assess the conversations taking place. Join in on conversations when you have something helpful to contribute.

social networking to consume too much of your day – which can easily happen. Spend a set amount of time participating in social networking, and then go back to your other work. Remember, co-workers don’t let co-workers drive themselves crazy with nonstop Twitter updates.

3. Refresh supplies on a timely basis. When

9. Toast yourself. Even if you are arriving to the party

you run out of food and liquor, people leave and the party is over. If you want to keep people engaged, commit to a fresh supply of information. Tweets need to be updated on a regular basis. No one wants stale information.

transparent thoughts

for being sterile and devoid of significance, it’s quite an attractive framework. Susan Ballje and Anne Nordholm, who head the education-management consultancy Bastante LLC and the Great Lakes Constructivist Consortium, a collaboration of schools and organizations that develop their curricula and cultures based on constructivist learning principles, say constructivist ideas can work in almost any business that’s committed to serving others. While industries with a strong interest in service and/or community-building – from nursing to technology development to environmental advocacy – may see the most obvious opportunities for implementing constructivist principles, any enterprise that believes

late, you made it. And being fashionably late is always the best time to arrive. Be patient when entering the social media world. It takes time and effort to develop friendships and make connections. Welcome to the party.

in the power of creativity may stand to benefit, Nordholm argues. Of course, as major players such as Google know, investing in creativity is one of the smartest choices almost any business can make. It’s so valuable that it’s impossible to put a price tag on it.

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“Get Creative. Stay Focused” continued from page 3

going beyond web 2.0

Businesses, Ballje agrees, have an incalculable need for

Racing Past Web 2.0 In A Taco Truck Jeff Larche

employees who can solve multifaceted problems, collaborate with a wide variety of stakeholders and stay focused during periods of uncertainty. In other words, they need creative thinkers, not status-quo enforcers. “We hear this from the business community all the time at conferences,” she

This first column about the world beyond Web 2.0 needs to start with some perspective. Let’s acknowledge where we are now and where we’ve traveled.

said. “Businesses want creative thinkers that work well with others.” Thankfully, constructivism provides a goals-oriented

And brother, what a bumpy ride it’s been. I’ll bet your first experiences with the Internet were similar to mine. Everything came through an excruciatingly slow dial-up phone connection. Most time on “the information superhighway” was spent puttering along – waiting for pages to load – or for crash-prone computers to re-boot!

greenhouse in which to grow an organization’s creative processes, plus the discipline to accomplish those objectives both now and in the future, she says. Nordholm stresses that goals are made clear to each and every participant

This “world wide wait” is our heritage. It was Web 1.0.

in a constructivist process, even if the means to achieving them differ. And while standards are high, the environment

Then came what we have today. First, Web sites are less punishing. In many cases we can view a snippet of what our next page offers before we even click to go there. For example, Netflix previews film descriptions and poster graphics in floating “bubbles” that appear when we move our cursor over movie titles.

remains supportive and trusting, even when the going gets tough. This culture of acceptance is important in helping individuals “tap into prior knowledge and understanding so

Our experience of the Web is more rewarding in another way big way as well. Thanks to smarter search engines and a “link economy” where sites readily link to other sites when it is helpful, we are finding more of what we crave – whatever that may be. For health information, financial services, travel assistance – and just about anything else imaginable, it seems you can find it served up piping hot. If Web 1.0 was a bread line, today’s Web 2.0 is a broadband-fueled banquet of choices.

that new knowledge is integrated” and explore gray areas: differences of opinion, variations in ways of getting things done and contradictions between ideas, Nordholm says. In other words, nothing’s black and white, and no one

This food metaphor is apt. I’ll get to why in a moment, but first, there’s one more way that today’s Web experience kicks the snot out of the web of the 1990s.

is a cog in a machine. A business isn’t a machine at all; it’s more like a river that gains a forceful current from a

This Web 2.0 world of ours is also about friends. Some friends we grew up with. Others we went to school with. Still other friendships we forged online and have not yet met – or they’re friends we’ve met online and ultimately hooked up with. Yes, hooked up as in married.

variety of tributaries. And rather than a finite product, the constructivist process generates ideas (and connections between them), as well as energy, a sense of belonging and a tangible result. “If we are continually performing

We Find Answers

perfunctory tasks to ‘get it done’ through factory-like

According to a New Scientist report of a Harris Interactive online survey, polling more than 10,000 Americans married in some months of 2006 and 2007, more than one out of every six 20-to-44-year-olds first met online, and within the 45-to-54 age range, that rises to nearly one out of every three – 31 percent!

repetition, the thoughtful, creative, productive use of heads,

Where Do We Go From Here? Answer: Anywhere!

hearts and hands is lost,” she says. And while those who take part in a constructivist activity are given plenty of time to

The future of the Web – the much-ballyhooed Web 3.0 – won’t be about Web pages as we know them at all. Oh, no, the future will include Web experiences, but will ultimately be about digital connectivity and utility that we get from a mobile device. Most likely it will be through our smartphone, or whatever that morphs into. (Brilliantphone?)

reflect on their contributions – both their content and their meaning – they are also expected to defend and communicate what they have learned to others. In essence, it blurs the

This move to mobile been predicted for quite some time – even by me. Nearly three years ago, I blogged about how mobile marketing of tomorrow is beyond anything you can imagine. There I talked about how entrepreneurs and other businesses (notably bank branches and Starbucks) currently say goodbye to revenue and profits because of the tyranny of real estate.

distinction between student and teacher, worker and boss, and expects everyone to learn, lead and communicate. In a business setting, this can mean learning from clients and customers rather than just directing messages at them. It also can mean businesses becoming active partners – not just quiet neighbors – in their communities. As the old saying goes, what goes around comes around. Or, as Ballje puts it: “It’s not a linear message but circles of ongoing dialogue and learning through experience and looking back on the process.”

Business Organization • Commercial and Residential Real Estate • Contract Preparation & Negotiation • Employee Benefits • Environmental • Estate & Business Succession Planning • Labor & Employment • Land Use & Zoning • Litigation/Dispute Resolution • Tax •

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It’s absolutely true that real estate is about location, location, location. In fact, where you’re located directly affects brand loyalty. Here’s what I mean: We like to think that because there is a Starbucks on every corner that proves the marketing potency of that brand. But what it really proves is how fickle coffee drinkers can be, even Starbucks coffee drinkers! Starbucks leadership, and the leaders of the banks that pepper city maps with dozens of branches and ATMs, are painfully aware that their customers won’t walk or drive far. If a competitor is in their path, typical customers will all-too-quickly switch loyalties. So the only businesses holding the real power in this brand equation are those holding the property.

continued on page 6

11/19/07 12:14:51 PM

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“Racing Past Web 2.0 In A Taco Truck” continued from page 5 Perhaps you’re in a business that leases storefront space all over town, eking out a slim profit while lining the pockets of the property owners. Life sucks sometimes, doesn’t it?

biz travel

In my blog, I proposed a solution. I imagined a Starbucks – or one of its coffee-selling competitors – breaking free of permanent spaces and putting its services on wheels. This mobile takeout service would use GPS tracking statistics of cell phone users. Customers with GPS-compatible cell phones would register with this merchant (thus giving up their “privacy of location” during business hours) and invite the coffee service to notify them when a vending truck is in the neighborhood.

Traveling To The Most Important Day In Your Life Katie Cianciolo Imagine the wedding of your dreams on a tropical Caribbean island, glacier in Alaska, gorgeous Hawaiian beach or a quaint ship chapel. There are many places and reasons to have a destination wedding. Convenience and cost savings top the list. With more than 4 million marriages each year, more than 10 percent of couples want family and friends to celebrate their special day in an exotic and fabulous location while enjoying a relaxing vacation.

Then, every day, the vending trucks would look on cluster maps for swarms of caffeine-starved customers. They’d have a clear, real-time picture of where to park in order to slake the most thirsts and make the most cash. But what I could not have predicted three years ago was the rise of Twitter. According to a recent Pew Internet and American Life report, 11 percent of online adults in the United States said they use services like Twitter to let them update their friends and see the updates of others. That’s approaching a critical mass for urban businesses. What’s encouraging is that Twitter gets around the location privacy issue. Instead of merchants predicting where customers will be, they use the service to let those who follow their Twitter profile know where they’re going to be next. This has generated, for at least one innovative restaurateur, nothing short of flash mobs outside their vending vehicles. As this recent Reuters piece reports, Kogi, a pair of Korean BBQ taco trucks in Los Angeles, has attracted more than 15,000 Twitter subscribers (called “followers”) and ensured ready customers for its odd but addictive fusion of cuisines. It couldn’t be simpler: Let people know where you’re going to be and when. Give those near there a chance to arrive. Then show up with a product that’s worth seeking out. This is a business model that does more than promise entrepreneurs success and notoriety. It’s a faint glimmer of a world beyond Web 2.0. Meet me there. Let’s have some fun and make some money.

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professional has a background working with groups. The right travel person can handle all the details plus save the couple time and money. They will have the requirements for marriage ceremonies for each country, assist in finding the best location that fits your needs and provide personalized service, along with other invaluable information. With the specialist making all the arrangements for your guests, this allows the couple to focus on the most important part: the wedding itself.

The top honeymoon destinations are Hawaii; St. Lucia, U.S. Virgin Islands; Italy; and Tahiti. However, the top destination wedding locations are Hawaii, the Caribbean, Bermuda, Las Vegas, Mexico, Lake Tahoe and the South Pacific. Couples celebrating anniversaries and wanting vow renewals can use the same tips listed here.

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Determine who you want to have with you and see if this type of wedding is feasible for them. Children in attendance will be a deciding factor on the type of resort or cruise. Some couples have their exotic wedding and return home later for a reception. Plan early for the best values and locations. Select a travel specialist that is certified or has experience in destination weddings and honeymoons. Having a certain number of guests can provide the wedding couple with extra amenities. It’s important that your travel

This is not the time to make these arrangements yourself, searching the Internet for the cheapest trip. The Internet will not be there if you encounter issues, let you know of rate reductions, negotiate the best prices or be the most valuable resource. Most Internet reservationists are “order takers” and have never visited any of the places you’re considering! Do you want to take that risk with the most important day of your life?

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Cruise weddings can be done in port prior to departure, on a tropical island and in other port locations. Princess Cruise Lines has the option for the captain to officiate the ceremony at sea. However, most cruise lines, along with private suppliers, offer various wedding or vow renewal services. Cruises are available for every budget with various activities for all ages, and they vary in length from two to three nights or more. Also, the wedding

couple might be able to cruise free depending on the number of guests sailing. weddings allow more 4 Resort flexibility for when guests can arrive and depart. These take place on the beach or a garden at the resort. Many resorts offer a “free wedding” that can be upgraded. Other amenities such as gifts, free airfare or complimentary nights might be available.

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The typical fee for wedding services and a local license starts around $600, going up to $3,000. This still represents substantial savings over a traditional wedding. Depending on the wedding options selected, an on-site wedding planner might be included on the ship or at the resort. Combining the wedding and honeymoon will make the big event cost-effective, plus very memorable for all. A wedding or honeymoon registry and a wedding Web site make it easy for guests in all aspects. Even without a formal registry, guests can make arrangements with the travel specialist for money or other special service gifts. Photos or watching the event live can be viewed via the Web site for those guests unable to attend. Whether you’re dreaming of a destination wedding or exotic honeymoon, following these simple tips will make planning a breeze and create lifelong memories.

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finance

Do You Have A Plan B For Your Overhead Expenses? Jason Seyfert Start with the premise that you are three times more likely to become disabled for three months or more during your working years than you are to die during that time.1 You have worked hard to build a successful business. As a business owner, seeing your “baby” grow and succeed is the fulfillment of a dream.

Now, make a list of resources you may have available to pay these financial obligations to keep your business operating if a disability, like a heart attack, cancer or an accident, keeps you personally from working. Do the math and determine how long your business could operate. Long enough?

Your business overhead expenses are aptly named. Always there, when a business is running smoothly and revenue is flowing, they don’t require much attention. But with the potential changes in an individual’s financial situation, now may be an appropriate time for the business owner to consider how your business could continue without you.

Suffering a disability is a very real risk, about 30 percent of workers between the ages of 25 and 65 will be disabled 90 days or more.2 Many disabilities are temporary or partial. It would not make good sense to close a business with the onset of disability, but many owners don’t have a Plan B and are left with no choice. Overhead disability insurance provides that “Plan B” to keep your business open if you become temporarily disabled.

If your business relies on you for a substantial portion of its revenue, how could it pay the basic, necessary overhead expenses to keep operating? It is easy to do a quick review of the list of your normal and necessary monthly business expenses, like rent, utilities, mortgages, maintenance, taxes, payroll and supplies.

Overhead expense insurance is specifically structured to help your business maintain its value until you decide what you can do and want to do with your business. A financial professional who works with small

businesses can help you get a plan in place that allows you to recover from a disability and still have a viable business to return to or sell without having a fire sale. When you are sick, having that overhead disability plan means not having to worry about your business, so you can just concentrate on getting better. It buys what can be priceless to an owner in a personal crisis: Time.

Gazelles: G r o w i n g

b u s i n e s s ,

g r o w i n g

c o m m u n i t i e s

Gazelle entrepreneurs are characterized by their ability to generate high growth in their businesses. Like the species of antelope from which the name is derived, they have the ability to maintain swift speeds for an extended period of time, outrunning any obstacle or predator. Their abilities and talents allow them to grow the businesses they create, as well the businesses and communities they work within.

1 Disability Resource Center: Disability Insurance Statistics, 2007. 2 The Real Risk of Disability in the U.S. conducted by Milliman, Inc. for the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education, May, 2007. ### Article prepared by Northwestern Mutual with the cooperation of Jason T. Seyfert. Jason Seyfert is a Financial Representative with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network the marketing name for the sales and distribution arm of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (Northwestern Mutual) (NM), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, its affiliates and subsidiaries. Financial Representative is an insurance agent of NM based in Milwaukee, WI. To contact Jason, please call 414-358-5110, e-mail him at jason. [email protected] or visit his Web site at www.nmfn. com/jasonseyfert.

If your business relies on you for a substantial portion of its revenue, how could it pay the basic, necessary overhead expenses to keep operating? Suffering a disability is a very real risk, about 30 percent of workers between the ages of 25 and 65 will be disabled 90 days or more. When you are sick, having that overhead disability plan means not having to worry about your business, so you can just concentrate on getting better.

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With the launch of the Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute, he has found an opportunity to follow his own passions, extending resources and knowledge he has found to the people of his community. Currently, he continues to promote growth in his business and many others through work on such projects as a distance learning class, a business planning and strategies book, as well as in educational conferences and seminars. “In my business, I measure success by helping others gain knowledge,” Soler said. “If they have knowledge they didn’t have before our interaction, I was successful.”

Romke de Haan also is harnessing his talents to create opportunities for people in his community. At the urging of his mother and a Jesuit priest involved in the program, he started in the Homeboyz Interactive program at the age of 17.

Take Nelson Soler, for instance. Seeking to complete his degree from a U.S. institution and receive a bilingual education, he arrived in Buffalo, N.Y., at the age of 19. He describes his early life in a coastal town of Puerto Rico as a lot of “hard work.” It clearly led to a work ethic that not only drove him to break out of the cycle of poverty, but he also earned two bachelor’s degrees, two master’s degrees, and maintained professional success after his education.

create businesses. He caught the “entrepreneur bug” from some good friends in college, and since has worked with various startups as well as in his own ventures. He noted that one of the biggest challenges he faced in his career was when he worked for his first startup. Working long hours as the fourth employee in the software department, he learned a lot from the founder. He found it very difficult to part ways with that company after he felt he had outgrown his role. “It was hard to get past the mentor-student relationship,” Theimer said. “Overcoming it you just have to make the hard decision and do what you think is best, no matter if you are 100 percent sure at times.” Currently, he stays busy with his work at Lansare Corp. and with his most recent startup, Recipebridge.com. “I was talking with my business partner about things that were hard to get to on the Internet.

Both of us had used the Internet to cook before, and found that even Googling takes forever.” With the help of his partner, in 2008 he launched Recipebridge.com, the world’s largest recipe search engine. “The biggest thing I would recommend to aspiring entrepreneurs would be to trust your gut and do a lot of research,” Theimer said. “When starting a business, a lot of people would say things like, ‘That’s nice, but it’s ad based, it’s not a real company.’ You’re going to get that. It took awhile just to believe in myself. The younger we are, the less confidence we have. I trusted myself to just keep pushing.” Currently, he is content working with both projects and enjoys the freedom entrepreneurship allows him. “I like having a say in my destiny, being able to affect my own future,” Theimer said. “Hard work in my mind is talent. My biggest fear is of wasting talent and wasting abilities. Success is always continuing to work and do something.”

“If you really believe in something, you should be able to live and work your passion,” he said. Working with Hanson Dodge Creative, an organization that had worked with Homeboyz Interactive in the past, he is starting a forprofit and nonprofit organization.

But after 13 years working in a corporate environment, and even after being able to earn six figures, Nelson found himself with a void in his life. Driven by a passion for education and business ownership, he launched the Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute in 2007, an organization devoted to help inner-city and primarily Hispanic families launch and run their own businesses.

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Romke soon discovered that Homeboyz Interactive had closed its doors. He mentioned that one of the biggest challenges he faced was taking what he had learned to get ahead from a nontraditional learning background ­— and work for a real agency to see that work flourish.

Romke decided to take it into his own hands and rebuild the organization that had helped him cross the digital divide to find his own success. After finishing his work at Razorfish in May, he is returning to Milwaukee to work exclusively on this project.

[email protected]

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After successfully completing the Homeboyz Interactive program, he had his first internship at Resource Interactive, Inc in Ohio and has been in the industry ever since, working at Razorfish as senior presentation layer developer, helping large clients develop interactive Web sites.

“There was no opportunity anymore for at-risk young adults with the training that Homeboyz used to offer,” de Haan said.

nelson soler

“I wanted to help people without boundaries,” Soler said. “This allows me to serve where I want to serve, help who I want to help, without corporate policy to prevent me from doing what I want.”

“Homeboyz Interactive took atrisk youth off the street and taught them web technologies for job placement,” de Haan said. “Once I got in and involved, I was hooked. It was exciting to be part of that.”

romke de haan

[email protected]

“The students will start at the nonprofit to be trained. Then they move into the for-profit to work as an intern, which helps them get jobs in order to continue and takes them away from a negative environment.”

andy theimer

[email protected]

Andy Theimer is yet another gazelle entrepreneur utilizing his talents to help grow and we like to watch: www.sohobiztube.com

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Are You Afraid To Be Held Accountable? Jim Palzewicz

I recently met with “Steve,” who is growing his business and producing results that most other business owners would be very satisfied with. However, he has set specific growth goals for his company, and he’s not achieving them. I asked Steve why he isn’t reaching those goals. “I know what to do,” he said. “I’m just not doing everything I know I need to do to make it happen.” “So,” I asked, “are you ready to be held accountable to doing what you need to do to achieve your goals?” Steve thought for a moment, smiled, and he confessed “I don’t know.” Steve is not unique. Many business owners set goals they “try” to achieve and are willing to accept something less. So, what is it about accountability that people find so repulsive? Accountability is defined as “the obligation to demonstrate and take responsibility for performance in light of agreed expectations.” There is a difference between responsibility and accountability. Responsibility is the obligation to act. Accountability is the obligation to answer for an action. As a business coach, I find that business owners are often afraid to accept full accountability for themselves and to hold their team accountable. Some forms of this include:

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Fear of commitment to the consistent effort it takes to succeed.

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As human beings, we have a natural tendency to let ourselves down before we will let others down. We will often sabotage ourselves by labeling our effort “good enough” and stop. That’s why accountability is so powerful. Answering to someone else helps us stay consistent, and makes us capable of pushing ourselves into action even when we want to slack off.

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Fear of confronting our weaknesses.

SMARTER, not HARDER.

Business owners often feel that they “should” know everything there is to know about running a successful business. If they don’t understand their financial statements, it’s less embarrassing to just avoid reviewing them rather than asking for help. Unacknowledged weaknesses are a blind spot and a potential risk to the success of the business. Accountability means having to admit to our weaknesses and take action to correct them – which can be humbling to our ego.

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Fear of losing their team. Many business owners would rather put up with less-thanacceptable effort and performance in their team members than hold them accountable to doing their job. Holding

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someone accountable can be uncomfortable, and most people would rather be nice than make someone else uncomfortable. Becoming a leader means putting our feelings aside – especially our need to be liked – and holding others to the standard they agreed to when they became an employee. Surprisingly, your team will actually respect you more when you hold them accountable. They’ll appreciate your help in pushing them out of their comfort zone to achieve the results. THEY really want to achieve as well. This is why great leaders earn respect from their team first, gaining their admiration for being the leader the team needs them to be.

Fear of failure. In my last article, I discussed how achievers see failure as a critical path to success. Achievers know that committing to a goal and doing their best might not always lead to immediate success. Rather, it’s consistent and persistent action despite the failures encountered along the way that lead to ultimate success. Dreams stay alive as long as the dreamer believes in them. In my next article, I’ll discuss specific ways to hold others accountable, with consequences! What prevents you from being held accountable to achieving your goals? Let me know by visiting my BLOG, “The SOHO Biz Doctor” at www.sohobiztube.com. Thanks for seeing the Soho Biz Doctor, the cure to what’s ailing your business! we like to watch: www.sohobiztube.com

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networking Always Offer A Helping Hand Jason Jacobsohn

Graphic Color Ad

One of the most important aspects of networking is helping others. Without

ensure that you have a good network of people to call

helping other people, it will be difficult to build sustaining and long-term

upon. Likewise, you might be called upon when other

relationships.

people are performing job searches.

Make it a point to

continuously

offer help

to others when you meet them for the first time. You should also

reach out to existing people within your own network and offer your assistance.

When people contact you during their job search, find out who they want to meet and then offer to connect them to various people within your network. Don’t spend too much time trying to help people find a new job until you get to know them. The last thing you want to do is make a bad connection within your network. It will help protect your reputation and trustworthiness within the network if you make sure you feel comfortable with a person before making a referral. Letting others know about job opportunities demonstrates your

Help others connect

thoughtfulness.

Over time, your network will continue to grow. This will provide you with a variety of people you can call upon. As you get to know people within your network, you will develop a clear understanding of their background and the types of people who would be beneficial for them to meet. When you meet people for the first time, pay attention to their backgrounds and needs. If you offer to make a connection, then you are showing goodwill and are on your way to building your relationships. Another great aspect about connecting people is that you are continuously putting yourself in front of your network.

Help by being a teammate Another great technique for building relationships is to help others with their projects. As you get to know people, you will learn about their professional and personal lives. During your discussions, you should get a good sense of how you can help people with their projects. Don’t offer to help until you feel that your expertise and resources can

People also will appreciate the time and care that went into making the connection for them. When it’s time for you to ask for a connection, others will then be glad to help. Once your network grows, people should even start to make connections without asking for an introduction from you.

truly be helpful. Effective ways to help others might include performing market research, analyzing competitors, researching Web sites and providing event information. You need to take each project very seriously because your

Help — when you can — with job searches

perceived character and continued relationship are

Past-built relationships, clearly, can become an important asset when you

riding on your goodwill. Helping people will take your

are looking for a new job. The time you put into building relationships will

relationships to another level.

When you meet people for the first time, pay attention to their backgrounds and needs.

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The last thing you want to do is make a bad connection within your network.

Another great technique for building relationships is to help others with their projects.

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sales Beyond Referrals: Creating Quality Introductions Steve Fretzin

During these interesting and changing times, there are a number of ways to develop new business. One of the most obvious ways to get more sales TODAY is by simply asking existing clients for referrals. Unfortunately for most business professionals, this is something that doesn’t come naturally. What if it was made easy? How much would your business increase if you were provided one referral from every existing client? Even better, what if they made a quality introduction for you to a new potential client?

a glorified “cold call” where you have to chase after the lead that was passed on to you. A quality introduction, on the other hand, is a completely different situation. This is an introduction where your associate provides the same contact information as before, but then includes positive affirmations about how you met, why he uses your products or services, and most importantly, how you helped him solve a problem. Now that the difference between a referral and a quality introduction has been established, we need to eliminate the

I define “head trash” as the reservations, fears and past experiences that keep us from thinking and acting clearly to achieve the results we desire. For example, if you aren’t “head trash” we all live with every day.

currently comfortable being asked for a referral from an associate, chances are you won’t feel comfortable asking for one yourself. Another important factor in removing “head trash” is your belief. You must truly believe that you are the best and most qualified individual in your industry and that everyone is better off working with you, rather than anyone else.

The difference between a referral and a quality introduction is simple. A referral is a lead passed from an associate that he thinks you should meet, typically including the individual’s name and phone number. Unfortunately, many times this ends up being

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Now all you need to do is put the two parts together. Eliminate your “head trash” by believing that you are helping others by inviting in the referral, and then upgrading the referral to a quality introduction by preparing the client on how to introduce you. For example, after asking a client for an introduction, he might say, “I have a great lead for you. Here is his name and number.” Now you have to move the referral to a quality introduction by asking some background questions regarding the lead and replying, “Thank you, would you do me a personal favor? Would you call your friend and give him a little background on how we met, why we started working together and the results you’ve achieved while working with me? Also, at the end of your conversation, would you make sure that he will accept my call?” In some cases you might actually want to role-play the conversation with your associate to ensure he knows how to handle the introduction properly. Remove your “head trash” and try this approach with your happiest clients. You’ll see the difference in the introductions you receive, how receptive they are to meet with you and most importantly, their interest in doing business with you.

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marketing and advertising

legal eaze

Permits And Procedures: A Crucial Business Process Explained

Understanding Your Ideal Clients Michael Cummings

Mark W. Siler To some business owners, an ideal client is the one that pays his bill. To others, it’s the customer who wants what you sell. To another, it’s the customer who needs what you sell. All three could be accurate in your mind, but only one is truly an ideal client.

For example, suppose you take your car to the same mechanic every time you change your oil and one day you discover that he’s been ripping you off by using a lower-grade oil and charging for a higher grade. Chances are you wouldn’t go back. That decision was triggered by an internal emotion.

Have you ever taken a look back at a transaction where everything went perfect from start to finish? The customer wasn’t picky. They liked the selections

However, if you were pleased with your mechanic’s level of service, it would take some form of external influence to get you to change to another mechanic. That external influence would probably take the form of an advertisement promising a substantially reduced price in exchange for greater service.

you offered. They agreed with everything you told them. They didn’t try to get a lower price, and they even prepaid for all their services. When they left, you asked yourself, “Why did that exchange go so smoothly?” The simple reason is some clients want what you offer and some need what you offer. The difference is huge. Prospects may or may not buy what they need, but they will always buy what they want, even in the current market conditions. Prospects make buying decisions based on emotions. “I want it. I’m buying it.”

Needs, on the other hand, are based on logic. “I

reaction to an internal emotion such as fear, desire, scarcity or loss, and external influences like an advertisement, wordof-mouth referral or sales call. These reactions then turn into needs or wants.

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Not so fast.

factors in your client’s decision-making process. In every business, you will experience problems, concerns and frustrations with clients. These become hot-button issues that they want or need to solve. If you can provide your client with a solution that satisfies those wants or needs, they’ll buy from you every time.

 

To find your ideal client, first you have to identify their demographic characteristics. This is the type

Now that we know who they are and what they want, the third step is to understand their decision-making process. Every decision starts with a

If you are, you probably believe you know exactly what you are doing in starting your new business. You have the great idea, you have the great business plan, and you have set up your LLC or corporation – hopefully after consulting your attorney. Now all that is left to do is run the business!

Can you see which of these two reactions is more powerful? It’s internal emotions that are the most powerful

should get it, but I’ll wait until I get paid.” When your product or service matches your prospect’s specific wants, you have found an ideal client. If you are not invoking emotion into your sales process, don’t expect to find ideal clients.

of client that has a need to purchase your product or service. Characteristics that define the group of available candidates might include male, homeowner and someone between the ages of 30 and 35. The next and more critical process is to identify the ideal client’s psychographics. These are the factors that identify the motivation or reasons why someone wants to buy the product or service (e.g., wants to have the newest technology, wants to create the image of success). You must discover what your ideal client’s hot buttons are and how to push them. Once you have this profile created, your job as a business owner is to create a match between the buyer’s psychographics and your product or service in their mind.

In this brave new economy, more and more out-of-work individuals are taking the plunge and starting their own businesses. Perhaps you are one of those people.

 

 

Steve Fretzin   President  Sales Results, Inc. 

 

How’s Business? 

 

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While it is obviously imperative to get your business up and running as quickly as possible to start your stream of revenue, this big picture view might cause you to overlook the details. What are those details you ask? All of the licenses and registrations that can be a small hassle to obtain when your business starts, but obtaining them in the beginning can prevent some much larger hassles in the future. Obviously, certain licenses and registrations are specific to particular industries. However, there are several items that most businesses will need, including an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and a seller’s permit. An EIN is similar to a Social Security number for your business and is used on certain business tax documents you will be required to submit for your company. An EIN is easy to obtain – you can apply for one online. While there are certain situations under which an EIN is not required – such as a single member LLC with no employees – this is generally a number your business will need. A simple rule to use: If you ever

plan on having employees or making any business-related tax filing, you should have an EIN, even if you are a simple partnership. A seller’s permit is required under Wisconsin law for every individual, partnership, corporation or other organization making retail sales, leases or rentals of tangible personal property or taxable services in Wisconsin, unless the sales are exempt from sales tax. In order to determine if you need a seller’s permit, it is generally a good idea to seek the advice of an attorney. While nearly all businesses that sell tangible goods will need a permit, if what you do is provide services, there is a good chance your activities are not subject to sales tax and you will need a seller’s permit. If you know that your business will need a seller’s permit, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue suggests that you apply for your permit at least three weeks prior to opening. If you have applied for, but not yet received your permit, you may begin operation, but you are still liable for all applicable sales and use tax.

These are just two of the many permits and registrations that may be required for your business. The best way to determine what other permits and registrations you need is to discuss it with someone who knows the lay of the land for your industry. Seek the advice of someone else in the business or from a trade association. For legal and tax requirements, seek advice from an attorney or accountant. While nothing can replace these trusted advisers, there is some guidance for those who wish to organize and operate their businesses without the costs associated with such advisors. For those individuals, the state of Wisconsin does provide some guidance on the “Build Your Business” page of the Wisconsin.gov Web site. This page can help with many questions facing an entrepreneur starting or growing a business, including issues with respect to permits and registrations. However you do it, make sure your business is properly licensed and registered. It will make operation much easier as your business grows and prospers.

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aga artka interior design

“Form follows function” is my motto. It is a principle associated with modern architecture and industrial design in the 20th century. I make sure that the spacial needs and the functionality of a given area is thought through first before the final design solution is presented. Functional and sustainable interior design is an investment, not an expense. A workspace designed properly should be an attractive and welcoming space for customers or visitors, promote productivity and efficiency for staff and be ergonomically designed with sufficient lighting and healthy materials to increase the well-being and overall happiness of the occupants.

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