Linking Your Way To Local Business Dominance – Mike Sheehan
BizCamp at the Taylor Institute is proud to welcome Mike Sheehan founder of Linked Local Akron (LLA). In just 12 short months Mike has grown this LinkedIn group to over 1,700 members. How’d he do it?
Find out August 19-20 at The Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing. Seats are limited – register now to secure your seat.
Mike will be one of the 18 speakers presenting at this year’s BizCamp on the University of Akron campus August 19-20. 
About The Speaker
Mike Sheehan, Founding member of the Linked Local Akron
The LLA group has grown to over 1,700 members, in a year’s time. Mike has been an invited speaker to many groups and businesses sharing his simple and effective ways of using LinkedIn to help you build your business.
Here’s what other have said:
“Mike was very knowledgeable in his presentation and spoke very fluently about social media. He was responsive to our group’s inquiries, thinking fast on his feet and providing us with useful information. I would recommend Mike as a speaker.”
”His presentations are excellent and provide a good deal of practical information. He keeps them interesting and has experience that is helpful to everyone he speaks to.”
“Mike provided a “Linked In” workshop for my Team. The presentation was lively and very informative. Mike used lots of examples and gave us a “hands on” approach to navigating the network site. He answered all of our questions.”
Event Sponsors:
The Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing at the University of Akron
Serviced Office and Meeting Space Provider – Office Space Coworking based in Akron, OH
Online Marketing Experts – Sanctuary Media Group based in Akron, OH
How to use attention-getting online marketing to generate sales – Jim Kukral
Jim Kukral speaks at this year's BizCamp at the Taylor Institute, Aug 19-20
BizCamp at the Taylor Institute is proud to welcome Jim Kukral. Jim will be one of the 18 speakers presenting at this year’s BizCamp on the University of Akron campus August 19-20. Seats are limited – register now to secure your seat.
Jim was so great last year – we had to ask him to join us again.
Jim’s presentation this year: How to use attention-getting online marketing to generate sales, leads and publicity for your business.
Learn from Jim the simple, yet effective techniques and tactics for how to turbo-charge your sales, leads and publicity for your business.
Jim Kukral is a web marketer & business web coach, speaker, long-time award-winning blogger, customer evangelist, writer, online monetization expert, and well, a bunch of other things. When Jim isn’t speaking or consulting to top Fortune 500 clients, Jim spends his business hours as the owner of Scratchback.com, a widget-based tipping system that thousands of bloggers and webmasters use daily.
For over 15-years, Jim Kukral has helped small businesses and large companies like Fedex, Sherwin Williams, Ernst & Young and Progressive Auto Insurance understand how find success on the Web. Jim is the author of the book, “Attention! This Book Will Make You Money”, as well as a professional speaker, blogger and Web business consultant. Find out more by visiting www.JimKukral.com. You can also follow Jim on Twitter @JimKukral.
Event Sponsors:
The Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing at the University of Akron
Serviced Office and Meeting Space Provider – Office Space Coworking based in Akron, OH
Online Marketing Experts – Sanctuary Media Group based in Akron, OH
Keen Insight: 3 Tips for Seeing What Isn’t There
As business managers, we’re trained to provide feedback to employees, partners and customers. In our business culture, many have taken the polite way to praise others – be it regarding elements of a relationship, a product, a piece of work or even a meeting. These are beneficial skills that many of us have mastered.While it’s important to understand what IS there — one of the key skills you should master is assessing what ISN’T there. What questions aren’t being answered? What did you expect that you aren’t getting? Being able to articulate what isn’t there is as important as assessing the quality of what you DO see.
As business owners and leaders, we are always looking to be more successful – however you define success. By growing out side of your comfort zone and essentially “flipping things upside down” you will be providing feedback to others that is truly more than just reinforcing praise – it is constructive input that will continue to build your relationship and their output.
Read more
Call for Speakers – BizCamp 2010 Announced
August 19-20, 2010 in Akron, Ohio — Office Space Coworking will be hosting our next BizCamp! If you have a topic idea or are interested in being a speaker, please send me your ideas.
Submit your ideas here:
BizCamp 2010 Speaker Application
Last time we had 18 speakers present over the course of 2 days.
Speakers included Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends, Ivana Taylor of DIY Marketers, Jim Kukral, Nathan Kievman and many other great speakers. You can download our original program guide here to get an idea of what went on:
2009 BizCamp Program of Events
What is BizCamp?
BizCamp is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It’s an intense event with discussions, demos and interaction from participants.
Sometimes referred to as an ‘un-conference’ it’s a break from the expensive, ‘pitch’-driven, cattle-herding events that have become all too common in the business world.
Rather – BizCamp is a participatory event. Attendees help determine what presentations will be given — and even have the opportunity to present themselves.
The presentations themselves are intimate affairs – small groups of 20-30 people.
The sessions feature an open dialogue of questions, answers and -yes- even the occasional ‘I don’t know.’
Why would you want to present?
For one – you’d get free access to rest of the event.
….AND you’d be in a forum that establishes you as an expert to a group of small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Our goal is to have 18 sessions in 2 days. Topics would run on three ‘tracks’
1) The Entrepreneurial Experience
2) Marketing for Small Business
3) Business Technology
We can’t offer you an audience of 1,000 people ….
BUT we can offer you an audience of hyper-local, highly motivated small business owners who would LOVE the opportunity to engage you in your field of expertise.
Over the next few days we’re releasing select videos of our last BizCamp on our site.
So hopefully you’ll follow along and see some of the great presentations and consider participating in the July 29-30 event.
Tapping Young Minds: The New Resource for Entrepreneurs
As an entrepreneur, you are likely running your own show or have a couple of good employees to rely on. What you’ve probably learned is that good people are in short supply. Whatever your situation, you likely need more resources, but might be strapped by finances to invest in full-time help.
But knowledgeable, motivated and affordable resources may not be as far off as you think. In every business college – whether in undergraduate or graduate programs – there is always a class on entrepreneurship. Most likely, you’ve even taken that class! Now it’s time to tap into these bright young minds.
Business students can actually serve as an extension of your company through an ongoing assignment that meets your business need. Not only are they willing, they are more than able. Their idealism may help inspire you to see what is possible and similarly, you can share your real-world experience to help them learn.
Staying Sane: Being Productive, Even in the Slow Times
So you just submitted a big proposal to a prospective client who could really make a difference for your business. If this one comes through, it could make your year – or at least it could cover your payroll for the next few months. You are naturally patient, understanding that it will take time for your prospective client to consider your proposal and potentially review competitors’ proposals.
Rather than waste this “waiting time” with busy work, why not make the most of it? Avoid going stir crazy – by making your time as productive as possible, you’ll feel better and you’ll likely be moving your business forward by acquiring new leads or cultivating existing ones.
Tips for Tapping into Time
We’ve outlined some key tasks that will not only make you feel productive, they will actually produce results. From contacting prospects to getting your business organized, the following tips are all key investments in your business and future.
Schedule a minimum of two hours a day for phone calling
Make your phone calls in the morning while you are your referrals are both fresh and alert, treating this time as you would any important appointment. Your objective for your calls is to create interst, gather data and make an appointment. You’ll feel good when you can get those parts completed.
Call your best customers
When’s the last time you talked to them? They are your best business asset, so invest time into them. A simple phone call is always appreciated. See how they’re doing, what’s new and if there’s anything you can do for them (and don’t forget to record new information into a customer profile!)
Go to industry or association events
Usually, networking activities are the first thing to go when we get busy. Now that you have some space, get up and get out. Talking to people – whether colleagues or potential clients – is not only good business relationship management, but a welcome social outlet.
Work on your customer database
Now is the time to start recording all of the interactions, phone calls and lists that have been either stored in your mind or on disparate pieces of paper. Taking the time to organize in a database (Microsoft Excel or Access are completely sufficient) will pay off in the long run.
So, did you get the call back? If it’s a good answer, great! If not, don’t take rejection personally. It is to be anticipated and is a natural part of the selling process. Learn from it by using it as a valuable feedback tool and keep persevering!
Making Ideas “Stick”
Over the years, numerous business ideas, philosophies and approaches have flooded our world, particularly with the proliferation of the Internet. But what makes one idea catch on with the masses and others fall to the wayside?
“Made to Stick,” by brothers Chip and Dan Heath, is an attempt to explain this peculiar fact and many others like it. Why is it that some ideas “stick,” remaining vivid in memory and calling on people to act, whereas others just fade away? Is it in the nature of the ideas themselves, or does it have something to do with how they are “packaged”? And if the latter, are there lessons to be learned about packaging that will help people who are trying to influence public opinion and action?
The brothers – who are experts in organizational behavior — have written a book that lays out the six core ingredients and illustrates them with powerful examples. A useful mnemonic device, the components are organized by the acronym “SUCCES.” To stick, ideas should be Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotion-evoking and entrenched in Stories.
We’ve provided a brief overview of the book and these six basic principles:
Principle 1: Simplicity
How do we find the essential basis of our ideas? To narrow an idea down to its core, we must prioritize and narrow thoughts. Saying something short is not the goal. You need a one-sentence statement so insightful that a person could spend a lifetime learning to follow it.
Principle 2: Unexpectedness
How do we get our audience to pay attention to our ideas, and how do we maintain their interest when we need time to get the ideas across? We need to be counterintuitive. We can engage people’s curiosity over a long period of time by systematically “opening gaps” in their knowledge- and then filling those gaps.
Principle 3: Concreteness
How do we make our ideas clear? We must explain our ideas in terms of human actions, in terms of sensory information. This is where so much business communication goes awry. Mission statements, synergies, strategies, visions-they are often ambiguous to the point of being meaningless. Speaking concretely is the only way to ensure that our idea will mean the same thing to everyone in our audience.
Principle 4: Credibility
How do we make people believe our ideas? Sticky ideas have to carry their own credentials. We need ways to help people test our ideas for themselves-a “try before you buy” philosophy for the world of ideas. When we’re trying to build a case for something, most of us instinctively grasp for hard numbers. But really, the goal is to ask help people ask questions that inspire them to think how an idea might apply to them on a personal level.
Principle 5: Emotions
How do we get people to care about our ideas? We make them feel something. Statistics usually don’t elicit emotions. We are wired to feel things for people, not for abstractions. Sometimes the hard part is finding the right emotion to harness.
Principle 6: Stories
How do we get people to act on our ideas? We tell stories. Research shows that mentally rehearsing a situation helps us perform better when we encounter that situation in the physical environment. Similarly, hearing stories acts as a kind of mental flight simulator, preparing us to respond more quickly and effectively.
To read further, visit www.madetostick.com.
Project Management – Part 2: Communication
Project Communication: An Exercise in Managing Change
Everyone intuitively knows it: communication is the key to any successful project. In fact, constant, effective communication among all project stakeholders ranks high among the factors leading to the success of a project. It is a key prerequisite of getting the right things done in the right way. As knowledge is power, sharing knowledge is empowering every project stakeholder.
It is a best practice among effective project management philosophies build in check points to ensure a thorough understanding and to secure early buy-in from different stakeholder groups. The number of formal communication checkpoints should vary depending on the size of the project and on the number of stakeholders in your company.
A project communication plan is the written strategy for getting the right information to the right project stakeholders at the right time. Each stakeholder has different requirements for information as they participate in the project in different ways. For information to be used, it has to be delivered to its target users timely. As a project manager, while developing your communication plan, you need to decide how often to contact each stakeholder and with what information.
Your communication plan should include the following components:
- The kickoff meeting. This establishes project timelines, required resources, agreed-upon outcomes for the project, reporting schedules and so on. The kick-off meeting serves two purposes. Firstly, it serves to introduce the project team and formalize the project management aspects of the overall project. Secondly, it provides an opportunity for the project team to receive a more detailed briefing from the client and to finalize user and stakeholder involvement.
- A review meeting could be held at the end of any of the analysis, design, or implementation phases. Here, you discuss the outcomes of that phase and their bearing on how to proceed with the project. This meeting aims to create a shared understanding of the emphasis in the remaining phases of the project and allows the project team to reconsider any assumptions based on learnings so far.
- A technical review meeting, if applicable, explains the design to the client’s technical team and gain any feedback about any implementation issues, before the design progresses too far. The goal would be to walk the client’s technical team through the high-level design concepts, showing them the paper designs and explaining both the rationale behind the different designs, and how we would expect each interaction to work.
- Regularly scheduled milestone meetings. Make sure that these intervals are agreed upon by the client and that these meetings happen. Bring an agenda to each meeting to review every component of the project, wins, status and challenges. These elements should cover resources, costs and issues.
- Final presentation. The presentation to client project stakeholders at the end is a crucial opportunity for your organization to understand the design so far, and the rationale it is based on.
Change Management: The Goal of Project Communication An often-mentioned buzzword in business circles, change management is really the core of project management communication. There are many “meanings” of change management, but for the purposes of this discussion, let’s keep it simple.
The first and most obvious definition of “change management” is that the term refers to the task of managing change. In the context of project management, change management is essentially the goal of the communication process and structure. The obvious is not necessarily unambiguous. Managing change is itself a term that has at least two meanings.
One meaning of “managing change” refers to the making of changes in a planned and managed or systematic fashion. The goal is to more effectively implement new methods and systems in an existing organization.
As we referred to in part 1 of this report, a very useful framework for thinking about the change process is problem solving. Interestingly, this is also how effective project management is approached. Managing change is seen as a matter of moving from one state to another, specifically, from the problem state to the solved state. Problem analysis is generally acknowledged as essential. Goals are set and achieved at various levels and in various areas or functions. Ends and means are discussed and related to one another. Careful planning is accompanied by efforts to obtain buy-in, support and commitment. The net effect is a transition from one state to another in a planned, orderly fashion.
The bottom line: change is a reality in any project situation. Therefore, project management inherently involves stimulating change within an organization. Some organizations are set up for this, others aren’t. In order to effectively affect change through your client project, make sure you understand that people resist change as natural parts of the process. By regularly communicating through various means and structures, you can ultimately overcome thosebarriers to ensure project success.
Check out these resources for more information on project and change management:
http://www.change-management.com/
http://www.strategy-business.com/resilience/rr00006
Finding the Elusive Balance
“We do not remember days, we remember moments.”-Cesare Pavese
Long, long ago, employees worked from 9-5, Monday through Friday. Sure, there were occasional exceptions, but most of the time, the boundaries between home and work lives were clear.
Those were the days.
The world certainly has changed, and in many ways has made our lives easier with technological advances making our lives more efficient. But at the same time, the boundaries between work and home are blurrier for many workers, especially if you own your own business and/or work from home. The challenge ahead for many of us is to strike that balance to create the meaningful moments in both our work and home lives that keep us going.
By strict definition, work-life balance is a person’s control over the conditions in their workplace. It is accomplished when an individual feels dually satisfied about their personal life and their paid occupation. It mutually benefits the individual, business and society when a person’s personal life is balanced with his or her own job. The work-life balance strategy offers a variety of means to reduce stress levels and increase job satisfaction in the employee while enhancing business benefits for the employer. In our increasingly hectic world, the work-life strategy seeks to find a balance between work and play.
It isn’t easy to juggle the demands of career and personal life. For most people, it’s an ongoing challenge to reduce stress and maintain harmony in key areas of their life. Here are some ideas to help you find the balance that’s best for you:
- Keep a log. Track everything you do for one week. Include work-related and non-work-related activities. Decide what’s necessary and satisfies you the most. Cut or delegate activities you don’t enjoy, don’t have time for or do only out of guilt. If you don’t have the authority to make certain decisions, talk to your supervisor.
- Manage your time. Organize household tasks efficiently. Doing one or two loads of laundry every day rather than saving it all for your day off, and running errands in batches rather than going back and forth several times are good places to begin. A weekly family calendar of important dates and a daily list of to-dos will help you avoid deadline panic.
- Rethink your cleaning standards. An unmade bed or sink of dirty dishes won’t impact the quality of your life. Do what needs to be done and let the rest go.
- Fight the guilt. Remember, having a family and a job is okay — for both men and women.
- Nurture yourself. Set aside time each day for an activity that you enjoy, such as walking, working out or listening to music. Unwind after a hectic workday by reading, practicing yoga or taking a bath or shower.
- Set aside one night each week for recreation. Discover activities you can do with your partner, family or friends, such as playing golf, fishing or canoeing. Making time for activities you enjoy will rejuvenate you.
- Get enough sleep. There’s nothing as stressful and potentially dangerous as working when you’re sleep-deprived. Not only is your productivity affected, but you can also make costly mistakes. You may then have to work even more hours to make up for these mistakes.
- Read up on it. Some good resources are “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” by Richard Carlson and “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” by Dale Carnegie.
Project Management for Small Business Owners – Part 1
From formal project management courses to new age disciplines, there are many theories of project management. Some are strict, some are more fluid, but all have the goal of getting a project done. Tools such as Microsoft Project have made the field and practice of project management all the more visible over the years.
No matter what tools you use, the critical point is finding a project management style that works for you, your employees (if you have any) and your business goals. In this report, we’ve outlined the basics and challenges of project management as well as introduced a few tried and true methods for you to explore.
Project management is the practice of managing resources – time, materials and people – in order to complete a project within a defined scope of quality, time and cost. By definition, a project is a one-time event to create a unique product or service – one that adds value. However, it is important to note that since projects are a one-time deal, projects actually contrast with processes or operations that are created to scale repeated events and tasks. As a field of study and practice, project management developed from different disciplines including construction, engineering, and defense. In the United States, the forefather of project management is Henry Gantt, called the father of planning and control techniques, who is famously known for his use of the “bar” chart as a project management tool, for being an associate of Frederick Winslow Taylor’s theories of scientific management and for his study of the work management of Navy ship building. With large corporations like DuPont quickly adopting such methods, in 1969, the Project Management Institute (PMI) was formed to serve the interest of the project management industry. The premise of PMI is that the tools and techniques of project management are common even among the widespread application of projects from the software industry to the construction industry. In 1981, the PMI Board of Directors authorized the development of what has become the A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), containing the standards and guidelines of practice that are widely used throughout the profession. The International Project Management Association (IPMA), founded in Europe in 1967, has undergone a similar development and instituted the IPMA Project Baseline. Both are now creating a global project management standard.[1]
Read more
