Entrepreneurs Archives - Page 23 of 24

6/9/09 Mountain Social and Marketing

June 13, 2009 by admin

Gravity Free Radio

6/9/09 Mountain Social and Marketing

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This week we were joined by Jon Gatrell, @spatially, to discuss Mountain Social. Jon is one of the organizers of this unique event that will be held September 11-13, 2009 in Unicoi State Park in the North Georgia Mountains near Helen, GA. What’s unique about this conference is that you can bring your family along because it is structured to not only help you learn something but spend quality time with your kids or even your dog. For more information visit the Mountain Social website.

Also joining us this week was strategic marketer, Keith Finger. Keith helps companies who either do not have a full-time marketing staff or need to have someone dedicated to helping them figure out their long-term strategy. He said that a lot of companies are so focused on building their product or service offering that they lose sight of the most simple things such as a distribution strategy or target market. And, if companies don’t really take the time to understand who they are selling to, then they will miss a lot of opportunities. Keith helps companies define their strategies, nurture leads, and decrease sales cycles. Check out his website at KeithFinger.com

Thanks to Jon and Keith for coming on the show this week!

Join us next week for our Mompreneur show!

5/26/09 The People Factor: Nancy Pineda and Mariette Edwards Talk to GFR About Hiring Practices for Small Business

May 27, 2009 by admin

Gravity Free Radio

5/26/09 The People Factor: Nancy Pineda and Mariette Edwards Talk to GFR About Hiring Practices for Small Business

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If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur, chances are you will want to grow your business at some point. That means you will probably need to hire people. We talked to Nancy Pineda, founder and president of Hire Profile, a company specializing in sourcing the best and hardest to find creative talent for both temporary and permanent placements and Mariette Edwards, an executive coach with Star Maker Coaching who helps businesses make people decisions.

Both Nancy and Mariette agreed that you should “hire slowly, fire quickly” meaning that it takes time to find not only a qualified candidate but the person who is the right fit for your small company. Outsourcing the hiring to a recruiting firm means that the small business owner doesn’t have to waste valuable time sifting through what could be hundreds of unsuitable resumes. And, if you do happen to hire someone who isn’t the right fit, don’t prolong the process any longer than needed. While it may be hard to sever ties with an employee when you’re in a small company, it’s necessary for your sanity and the growth of the company.

Mariette had some great tips on how to interview potential new hires. She said that the thing that sticks out is usually indicative of who the person really is–such as a pair of funky earrings paired with a conservative suit. She also recommended that an entrepreneur first start by hiring someone who is very similar to themselves. Later on, they can begin to diversify their staff but at first, it’s important to pretty much “clone yourself.”

Definitely listen to this podcast because both Nancy and Mariette offer some invaluable advice for those of you out there looking to expand your business. Oh, and by the way, right now is a great time to be hiring. Because of the slowdown in the economy there is some tremendous talent out there that otherwise would not be available.

Learn more about Mariette at Star Maker Coaching and to reach Nancy, go to her website at Hire Profile. Thanks to both Nancy and Mariette for a wonderfully informative show!

Have a stellar week and we’ll see you next Tuesday!

5/19/09: David Hornik, August Capital + Jeff Hilimire, Shotput Ventures Discuss Startups and Funding

May 19, 2009 by admin

Gravity Free Radio

5/19/09: David Hornik, August Capital + Jeff Hilimire, Shotput Ventures Discuss Startups and Funding

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David Hornik has worked with technology startups throughout the software sector for over a decade. Since 2000, David has been with August Capital in San Francisco and has worked with companies such as Technorati, StumbleUpon, Six Apart, and PayCycle. His educational background includes a degree in Computer Music from Stanford University, an M.Phil in Criminology from Cambridge University and a degree from Harvard Law. He is currently a lecturer at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and at Harvard Law school. As one of the first venture capitalists to start blogging and podcasting, David is helping entrepreneurs better understand how to go about getting funding and really bringing more transparency to the overall process . One thing he pointed out is that not all businesses are suited for venture capital funding. It really depends on the business but if your business is the type of business that would benefit from VC money, he said that there are some key elements that he likes to see in a when a company is making their pitch for funding:

Credibility. He says that it is critical that the business owners understand their business and their entire industry. Having expertise in whatever you are building makes you a more attractive candidate to VCs.
Passion. This is also paramount. If an entrepreneur is passionate about what he or she is doing, they are more likely to succeed.
Good business model. The business has to be something that people want and that is sustainable.
Transfer the excitement. VCs are realists. They look at everything in very practical terms so the key to a successful pitch is not only convincing them that your business idea is a solid one but also getting them excited about the product or service. Let them try or experience it for themselves and you’ll have a better chance than if you just have a good business model.

For more information about David, follow him on Twitter or check out his blog at VentureBlog.

Our second guest, Jeff Hilimire, is from Atlanta and is a founding partner of Shotput Ventures, a technology startup accelerator fund that focuses on capital-light web services companies and assists in the conception phase. Shotput Ventures is an annual fund that will work with eight companies per year to help get them through the initial phase of development so they can hopefully go on to secure more funding and continue to grow. An entrepreneur himself, Jeff was the co-founder of Spunlogic and is now working with Engauge which acquired Spunlogic in 2008. With Shotput, Jeff is able to serve as a mentor and advisor (along with eight other partners) to these startups who will receive anywhere between $15-$25K in funding to help them get their ideas off the ground. He couldn’t tell us much about the companies but by the end of the summer, we should be hearing about some of them when they will present their ideas to both East and West Coast VCs. If you would like to learn more about Shotput Ventures, check out their website and follow Jeff on Twitter or via his website.

A big thank you to both our guests this week! We all learned a lot.

4/28/09: The Franchise Show with David Asarnow and Stan Friedman

April 28, 2009 by admin

Gravity Free Radio

4/28/09: The Franchise Show with David Asarnow and Stan Friedman

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What a great show we had today! We were joined by two great guests–both of whom are very successful in the franchise arena. David Asarnow, CEO of Clix Portrait Studios and Stan Friedman, President of Retrotax helped to break down the process of becoming a franchisee and what they, as franchisors, look for in potential business owners.

They both agreed that you must do something you are passionate about. You don’t want to own a restaurant if you hate food preparation for example. However, you don’t have to have much experience in something you know you will be passionate about. You can still be successful owning a portrait studio franchise even if you’ve never been a professional photographer. As with anything, it’s a lot of hard work and persistence. Just because you are buying a “turnkey” operation, you still have to do the leg work to find your customers, connect with the community and grow your business.

And, unlike starting a business from scratch, a franchise offers you the opportunity to be in business for yourself but not by yourself. As cliched as that might sound, it’s nice to have the support of a corporate office as well as a community of franchisees. You have a road map and systems already in place as well as operations manuals and proven methods for being a profitable franchisee. And, the franchisor can project with much more accuracy how long it will be before you will be profitable since they’ve already done it before.

For more information, listen to the podcast and let us know what you think. Thanks to both David and Stan for joining us! Have a stellar week!

4/21/09: Small Business Strategy with Todd Schnick & Don Rigby

April 21, 2009 by admin

Gravity Free Radio

4/21/09: Small Business Strategy with Todd Schnick & Don Rigby

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We love small businesses. That’s our target audience after all. But you might wonder why we like them so much. As we talked this morning with Todd Schnick of Intrepid Group and Don Rigby of Integrated Marcom, we were reminded again of the many reasons small businesses are so much fun and so much easier to work with than their larger counterparts.

Todd really likes working with small business owners because they can be, in his words, “bold and fearless.” What might take months of red tape to cut through in a large organization, a small company can accomplish in record time. They are simply more agile, more willing to change, and typically, the executives are making most of the decisions. That’s important in an ever-changing business landscape like we are in right now. His company, Intrepid, helps companies benefit from their small size by being able to have a dialogue with customers and respond accordingly.

Similarly, Don enjoys working with startups and small businesses because he believes that with a little focus, they can really differentiate themselves in this new business environment. His company, Integrated Marcom, can help them do that through the various tools and processes they use to make the small business seem larger because they can more efficiently manage their business relationships. More efficient relationship management means that they can manage more relationships.

Great advice from both Todd and Don and another great show for GFR! Have a stellar week!

3/24/09: Talking Trust + Loyalty with Fred Elsberry of the BBB and Marc Ellis of Thanks Again

March 24, 2009 by admin

Gravity Free Radio

3/24/09: Talking Trust + Loyalty with Fred Elsberry of the BBB and Marc Ellis of Thanks Again

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Fred Elsberry of the Better Business Bureau joined us this morning to talk about trust, honesty, and integrity which are more important now than ever before especially for small businesses. Whereas big companies often don’t put as much stock in developing that type of relationship with their consumers, it’s no less important but it doesn’t affect them as much. However, for small businesses, it’s a life or death scenario. If your customers don’t trust you because you haven’t been honest, you will feel it in your bottom line. The Better Business Bureau plays a key role in supporting that relationship. Each of their member companies are accredited by a very careful selection process. Rest assured that if you are doing business with a highly-rated BBB company, you will most likely have a satisfactory experience. And, as a merchant or business, this is a great badge of honor to be one of the 3,500 or so companies out of the 150,000 in the Atlanta Metro area to be listed as a Better Business Bureau accredited company.

Marc Ellis, of Thanks Again, came on GFR to discuss customer loyalty. He says the economy doesn’t really scare him because what they are seeing is that because consumers are more discerning, they are flocking to businesses that offer them incentives beyond the typical discounts. In fact, even if the monetary value of a discount and a reward is different, there is more perceived value in the reward (airline miles, gift cards, charitable donations) because they are aspirational goals. People will frequent a merchant more because of that customer loyalty program because they are working toward something such as a free trip. Thanks Again offers a great service to both the consumer (enrollment is free!) and the merchant by saving everyone money. At the same time, however, they are the conduit for a great relationship between a company and its customers. He also credit social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook) for helping business owners listen and respond more quickly to their customers’ wants and needs.

Great show today! Thanks to both our guests. Have a stellar week and we’ll see you next Tuesday at 10am!

60 Second Marketer Jamie Turner and Intellectual Property Strategist Jackie Hutter talk with Gravity Free Radio!

March 17, 2009 by admin

Gravity Free Radio

60 Second Marketer Jamie Turner and Intellectual Property Strategist Jackie Hutter talk with Gravity Free Radio!

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Stephanie was down in Austin for the big South by Southwest Interactive conference but we managed to have a terrific show anyway 🙂 Our associate Keith Fletcher was an ample substitute but we’ll still enjoy having Stephanie back on the mic with us next week.

The real story as always though was our incredible guests and the terrific information they had to share. Jamie Turner, the 60 Second Marketer had a lot of great things to say about marketing, brand management and differentiation from a small business owner’s perspective. Be sure to listen for Jamie’s free advice and check out his web site!

Our second guest, “recovering attorney” and intellectual property strategist Jackie Hutter had great information for any business owner who has ever invented something. Listen for her tips on when to — and when NOT to — consider a patent and how business owners can get the most value from a patent. Be sure to visit Jackie’s web site and her IP Asset Maximizer Blog.

Happy St. Patty’s Day! We’ll see you next Tuesday!

3/10/09 GFR Talks with Brian Patrick Cork

March 11, 2009 by admin

Gravity Free Radio

3/10/09 GFR Talks with Brian Patrick Cork

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Have you ever sat across from someone and wondered how they’ve managed to pack about 10 lifetimes into one? Because we did that yesterday when we were joined by Brian Cork, a very successful entrepreneur who lives in the Atlanta area. Brian has been many things throughout his career–professional athlete, stock broker, venture capitalist, entrepreneur, executive coach, and recruiter…just to name a few. It seems like we always hear about something else he’s done each time we talk to him.

Brian is a highly energetic, charismatic figure who has channeled that energy and charisma into helping build successful companies and people. We asked him what it takes to build a successful company and above and beyond anything else, he says you need to have a plan. But, it also helps to pick good strategic partners and do a lot research including focus groups to make sure you have a viable product or service before you bet your house on that plan. He also said that an entrepreneur needs to be prepared to live without income for 18 months and expect that it could be somewhat stressful for your spouse and family. If you succeed, however, it will be well worth it.

Brian is a Catalyst Top 25 Entrepreneur and heads up brian cork Human Capital, a specialized recruiting company based in Alpharetta, GA. He is also very excited about the work he’s doing with his accelerator and with college students at his alma mater, Radford University. We will definitely have to have Brian back on GFR because even though he was our only guest, we barely scratched the surface with everything he has going on. And check out his blog, The Unsinkable Brian Cork when you get a chance. Thanks, Brian!

Have a stellar week! Stephanie will be at SXSW Interactive in Austin, TX so if you are there, say hello! Keith Fletcher will be filling in for her next week. See you then!

3/3/2009 GFR Talks Sales Strategy and IT Services with Michael Scher and Chas Arnold

March 3, 2009 by admin

Gravity Free Radio

3/3/2009 GFR Talks Sales Strategy and IT Services with Michael Scher and Chas Arnold

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What can we say? We’re on a roll. All of our guests so far have been fantastic and today was no exception.

Michael Scher, the President of Frontline Selling, joined us to talk about how to effectively and efficiently create demand for your product or service. He said that most salespeople don’t get in front of the right people to articulate their company’s value proposition. Frontline Selling has developed methodologies to help accelerate a sales pipeline by securing time with key people in an organization. This results in qualified sales opportunities and shorter sales cycles. His free advice was also great. He said that when trying to reach a high-level executive in a company, you may not get a response but that doesn’t mean they aren’t interested. They are simply very busy and may not have the time to return your call or respond to your email. Being persistent is the key to getting some face time with the right person.

Chas Arnold, VP of Sales & Marketing for DynaSis, talked about managed IT Services for small/midsize businesses. He said that these days, it’s really important to protect your company’s data not only for security reasons but also in case of a disaster. During Hurricane Katrina, many businesses learned this lesson the hard way. They lost valuable company data when computer equipment and servers were either destroyed or simply left behind. DynaSis can manage your entire IT infrastructure from soup to nuts. Your data will be secure and more importantly, your network will never go down. DynaSis manages everything from a state-of-the-art data center with multiple redundant connections. As Chas said, “Uptime is paramount.” If your network isn’t working, you’re not making money. His great free advice to small business owners was to not ignore your IT needs. Be proactive and take care of this early before something happens. It’ll be one less thing you, as a small business owner, have to worry about.

Great show and a big thanks to Mike and Chas for joining us! Have a stellar week and we’ll see you next Tuesday!