Boating is something Mark Taylor, CPA, owner of Mark Taylor & Associates, PA which specializes in individual and small-to-medium business tax and financial needs, has known for most of his life.

Having had a boat growing up, he has always loved being on the water. “I just love the hum of the motor, which is probably a guy thing,” admits Taylor. “But when you are at cruising speed and can hear the motor humming and you are outside and it’s nice and quiet in the sunshine (because it’s not hot on the water when you are moving)—it’s just wonderful.”

Joining in

One thing Taylor didn’t absolutely love about boating was personal ownership, which is why about a year ago he joined the Freedom Boat Club (www.freedomboatclub.com/locations/43-jacksonville-fl).

Mark & Jessica

“I’m generally a nervous person when it comes to new ventures, so when Lisa sold it to us, I wondered if we would really be able to get a boat, if it would be the boat we wanted, and is it as good as they say it is,” says Taylor. “Honestly, I’ve got to say it’s as good as they say it is—it’s been fantastic!”

“When you look at the price and look at what it offers, it’s a fantastic opportunity. You can’t even store a boat for the price you pay per month there. How can you beat it?” adds Taylor. “The boat that comes to you is clean, fully fueled, and ready to go—all you have to do is get in and go. When you’re done, you fuel it up, drop it off, and they take care of it. I call it Cadillac boating.”

Family fun time

Ashley & Troy

One way the boat club has been good for Taylor is being able to spend quality time with his family. “My wife Teresa and I have a 16-year-old son (Troy) and two 14-year-old daughters (Ashley and Jessica), and if you know anything about kids at that age, that’s when they start to not want to be around the parents,” jokes Taylor.

But boating is something they have all come to love together and Taylor sees it as an opportunity to be, and stay, involved in each other’s lives. “You get a lot of time to talk and have fun with the family playing and swimming in the water and joking around,” says Taylor. “I got to tube and even ski the other day with my kids because we finally bought another rope and got another set of skis—and now we are out there double skiing! Boating just gives us a lot more opportunity with our kids than we otherwise would have.”

Quality time

Taylor says boating has also been beneficial for quality time with his wife. During the summer, he will oftentimes take Fridays off and will treat his wife to a boat ride and lunch.

“When I take those days and the kids don’t want to go, her and I will just take the boat across and go to

Mark & Teresa

lunch at Whitey’s Fish Camp, or take it to the Landing or Outback Crab Shack,” says Taylor. “We’ve even taken advantage of the St. Augustine boat club location and tootled around, went downtown and ate at Cap’s, which is right on the river and absolutely gorgeous.”

The ease of it all

Taylor knows for a fact he and his family use this boat more because it’s so easy. “I know it may not be as easy for others, but I can be at the marina within five minutes and on the water in 20 minutes. I don’t have to trailer anything or pay launch fees; I don’t have to do anything—nothing,” says Taylor. “And financially speaking, if you use it, it’s a fantastic deal; if you don’t use it, it’s a fantastic deal in comparison to buying your own boat.”

Ever heard the expression, “Hoity toity?” Well, that is how Taylor feels. “I feel hoity toity when I do this because it’s one of those things where you aren’t paying a lot of money, but you’re sure getting the service like you are.”

Leigh Burdett set her tires in motion and built a sustainable tourism business with her bike tours.

By Wendy Bautista

While her company’s name often gets jumbled, Leigh Burdett’s vision for her e2ridebiketours (www.e2ride.com) doesn’t. “When I first came up with the name and logo, I wanted something recognizable that if and when e2ride bike tours (red “e” to ride bike tours) becomes something either nationwide or worldwide that when you saw the red e, you would know that that’s my bike tour and you could expect the same type of service and experience,” says Burdett.

“I wanted a symbol that was clean, big and bold, and could stand on its own, and I felt the red e eventually could. Right now I find that most people call me e2ride bike tours or ezride bike tours, and I just gently correct them,” she continues. The red e logo and company name represent how she runs her bike tours—when you show up, she has everything set and you are “ready to ride.”

“Often when we are on a tour, riders will be looking at the license plate signs on the bikes with the logo and all of a sudden I hear, ‘Oh, I get it now!” and I laugh knowing exactly what they are talking about. But once people get it, they never forget it!”

Getting inspired

For Burdett, it took losing her job in corporate America as a general sales manager to find her true calling. She found herself watching Oprah one afternoon when the book, “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle was being touted. Burdett says they were discussing how the book basically teaches you to lose your ego and fear and follow your passion, and if everybody in life followed what they were good at, the world would operate more smoothly, people would be happier, and it would be a better earth— therefore a new earth.

The words touched home for Burdett, who then read the book, and she began to wonder what she would want to do if she didn’t have any fear. “I started to look at the things I enjoy versus what I had at my old job because I could have gone to another company and gotten a job doing what I was doing,” says Burdett, “But my old office had no windows and I was practically in front of a computer all day.”

While she continued her analysis, she would hop on her bike and ride through her neighborhood, and it was then she realized she wanted to do something outdoors. “Even as a child I would be on a bike or was heading outside to do something; I was never an inside person,” she says.

On the right path

Still forming her idea, she continued to think of what else she liked to do. As a younger adult, she gave tours at the Anheuser Bush Brewery and remembered how much she loved meeting people from all over the world, hearing their stories, communicating with them, and sharing her stories. That’s when she asked herself, “What can I do that is outdoors and I can talk to people?”

“I had friends go on bike tours in France and on wine tours, and they all said what a great time they had,” says Burdett. “And I thought, ‘My goodness. There are places in our own community that are beautiful enough to create similar bike tours!’”

While she was contemplating the administrative element of creating week-long bike tours, the right idea came to her—why not daily bike tours?

Practice rides

Once she had her epiphany, she set her wheels in motion. She began gathering information,researching, and learning the history of the area and of each location she was considering, with much of the information coming from the communities’ preservation societies.

She then did test runs with friends and watched their reactions to the information she was putting out. “If it made them light up, I did more research on it; if they seemed uninterested, I took it off,” says Burdett. She wanted it to be like bike riding with a friend who just happens to know the history of the neighborhood. She didn’t want to bore people with a myriad of dates and history that will be “snoozey.”

“I then basically took that information and put it to a route that had not only safety as a factor, but a ‘fun feel’ factor as well.” During all of this planning, she realized she wanted to provide an opportunity for people to “step off the gerbil wheel of life,” as she calls it, and be able to throw on whatever is comfortable and show up, which meant supplying gear for every rider and getting it to the locations without having a storefront at each location.

Ready, set, ride

What she has is a fleet of 20, easy-to-ride Trek 7200 hybrid bicycles that can be adjusted for anysize and comfort and a trailer to haul 16 of them—wedged like a puzzle—with room for the other four in her truck, if needed. Each bike is outfitted with a computer to measure mileage and speed, a basket for personal belongings, and a red flashing tail light for inclement weather, and each rider is provided a biking helmet, ice cold water in an e2ride bike tour souvenir water bottle, and healthy snacks, along with Burdett’s history knowledge and preservation tips and facts.

“Riders can also bring their own bikes and gear and enjoy a $25 discount off the regular price. I built it that way to offer flexibly to my customers as well as my company,” says Burdett. “I have 20 bikes, but once I’m out of those 20 bikes I can’t take any more riders. By offering the opportunity for people to bring their own bike, I can have tours as large as possible, which I have had up to 82 people.”

e2ride bike tours has five tours to choose from—Riverside/Avondale, San Marco, Springfield, Beaches, and Old Mandarin—with each tour starting at a select location in the community (such as the Riverside Avondale Preservation Society for the Riverside tour). They each run about three hours and are 10 to 12 miles in length, but Burdett says it’s an easy ride that is set to the pace of the slowest rider with plenty of sightseeing stops.

“I’ve taken thousands of riders and nobody has had to stop,” she says. “Some riders are so proud of themselves for doing the distance that they have pictures taken next to the odometer to prove they did it!”

Pedals and preservation

One aspect of e2ride bike tours that came as an added bonus was Burdett, without really knowing it, created a sustainable tourism business. “While I operate in five neighborhoods, my business doesn’t alter the way a neighborhood looks—it works in harmony with the natural habitat. I do not have a physical structure or a business that may look out of place in these neighborhoods,” says Burdett.

Her business also works with a community to support the businesses within that community. For example, when a tour is over, riders can buy their food, visit the shops, and purchase souvenirs at different businesses in that community. “I am bringing people who wouldn’t necessarily be coming to San Marco or Springfield or Riverside into these pocket neighborhoods and helping the communities with their goal of being sustainable communities.

“I look at it as more than a business or more than a bike tour, I see it as a cog in the wheel of preservation and ecology,” says Burdett, who is an ambassador for the St. Johns Riverkeeper and a member of the Riverside Avondale Preservation Society, Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council, Mandarin Museum & Historical Society, and the Beaches Area Museum and Historical Society.

“I basically learn from these societies and then pass the information along on the tours, such as the health of the river and the world’s waterways and what makes a river-friendly yard. I am trying to be a business and a cog in a wheel that educates people in the importance of preservation, going green, being environmentally conscious, and having community engagement—all while having a good life and remembering to get off that gerbil wheel.

“I want people to know that this business is about fun and relaxation, but it is also about preservation and being green,” says Burdett. “Put what you are feeling and learning on the tour today in your life when you go back to your everyday life.”

Being greener

Burdett knows she, personally, is doing different little habits and she hopes that others are doing different little habits based on what she talks about on the tours. “I don’t think they are going home with every little fact, but I like to think they are going home with say three little things that they remember and those three little things are helping them to be a little greener, a little more into preservation and conservation, and a little more thoughtful with their actions,” says Burdett.

One of the biggest thrills for her is that fact that she’s made neighborhoods the biggest attraction in Jacksonville (as rated #1 on TripAdvisor). “And isn’t that what we really want to get back to? That off-the-gerbil-wheel, happy, and relaxed way of life?” asks Burdett.

“I love it because instead of being in an office without windows, I will either be with a group of people leading a tour or I will be going to other communities to learn their histories and setting set up bike routes. It’s an opportunity for me to be out and about and an opportunity to change the world and make an impact or footprint on the world in my small way.”

Wendy Bautista is the editor of Advantage Small Business Magazine. She can be reached at Wendy@advantagebizmag.com or 904-536-2234.

Business vitals

Owner: Leigh Burdett

In business since: September 2009

Projected growth: “Along with bike tours, I realized so many companies are looking to involve themselves with employee wellness or associate their branding with things that are green and about preservation, conservation, and community engagement, so one thing I am doing is talking to businesses about sponsorship opportunities.

On my tours I have heard many riders say, ‘If my wife saw these houses, she would want to buy a house here’ so another aspect I am looking into is real estate. I will talk to these companies and see if they want to sponsor so people can see the houses in the neighborhoods and communities by bike as part of what they offer as a service.

In some of my research, I discovered that business groups don’t want to book events in Jacksonville because there are not many activities right out the front door. So I have been working with hotels such as the Omni and Hyatt to book group tours. It’s a wonderful thing to have such a flexible business that I can offer this service and make people feel like they can walk right out the door and there’s the bike tour.

And of course, the more sponsorships and business deals I can make means there are more opportunities I have to grow e2ride bike tours—either growing this location or other franchises.

How you can do it

“It may sound a little simplistic, but start by reading ‘A New Earth’ and really get an understanding of putting that ego and fear on a shelf. Then ask yourself, ‘Is what I’m doing providing a service to others or is this just what I like to do?’ Then you have to be in a place where you have a passion for what you do and an enthusiasm that you’re never going to give up. Listen to what customers are saying, as they are offering good advice, and fine tune your business by what they were saying. When people come on the bike tours they say I was born to do this and I feel like I would not have found this without putting my fear and ego on a shelf and following my passion.”

The truth about the cost of greening your business

By Helen Rake

Have you ever watched the television show, “The Biggest Loser”? At first, most contestantsalmost give up because they fear change and doubt their physical abilities; many have become complacent in their ways and think it’s easier to just accept the situation.

Although their fear almost gets the best of them, Bob and Jillian, the coaches, push them to their physical limits and challenge them to change their complacent and destructive mindset so they don’t backslide after all the hard work. Once they start to see the results of following a comprehensive weight-loss program they realize that they have the strength of mind and body to accomplish almost anything.

By the end of the season, the change in their bodies and their self-confidence is incredible. The finale leaves you feeling inspired and hopeful that real change can be achieved if people just stick with a simple program.

Bringing it to business

For local small business owners, adopting sustainable business practices, going green, is a little like “The Biggest Loser” for them. Daunting at first, but with measured changes in behavior and mindset, it becomes not only easier to be green over time, but the rewards, such as savings, energy efficiencies, and community goodwill, start to compound. The pride in their accomplishments as they begin to see the results encourages them to continue on the quest.

When talking to small business owners about making sustainable practices part of their business plan, one objection crops up almost every time, “It’s just too expensive.” They usually justify this by pointing out that many of the examples used are from large fortune 500 companies with unlimited resources to conduct extensive rebranding, and they don’t think they can take the steps needed to be considered socially responsible by eco-aware consumers.

And with the economic crisis still wreaking havoc on many small companies, that seems to be a logical argument—unless you consider that many green strategies not only result in cost savings, but actually cost nothing to implement in the first place.

Knocking misconceptions

This popular misconception mainly exists because business owners feel they must do it all at once or they won’t be taken seriously for their measured efforts by the eco-elite, and you can’t blame them. There is a lot of rhetoric in the media and among various green organizations criticizing “greenwashers.”

That term is mostly used to mean “fakers,” and really, you are only a “faker” if you aren’t making an honest effort to be more responsible, or you lie about what you are doing or the extent to which you are doing it.

It’s true that if you decide to tackle greening in large chunks, say making your building more energy efficient through various updates or upgrades, the upfront costs can be significant. For example: It can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 to upgrade or replace insulation in a 2,500 square-foot building and sealing the duct work can cost another $1,350.

The payback, however, comes in lowered energy costs, but it could take as many as 14 years to recoup the cost of such a project. To some this may be a small price to pay for the ability to claim a “greener” space, but many small businesses are barely making ends meet right now and spending thousands on such upgrades could be completely out of reach.

What you can do

So what do you do if you want to green your business, but don’t have the money to take on major projects?

In some circles, the following information may not be popular—there are critics that say unless you make a concerted effort to be completely responsible and employ only green practices you are not truly “green”—but I think doing something, even if it is small, is a lot better than doing nothing.

And starting small is OK—at least it’s starting. Like losing weight, it is usually best to undertake greening your business in small bites over time because according to most physicians lasting weight loss is best achieved by measured changes over time.

Simple actions

Start with simple actions that cost nothing, such as:

1. Turn up the thermostat when you leave. By simply turning up the thermostat five degrees before leaving your office at the end of each day, you can save 5% on energy bills each year. At some point, it may be feasible to spend a few dollars on a programmable thermostat, but until then turn it up when you leave.

2. Print on both sides of the paper. This can cut your paper consumption by as much as 50% at no additional cost. Not only does this save paper, it saves ink and creates less wear and tear on your printer resulting in significant savings over time.

3. Scan and email instead of faxing. This is another great way to save paper, ink, and fax machine wear.

4. Recycle. Many communities provide for recycling at little or no cost. This can include paper, plastic, and aluminum. Here in Jacksonville, you can not only recycle, but you can help put under privileged citizens to work by using Shred It First Coast.

5. Get an energy audit. Locally, JEA and FPL both offer energy audits at no cost to you. These can be invaluable when you want to learn how to save even more on energy costs and many of their suggestions involve little or no cost solutions. They may even help fund some of the changes through their small business incentives programs. To find out more about these programs, go to JEA.com to the Conservation Center and search for “small business.”

For pennies on the dollar you can also:

6. Caulk your windows. It may cost a couple hundred dollars on a 2,500 square-foot building, but it can save around $250 a year, an almost immediate payback.

7. Replace light bulbs. The same goes for replacing existing bulbs with compact fluorescents. This can cost $136 dollars, but save you $200 each year.

8. Decorate with plants. Decorate indoor work spaces with inexpensive hardy plants. They improve air quality and create a more inviting décor.

9. Use power strips. Use a power management strip on all of your electronics. This reduces energy emitted from electronics while they are not in use but still on. Some electronics cannot be simply cut off so this may be a good option for them. You can buy one for less than $100.

Improvements as reinvestments

It’s a good idea to look at these improvements as reinvestments into your business. That way you can measure your return on investment (ROI) as a profit/loss sheet item and feel better about the initial outlay. Like the contestants on “The Biggest Loser” that see their efforts translate into falling numbers on the scale, as you see the savings start to add up because of your efforts you will be more likely to continue down the road to sustainability.

Remember, long-term success in weight loss has more to do with your mindset than almost anything else so it is important to think about sustainable business practices as a permanent part of your business plan.

Lose the fear

Is cost really the issue, or is it more the fear of change? The fact is, most of us take our environment for granted. We have become complacent thinking that being eco-friendly is best left to extremists and tree huggers. This type of thinking does more to harm your business than help it grow.

Consumers want to buy products from evolved businesses. They want to feel good not only about the products they buy, but the services they use and the places they get them. Sustainability is now commonplace and expected. If you choose not to at least attempt to adopt more sustainable practices, you are missing the boat and may eventually be overtaken by the wave of businesses that will.

On “The Biggest Loser,” almost every contestant eventually realizes that they have put up roadblocks to their own success because they have let fear of change control them. They have to shed complacency to move forward into a better and more rewarding future.

As a small business owner, you may need to overcome psychological roadblocks that say that greening your business isn’t practical or possible because of the cost. The real cost is in losing a whole segment of new consumers that want to support honest, sustainability efforts locally.

Start small, start smart, but start now so you don’t get left behind.

Helen Rake

Helen Rake is president of the Northeast Florida Green Chamber. She can be reached at 904-493-7500 ext. 9, helen.rake@nefl.greencs.org, or through www.neflgreenchamber.org.

How electronic newsletters and email advertisements promote top-of-mind mentality and raise brand awareness

By Chris Edwards

Driving sales, generating revenue, and growing a customer base are key goals to running asuccessful business. To do all that, consider email marketing as part of your marketing mix of business development activities.

While many business owners already know email marketing can generate new business and retain current customers, it is also important to know that electronic newsletters and email advertisements promote top-of-mind mentality and raise brand awareness.

You undoubtedly have received email from something you signed up for, whether it’s your bank providing a service update, a local sports team listing upcoming games, or your favorite fruit smoothie place announcing a new tropical flavor. That’s the simplicity of email marketing—you target an audience who is generally interested in your product or service.

Begin with a list

All email campaigns begin with mailing lists. If you’re in business, you already have a mailing list—your customers. The next, most common mailing list is your leads, and chances are you’ve got that information available as well. Most small businesses start with these two mailing lists, but as you grow your business and marketing efforts, you may want to employ multiple mailing lists.

For example: If you have a service that is specific to your customers in Jacksonville only and not available to your customers in Tampa and Miami, then you would organize your customers mailing lists based on their location. This control of the relationship between your message and your audience can be critical in maintaining a solid email campaign.

Managing your mailing lists as you expand is important too. You should get permission to send marketing-related emails to your lists whether they signup online or tell you in-person. Providing unsubscribe options and deleting contacts that do not exist or return bounce back emails are more ways to ensure your email campaigns see the best return possible.

Making it count

Your email competes with every email in someone’s inbox, so you need to make it count!

•The introduction. Most people tend to forget this, but the first introduction a recipient has of your email is who it’s from and the subject line. The sending email address should use the same domain as your website, and you should make it so if anyone replies, the emails go to you or a designated email account that you monitor. The subject line should be appropriate in that it’s accurate to the email’s message and it’s interesting.

•The look. The look of your email needs to generate attention and capture interest. After all, the average email user probably runs through several emails every day. Make yours stand out! Colors, graphics, and a well-planned design to boost your message helps grab attention. If you have a solid website design, make your emails look like your website to present your message in a consistent marketing effort.

•The message. The message of your email should be clear. A discontinuous or rambling message will turn readers away while text that drives them to a point or action, such as clicking a link or calling, is the intended goal.

•The links. Links should be available to your website and in some cases, a re-creation of your website navigation menu can be ideal for giving recipients access to your company’s entire website from a single email.

If you have a specific page in your website you are referencing, hot link the text or pictures directly there. A recipient that clicks on a link for a coffee mug is more likely to buy that coffee mug if the link takes them to a Web page where they can buy it versus if the link takes them to the home page forcing them to find the coffee mug purchase page.

•The results. With any marketing, you need measurable results. Whatever platform you decide to use, review the performance of your emails to see how well they did and decide on improvements for future campaigns. Emails can be measured based on how many people open then, and better yet, how many people clicked in them.

You can also break information further down. For example: If you had links to three separate products in your email, a report indicating which links were clicked and how many times will let you know which product is more popular for that market.

Other common reports are bounces (contacts that did not receive your email), spam reports, and opt-outs which will need to be monitored to keep your mailing lists clean and your campaigns doing well. Many programs also report how many people forwarded your email.

Success!

There are many facets to running a business, advertising holding a significant role for many. Within the realm of advertising, email marketing is a relatively cheap method that can be utilized to speak to your market. Like any successfully marketing maneuver it takes planning, execution, and review. Then improve and repeat.

Chris Edwards

Chris Edwards is the director of strategy at Elyk Innovation, a Web development company offering email marketing services for small- and medium-size businesses. Elyk Innovation also specializes in website design, Web applications, and pay-per-click marketing. He can be reached at 904-998-1935, cedwards@elykinnovation.com, or by visiting www.elykinnovation.com.

What you need to know to conduct powerful sales meetings

By John R. Treace

Designing a powerful sales meeting is not an easy task, but it is one of the most importantaspects of building and maintaining a high-velocity sales organization. The objective of all sales meetings should be to increase sales—period. That’s why we call them sales meetings. Entertaining the participants and having them leave full of enthusiasm is a good thing, but it should never overshadow the need to produce sales.

It is the sales management’s responsibility to be a good shepherd of corporate resources, so spending money without expecting a measurable return is not good business. Every high-performing salesperson who attends a meeting will be thinking, “Is this meeting making me money, or is my time being wasted?”

Mixed messages

A company’s high performers will usually produce at least 60% of the company’s revenues, so when you waste top salespeople’s time with poorly designed meetings, it sends several negative messages:

1. You are not considerate of employees’ time (high performers know that time is money), and

2. You do not understand the business, do not know what needs to be done to increase sales, and are wasting corporate resources.

If the sales team begins to suspect that you don’t know how to increase sales, morale will be negatively affected and team members will question their choice of employers. Additionally, salespeople are conscious of the way you spend company money, so seeing waste during ineffective meetings degrades their confidence in the company and makes them less considerate of protecting the corporate resources under their control.

Unproductive meetings also signal that you are not committed to excellence—and powerful salespeople don’t want to work for companies like that. They want to make money, want to focus their attention on that goal, and want to work for managers who are committed to being the best.

Develop a statement

With so much at stake in a sales meeting, how can you ensure that the meeting will bring value to the sales team and produce sales? The answer is simple, but the implementation is not: You need to develop a statement of strategic intent for the meeting, along with defined, time-sensitive metrics that will be used to measure the meeting’s success.

For example: You might say that the strategic intent of your meeting is to train representatives to sell X product, with the goal of 80% of them exceeding quota within 30 days of the meeting and maintaining that performance through the end of the year.

The challenge in developing a statement of strategic intent is in knowing what needs to be accomplished in the meeting to reach the required performance goal. The specifics must be laid out, and an aggressive but realistic performance goal must be defined. Carrying out this process takes a deep understanding of the business, the sales force, and the competition.

Powerful sales meetings driven by statements of strategic intent and clear objectives are at the core of powerful companies. Management teams that hold them regularly will always stay on top.

Five common afflictions

There are five common afflictions that affect many sales teams, each of which reduces morale and sales performance. They can be found to some degree in most almost every organization. Smart management teams are aware of these afflictions and work to avoid their potentially destructive impact.

Any one occurrence of these problems will not necessary hurt the sales effort, but if allowed to progress to extremes, or if multiple conditions exist at once, they can be extremely harmful.

•Affliction 1: Wasting sales representatives’ time. One prime affliction of sales teams is forcing them to spend time on non-sales tasks, such as making accounts receivable collections, managing product recalls, or filling out reports that do not directly relate to the sales process.

If you, for instance, divert 5% of a sales team’s time to managing customer collections, you effectively reduce the number of feet on the ground by the same amount—and the reverse is true as well.

Sometimes it’s necessary to assign non-sales tasks to salespeople, but before you do,  audit your sales process to determine whether the tasks could be assigned elsewhere. Finding as many ways as possible to remove unnecessary tasks from the sales team’s shoulders will result in sales increases that will more than pay for the adjustments in duties.

•Affliction 2: Poor sales meetings. Another affliction of sales teams is poor or boring sales meetings. Powerful salespeople are self-motivated, and they intuitively know if their time is being wasted. Again, the simple way to ensure effective sales meetings is to develop a statement of strategic intent that includes clear success metrics and defines in specific terms what needs to be accomplished and the metrics needed to determine whether the goals set in the meeting were accomplished. The bottom line is that powerful sales meetings produce sales and keep morale high.

•Affliction 3: Poor strategy. Ineffective marketing or sales strategies will always negatively impact the sales team. The sales team will recognize ineffective strategy and will lose faith in the managers who developed it. If the players on a sports team lose faith in the coaching, the path to winning will be difficult, if not impossible; the same is true with sales teams.

Don’t let lackluster or nonexistent strategy cause this lack of faith. A successful sales effort hinges on good strategy, and companies that fail in this regard severely handicap their sales teams.

•Affliction 4: Capping or reducing income. Powerful companies have managers who do not get envious when large paychecks go to the sales force. Managers who are resentful of this often respond to rising sales income by reducing commissions, capping earnings, reducing territories, or removing products. These are all practices to be avoided, as they destroy morale, which hurts sales.

When it is absolutely necessary to cap or reduce reps’ earnings, it must be done carefully. If it’s done carelessly, you will send the message that future earnings for the sales team have been limited.

Powerful salespeople want to leverage today’s efforts into greater sales and income for tomorrow. If their commissions are reduced, earnings capped, or territory removed, they will feel like that ability has been taken away, and the high performers will quickly look for employment elsewhere.

•Affliction 5: Favoritism. Everyone has favorites in life and that’s normal, but playing favorites with individuals on a sales team is very destructive. Salespeople want to work for companies that keep the playing field level for all. If select salespeople are given extra incentives, special attention, benefits, or favors not afforded others, you are sending a clear message that there is a privileged class within the team.

And that is one of the best ways to lessen team spirit, as reps will spend their time trying to move into that special class and not trying to close sales. You can’t buy the loyalty of a team by strengthening a small political power base within a company. Playing favorites within a sales team causes problems for all team members (even the favored ones), but keeping the playing field level will pay big dividends.

Wasting time, poor sales meetings, poor strategy, capping income, and playing favorites are, with few exceptions, situations to be avoided. They are destructive to morale and they lead to poor performance. Effective managers will be careful to avoid these situations, and astute salespeople will bring these practices to the attention of management for correction.

John R. Treace

John R. Treace has over 30 years’ experience as a sales executive in the medical products industry and in 2010 founded JR Treace & Associates, a sales management consulting business. He spent over 10 years specializing in the restructuring of sales departments of companies that were either bankrupt or failing. Investor groups and venture capital firms hired him to manage turnarounds of pre-IPO companies. He can be reached at 904-314-1442, john@treaceconsulting.com, or through www.treaceconsulting.com.

Identify how stress affects you and ways to better manage it

By Dr. Earl Eye

When the topic of stress levels comes up in my weekly consultations with executives andbusiness owners interested in a preventative approach to medicine, their eyes get wide and with a half-hearted smile, they sigh. They describe themselves as over-worked and burnt out.

The psychological and physical effects of their hectic professional life are taking its toll and if they continue on this path and don’t make some changes, it will ultimately encroach on their job performance and worse, their health.

Looking to the past

It is a bit odd when you think about it. Your ancestors just a few generations removed walked or rode a horse to work. There were no cell phones, computers, automobiles, or airplanes. They couldn’t have imagined labor-saving developments like washing machines, microwaves, supermarkets, or the Internet.

Yet they still found time for leisure and would no doubt be awestruck by people today who choose to live their lives in a perpetual rush, as if being busy every minute of the day is a sign of accomplishment.

On the way to fiscal nirvana, high performers such as yourself notoriously spend your health to gain wealth. You labor over business strategies to ensure your professional success, leaving your health behind. Eventually, 21st century stress, poor nutrition, reduced exercise, and plummeting hormone levels take their toll. The most costly event in your life—loss of productivity—goes unnoticed.

The shame is so many of you are fixated on succeeding that you forget what a gift good health is, and only after it’s gone do you realize that neglecting it was your fatal mistake. Worse, the stress from this overachieving lifestyle leads to adverse health changes, frequently accelerating your aging and, if not corrected, will lead you to premature death. All your accumulated wealth will do little to help you then, except make your funeral elaborate.

What happens with stress

During periods of stress, the hormone Cortisol is secreted by the adrenal glands. Although stress isn’t the only reason Cortisol is secreted into the bloodstream, it has been termed the “stress hormone” because it’s also secreted in higher levels during the body’s fight or flight response to stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body.

Under normal circumstances, it has positive effects. Cortisol regulates blood pressure, the release of insulin for sugar maintenance, immune response, glucose metabolism, and inflammation.

While Cortisol is an important and helpful part of the body’s response to stress, it’s important that the body then activates its relaxation response so functions can return to normal following a stressful event. Unfortunately, in your current high-stress culture, the body’s stress response is constantly activated and therefore the body doesn’t always have a chance to return to normal. This results in a constant, chronic state of stress with higher and more prolonged levels of Cortisol remaining in the body.

Face the consequences

Chronic stress, which causes consistently elevated Cortisol levels, has highly detrimental consequences. Impaired cognitive functioning with brain shrinkage, hypo or hyperthyroidism, hyperglycemia, decreased bone mineral density, muscle loss, elevated blood pressure, decreased immunity, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences may result.

Excess Cortisol is also responsible for increased abdominal fat (adipose tissue). This belly fat is especially concerning because it is more metabolically active than other fat and increases inflammation in the body. It multiplies the odds of strokes, heart attacks, vascular disease, and dementia.

Learn to relax

To keep Cortisol levels healthy and under control, you must activate your body’s relaxation response. You can learn to relax your body with various stress management techniques and make lifestyle changes in order to keep from reacting to stress.

The first step is to understand what’s causing your stress—in most cases it’s obvious. In other cases, investigation may be needed. Keeping a stress journal may help. Get a notebook and write down when something makes you feel stressed. Then write how you reacted and what you did to deal with it. You can also take a written stress test that may help define what is causing your responses if the causes are not clear.

Once identified, the best ways to relieve stress are different for each person, but you can try some of these ideas to see which ones work for you:

• Exercise, exercise, exercise. Regular exercise is just about the best way to manage your stress. Walking is a great way to get started.

• Manage your time better. Make a schedule and stick to it. Think about which things are most important, and make them a priority.

• Take care of yourself. Get plenty of sleep, eat a low glycemic diet, don’t smoke, limit how much alcohol you drink, and balance out your life.

• Learn ways to relax your body. This can include massage, muscle relaxation, yoga, sex, and exercises like tai chi and qi gong.

• Try out new ways of thinking. When you find yourself starting to worry, try to stop the thoughts. Work on letting go of things you cannot change. Learn to say “no.”

• Do something you enjoy. A hobby can help you relax. Volunteer work or work that helps others can be a great stress reliever.

• Find better ways to cope. Analyze how you have been dealing with stress. Be honest about what works and what doesn’t. Identify alternatives that might be more effective.

• Focus on the present. Try meditation—MRI studies shows it nearly doubles your brain activity. Listen to relaxing music. Look for the humor in life—laughter really can be the best medicine.

• Speak up. Not being able to talk about your needs and concerns creates stress and can make negative feelings worse. Assertive communication can help you express how you feel in a thoughtful, tactful way. Laugh, cry, and express anger when you need to with someone you trust.

• Ask for help. People who have a strong network of family and friends manage stress better. Sometimes stress is just too much to handle alone. Talking to a friend or family member may help, but you may also want to speak with a counselor.

The most precious resource

Your most precious resource is the short, unknown time you have left on this little blue planet. It is perishable, irreplaceable, and, unlike money, cannot be saved. There isn’t a magic pill you can take to manage your stress. For most people, it’s an overall change in managing health.

It’s about proper nutrition, adequate exercise, getting the right vitamins and minerals, and optimizing your hormones and metabolics. Americans live, on average, just 28,000 days. So it behooves you to ask, “Am I living well and taking care of myself? What can I do to give me the best chance to beat the odds and stay more youthful and have more time on this planet to enjoy the fruits of my labor?”

Money alone doesn’t make anyone wealthy. True wealth is a life rich in love, friends, wisdom, and interests, and the time and health to enjoy it all.

Dr. Eye

Learn how The Broach School initiated a green movement

When you walk into Joseph Wood’s classroom at The Broach Schools of Jacksonville’s Westcampus, it’s far from the traditional setting.

Besides the typical desks and marker board, there are a number of plants sitting around the room, hanging from the ceiling, and sunning from the light coming through the windows.

But if you asked Wood where his students learned the most, he wouldn’t even mention the classroom. Instead, he would walk outside the building and around the corner to a greenhouse both he and his students built by hand.

Grant to grasp science

Wood originally started the greenhouse project from a grant designated by the University of Florida to give Broach School students a hands-on learning environment and an alternative approach to grasp science concepts.

“Teaching is not a script. We educate and treat students as unique people, so they can become successful in direct proportion to their potential,” he said. “In the greenhouse project, we are creating a living, breathing classroom where they can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste what they are learning.”

In addition to accomplishing these goals, however, students have discovered their talents through the greenhouse project.

“Being at The Broach School has allowed me to have a hands-on experience, especially on the greenhouse project,” said Austin Martin, a ninth-grade student at Broach West. “The school has allowed me to do what I’m good at.”

“The students have gotten really excited about it,” said Darrell Lewis, director of

Broach West. “They’re working harder in their other classes to get their work done, so they can spend time in the greenhouse.”

Turning into a movement

Because of the impact of the greenhouse project at Broach West, The Broach Schools ofJacksonville turned the program into a movement both at the organization’s other campuses and out in the community.

“What started as one teacher’s project has now become a primary focus of our entire school,” said Tommie Broach, the president and founder of The Broach Schools of Jacksonville. “As we move further into the 21st century, we’re seeking more ways to go green and be environmentally friendly.”

With the help of Home Depot, Broach South students and staff are taking the initial steps toward forming their own greenhouse project, while Broach Beach and Orange Park look to follow suit. And with assistance from the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce’s West Council, Broach West expanded its green efforts to the entire school grounds through an Earth Day beautification project.

Branching out

In addition, the Broach West students branched off campus at a solar cooking competition, where although they did not place, they became known as the only school to cook using vegetables they grew themselves. And they are helping beautify other gardens in the community and donating their fruits and vegetables to those in need.

The goal, according to Wood, is to teach the students education is about more than just yourself. It’s about helping others using your knowledge, and in this case, using your knowledge to help the environment.

The Broach Schools of Jacksonville are a group of small, non-profit private schools with five locations in the Jacksonville area. They specialize in helping students getting lost in overcrowded classrooms succeed at overcoming learning disabilities by providing them small classroom sizes and individualized attention from their teachers. It can be reached at 904-637-0300 or through www.broachschooljax.com.

The results of the nominations for Advantage Magazine’s Top 50 Small Business Influencers

We put it to you, the small business community, to come up with who you thought were the top 50 small business influencers in Jacksonville—and you exceeded our expectations.

After hundreds of nominations to sort through and multiple back-and-forth conversations between many, the list has been narrowed down to this Top 50 (in alphabetical order) and some honorable mentions that just couldn’t be eliminated.

Be sure to attend the Meet the Top 50 event on June 8 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Aloft at Tapestry Park and meet the “dream team” of influence makers that will open doors and help you make connections to push your business to reach new levels of success.

Bring your magazine along and check the box next to the influencer  to be sure you’ve met every one!

Tawnia Adams, Hancock Bank

Tawnia is a “must know” because she works diligently to help all of her business clients meet their financial goals and dreams. She is more knowledgeable about the inner workings of small business than most business owners and strives to assist each company to be the best they can be by offering financial solutions that make a difference in their financial world.

Al Bagocius, The A & I Consulting Group/Creative Packaging Solutions

Al is a “must know” because he is an inspiration to small business people learning how to be successful using social media. Al would admit he’s older than the average hipster trying to make a splash in the social media world, but that hasn’t stopped him from setting the pace for many in Jacksonville. He is all about the other person, and firmly believes that good deeds will be rewarded. He is a delight to work with,  a man of his word, and willing to freely share his social media knowledge to help others.

Richard T. Balog, CPA, Balog & Tamburri CPA

Richard is a “must know” because of his 25 years of experience as a CPA and his dedication to the success of small business. Not only is Rick associated with many networking groups and has many certifications, he constantly strives to bring the “best of the best” together in the business community and provide them top options to assist them with their business.

Sandra Bartow, Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce

Sandra is a “must know” because she is a powerhouse of information and connections, both of which helps her run the Jacksonville Women’s Business Center for the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.

Pat Blanchard, Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce

Pat is a “must know” because she is dedicated to the success of women entrepreneurs at every stage of their business development. She assists aspiring and existing small business owners gain access to education, capital, resources, and networks to help them become more successful. She spearheads and implements programs designed to deliver these benefits in support of women as they launch and grow their businesses.

Nancy Boyle, Small Business Resource Network (SBRN)

Nancy is a “must know” for her extensive involvement as director of the SBRN, where she provides a free resource and referral service for small business owners and coordinates activities for professional and agency members; and for the local, 30-minute, television interview show, “Speaking of Business,” devoted to discussing topics relevant to operating a small business, which she produces and hosts; and for being an adjunct professor teaching organizational behavior at the UNF Coggin College of Business.

Anna Brosche, Ennis Pellum & Associates

Anna is a “must know” because she is a person of action, and those actions are executed in a thorough, professional, and inclusive way. Anna’s ability to synthesize—groups of people, ideas, goals—to support the small business community is remarkable.

John Bryan, Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce

John is a “must know” because he is one of the top networkers in Jacksonville and a “must know” with the Jacksonville Chamber. His knowledge of who, when, where, why and how to network is second to none. Plus, he is the nicest guy you will ever meet and a lot of fun to be around.

Ellen G. Bushnell, Bushnell & Company, PA

Ellen is a “must know” because she is a highly motivated CPA who always has the best interests of her clients on the top of her “to-do” list. She does not let her clients, no matter how big or small, feel like they are just a number. They are treated with respect, courtesy, and with the utmost importance to their needs while never losing the small business advantage.

Tresa Calfee, BROOKSLACAYO Advertising

Tresa is a “must know” because she really does know everybody and everybody knows her—mostly because, above all else, she works to help businesses succeed and shares her connections specifically to do so.

Camille Clement Gregg, Outside the Box Consulting

Camille is a “must know because she is a networking queen and the best referral source when you need to do business in the North Florida business community. She either knows everyone or knows how to get to everyone. She works diligently to connect businesses, forge great relationships, and promote businesses—even those who are not clients—all of which helps the small business community flourish.

Lynne Coggin, BNI Northeast Florida

Lynne is a “must know” because as executive director of BNI, she helps businesses expand their networks, build strong business relationships, and effectively communicate their goals for business and personal growth through networking and referrals.

Sheila Collins, Collins Capital

Sheila is a “must know” because in a period of extreme financial uncertainty, not only has the company she built survived, it has prospered as never before. She is also a pioneer that blazed a path through a historically male-dominated investment management industry so other women didn’t have to. She serves as a role model for women in our industry and never shies away from what she feels is her responsibility to encourage and promote diversity.

S. Roger Dominey, Financial Design Associates

Roger is a “must know” for all of the associations in which he is a part of, the successful salesperson he is, the outstanding leader that he has come to be, and the community service initiator that people are happy to work with. Within the company, he developed a team of specialists in the areas of investments, marketing, brokerage, annuities, long term care and disability, and life insurance, to help the small business owner—all at the needs of our clients.

Janice Donaldson, Small Business Development Center at UNF

Janice is a “must know” because as the regional director of the Small Business Development Center at UNF, she assists thousands of existing and potential business owners through individual counseling, facilitating SBDC workshops, and teaching entrepreneurial classes through the UNF Coggin College of Business. She is one of North Florida’s strongest supporters of small business and economic development, and is often found at meetings and events in support of SBDC clients and stakeholders.

Barbara English, English Solutions

Barbara is a “must know” because she helps small, minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses become city, state, and nationally certified and be positioned to win identified government contracts, which can be a very confusing, difficult, and challenging area for small business owners to navigate. Over the past three years, she has used her 36 years of government contracting experience to provide winning government contract insight to more than 600 small businesses in Jacksonville. Her one-on-one consulting has enabled small businesses in Jacksonville to be awarded $3.1 million in government contracts in the last 12 months. She is a winner who helps others to win!

Jen Errair, Admin 911

Jen is a “must know” because she truly dedicates herself to her clients in a very unique way. No matter the circumstances, no matter the work, she jumps in with both feet and frees her clients of the administrative headache of running a business.

Raul Espinosa, Fairness in Procurement Alliance (FPA)

Raul is a “must know” because he helped establish a procurement Think Tank at UNF and his peers in the Jacksonville business community voted him as a “Minority Champion” in 2010.

Jessica Evans, Regions Bank

Jessica is a “must know” because she can get lending done for people seeking to buy a business, expand, build, or buy equipment. She assists many clients capture the American Dream of business ownership. If it is something she is unable to do through the bank, she will suggest alternatives to them.

Deb Eveson, Allstate

Deb is a “must know” because she left a long career in financial services because she knew there was a need to serve at a personal level for those needing insurance and has become the go-to girl for all things insurance….honest, fair, supportive. She is a great example of leadership

Wilfredo J. Gonzalez, U.S. Small Business Administration

Wilfredo is a “must know” because of his diligent dedication to ensuring the small business community in North Florida has access to capital, technical, and management assistance to open a business or expand an existing one. In addition, he ensures that the issues affecting the small business community are heard at all levels of government. He is the number one advocate for the small business community in Jacksonville.

Eva Greenfield, Hometown Threads and Chair of the Chamber Councils

Eva is a “must know” because of her ability to help foster the success of business women in the Jacksonville community. As immediate past president of Professional Women’s Council, she also helps develop women leaders and enhance business relationships.

Cathy Hagan, Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

Cathy is a “must know” because she is the heartbeat of the SBDC and has helped businesses in countless ways. She is always full of ideas, helps make connections to the right people if she can’t help, provides new opportunities, and gets the word out there about all the ways small businesses in Jacksonville can receive help and so much of it free. She is a tireless crusader for small business!

Brad Hollett, Accelerated Construction and ACT Architects

Brad is a “must know” because he has helped hundreds of Florida businesses connect with health care related work. He helps new business owners with special advice and referrals on everything from acquisition to construction to marketing and advertising and beyond. He is an amazing man and gives back to the community every day.

Keith Johnson, Keith E. Johnson CPA PA

Keith is a “must know” because he has a passion for the needs of small business owners and help them achieve their dream of success. He has been in practice since 1997 and has worked with organizations devoted to small business needs such as the Beaver St. Enterprise Center, UNF Small Business Development Center, and the Jacksonville Chamber Small Business Center for many years. He is also active in many professional, business, and social organizations.

Scott Keith, BB&T

Scott is a “must know” because as the regional president of BB&T, he has the influence internally at BB&T as well as in the community to make business happen! He can connect influential business people with just about anyone in Jacksonville.

Keith Kessler, Kessler Creative

Keith is a “must know” because he enjoys assisting other businesses reach their goals. Whether it’s a new business, mom-and-pop shop, or an established business looking to expand, he works with them one-on-one to ensure their expectation is his mission. He understands the pitfalls and obstacles one must face to be successful. He also understands that it never hurts to have a helping hand to lead in the right direction. In addition to working with small businesses, he also assists with non-profit organizations throughout Jacksonville.

Suzi Lemen, Dynamic Corporate Solutions Inc. (DCSI)

Suzi is a “must know” because she is a tireless proponent of small business development. She is a much requested speaker on small business, HR, and women’s business issues, and is an active member and past president or Women Business Owners of North Florida. She will begin her third year as the instructor for the e200 program which the SBA sponsors annually to help small businesses grow. She also sits on several committees including the Mayors Commission on the Status of Women.

Joe Lemire, eLYK Innovation

Joe is a “must know” because he helps business owners have a clear understanding of how their website can help them grow, as well as help design, develop and implement an internet strategy that will work for them.

.

Lauren Little, Edible Arrangements

Lauren is a “must know” because she is influential and very involved in the Jacksonville community and devotes time out of her schedule to assist other business leaders and aspiring leaders. She is driven, inspirational, focused, and determined, as well as a veteran.

Michael Margolies, Littlebanc Advisors

Michael is a “must know” because he leverages his extensive expertise and deep professional relationships with many of Wall Street’s most influential professionals to enable Littlebanc’s clients to meet their funding and M&A goals. He and his team provide the best financial and strategic investment services to traditionally under-served growth companies. He believes in long-term relationships and focusing on each client’s individual needs and circumstances. Michael and his team deliver quality results quickly.

Daniel McCarthy, Lifestyles Realty Web

Daniel is a “must know” because even though he is still under the age of 30, he helped form Lifestyles Realty Web and lead it into a profitable small business during what is supposed to be a “down market” where other Real Estate companies were cutting cost and some even closing their doors. He is very active in the community with charities, has been named one of the 40 under 40 by Jacksonville Business Journal, and has formed alliances with other small business owners to help all involved.

Mike McCreary, Baymeadows Moving and Storage

Mike is a “must know” because he knows who is going where, with who, and why, but won’t say! His connections and business sense are undeniable, which is why he is also the Small Business Leader of the Year 2010-South Council.

Michele McManamon, Sandler Sales and Training

Michele is a “must know” because she trains some of Jacksonville’s finest to make them better. She helps many small business owners develop winning strategies to reach the level of success they desire. She is truly amazing!

Kevin Monahan, Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

Kevin is a “must know” because he is a staple in the small business community in Jacksonville. He specializes in community economic development, small business development, and nonprofit technical assistance. As special projects director and certified business analyst at SBDC, he works with small business owners through individual meetings and seminars to help them start and/or grow their businesses. He is also responsible for all nonprofit curriculum, contracts, and technical assistance.

Candace Moody, WorkSource

Candace is a “must know” because she has helped countless business owners who have come to her for advice on everything from marketing to public relations to business strategy to hiring and objectives—mainly because she is so well connected.

Janice Newton, Flippin’ Good Cookies

Janice is a “must know” because her and Michael have done an incredible job to create an image for their cookies in business, personal, and charitable contributions. No house is complete without a Flippin’ Good Cookie within reach.

Linda Nottingham, SCORE

Linda is a “must know” because her personal experience as a small business owner and her strong desire to help, guide, educate, mentor, and support other small business owners and aspiring business start-ups, makes her a very effective business influencer. She has served as a coach for SCORE for 10 years, was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the Jacksonville Urban League, and currently serves as a consultant to the Business Advisory Counsel program on behalf of the Jacksonville Women’s Business Center. During the last six years, she has mentored dozens of women business owners—many of whom have since received business awards and acknowledgements for their contributions to the community.

Diana Otwell, Spectrum Signs and Graphics Inc.

Diana is a “must know” because she is extremely helpful, produces signs that are tailored to each client’s needs and provides rewarding partnerships. Her service is second to none and she is truly an asset to our local community.

Kendall S. Park, Merrill Lynch

Kendall is a “must know” because he has worked with small- and medium-sized businesses for the past 17 years advising them on everything from retirement plans to cash management and commercial lending. He provides one point of contact for his business owners who can call him and get access to everything from capital markets to investment banking. He adds a lot of value to a business owner because of his years of experience and vast amount of knowledge in knowing what business owners need.

Jackie Perry, Beaver Street Enterprise Center (BSEC)

Jackie is a “must know” because she took the reins as executive director of BSEC and has never looked back. She is a tireless advocate for small businesses and has been honored several times for her drive and advocacy for small businesses. She also serves on other boards connected to small business development, including the Chamber’s GrowJAX initiative for second stage business growth. Jackie is a wonderful example of a small business influence.

Donna Reade, Car-Tech USA

Donna is a “must know” because she leads one of the few 100% women owned auto repair shops in Jacksonville. Her business is few and far between when it comes to the quality and reliability of the firm’s services and she has made sure that the customer is truly number one. Customers do not go unnoticed when they walk in the door and as soon as you walk in, you feel at ease. It is a true example of a client relationship.

Marshall Reddy, FranNet

Marshall is a “must know” because he has great expertise in small business with a specialization in franchising. He is a long-standing committee member of SBRN and was recently added to the Board of Directors for the Ponte Vedra Chamber. He is willing to do anything to advance the small business community and is extremely well networked.

Peter Reynolds, The Griggs Group, CPAs

Peter is a “must know” because he brings leadership, knowledge, and effective strategy to the complex financial matters of high net worth individuals and closely held businesses. His dual role as an accountant and firm managing partner has helped him provide clients with accounting and consulting services as well as insight into business planning, operation management, and oversight issues. He also volunteers his time and accounting expertise to help some of his favorite charities.

Elton Rivas, Zero Confines

Elton is a “must know” because he helped establish Downtown’s first co-working space and is instrumental in helping us promote Downtown as the creative, innovative and technological hub of Jacksonville.

Ann Sabbag, Health Designs

Ann is a “must know” because she is a pioneer in the health and wellness business with a proven record of success in the small business community. She has been a long-time supporter of women-owned businesses and has a strength for connecting people. She is a native to the Jacksonville area and truly believes in the city and the development of Jacksonville and being a positive influence in the business community.

Heather Sams, HAS Art Solutions, LLC

Heather is a “must know” because she knows and works with every small- to medium-size business. She is active in numbers of associations like CREW, the chamber, IFMA, and others. More significantly, she enjoys learning about a business and promoting its success by connecting other people to it.

Dr. Judith A.M. Smith, HandsOn Jacksonville

Judith is a “must know” because she is your “go-to” person to help position your business as a community transformer. She has led Volunteer Jacksonville for 16 years and successfully brought the organization through the brand evolution in 2008 to become HandsOn Jacksonville. She provides opportunities for people to bring solutions to critical community needs that affect health, literacy, the environment, homelessness, and the arts, and other impact areas by knowing how to mobilize volunteer resources and non-profit management. Her energy and enthusiasm is infectious and she is one of those rare individuals whose passion will inspire you to do great things.

Patsy D. Underwood, Atlantic Laser Office Products

Patsy is a “must know” because she has been a role model for women business owners for at least 20 years. She was one of the founding members of the Women Business Owners (WBO) group, holding several leadership positions during her tenure, including president. Whatever her chosen project is, Patsy gives generously of her time and of her heart to make her business community a better place. She has served as a mentor to many small businesses, and has helped grow companies by providing the guidance and products they need to survive and thrive.

Vicky Zelen, Zelen Risk Solutions

Vicky is a “must know” because she is a no-nonsense, go-getter that will fight to get you the best deal for your insurance. She understands the needs of small business and will work day and night to provide service. She is also an excellent connector, matching a small business with others that can support them, and looks for business opportunities for her clients.

Honorable Mentions

Nancy Alvarez-Hernandez, SBA Jacksonville

Nancy is a “must know” because of her willingness to take the time to help, regardless of the everyday pressures of her day-to-day responsibilities. She is accessible, knowledgeable, and most importantly truly able to assist in the success of small business.

Michael J. Bernhardt, Academic Dermatology Consultants, P.A.

Michael is a “must know” because after having his own practice for over 25 years, he has grown his practice from a staff of 10 to a staff of over 40 employees in the past two years. He continues to provide excellence in patient care and is expanding to further meet his patients’needs.

Sandra Brooks,  BROOKSLACAYO Advertising

Sandra is a “must know” because she is a mentor to all, a connector, a brainstormer, and a pillar of the Jacksonville Business Community connecting “the giants” to the little guys.

Fraser Burns, Ocenture

Fraser is a “must know” because he is an advisor and friend to small business throughout Jacksonville. He invests in local businesses and is the founder of one of Jacksonville’s only Inc. 500 companies. Without a doubt, Fraser leads by example and is well known in our business community.

Ricky Caplin, HCI Group, Inc.

Ricky is a “must know” because he is a dynamic, young, and influential business person willing to help your organization grow and prosper. He has been very helpful and knowing him can only help a company grow.

Martin Cohen, SCORE

Martin is a “must know” because he undertook to develop small business support services in the St. Augustine area. This pioneering effort has been most successful and continues to positively impact small business development in the northern part of St. Johns County. He has extensive, practical business experience and possesses expertise in the marketing and advertising realms. Now that he is retired, he is leveraging his skills and experience to guide and mentor small businesses in Jacksonville and St. Augustine. He has partnered with the Chamber of Commerce to conduct small business counseling on a regular, scheduled basis with effective ongoing support and mentoring.

Kimberly Deas, Tioli Marketing

Kimberly is a “must know” because she is well networked everywhere and knows exactly who to match with you to help increase sales and create strategic alliances. She loves helping small businesses succeed and goes out of her way to do so.

Jack Manilla, Portofino Pools

Jack is a “must know” because he is a very active leader in many organizations: business, professional, civic, and church. He is the president/owner of Portofino Pools and the founder of the Portofino Aquatic Technical Institute. He holds numerous certifications, speaks at and moderates conferences, and is a technical consultant for the first Go Green GeoThermal commercial pool heat/cool system in northeast Florida. In the spring of 2010, Jack was retained as a technical consultant/certified instructor for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

Mayor John Peyton, City of Jacksonville

John is a “must know” because during his administration, he was a champion of small businesses. His leadership and support of the small business and minority business program has afforded companies to thrive. His unwavering interest in community outreach and genuine concern for the community was a positive for not only small businesses, but the city as a whole. He was always attentive and recognized those he worked with by name and projects.

John Ream, Connect Integrated Marketing

John is a “must know” because he provides clients access to extremely educated specialist in a consultancy role which promises lower execution cost vs. the full service agency. He’s also helped in the revitalization of Downtown Jacksonville through his commercial and residential real estate work, most notably along Bay Street where he turned an abandoned, deteriorated property into a thriving, state-of-the-art residential and retail space. John is passionate about what he does and he’s hard working, genuine, focused—he is everything you’d want in a small business leader.

Bud Sikes, Sikes & Stowe, Inc./Downtown Collision

Bud is a “must know” because he has successfully run this collision business with knowledge and wisdom, and is the best boss in the world according to his long-standing employee’s. 85 years in a family business.

Ladi Stepps, Brinmar Construction & Development Group LTD

Ladi is a “must know” because she helps create jobs in the Jacksonville community through city and private contracts. She is also the executive director of Operation Community Restore, Inc., a non-profit service agency whose mission is to keep homeless families together. She serves our Jacksonville community as a hero, role model, and business owner showing others that giving up is not a viable option.

Howard Stockdale, Jacksonville IT Services

Howard is a “must know” because of his integrity, straight forwardness, and his knowledge of the IT services business what a small business needs. His many years of business and IT experience helps him fine tune their business operations through smart technology integration and builds a solid foundation for growth and efficiency.

Tanya Waller, Computer Solutions

Tanya is a “must know” because she has assisted more than 2,000 businesses in Jacksonville and surrounding areas for over 15 years by directly lowering the total cost of ownership for their office environment by implementing proper procedures for their network. She is active with the Assoc. of Medical Office Experts, is the 2011 Small Business Leader for the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce-South Council, and is a member of the Clay County Chamber, AIA, and various other networking groups.

5 tips for bolstering your bottom line by adding some balance to your life

By Robyn A. Friedman

Susan Carter

Every year on April 16, Susan Carter breathes a sigh of relief. That date signals the end of tax season—and the beginning of her return to 50-hour workweeks after a whirlwind three and a half months spent working 70 to 75 hours per week.

Those long hours may be de rigueur for accountants, but they don’t help Carter, a CPA in Orange Park, achieve any sort of balance in her life.

“The balance between work and home is very difficult, especially as a woman business owner because you are trying to do it all,” says Carter, who admits that during her 17-year career, she didn’t spend as much time as she would have liked with her children, now 19 and 24.

Facts are facts

But Carter is not the only small business owner struggling to achieve balance. According to a survey released by Staples in January, 60% of small business owners admit to spending more time holding their mobile devices than the hand of their significant others, and 43% say they work during hours they are supposed to be devoting to family.

A CareerBuilder survey released in December 2010 revealed that nearly one in four respondents (24%) found it hard to stop thinking about work at the end of the day and that nearly one in five (19%) said they dream about work.

And the National Study of the Changing Workforce, released in 2008, found that 75% of employed parents feel they don’t have enough time with their children, 63% of employees in couple relationships feel they don’t have enough time with their significant others and 60% of employees feel they don’t have enough time for themselves.

The need for balance

Lack of work/life balance is a serious problem for small business owners. Sure, entrepreneurs need to spend time cultivating their businesses to maximize their chances of success. But those who adopt an all-work-and-no-play policy usually pay a price for doing so, such as stress-related health issues, a lack of time to pursue personal interests, or friction with family members.

And what small business owners may not realize is that a lack of work/life balance, rather than helping them achieve success, may actually impair their ability to do so. In other words, improving work/life balance may bolster the bottom line.

“Achieving work/life balance is important to the health of the business and the business person,” says Arthur Lynnworth, the

Arthur Lynnworth

Fernandina Beach-based author of “Slice the Salami—Tips for Life and Leadership, One Slice at a Time.” “A small business owner will not function at top performance solving problems and dealing with competitive issues if he or she is stressed out due to conflicts of work/life balance. Not only does the person suffer, but the less-than-optimum decision making, due to stress, also translates to subpar business performance.”

That can impact the bottom line because a business owner who is stressed out is not as productive,

Shirley Davis

experts say. “You’re not going to come up with the best solutions, be innovative and creative with new product ideas, reach out and service customers or broaden your business,” says Shirley Davis, Ph.D., co-director of the Workplace Flexibility Program for the Society of Human Resources Management. “Employees who don’t have work/life balance tend to be more likely to be late to work, not engaged at work, or call in sick.”

Strategies to reclaim balance

So what can you do to reclaim control of your out-of-balance life? Consider these strategies to restore harmony.

•Improve your time management skills. Plan each day by setting realistic objectives—and then try to meet them. “Don’t think that

Jack Harsh

busyness is the same as business,” says Jack Harsh, a business coach in Jacksonville. “Decide what your top three priorities are each day and what you will focus your time and attention on. Do that for both your personal life and your business.”

•Take real vacations. Everyone needs time away from work to recharge. By getting away from their businesses periodically, small business owners can better focus on important family relationships—relationships that will ultimately help nurture them. “That pays off in tremendous ways back in the business because they now have better balance,” says Harsh.

•Cultivate a support system. Entrepreneurs are notoriously bad at delegating. “Many small business owners bury their personal time

John Geshay

while pouring all their energy into the business,” says John Geshay, a certified business coach with FocalPoint of North Florida in Jacksonville. “Then they realize too late that while they may have achieved success in their business, they sacrificed a lot of other aspects in their lives.”

Geshay recommends delegating and outsourcing. He suggests that business owners divide their net income by the number of hours they work per year to see what their time is worth. For example: If a company’s net income is $100,000 and the owner works 2,000 per year, then his hourly rate is $50. “If there is any task he does that is worth less than $50 an hour, he should find someone else to get that done,” says Geshay. “That maximizes the ROE—return on energy.”

•Leave work at work. Smart phones and other technology make it difficult to create a boundary between work and home. It’s important, however, to block out time for your family that is free of distractions. Paresh Hirapara, president and CEO of Enaptive, a Jacksonville-based software development firm, works hard—about 60 hours per week. But he reserves his weekends for his family. “The weekends are our time,” he says. “I’ll hang out with the kids, do something around town or do stuff around the house. Building software requires a lot of creativity, and I can’t focus unless I maintain a good mental state.”

•If all else fails, seek help. Susan Carter, the CPA, realized that her life was out of balance after she heard Jack Harsh speak at a local networking group. “I felt that my business had consumed me,” she recalls. “When I listened to him talk about balance between work and personal time, I realized that I wanted that.” So she signed on as a coaching client and has since learned how to manage her time better, delegate, set goals and carve out time for family and fun.

Now Carter says she is more relaxed—and much more productive. “This tax season has probably been the least stressful one I’ve ever had,” she says. “And our revenues increased 25%.”

Robyn A. Friedman is a contributing writer to Advantage. She can be reached at robyn@everythingwrite.com or through www.EverythingWrite.com.

You are finally taking a vacation! Who will manage the staff and take care of the customers?

By Bob Douce

As a small business owner, you regularly pour your life and soul into your company working 60, 70, or 80 hours a week. A year or twodown the road, once things start running a little more smoothly, the idea of a few days off starts to creep into your consciousness (or is subliminally being beaten there by your spouse on a daily basis). Can you really separate yourself from the day-to-day operations?

Or maybe you are in a different situation. You really need to attend a conference, or maybe you’re presenting at your industry’s annual convention. This is a great honor, but you will be away from the office for four days. Who will you put in charge to be sure your customer needs are met, your employees have direction and guidance, and the building doesn’t burn down?

The issue

Too many owners are so vested in their company and working with too many hats to make a profit that they often do not have the time to work on their company process. The last thing thought about is who will run the operations when I am not around.

If you are still answering day-to-day operational questions or fielding most of the client calls yourself, you are probably in this situation. Taking a short vacation or attending an extended conference may seem impossible at this point in the life of the business. However, it is doable— and sometimes very necessary.

The solution

Planning ahead is the key to success in many things, including deciding who will take the reins, even if only for a few days. It starts with hiring the right people at the right time for your business.

Your interview process should look at not only the skill sets you need for the present day, but also what you will need six months to a year down the road. If you have already hired all the people you need, re-evaluate their skills and identify who may be the best prospect to cross train some of your responsibilities. Regular performance reviews are a great place to start when looking to identify your future leaders.

Once you have someone picked out, create a development or training plan for that person. Even if he or she came to your company with all the right skills, he or she doesn’t necessarily know your processes and procedures or understand your way of looking at the business—as an owner.

Evaluating and training your top managers for enhanced leadership responsibilities will increase their confidence and accountability. This leadership development will help set in motion your ability to rely upon their skills and management abilities while you are still in the office every day.

It’s also important to help these identified leaders understand the role they play in the company. If they know they may be being groomed for a temporary or permanent upper management role, they are much more likely to be fully engaged in the day-to-day operations.

They will also see the benefit of cross training on a variety of responsibilities. While they will not become masters of all the functional areas they learn, they will have a greater understanding of how each department or process is interconnected. With this knowledge, they will have the big picture view of what it takes to run the business.

The implementation

Everything is on track. You have identified your leader. You have begun work on the leadership develop plan and helped him or her gain more experiences in the company. But how do you actually let go and give it a try?

Start by turning over a project you would normally handle and give him or her full responsibility and authority to handle it. You have already trained him or her to do it, now let him or her go. You are still around and can step in if needed, but remember, you had to stub your toe a few times as you learned to walk, and he or she needs to do the same thing. The biggest difference is he or she has your experiences from which to learn.

Once he or she can handle projects on a regular basis, give him or her the keys to the shop for the day. If it makes you feel more comfortable, stick around, but work on your presentation for the conference or plan the excursions for your vacation.

Don’t get involved unless absolutely necessary. Don’t answer your phone, respond to your emails, or meet with employees. It may just be easier to head home for the day. Remember— your leader-in-training still has you to turn to if he or she feels like they are headed off the cliff.

Each step in the process gets a little easier, but it is important to evaluate his or her performance as you move along. Look at the good and the bad. Assessing the results will help improve his or her performance because you will reinforce the positive and correct the negative.

What was successful and went well? Don’t be afraid to tell him or her they may have handled it better than you. Praise the successes, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Even if it was a partial success, but a failure overall, identify what was right. Accenting the positives will normally result in repeat performances.

Next—what went wrong? If he or she had proper training, it shouldn’t have been a train wreck; however, everyone has been there a time or two. The good news is that you are still here and not sailing in the Caribbean. A wheel may have come off the track, but you prevented a full derailment. Talk about what happened and why and let him or her come up with the way to prevent it from happening again. If he or she is a true leader, he or she will be able to point out their own short comings and learn from their mistakes.

True succession planning

You have put in the effort to identify your future leaders, provided them guidance and training, and even let them take the wheel a few times. What you accomplished is what some large companies still have problems conducting on a regular basis—succession planning.

It’s important to be personally involved in the day-to-day operations of a startup company, but is equally important to train those you trust to do what you do. Not only have you developed a leader to run the operations while you spend a week on vacation or a few days at the conference, but you have freed yourself up to grow your business.

Everything doesn’t have to run through you anymore (read this as you have removed a potential bottleneck in your operations). You are now free to focus on business development and know that your company is in good hands.

Bob Douce is the vice president of sales and co-founder of Talent Development Inc. He can be reached at 904-262-4299, info@tdies.com, or through www.tdiemployeesolutions.com.

How you can stay ahead of the curve with digital media

By Melynda Batchelor

Consumption of digital media is second only to television, and that gap is predicted to decrease. Audiences are spending an ever-increasing amount of time with digital media; however, many businesses are still focusing a disproportionate amount of marketing spend on traditional media.

There are three online areas— website, social media, and e-marketing— every business should focus on to stay ahead of the curve and take a leadership position in their market.

1. Invest in your website and get prospects to it

Your company website may be the first and last impression your potential customer ever has of your business. And it’s not just about looking sharp; it’s about the target audience finding your business and having a relevant experience during the research and buying process.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Try this: Search for your product or service (not your company name) on Google. Take note of how many results are returned based on the query. It’s very likely to be in the millions. Every business is vying for those generic searches made by consumers contemplating a purchase. Search engines use hundreds of criterion to determine the most relevant Web pages to include in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Here are a few important factors.

•Domain name: The website URL is a huge factor in ranking high on SERPs. Shorter is not better; more descriptive is best. You can always buy a shorter domain and redirect it to your company’s website if a shortcut is desired, but the primary domain should have a descriptive keyword in the URL. For example: If you sell tires, “tire” needs to be part of your company’s domain name.

•Content: Check out the Web pages ranking well for your target keywords. They are likely to be very rich in relevant content, such as copy on the page or a search-friendly video. Make sure your website is keyword-rich and that search engines can index it. If you look at the source code of your page, which can usually be done by right clicking and selecting “view page source,” you can see what the engine spider is seeing.

•Metadata: This is the file within the page that purposely tells the engines what the page is about. Unique page titles and descriptions are a must-have for every website.

User experience design. You need website visitors to explore your offering, connect with it, and convert from window shoppers to buyers in order to achieve business goals. Guiding users from point A to point Z is achieved by leveraging User Experience Design, a discipline honed by experienced professionals.

It takes only seconds for a visitor to decide if they’ve found the right company or not. Think about that initial experience; make it clear what you offer and what you want the visitor to do. This is likely going to be to contact you or to purchase, so make those options prominently available from all of the points of entry. Note that from a SERP, any page on your website could be the entry point, not just the home page.

When seeking professional help, ask to see examples of websites designed and the analytics on how they are performing. A reputable agency will provide both and explain clearly what they can do for you. Sure, your neighbor’s kid knows how to build Web pages, but would you trust him with designing your storefront? Of course not! Think about your website as your virtual storefront and carefully evaluate the experience you want prospects to have when they come through the door.

2. Think social, get social

The online social phenomenon cannot be ignored. According to eMarketer, in 2011, 63.7% of United States Internet users will use social networks on a regular basis, amounting to nearly 148 million people. Businesses need to get involved to determine the best possible way to leverage online communities.

Listen. First, understand the social buzz about your brand and category. There are many great, free tools out there for doing so. Try www.addictomatic.com to search for business references. This tool will scour the Internet for all mentions of your company and serve them up in an easy-to-digest interface. For category insights, use www.search.twitter.com to tap into conversations about any topic and learn more about your target audience.

Connect. There are almost a million LinkedIn Groups established. At minimum, your business should complete its LinkedIn business profiles, and identify relevant social groups to join. It’s free and the listing gives you more credibility. A secondary benefit is having another Web experience that could rank in SERPs.

Optimize your LinkedIn profile with the same keyword-rich phrases as your website. Don’t be afraid to repeat keywords in your business name, title, and history. Use LinkedIn Groups to learn from others, keep abreast of industry changes, and share business knowledge, which will establish you as a leader and could result in new business.

Engage. Engagement is tougher because a strategy is needed to do it well. Establish how you can leverage social platforms like Facebook and Twitter to achieve business goals. Keep your business objective in mind. You can’t just set it and forget it. After documenting objectives, think about the communication strategy. What do you want to say that’s relevant and interesting? How will you grow your fan base? What’s unique that you can offer that will keep fans interested? Think about why a person would want to follow your company and then deliver that content.

3. e-Marketing

E-marketing is proactively marketing in the digital space, and can include both paid search and paid media, among other tools.

Paid search. The largest and most common type of e-marketing is Search Engine Marketing, which for direct response campaigns is probably the best bet. Think about it—where do people start the buying process? They “Google it.”

Google’s Sponsored Links are generated by businesses bidding on a particular key phrase. This works like a real time auction where the highest bidder gets top billing. You only pay if a user clicks on your ad. And, these are real, qualified leads because users are actively searching for your services.

Check out www.google.com/adwords to learn more. It’s easy to get started, but difficult to be really good at it. There are so many different levers to pull to optimize a paid search campaign, use a professional unless you have time to study the techniques and monitor the campaign daily.

Paid media. If your company or service targets businesses, try LinkedIn ads. If you’re trying to reach consumers, consider Facebook ads. You can learn more about the specific targeting available on each by “Googling it” or going to the specific social networks, www.facebook.com/advertising or www.linkedin.com/advertising. Facebook just started monitoring actual conversations and testing the use of that data for real-time ads. So, someone posting, “I love pizza” could get a real-time offer for $10 pies. Can your marketing be more relevant and timely in traditional channels? No way!

Regardless of the industry, adults in the U. S. are spending 41% of their media consumption time with Internet and Mobile, but marketers are only spending 20% of their advertising spend in those channels, according to eMarketer, March 2011. It’s time to re-evaluate and reallocate your marketing spend to maximize the return on your marketing investment.

Melynda Batchelor is director of digital strategy at Burdette Ketchum, a marketing consulting and communications firm. She develops and implements comprehensive digital marketing programs for the firm’s clients. She can be reached at 904-645-6200, mbatchelor@burdetteketchum.com, or through www.burdetteketchum.com.

What you need to know to connect with the most powerful search engine in the world

“Today, 95% of all products and services bought are first researched on search engines,” says Ronnie Soud, principal and co-founder of Evision Worldwide and Five Rivers Interactive Media and speaker at the Knowledge Is Power workshop sponsored by First Atlantic Bank and Nova Southeastern University.

“Even though consumers might not buy directly from your site, they are visiting your site and they are finding you—and they want to know who you are, where you’re located, and if you are truly going to solve the problem that they have.”

Seek and find

Since Google represents such a big shift in consumer activity, how can you get your small business found when a consumer does a search? Soud says you should take advantage of the full suite Google has to offer.

“Google has, in a way, segmented all the great products that they have and have really put them into three different segments,” says Soud.

Those three segments include:

•Starting your business. This has to do with email, setting up an infrastructure and a website, and Microsoft word style software.

•Marketing your business. This is where Google Checkout, Google Merchant Center, Google Places, as well as YouTube and Google AdWords, come into play.

•Tracking your business and website performance. At this stage, you utilize Google Analytics and Google Website Optimizer.

Start at the beginning

“In order to use the full suite of products, such as Google Places and Google Analytics, Google requires you to set up a Gmail address—that’s what runs the whole show,” says Soud.

If you don’t have a Gmail account yet, you can register for one for free from the Google home page in the upper right corner. Soud says you only need one and it should be something you, as the business owner or as head of marketing, owns and has access to.

You then sign in with that Gmail address and can begin creating your footprint by clicking on the “Business Solutions” link below the search bar.

“While this is all free, there is one disclaimer:  When you register for these and see the agreements, you are giving permission for Google to have access to all your data,” says Soud. “They have access to it, but they can’t do anything with it.”

Get marketing

•Google Checkout. Google Checkout is similar to PayPal. It offers a fast, secure checkout process that helps increase sales by bringing you more customers and allowing them to buy from you quickly and easily with a single login.

Soud says that without any heavy coding, you can allow people to purchase consulting hours, register for an appointment, or buy an actual product right from your site. “They give you the shopping cart. You simply have to load in your products and descriptions and then hand it over to your web staff to place the snippet of code to actually publish the shopping cart to the Web, and you are in business,” says Soud.

•Google Merchant Center. “For those that sell a product, Google Merchant Center is a valuable tool,” says Soud. You use the Google Merchant Center to upload your product listings with a description and price for use in AdWords ads, Google Search, Google Product Search, and Google Commerce Search.

•Google Places. Google Places is also a free service that helps get you more visibility. “This is one of the biggest changes Google has made in the last three years,” says Soud. “What Google found through the years was that the majority of searches being done online had some form of local intent.”

“There was such an explosion of localized searches on Google that they decided to build this giant business directory, publish it to the Web based on keyword searches placed in its search bar, and they made it free.”

To register your business on Google Places, simply go to www.Google.com/places, click get started, sign in, and begin listing your business. To ensure the most benefit, fill in every prompt. The description and category are essential to your listing and you will need to upload some sort of a photo or business logo to be considered complete. You can also enhance your listing by placing YouTube videos, links, and customer reviews. In a week or two, you will then validate it all by entering a pin number that you receive on a postcard.

Tracking performance

•Google AdWords. AdWords allows you to display your ads on Google and its advertising network and you only pay if people click on your ads. One of the best ways to utilize AdWords is to look up what consumers are searching for by using its keyword tool. Simply search “keyword tool” in its search bar, type in a word or phrase pertaining to your company, and you can see the search volume of how many people are typing in your search term and variations of it locally (which means nationally) and globally (which means the world).

“You now get to see how many people on average per month are typing in your keyword,” says Soud. “This keyword tool helps you to organize your thoughts and campaign structure. Without doing this, you could be running a very inefficient campaign.”

To get stated, click on start my campaign and give it an appropriate name, fill in the settings, write your ad, include your website, preview it, and select your keywords with match types (click on link “Advanced option: match types” for explanations). Set your default bid, which is up to what dollar amount per click you are willing to pay, set your billing, and your ad is typically live within hours.

•Google Analytics. Analytics is another free item you can sign up to use and it helps you to attract more of the traffic you are looking for and turn more visitors into customers. This helps you learn which online marketing initiatives are cost-effective and see how visitors actually interact with your site, i.e., how many visits (been to site), page views (coming to site and looking at numerous pages), or bounces (how many left under 15 seconds).

You can then use this information to make informed site design improvements, drive targeted traffic, and increase your conversions and profits.

Ronnie Soud, principal and co-founder of Evision Worldwide and Five Rivers Interactive Media, can be reached at 888-957-0002 or through www.evisionworldwide.com.

After owning and operating Maron’s Furniture for 23 years, Jeanne Maron decided to close its doors and go back to public relations. She was working for JEA when she and 400 other people were laid off in October 2008.

Since she and her husband had already planned a vacation, they decided to go and enjoy themselves. She expected to have a good time, but she didn’t expect to come home with a new business idea.

“We went on our vacation to Sedona, Arizona, and visited some wineries because that’s always been our hobby,” says Maron. “I went into a gift shop that looked kind of interesting, but found their displays were just lousy.” She began telling her husband how she thought they could do a better job with their displays by placing wine bottles in the wine holders and doing things a little differently.

“My husband was laughing at me and said, ‘Why don’t you open a wine shop?’”

Put into action

All throughout the vacation, she pondered the idea of a wine shop. By the time they returned, she decided that she did want to open a wine shop—and The Gifted Cork (www.TheGiftedCork.com) was “born.”

After talking to retailers in St. Augustine, she discovered that even though business was down people were still buying and she felt that would be a good place to open her store—if she could find a good location.

“I walked around St. Augustine with some friends and checked out all the locations I thought would be good, but I really didn’t find anything,” says Maron. “So I called Len Weeks and asked if they had anything coming available.

“It just so happened that the art gallery, which is right next door to their office, was about to come available in one week and they hadn’t even advertised it yet! The square footage and price was basically perfect so I said, ‘Don’t advertise it; I will be there tomorrow!’”

She visited the very next day and loved the space. She then brought her husband a day later and after telling him her vision for the store, they decided to go for it. “When things just fall into place, you go for it,” says Maron.

Bringing it to fruition

She began buying things for the store at the end of January with the plan of opening March 1, 2009, but after discovering that Bike Week started one week earlier, she had to work extra hard and stay until midnight almost every night getting things tagged and out so she could be open for it. But it has paid off.

“I just finished my second year and already made a profit. I am on my way to success, and my long-term goal is to eventually franchise the store,” says Maron. “I keep saying baby steps—that’s kind of my mantra. I do everything, and try to do it right, in baby steps until I can see it grow at a nice, comfortable pace and see that it’ll keep going. I think if you try to do a lot too soon that it can fall back and hit you in the face.”

Passion and love

“I’ve always had an appreciation for wine and visit wineries while on vacation, so it’s just been a passion and a love,” says Maron. “I finally get to do something that I really love. I like the furniture business, but I don’t miss it. Wine is just much more fun and it makes people happy.”

The Gifted Cork not only sells wine, it also sells gifts, wine baskets, and holds special events for people as well as for the store. The store hosts two evening events a month in addition to its daily wine tasting in the store.

Always learning

“I learn something every single day, and that is what is fun about this industry,” says Maron. “You can never really know it all and wines are always changing. Even if you’ve had that wine before, when you get a new vintage it’s going to taste different.”

She says one of the best things about her wine shop is how her customers can teach her and how she can teach them. “We all basically have a good time, and I have built many friendships out of my customers because of it,” says Maron. “Not too many people can really do what they love as a hobby for their job.”

Extended role

While Jeanne Maron may work seven days a week at the shop, she dedicates some of her off time to the Children’s Home Society of Florida (CHS). Maron, who was actually adopted through CHS, has been on the board for more than eight years and the chairman of the board for the past two years.

“I got started with CHS because I just thought it would be interesting and fun to be on the board and give money for where my passion lies,” says Maron.

About the agency

Chartered in Jacksonville in 1902, Children’s Home Society of Florida (CHS) is dedicated to embracing children and inspiring lives. Every day, CHS works to restore and strengthen families through its various programs and services such as adoption, foster care, and child abuse prevention programs.

CHS (Buckner Division) is based in Jacksonville and provides direct services and activities for 2,500 children and families every day to help them cope with the challenges related to the foster care system. It offers prevention services to help families avoid the system and intervention services such as counseling and therapy to stabilize lives so today’s children can be more successful in school and in life after foster care.

Jeanne Maron, owner of The Gifted Cork, can be reached at 904-810-1083, info@thegiftedcork.com, or through www.thegiftedcork.com.

Vingevity has found that friendship and success go hand in hand

Chad Munsey and Fraser Burns sit down with a bottle of wine at III Forks with our own Brian Barquilla to discuss their backgrounds, how they came together to form their new company Vingevity (www.vingevity.com), and the recent success they have found—all while remaining friends. Below is the Q&A session.

Brian Barquilla (BB): You guys are friends and each accomplished businessmen in your own right and decided to get together on this new venture. Tell us a little bit about yourselves.

Chad Munsey (CM): I was born and raised here in Jacksonville, but moved away to go to college. Shortly after college, I started bartending because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and that lead me into the restaurant industry.

After a few years of managing restaurants outside of Jacksonville, I moved back in 1996 and started managing Biscotti’s. I then went on to manage Bistro AIX and then opened The Grotto in 2001. It was the first, official true wine bar in town. I sold the business in 2007 and went to work for a big wine company in Santa Barbara, Calif.

When I was living in California and our corporate offices were relocated to Sonoma, I thought, “This is it. I’m going to be living in wine country—where for the last 14 to 15 years I’ve traveled to at least once a year. This is going to be heaven.” But quite frankly, there was just something missing.

Basically, it was the good friendships and sense of community that I have here. I spent a lifetime building those friendships and it’s difficult to be in a place that you think is your dream, but not have your friends to share it with.

I’ve always felt that Jacksonville was a great area to base a business and that it has a lot of things going for it.

BB: Now Fraser, you are quite the entrepreneur yourself, aren’t you?

Fraser Burns (FB): Well, I have lived vicariously through guys like Chad for most of my life as I am kind of the opposite of the restaurateur. My background comes from the pure business side of things.

I started my first company when I was 18 years old and, in 2000, started another company that I currently own and operate called Ocenture, which does wholesale private label development of products and services for Fortune 500 companies. I started branching out and doing some other things within the business world, such as I am an investor in the new Alhambra Dinner Theater, co-founder and chairman of a healthcare staffing firm, and a co-founder with Chad in our wine distribution company, Vingevity.

I’ve had a good opportunity to partner myself with intelligent people, knowledgeable people, and very passionate people like Chad to start businesses that allows me to earn a dollar with good friends and good opportunities. I’m a sheer entrepreneur at heart.

BB: How was the company conceptualized?

FB: That’s not a very easy question to answer; the idea really was forged over time. We are both passionate about many of the same things including wine. Chad’s knowledge in the wine industry and my background in building new businesses make for a great opportunity.

Basically, the way it all started was shortly after Chad returned from California we were introduced through a mutual friend and started to discuss a few possible ideas he had within the hospitality industry. Because of his past ownership in The Grotto, we were very conservative about competing with that particular company.

Our first conversation about a wine company was at my house over a glass of wine, I think it was a glass of Curran Grenache Blanc, it’s a great bottle.

CM: It was, yeah. It was brought to my attention by dear friends of mine—this husband and wife in California that are wine makers—that their wines weren’t available in Florida and they began telling me how they would love for me to represent their wines.

And over that glass of wine with Fraser, we started kicking around the idea of starting up a wine brokerage company. After doing some homework, I found that the large distributors weren’t really interested in these little, family-owned, small boutique wines.

FB: We decided that if we can’t get the ‘big boys’ interested in these brands that we feel bring value, quality, and opportunity for everyone here in Jacksonville as well as California and other communities around the world that we have family partnerships with, that we were just going to do it ourselves.

So we filed the required paperwork with the state, obtained a 7,500 square foot warehouse, filled it with wine, and took a leap of faith. We opened the doors for business and have been astounded by the support we’ve received.

BB: So tell me more about your new business.

FB: We have two segments of our business. One is our distribution company and second is our own wine brand where we produce a red and a white wine named Huguenot Cellars. On the distribution side, we partner with family-owned wineries from around the world to help them distribute their brands into Florida. Currently, we have about 70 brands, and that’s growing every day. The Jacksonville restaurant and fine wine shop community have been very supportive of our distribution philosophy; we really are doing things a little different on the distribution side.

CM: The other side of our business is our own Huguenot Cellars brand. We currently produce both a white and a red wine out of the central coast of California, more directly from the Santa Ynez Valley. Huguenot Cellars is a project that I was previously working on for some time and that we were able to push to completion because of our new partnership. It’s been a fun project. We are also working on a few more brands that will hit the market soon; our next project is called Esplanade, it’s going to be a Napa California wine with a little New Orleans attitude.

BB: Tell us a little bit about the infrastructure, such as the number of employees, trading area, whatever you feel comfortable with.

FB: I would prefer not to get into too much of our trade secrets, but I can tell you that our current trade area is the entire state of Florida. We currently distribute throughout Jacksonville to most, if not all, of the top restaurants, and we just opened up the Orlando and Tampa Bay markets. Our main goal is to expand throughout the state as soon as feasibly possible.

CM: We have coverage and the ability to ship throughout the state—and we have, down south and in other areas. Within the next long side of four months, we’re also going to have someone full time down in the Palm Beach and Del Ray area covering that south Florida market as well.

BB: What makes your business different from your competitors?

FB: Our model is a lot different than most distribution companies. Based on an extensive amount of industry evaluation, we feel the large distribution companies have lost their way in how they manage their supply chain. We are a hands-on organization, and we value our relationships with our clients. We do not treat them as just another number; we truly care about their businesses.

With all the industry consolidation happening right now, the distribution industry has become a check-the-box business. Typically a new, untrained representative shows up at the restaurant door and simply checks the box of your order without understanding how their brands may affect the overall wine list.

CM: We want to bring the romance back to what the wine industry was about—relationships and food and wine. We learn the restaurant’s menu so we can bring them the proper wines that work with their menu. We want to teach the staff and educate them so they can educate their guests and be able to make suggestions.

It seems that every time you talk to someone who’s been to wine country, they say, ‘There’s this little place I went to in … have you ever heard of them? I can never find that wine in Florida.’ Now we are the distributor that’s bringing you that little place you love so much. It’s treating our customer base, our accounts, and restaurants as partners. We want to partner with them to grow their business, which will in turn grow our business

FB: The industry as a whole has also gotten away from relationship building. We are bringing the old school model of relationship building back. Some other big differences between our competitors and Vingevity is that our entire supply chain uses climate control delivery to make sure our products are delivered at its very best. Our warehouse and delivery trucks are climate controlled, and that is a big deal when you are transporting such a delicate product.

We are also using technology to our advantage, our drivers and wine representatives use iPad’s to check inventory and communicate with the home office. We are adopting very new ideas in a very old industry that is slow to evolve. And as you know, a nibble and a well-run company will gain market share every time.

BB: Most emerging businesses have an ‘ah-ha’ moment when they realize they are on to something good and excitement is at its peak. Tell me about yours.

FB: I am not sure we’ve had our biggest ah-ha moment yet. We are just scratching the surface and have a tremendous amount of growth opportunities going forward. I guess you can say our first ah-ha moment, if you want to call it that, was when we finally decided to compete with the large distribution companies and not just be wine brokers. Being our own distribution company was the only way to go—we understood that very quickly and made it happen very fast.

CM: I was going to say another ah-ha moment or realization was the first day we went into the warehouse and it was ours. It was like, ‘All right, we’re doing this.’ But the full Aaaaa-haaa moment hasn’t happened yet—but it will. We’re in this for the long haul, no doubt.

BB: What has been your biggest surprise?

FB: I do not think anything has totally surprised us yet, but what we are very excited about is the warm reception we have received so far. Restaurants like III Forks, Bistro AIX, Orsay, Biscotti’s, and Vino’s have all been early adaptors of our brands, including our Huguenot Cellars brand. In fact, III Forks is serving Huguenot Cellars, Cuvee de Blanc, our white wine by the glass.

I can tell you that it feels great to see our products having great success in the market. Jeremy the Sommelier and Curtis one of the proprietors here at III Forks has really gotten behind our brands and has helped us a great deal. Let’s face it, wine just goes better with great food and good friends. We truly value our relationships with these great restaurants and look forward to future growth with them.

CM: I can tell you a really cool surprise is when you walk into a restaurant and you order your own wine. It’s one thing to order a wine that you represent, it’s a whole other thing when you sit down at a table and order your own wine.

Business vitals

Owner: Chad Munsey and Fraser Burns

In business since: 2010

Projected growth: The business will certainly look a lot different than it does now in three to five years. Short term, we are expanding into the Orlando and Tampa Bay markets and within the next 12 to 24 months, we plan on being in the South Florida market. As far as our three to five year plan, we would love to have full coverage throughout Florida and then we will look to expand into a few other states like Louisiana and South Carolina.

We also want to expand our brand management and import divisions. In the coming years, we know our Huguenot Cellars and Esplanade brands should become a staple in many Florida restaurants and fine wine shops. Our plans are to grow the company using solid business practices and just keep building relationships.

I know over time our business model will allow us to scale effectively and allow us to provide a superior service to all our clients.

How you can do it

Take a leap of faith, but put together a very solid portfolio, especially when entering a proven, long-term successful market. It also doesn’t hurt that one business partner owned the hottest wine bar in town for years and knows almost everyone, and the other has a proven track-record for starting up new businesses. At the end of the day it’s all about relationships.

The story behind the Huguenot Cellars brand

Chad Munsey: The first evidence of modern wine making was in 1564 on the bank of the St. Johns River by the French Huguenots. There is a longstanding history with the French Huguenots who fled France, landed here, and built Ft. Caroline—and this kind of stemmed the naming of the brand.

Talk about an ah-ha moment! I was reading a book on wine history on one of my many flights and that’s where I learned about the history. It’s just an amazing background story. Many of the wineries that we represent have great stories associated with them and I don’t know if there is any other better story.

The genesis of the wine was I wanted a white wine and a red wine that somebody could put on their table and regardless of whom in the group liked white or liked red, everybody at the table would find something about that wine they liked. I wanted it to be the kind of quintessential everyday wine.

One of the big things I used to tell people was to drink what you like, eat what you like, and it will all work out. I wanted this to be a wine that people just opened and it’s good.

Connecting employee performance to the bottom line

By Chad V. Sorenson, SPHR

Performance management. Strategic plans. Employee retention. Terms oftenassociated with large companies. Do they really matter to the small business owner?

Absolutely! When a company wants to improve its bottom line, it often spends its time focused on the number of hours an employee works rather than looking at the effectiveness of the employee as a way to save money. In the long run— that might not be the best plan.

While controlling wages and hours worked is important, identifying what employees are doing and how effective they are can be just as crucial. But, where do you begin?

Hire the right employee

Before you look at hiring your next employee, you need to clearly identify the expectations of the position and the qualities that will make a person successful in that role. These expectations or responsibilities are usually found in a job description. If you don’t have one, start by making a list of the duties this position will need to accomplish.

Don’t forget to include what you expect in terms of customer service, quality of work, and quantity of work. Customer service isn’t just for your sales force. Whether you are a plumber, computer technician, or accountant, great customer service is key in obtaining and retaining clients. Lack of focus on this aspect can cost your company a great client— negatively impacting your bottom line.

Interview your candidates with a purpose. What are you looking for exactly? Yes, they need to be proficient in the basic skills of the job, but a more important attribute is often their attitude. Do they like to learn? What do they say about their last job? Do they have a willingness to work with your other employees? Are they focused on serving customers, both external and internal.

Hire their attitude and train their skills. Even the most technically proficient employee can have a bad attitude. Who do you want around your clients and other employees?

Set the expectation

What does the first day on the job look like at your company? Do they spend half their day filling out paperwork? Are they shuffled from one warm body to another? Or, do they get to sit with the new boss and spend their day getting to know the company and their new co-workers?

Spending a couple hours with the boss will help the new employee learn what is expected of them. Reviewing a job description can lay out the responsibilities of the new role, but actually sitting down and talking will help the new employee understand what will make them a success in the company.

Most companies have an accountant bookkeeper, however, each company may expect different reports to be done or tasks to be completed in a different way. Unless you have that initial conversation and set the expectation, not only can the employee feel out of touch in the new role, but the manager may grow frustrated with their performance and begin to second guess the decision to hire that new employee.

Setting the initial expectations in a clear and concise manner will also give you something to measure the performance of the new employee. Employees want to know how they are doing. Their goal is to please the new boss, and without constructive feedback, many employees are left second guessing their work. Too often they will be more focused on how they are doing rather than looking for ways to please the client.

Engage them in the process

Employees who are engaged in their day-to-day activities are more likely to become your top performers. If they are playing an active role in their own performance development, they will be continually looking for ways to improve their skills. On the other side, workers who are disengaged often don’t care about learning new skills or pleasing your clients.

When managers actively involve employees in the decision-making process, the employees are more likely to buy-into the process because they have some skin in the game. Frequently, they will look for ways not only to achieve the goals, but identify ways to go above and beyond.

Don’t overdo it

A recent survey by MetLife indicated that while companies of all sizes have seen productivity gains in the past year, it may have come at the expense of employee loyalty. According to the survey, only 47% of employees felt a strong sense of loyalty to their company, which is down 12% from three years ago. In addition, more than one-third of workers are looking to change jobs within the next year.

Stress and doing more with less are key contributors to employee dissatisfaction. While companies can improve the bottom line in the short-term by increasing employee productivity, employee satisfaction and morale can begin to suffer if pushed too far. Managers need to stay connected with their employees to identify downward trends in morale before it reaches a tipping point.

As the economy grows stronger and opportunities increase for your company, so will the opportunities for your top performers. Companies run the risk of losing their strongest players if they don’t monitor and balance their workloads, productivity, and employee satisfaction.

A matter of prevention

So what can a company do to prevent their employees from leaving? Include them in the process. Help employees grow their skill set and create a plan to increase their value to your company. Nearly all employees want to develop their career and learn new things. Most will do so. Your decision is whether you will help them do that in your company, or watch as they take their next step up the career ladder by joining your competitor.

Employees who are engaged in their own performance development can increase a company’s bottom line by always looking for ways to improve their own performance and the company’s results. The opposite is also true. Workers who don’t care are probably doing just enough to get by and couldn’t care less about their impact on your customers. The decision is yours.

Chad V. Sorenson, SPHR, is the president of Adaptive HR Solutions and vice president of Talent Development Inc. His primary focus is helping small and mid-sized employers navigate employment law and get the most out of their employees. He can be reached at 904-716-4846, csorenson@adaptivehrs.com, or through www.adaptivehrs.com.

Confidentiality agreements can protect the idea behind your product or service

By Howard A. Caplan

Partnering with a larger company can be a powerful way to positively exploit acommercial product or service, but you must take care to protect the idea behind the product or service. Premature or non-protected disclosure can allow the “partner” to proceed without you.

Limited disclosure of ideas or information occurs in a number of business areas. One of the more common is protecting your idea when pitching it to another party. Your goal is to sell or license the idea, which may be a product or service provided by you or your company.

Licensing is more common because of the difficulty of determining a realistic value before the idea is commercialized. Another common circumstance is when a prospective buyer of a business wants information from the seller. The buyer is doing his due diligence investigation. The seller wants to protect the buyer from using the confidential information if there is no sale.

In either case, you would use a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement to protect against the improper use of your information. This agreement is only a prelude to the ultimate contract you will enter into for the actual commercialization of your idea or the sale of your business.

Protecting your pitch

How do you protect your idea when pitching it to a company that could use the idea in a commercially viable manner?

Perhaps the most important thing to remember when you have an idea that you think is valuable is that your amazing idea may only be amazing to you. Approaching companies with ideas can be extremely difficult. Many companies, more so larger companies do not readily accept ideas from outsiders or have strict rules about how outside ideas are received.

For example: Your lawyer speaks with the head of U.S. research and development for a large pharmaceutical company about presenting your idea. The director seemed to express an interest though he never gave your lawyer an address to send a confidentiality agreement to.

Yet suppose he had given your lawyer the address. Then your lawyer would have sent him an agreement that would provide for the limited disclosure of your idea, but would not contain the idea. The agreement is often called a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement (CNDA).

The CNDA is how you protect yourself from unauthorized use of your idea by the other party. Some companies that accept outside ideas will accept your CNDA. Others will modify it, and others will use theirs.

Many companies that do accept outside ideas will only do so from your attorney or certain other professionals. Companies have many reasons for this limitation. One is protection if they are working on a similar idea. Another is the expectation of dealing with a non-impassioned party if discussion ensues. And another is avoiding infringement claims.

The approach

Depending upon the nature of the idea and the company you are approaching, you may be better served by a one- or two-step approach. If the company is interested in using your idea then you will enter into a sale or licensing agreement.

Some important points to consider in either a one- or two-step approach are:

•How to disclose enough information about your idea for the company to decide if it has an interest in your proposal;

•If the company is interested, then when and how much more of your idea will you disclose. If appropriate, when will you provide product samples;

•How long does the company have to let you know if it is interested in pursuing your idea, not pursuing your idea, or advise you that it has already been pursuing a similar idea;

•Limitations on the company’s use of your information to assess the idea;

•Protecting you if the company claims no interest or that it is pursuing a similar idea, yet actually uses your idea;

•The next step or steps if the company is interested in your idea;

•The application of patent, copyright, or trademark laws to your idea;

•What state’s law will apply if a dispute arises and where that dispute can be addressed; and

•If you need to agree to keep confidential any information from the company.

Prepare a contract

Whether you sell or license your idea is less important at this stage then getting your foot in the door. If the company is interested in using your idea, it is paramount to have a solid, well-drafted contract to protect your rights.

Success can be measured in two ways: one is contracting for the positive commercial exploitation of your idea, the second is if the idea is a commercial success. But a commercial success alone may be of little comfort.

There are many instances when a successful product did not bring success to the person with the idea. A good contract is crucial.

For example: In two high-profile instances, the person who sold or licensed the idea to the company (or the persons later owning the licensee rights) prevailed in court because they had well-drafted agreements.

In one case, Peter Roberts was wrongly told by a Sears Craftsman Tool Division officer that his quick release ratchet would be a side line. Mr. Roberts sued Sears and won over $8 million. In another case, the licensee of Listerine won the right to continue receiving royalties even though the trade secret formula had become public knowledge.

The right deal

For every high-profile case there are many modest cases, and for each of these cases there are many successful ongoing license agreements. This last point merits attention. You can sell your idea for a set fee. Or perhaps the idea is such that you can sell a product or service to the company. You can license your idea and receive an on-going royalty.

The royalty can be for a specified time or perpetual, as in the case of Listerine. Or you can both sell the idea and receive a royalty. Again, for every successful Slinky or disc operating system there are hundreds of marginally profitable deals.

In conclusion, the only certain way to protect your idea is to have restraints on the party whom you expose the idea to. The best method of placing restrictions is a CNDA that sets the boundaries for when and what you will disclose, the scope of investigation by the other party to assess interest in your idea, next steps if there is an interest, and remedies if the other party uses your idea without authorization.

Howard A. Caplan is a solo law practitioner of the Caplan Law Firm, P.A. He can be reached at 904-256-3333, info@caplawfirm.com, or through www.caplawfirm.com.

Ways managed services experts are addressing your healthcare IT challenges

By Mike Stockwell and Ron Holton

The economy is beginning to rebound from its slump, and numerous signals arepointing to even more growth in the coming years. This change has prompted the IT managers of many healthcare companies to undergo audits of their current IT infrastructure, and some challenging trends are beginning to emerge.

The lack of capital in recent years has meant that a number of healthcare companies have had to postpone infrastructure upgrades and prolong technology refresh cycles. Administrators are seeking solutions that will streamline their IT and deliver scalable, efficient results.

Research firm Gartner Inc. recently conducted a survey of IT staffers from 1,004 large enterprises in eight countries to identify their top challenges and priorities as they moved into 2011. Below are some of these challenges and explanations as to how managed services experts are addressing these needs for customers.

Challenge: Space is limited

The Gartner study revealed that 47% of respondents ranked data growth as the biggest data center hardware infrastructure challenge. Data containment initiatives were named the second most common driver for strategic growth initiatives by 37% of respondents.

A growing number of healthcare companies are now utilizing complex hosting services to handle their critical data needs. Complex hosting is a premium managed service that leverages engineering expertise, deep experience, best practices, and enterprise-class infrastructure to deliver peak performance.

Companies that offer these services as part of their managed services portfolio help customers back up data to disk and tape, manage data backup on customer-provided hardware, rotate tapes, and manage customers’ backup library or replicate data to alternate sites.

Certain companies, for example, also offer cost-effective backup and storage, fewer demands on internal IT staff, enhanced tools for online management, improved security and availability, and real-time monitoring to their clients.

Challenge: Building to scale

While a return to growth is a positive trend, when coupled with the escalating popularity of Electronic Medical Records (EMR), the result is an increase in data that brings with it concerns of increased costs relative to hardware, software, associated maintenance, administration, and services.

Gartner’s survey revealed that 62% of respondents said they plan to expand their hardware capacity at existing data centers by the end of 2011, and of these, 30% plan to build entirely new data centers.

As an alternative to building your own data center, consider utilizing virtualization or cloud services from a managed services company. Virtualization services provide cost-effective high availability, quick provisioning of new servers, lower hardware cost, and a smaller data center footprint. These types of services are becoming increasingly popular; 67% of respondents to the Gartner survey said they plan to spend money on virtualization in 2011.

Gartner’s survey also revealed that 37% of respondents named system performance and scalability as the second biggest challenge for them in the coming year, while another 36% cited network congestion and connectivity issues. Cloud computing provides one of the most efficient and innovative options to boost the scalability of an environment.

Continuing to increase in popularity is the hybrid cloud model, which is a custom-designed solution that combines data center services with cloud services in a virtual and physical environment. Such a solution is unique in that it gives businesses in the healthcare industry access to cloud services and expertise that allows them to leverage the power of the cloud based on their specific needs.

Challenge: Playing by the rules

April Adams, research director at Gartner Inc., stated that data capacity on average in enterprises is growing at 40% to 60% year over year. This has been caused by a number of factors, including an explosion in unstructured data that must be stored due to regulatory compliance requirements.

Leaders in providing full-service managed hosting for businesses worldwide aggressively support customers in their efforts to meet the regulatory demands of their industry or governing agency.

For example, certain companies can assist its healthcare clients to be compliant with privacy controls like HIPAA/HITECH in addition to offering expertise in SSAE 16, CyberTrust, Food and Drug Administration, Payment Card Industry, Data Security Standard, European Commission’s Directive on Data Protection, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), ISO 27001, and Gramm-Leach-Bliley.

Challenge: Forecasting the unexpected

Survey respondents indicated that business continuity and data availability were the chief motivators behind their strategic 2011 plans. Healthcare companies with mission-critical applications or IT operations know they have to be prepared for hardware failure or losing access to their equipment.

Many businesses are now using highly secure data centers in combination with their own IT facilities to provide a more complete business continuity solution. Managed services providers with the best business continuity and disaster recovery portfolios offer world-class data centers and a geographically diverse footprint.

When downtime is not an option and the failover must be as continuous as possible, a managed services company can provision and ensure a complete redundant architecture with automatic traffic redirection and hot site mirroring. Failover to hot sites keeps the additional effort of maintaining a secondary site from overloading the primary IT staff and gives geographic diversity without paying for constant travel to the secondary facility for maintenance.

Mike Stockwell is the vice president and general manager and Ron Holton is the director of customer engineering for the overall operations of Peak 10 Jacksonville. Peak 10 is a managed services company with world-class data centers. It delivers scalable, economical and reliable solutions for hosting and managing complex IT infrastructure. They can be reached at 904-279-1777, mike.stockwell@peak10.com, ron.holton@peak10.com, or through www.peak10.com/jacksonville.

“You know how it is for excitement,” says Bob Pittman, executive vice presidentofJacksonville-based R.E. Holland & Associates, professional land surveyors and mappers. “It’s whatever satisfies your need for that thrill, that heartbeat.”

And for Pittman, that thrill and heartbeat comes from racing his ZO6 Corvette and Sportside Silverado truck at nearby drag strips in Gainesville, Fla., and Adel, Ga.

While doing proposals and mapping in CAD on a computer during his working hours can present its own challenges, he finds racing cars a bit more exciting.

Starts and finishes

Pittman got into racing as “just one of those things” from when he was a teenager, starting with fast motorcycles and then progressing into cars. “They say it’s in your blood; you ether like that stuff or you don’t,” says Pittman, who loves it—but took a break from racing when his son was born.

“I kind of quit doing it to spend time raising him and being there for football, surfing, etc.,” says Pittman. “But when he hit 16 years old, you know, ‘car age,’ he got me back into it again and I’ve been doing it again the past seven years.”

Pittman is what they call an ET chaser, where he tries to beat his own time and the times of his friends that all run the same kind of cars.

The gear

Pittman’s 2003 ZO6 Corvette and 2000 Sportside Silverado truck are not your average vehicles—anymore. While they can be driven on a “normal” road, they both have newer LS2 stroker motors, transmissions, and rear ends. In fact, the Silverado truck was Pittman’s daily driver last year.

“It’s super fast on the street, but you can’t give it any gas because it will spin the wheels. You have to gingerly hit the accelerator,” laughs Pittman. He says he is almost to the point where the vehicles are where they are, but he is considering nitrous once he beats his two outstanding times.

“I’ve been sitting here for two years waiting for the perfect air to beat my two times and haven’t gotten lucky yet. So here I am, waiting on fall again,” says Pittman. “With racing, there needs to be perfect air. Cold, dry air is denser and you get more air pack in the cylinders, which create more horsepower. Some days we’d get the perfect air, but the track wouldn’t be open that day or night. So I wait.”

Feel the power

Pittman usually races in the quarter mile, which is where you race in a straight line for time and mile per hour, but not for money. He races in what is called the test and tune. He competes against others, but it is where anybody can run so whoever you line up against is who you race.

“Sometimes you get lucky and it will be a car almost like yours. I’ve actually run a race, gone to find the guy if I didn’t know him, and asked if he wanted to run again,” says Pittman. “That’s part of the fun.”

However, Pittman finds that the most fun is the feeling of racing. “It really is exciting because you are going from zero to 135 mph in 10 seconds in the Corvette and from zero to about 125 mph in 11 seconds in the truck. That is pretty thrilling,” says Pittman.

“And when you are nailing the gas in the Corvette (it’s a clutch), I actually have to give it gas and let the clutch out quickly—it just throws you against the seat real hard and the front end almost comes off the ground and that’s the really thrilling part. It’s like bam!

“But you know what? It’s never fast enough for you. At about half way down, you’re like, ‘Come on, come on,’” laughs Pittman.

First run nerves

One race he enjoys attending is the Gator Nationals, but he says watching it on TV does it no justice. “You have to be there to realize how fast they are going down that track. They are actually going 320 mph in four seconds,” says Pittman. “If you’ve never been to one, you are missing out. It shakes your insides as they go by and you are scared watching them—not for yourself, but that something is going to happen to them.”

Pittman says he was never scared about racing, but admits to getting first run jitters. “I always do get nervous on the first run and I don’t know why. My hands get a little shaky, but by the time I go on the second run I am as cool as if I was sitting around drinking beer or something. I just don’t know what it is about that first run.”

Bob L. Pittman, PSM, is executive vice president of R.E. Holland & Associates, professional land surveyors and mappers. He can be contacted at 904-260-6300 or through www.reholland.net.

Discover the parallels between how an athlete trains and how you run and grow your business

By Aaron Marston

As I sat down to critically evaluate our company’s performance at the end of thefirst quarter of 2011, I reflected for a few minutes on the goals we had established going into the year.

Like many small companies, we set financial and profitability goals, both overall and by product and service. We set customer service and product quality goals and developed initiatives to help reach these goals. We started employee programs to improve their performance, education, and skill sets, as well as programs to improve their experience and satisfaction with us as their employer.

Financial reports needed to be completed, quarterly evaluations had to be done on all staff, and staffing requirements had to be considered going into our busy summer months.

The dreaded ‘to-do’ list

As I sat and looked at the laundry list I just created, I feel my palms begin to sweat. “Marketing materials, website, upcoming promotional events…” I  feel my neck and jaw begin to tighten. “Back office software issues, end of the year tax preparation, 50 e-mails in my inbox…” My heartbeat begins to quicken and my blood pressure rises.

My “to do” list is quickly turning into an “I don’t know how I am going to do” list and I am having a primal “fight or flight” response. I take a deep breath, turn my computer off, and put on my workout gear. For the time being, I choose “flight.”

I warm up, get a light sweat going, and stretch out a few problem spots before getting started. “The list” is still on my mind, but it won’t be for long. I begin my cardiovascular intervals, working hard for a minute or two, before allowing myself a minute to recover. A few stray thoughts of “the list” enter my mind, but I quickly push them away and increase the speed and incline on the treadmill. This is my hour.

New thoughts

In between intervals, my only thoughts center on my breathing and my racing heart rate. The minute of rest allows me to recover, catch my breath, and compose myself so I can do it again. Treadmill, rest, recover, repeat, weights, rest, recover, repeat, medicine ball, rest, recover, repeat.

Each training day is set up this way, with periods of intense activity followed by periods of relative rest and recovery. The short periods of intense activity allow me to push beyond my comfort zone, to do more than I would be capable of achieving for a sustained period of time.

The variety keeps me from getting bored with the monotony of steady state work. The short periods of relative rest allow me to recover, give me the strength I need to perform these intervals again, and keep me from burning myself out.

Bike, rest, recover, repeat, cool down, rest, recover, stretch, recover. I sit back down at my desk, prioritize my list, and begin. I am ready to fight.

Performing new feats

Interval based training has allowed athletes to perform feats that were once thought impossible. The legendary wrestler and strongman Milo, a six time Olympic champion, was said to have carried a 4 year old bull on his shoulders. According to legend, he did so by lifting the animal daily from the time it was a calf until it matured.

Legend or not, the principle stands that pushing the body beyond its comfort zone and forcing it to adapt to increased stresses allows it to continually improve and accomplish things that were unthinkable in the past. This only works if the body is allowed adequate rest, recovery, and nutrition.

If the body does not get this rest and recovery, and you continue to push past your comfort zone, you will only succeed in accomplishing the exact opposite of your desired outcome. You will grow wearier, the benefits will begin to diminish and eventually reverse course, and you will ultimately burn yourself out.

Discovering similarities

The parallels between the approaches an athlete takes to training and a small business owner takes to running and growing their business deserves a closer look. Both require planning and organization, drive and discipline, goal setting and goal attainment. Both require appropriate rest and recovery, intensity and variety, vision and execution.

As small business owners, you all have your lists, your priorities, and your e-mails. Those will always be there and will never be complete. You could literally work around the clock and there would still be work to do.

However, instead of falling prey to the law of diminished returns, take a page from the athletes’ playbook. Work hard, rest, recover, repeat. Plan vacations and schedule downtime for planning, thinking and preparing. Make time for family, friends, and for yourself—and yes, make time for exercise (intervals of course).

Your family, your friends, and your business will thank you. Like Milo, you can accomplish goals that others might have thought impossible.

Aaron Marston is the executive director of The HIT Center of Jacksonville, LLC and Healthletix Management, LLC. He is an expert in the fields of exercise science and athletic training and has over 15 years of experience in these fields. He can be reached at 904-475-9600 or through www.thehitcenters.com.

Baymeadows Moving and Storage’s new channel partnership will help drive Mike McCreary and his crew forward

By Wendy Bautista

While he might have gotten into the moving business “kind of by accident,” the success Mike McCreary, owner of the family-owned and operated Baymeadows Moving and Storage (www.baymeadowsmovers.com), has found is no accident.

“I started out in 1974 as a truck driver, hauling just about anything, and after six years, I learned not to like it,” says McCreary. “I didn’t like being gone all the time, so I got into a sales position.” That sales position lead to a couple of different jobs in sales, but nothing related to the moving and storage industry, until he saw an ad in the paper.

“There was a sales company looking for a sales representative for a moving company and I thought I would give that a try,” says McCreary. “So I went to that address only to find I was at the wrong place! But it was another moving company and they hired me.”

Over the years, he worked for various movers and after too many unfulfilled promises about becoming a part owner, he decided to start his own company. In August 1996, McCreary bought the name Baymeadows Movers from the gentleman who owned it. He took that and all the years of work he’d done making contacts with people and businesses and let everyone know he was starting his own company. “And you know what?” asks McCreary. “They were right with me the whole time; I never lost a customer.”

Business booms

What started as one truck, three men, and a 10-foot by 20-foot storage unit quickly grew to two trucks, six men, and a 5,000 square foot space within the first year. Over the years, they have expanded to the current 15 trucks, a staff of about 50, and 36,000 square feet of warehouse space on 6.5 acres.

Most of that warehouse space is used to store household goods and commercial storage, such as office furniture, cubicles, etc., and all the items needed for packing (paper, boxes, blankets, etc.). They will not store chemicals, perishable items, steel, lumber, or freight.

It is not uncommon for McCreary’s crew to do 10 to 12 jobs a day, six days a week, sometimes even stacking jobs if the truck is capable and depending on what the logistics are of the moves.

“Military members’ household goods are a big percentage of what we do—about 40% to 50% of our business,” says McCreary. “We represent 15 different carriers for military work and move people to anywhere in the world they want that person to go. Sometimes, they will be gone for a couple of years and their stuff is still here.”

They also do a lot of work where trucks aren’t even involved, with many of their commercial jobs just needing equipment and manpower at a job site—but not just any old manpower. McCreary ensures all of his employees are clean cut, respectful, have manners, and are upstanding, ethical people with a great work ethic.

“I have a dress code and an employee manual that they all must follow,” says McCreary. “If I have rules about dress code and ethics that they are willing to follow, and encourage everybody that works for me to educate themselves and get training or go to trade school, then that’s the kind of people I want to hire—and I think I will get a better employee for it.”

Life mission

Whether it’s blanket wrapping something to ensure its safety, loading the trucks so you get your rugs first, or stacking some of your boxes in the garage so you have room in your home, McCreary has learned over the years it’s all the little things that you do that make a difference in life.

“I tell everybody that I want to be better today than I was yesterday,” says McCreary. “What can I do tomorrow that I should’ve done today or I didn’t do today, and how can I be better? I always want to do something just a little bit more.”

That little bit more he gives is what brings in the referrals and provides a competitive edge. While others were sitting on their wallets during the recession, he decided to spend money.

“I just did everything I could to promote my business, even changing the image of company by going to red, white, and blue lettering on the trucks—and now the trucks are so recognizable.”

Getting noticed

McCreary says he’s always been “incognito” and didn’t really want his competition knowing what he was doing, but sometimes it can pay off. North American Van Lines, one of largest moving companies in the world, has chosen Baymeadows Moving and Storage to represent them in northeast Florida—and he has a competitor to thank.

“They say one closed door is an open door for someone else, and I believe it,” says McCreary. “When the other North American agent that was here opted to close for whatever reason, the general manager from that competing company told them I’m the one they should look at. So essentially my competition is what got me this relationship.”

The relationship began with North American wanting to see was his financials. Once they saw his financials were decent, they then came down to meet the staff and see the facility and find out all they possibly could about the company.

While this relationship may be new, McCreary has competed against them for years, but says he never really paid any attention to them. “On a local level, you pay more attention to the local agent than the van lines itself, but after I went up to Fort Wayne, Ind., and met the CEO and each of the department heads, I felt really comfortable with their laid back, family approach to business.

Getting connected

Baymeadows Moving and Storage’s strength lies in the southeast, but their affiliation with North American Van Lines allows them to go anywhere in the world using their network of agents.

“The fact that they are represented in 200 countries and have 350 agents in the continental United States and Canada just adds to my network because anything coming or going within this city, whether I’m doing it or their doing it, they may need to use me,” says McCreary. “From here to somewhere else, or from somewhere else to here, they may need me.”

For the past 90 days, even before officially signing on with North American Van Lines, McCreary’s warehouse has been busy doing work for them. North American Van Lines has an 80-person call center that operate 24 hours a day, 364 days a year that he is now linked up to. When anybody needs a move in this zip code area, they make appointments for McCreary to go see who might be moving where.

“The nice thing about that is the lead is pretty qualified already,” says McCreary. “Getting the lead and having it qualified is 50% of the sale, so then it becomes a matter of the McCreary boys putting on the charm!”

McCreary is referring to the charm of him and his two sons, who also work at Baymeadows Moving and Storage. “I am trying to have my boys be the face of the company as someday I will hand them the keys.”

Moving forward

McCreary says they are in the learning process of how to adapt to their system because the way they do things is real in-depth and a little different from what they are used to, but it will net him half a million dollars to a million dollars just from the relationship.

“It’s not easy; in fact it’s complicated, but I’ve got smart people around here and we will figure it out. It will take about a year to get to where we want it, but North American Van Lines gives me the support I never had in the past,” says McCreary. “There are all these different people that are there to help you that I didn’t have with the former company we were with.”

Part of the support they are provided are laptop computers that allow McCreary’s sons to do in-home estimates by using a service that lets them to do inventory electronically. “It brings us out of the ice age and into a new world, and we can print the quote in residence or send it to e-mail. That is something new through driver services,” says McCreary.

Being better

“Their philosophy is perfect for me—they specialize in one thing and one thing only and that’s household goods relocation,” says McCreary. “This puts me over the top because I already do everything else, but I’ve been reluctant to do long distance because I never had the support they can give me, but our strengths are still in whatever we can do locally. And now this relationship pretty much puts us where we need to go.”

Wendy Bautista is editor of Advantage: The Resource for Small Business. She can be reached at Wendy@advantagebizmag.com or 904-536-2234.

.

Business vitals

Owner: Mike McCreary

In business since: 1996

Projected growth: “We don’t know how big this new relationship is going to be, but I know that if things continue the way they have been, it will gross us a half a million dollars to a million dollars in revenue. I’m already in the position where I might have to hire more people.”

How you can do it

“I am not sure this could be done in just any community. But in this community, I found my place here and I’ve been able to be successful because of this community and the people that I’ve made contacts with over the years.”

Green efforts

Baymeadows Moving and Storage makes it a point to go green whenever possible. They have their own baler, recycle at their desks, and each warehouse has a recycling area.

After clients unpack, they make truck runs to get the opened, used boxes and paper for recycling. “Some may be reused for certain jobs and customers depending on the situation, but the paper and boxes that are damage are baled,” says McCreary. “Bales are anywhere from 1,000 to 1,200 pounds each.”

He says he has literally been paid thousands of dollars for recyclable materials, and most of the big movers in this city do it and see the value in it. They recycle paper and cardboard in the tens of thousands of pounds, with one of the largest pick-ups weighing in at 41,000 pounds.

He also has a container for metal recycling for things such as steel bedrails, old file cabinets, and bases of certain chairs.

“I try to do everything I possibly can,” says McCreary. “I even took out ads in the local newspaper about recycling stating, ‘Recycle Jacksonville. It’s the right thing to do! Sponsored by Baymeadows Moving and Storage.’ Whether it made a difference or not, who knows?

“You can’t find it all the time but you can certainly try,” says McCreary. “The recycling program is basically me because I feel guilty if I throw something into the dumpster that I know could possibly be reused somewhere or recycled.”

As movers, they get a lot of furniture that people don’t want any more. McCreary gives HabiJax or Angel Aid anything he thinks they can sell for a profit that goes to charity. He also helps the Kiwanis Club with their auction by donating a tractor trailer and a couple of big containers loaded with stuff that they can auction off to generate money to give to their charities.

Controlling time means controlling time wasters

By Christy Crump

Everyone feels a need to better manage time. Just as you look at controllingexpenses to improve your budget and bottom line, it’s necessary to control outgo—or the things that waste your time—in order to manage time.

Let’s look at some environmental and personal time wasters, and how they relate to your professional life.

Environmental time wasters

1. Other people. To help control how others waste your time, make an effort to:

• Close your door at certain times of the day for uninterrupted work time—even if you have an “open door” policy.

•Discourage drop-in visitors by turning your desk away from the door. When you face the door, everyone who walks by can be a distraction. Out of sight; out of mind.

•Control your environment by standing up to talk to visitors. Don’t invite them to sit if you don’t want them to stay.

•When meeting with a colleague, go to his or her work area. This puts you in control of your time, and when you are finished, you can leave without seeming rude.

2. Phone calls. One way to aid with this time waster is to limit your phone call time. Try to:

•Screen calls when possible, so you can prepare before returning the call. If you are prepared, you can cut the call time by 50%.

•Review which calls need personal follow up, and delegate others.

•Provide short answers when possible. Give good customer service, but don’t give detailed information and answers if they are not asked for.

•Stand while on the phone. This not only burns calories, but causes you to end your call sooner than if you are seated in a comfortable chair.

3. E-mails. Studies show people’s heart rate increases when there are unread e-mails waiting, but you really should attempt to:

•Shut down e-mail during scheduled, uninterrupted work time. When you “switchtask” from your work to e-mail and back to your work, it can take up to 20 minutes to re-engage.

•Avoid copying multiple people on an e-mail when assigning work. When you send an e-mail to multiple people, one of two things will happen. Either each will assume that one of the others is doing it and no one does it, or all of them do it and waste time duplicating work.

If you must copy numerous people on an e-mail, spell out what you want each to do.

4. Meetings. To assist with this time waster, meetings should be well-planned, organized, and time-sensitive. You should also:

•Develop and follow an agenda with time limits on each agenda item, and assign a timekeeper to enforce time.

•Prioritize items according to importance, and eliminate unnecessary items.

•Avoid “off track” or prolonged discussions. Use the “parking lot” to handle extra or prolonged discussions.

Personal time wasters

Personal time wasters can be just as devastating to your calendar as environmental time wasters. The difference is you have complete control over personal time wasters. Are you exercising that control?

1. Social interaction. People with a high need for social interaction have problems when the need is not met by the job and environment. This becomes a time waster when you leave your work area to look for interaction.

When you do this, your work is not being completed in a timely manner, and you may be inflicting yourself on others who need and want to work uninterrupted.

2. Can’t say “No.” Those with a high need for acceptance tend to have problems saying “no.” This becomes a time waster when you take on too much, and rather than doing a few things well, you do a lot of things poorly. Learn to say “no.” It is better to under promise and over deliver than to over promise and under deliver.

3. Perfectionism. This becomes a time waster when you continuously work to perfect your product to the point you miss a deadline. I would never encourage someone to produce a substandard product, but at some point you have to let it go. If you’ve done the best job you can, it’s as perfect as it can get.

4. Risk avoidance. A person with a high need for risk avoidance looks for backup, clarification, and approval to the point the project and deadline are compromised. A good example of risk avoidance is when you want to invest in a particular stock.

You analyze the stock, watch it for a few weeks, research it, call a broker, and ask a friend their opinion. When you finally make a decision to invest, the stock has shot up so high, you can’t afford it. You avoided risk, but in doing so, you missed your opportunity.

5. Procrastination. Procrastination creeps in and takes over before you realize it. When you put off doing something that must be done to the point it becomes an emergency, you are procrastinating.

Good ways to overcome procrastination are to:

•Make time to get organized, and designate time to stay organized. Organized people tend to procrastinate less.

•Ask yourself, “What is the best use of my time right now?” And do it.

•Break down overwhelming tasks into small tasks. Henry Ford said, “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.”

•Eat your frog! Brian Tracy’s book, “Eat That Frog,” says to treat the one thing you procrastinate doing the worst as a frog. Commit to eat the frog every morning, so the rest of your day will seem great. Write your procrastination on a sticky note, and place it next to your computer. Every morning, eat that frog before doing anything else. The rest of the day will seem more pleasant. When you beat the procrastination written on the sticky, throw it away and start over with a new procrastination.

Go out and conquer your environmental and personal time wasters!

Christy Crump is president of Crump & Associates, a company that enhances human capital through a unique, proven approach to staff education and training that improves performance and increases efficiency and effectiveness. She can be reached at www.crumpandassociatesfl.com.

When it comes to your taxes, the IRS may just be human after all

By Keith Johnson

As business owners and individuals, you’ve all had that sinking feeling at one time or another when your tax return is prepared and you get hit with the shocking news. Because of improper planning, unforeseen circumstances, or some other emergency, you find you owe Uncle Sam more than you can afford to pay right then.

This scenario is most likely to occur because of two reasons. First, the IRS requires businesses that have a payroll to file and pay payroll taxes on a Form 941. It is easy for a small business owner to find themselves overwhelmed by the amount of federal payroll taxes they held from their employees as well as the required company match for Social Security and Medicare. The Form 941 is due every quarter and can make any small business owner lose sleep figuring out how to stay current, especially in these hard economic times.

Second, and related to the first, a sole proprietor who may not even have employees may find themselves owing a significant amount of self-employment tax. Self-employment tax is actually the government’s way of ensuring that sole-proprietors pay their fair share of Social Security and Medicare. The tax runs around 15% of net profit, is counted toward your Social Security benefits, and is in addition to the income tax generated by the net profit reported on Schedule C and line 12 of the 1040. Again, this tax adds up quickly and has left many small business owners in despair.

Wishful thinking

If something like that happens to you, you will feel like ignoring it and hope it goes away, or when an IRS letter comes, you’ll want to leave it in the mailbox and hope the mailman takes it back; however, the IRS is similar to a spoiled child in the fact it doesn’t like it when it’s ignored. But instead of pouting or throwing a temper tantrum, the IRS can resort to filing liens and levies, as well as take you to court.

But remember, the IRS actually is staffed by human beings just like you. The IRS will not only work with you to resolve your tax issues, but bend over backward as long as you work with them in good faith. It is a little known fact that the goal of the IRS is taxpayer compliance, not criminal prosecution.

Make no mistake, if you owe the tax, you owe the tax and the IRS can’t help that. But they can make payments much easier if you let them.

What to do if…

You just got a letter from the IRS stating you owe $5,000 in taxes and have $500 in penalties and interest on top of that. The first thing you need to do is not panic. Call your tax advisor immediately and tell him or her what is going on.

Perhaps a mistake was made by either your payroll preparer or you, but only a thorough review of your payroll or financial records will confirm that. Many business owners will get such a letter to find there was a timing or processing error, such as a payment not posted to the account correctly.

•It may be legitimate. If a review of your business records by your tax advisor reveals that the tax may be legit, what’s next? Your advisor should prepare a Form 2848, IRS Power of Attorney for you to sign. It allows the advisor to represent you to the IRS on your behalf.

It allows the advisor to discuss your tax situation over the phone, collect records for your account, and be present at any meetings with IRS agents. It doesn’t allow the advisor to access bank accounts or make business decisions for you. Go ahead and sign as your advisor will not be able to do much without it.

Your tax advisor can then contact the IRS and get in touch with the agents who can best explain your situation and review your options. Before the IRS can help you, you must be up-to-date with your tax filings. The IRS will advise if there are any missing returns. Get them filed immediately. Payment arrangements can be figured out later.

Once your tax advisor has all of the information they need to catch you up-to-date, you may find that you don’t owe anything. This happens more than you may think. There may be penalties and interest for late filing, and if that’s the case, request your advisor to write a letter to the IRS requesting abatement of penalties. If this is your first offense, the IRS will usually grant it. Interest is harder to remove unless it is the result of an IRS error.

•It is valid. Let’s say the tax you owe is legitimate, and you’re in over your head. The IRS will allow you to enter into an installment agreement. You need to file a Form 9465 for this. If the amount is less than $10,000 and you have not had another installment agreement in the last five years, the IRS cannot refuse your request.

Basically, your setting up a loan payment arrangement similar to a car or mortgage. The IRS will ask you for a monthly payment amount which can pay off your tax in four or five years, but it does cost $105 to set up.

Also, if the tax is expected to be paid within 120 days, do not use this option. The IRS collection process is such that taxes owed will not go into active collection status for 120 days. This also appears on the Form 9465. Use this like a same-as-cash alternative.

•It is a financial hardship. Suppose you’re really in trouble. There are other alternatives to asserting financial hardship such as Offer-in-Compromise, which is rarely granted but worth looking at. There is also a Currently Not Collectible (CNC) status, which puts collection activity on hold for up to 10 years.

At this point, you need to organize your financial records as the IRS will require you to complete a 433-A or 433-B collection statement. This lengthy form requires supporting documentation for your assets, liabilities, income, and expenses. This is a pain to put together, but will help the IRS in determining a reasonable payment.

If you can show the IRS that repayment will cause severe financial hardship, they are more likely to work with you. You can also request the services of a Taxpayer Advocate by filing an aptly named Form 911. An advocate will help grease the wheels to resolve your tax problems.

Know your options

Getting in trouble with the IRS is easy to do and happens to many more than you may think. Don’t feel you’re a failure or a bad business owner. Lots of things can happen to put you in hot water. There are also many options the IRS has given you to resolve any problems. Get the help you need immediately. Don’t wait for it to go away.

Keith E. Johnson CPA, is owner of Keith E. Johnson CPA PA in Jacksonville, Fla., a full-service CPA firm providing accounting, auditing, consulting, and tax services to individuals, businesses, and non-profits. He can be contacted at 904-727-0077 or kejcpa@comcast.net.

ON THE WEB For more information on 2011 taxes, visit http://advantagebizmag.com/archives/6113.

Goal setting that makes a difference

By Snowden McFall

A few years ago, Dominican University did a study that showed people who havewritten goals are much more likely to succeed. Are your goals in writing, and are they SMARTE?

Future vision

Where do you want your business to be one, three, and five years from now? It’s easy in a down economy to focus on cash flow and bringing in new business, but if that’s all you pay attention to, growth is unlikely. Think about where you want your business to be five years from now.

What kinds of revenue do you want to earn? What kinds of customers are you serving with what products or services? Will you be doing business locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally? Will most of your business be online, or will you need multiple locations? How many employees will you need to provide your services or products? What raw material will you require? What is your anticipated overhead?

Once you have a clear picture of what you want your business to be in five years, back it up. What needs to happen in three years for you to achieve your five-year vision? What needs to happen in one year for you to reach the three-year vision?

When you’re crystal clear about where you want to be, it’s easier to formulate written goals that you can act upon and share with your staff.

Make your goals S.M.A.R.T.E. goals

You may have heard this concept before. Make your goals SMARTE goals, which means Specific, Measurable, Attainable through action, Realistic, Timely, and added here is E for Emotional.

Vague goals produce vague results. For example: We are increasing our revenues in 2011. By contrast, an example of a SMARTE goal: Smith Industries is successfully and easily growing our revenues 22% nationwide by Dec. 1, 2011, by expanding market territory to Asia.

This goal is specific because you know exactly how you will increase revenues; it’s measurable because you can see month to month how you are doing. It is attainable, realistic, and has a set deadline. The emotional component of success and ease adds another dimension to the goal and makes it that much more effective.

The next step

Take every goal you have and convert it into a SMARTE goal, then share it with everyone in your company. Tie this goal list directly to your company mission to ensure you are aligning all aspects of your business effectively. Give everyone a meaningful and significant “why” for achieving these goals (sometimes it is to keep them all employed.)

It does no good to increase revenues if you don’t have support staff to handle the business when you get it, or if shipping becomes a nightmare. How can you add value to your customers every step of the way? What can your business do that is unique? Meet with your team and puzzle out all the contingencies of what could happen if you were successful with each goal. Take the time to think it through, and then put the goals in writing for everyone to see.

Why goals fail

Goals can fail, but there are steps you can take to help ensure success. Be sure to avoid the following errors.

1. Goals are not aligned with your “why.” This means goals don’t fit your company mission or don’t resonate with you as a leader. Everything my good friend, Paul Evans, does in business is ultimately in support of his “why”: 100X missions, which provide support and homes for orphans worldwide, often rescuing them from the slave trade. Be sure to align all of your goals with your “why.”

2. There is no accountability. In that same Dominican University study, they found goal achievement increases dramatically when you have an accountability partner who helps you track your progress. That’s why having an exercise buddy is so effective; you might skip exercise class if it was just you, but instead, you honor the commitment to your accountability partner.

Establish someone in the company to hold you accountable and be sure there is positive accountability at every level. Set up weekly and monthly check-ins to see how you are doing on your progress. Cheer each other on, and remind each other of your why as you work on the goal.

3. The goals are unrealistic. Most have had the experience of setting a goal and having it fall flat—but perhaps your goal was not realistic in the first place. Knowing your company history, the economy, and various outside factors which impact your business, what realistically can you expect your business to achieve?

Do the reality test with each goal and then set up an action plan with strategies to achieve them. Break down each goal into smaller, more manageable steps and delegate effectively with accountability measures in place. Check in every month, and if you need to re-evaluate or renegotiate a goal, do it.

Celebrate success

In new research from Harvard, there is documented proof that when you focus on the good things in life and business, your happiness and productivity levels increase. Celebrate small successes along the way, catch others in the act of doing something right, post a bulletin board where wins can be seen, and do this both electronically and physically.

Praise your team as they make progress, both in writing and in person, because 88% of workers NEVER receive thanks for what they do. Be sure you do thank them.

Written goal setting with accountability can make your business stronger and healthier financially. Involve everyone on your team and get them Fired Up! for success. You will all benefit.

Snowden McFall, professional speaker, trainer, and author, is the author of “Stress Express” and “Fired Up!” and the owner of Fired Up! Professional Speaking & Corporate Training. For her free report, the 10 Keys to Fire Up Your Business and Ignite Your Success, go to www.firedupnow.com/keys.html. She can be reached at 904-940-7355

Discover your strengths and seize your opportunities by examining your weaknesses and identifying your threats

By Mark Bajalia

At some point in your career, most of you have probably done this on some level without really thinking about it. But a thoughtful approach to SWOT analysis can help you and your company discover new opportunities, as well as manage and eliminate threats that could potentially impede your progress and success.

A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning methodology used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing a company either generally or which may be applicable to a specific project or business venture.

Applied to a business generally, a SWOT analysis enables a company to develop a niche and match its resources and capabilities in the context of the competitive environment in which it operates. Applied to a specific project, a SWOT analysis allows a project manager or team to specify the objective of the project and identify the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieving that objective.

Begin with the end

A SWOT analysis begins with the end, so to speak. In other words, you must first determine what the desired end state or goal is for the company or the specific project. Once that is done, you must objectively analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats relevant to the end state or goal.

•Strengths. These are the internal characteristics of the business, project manager, or team that give it an advantage over others in the industry or those competing for the same project. When evaluating your strengths, you need to consider the resources and capabilities your company or team brings to the table and how that gives you a competitive advantage.

Ask questions such as: “What do we do better than anyone else?” “What resources do we have that others competing against us do not?” and “What makes us unique in our industry?” You need to consider your strengths from an internal perspective, but also from the perspective of your customers and competitors. You also need to be realistic and objective.

•Weaknesses. These are the internal characteristics of the business, project manager, or team that place you at a competitive disadvantage. In evaluating your weaknesses, you need to ask questions such as, “What do our competitors do better than us?” “Why would a customer utilize a competitor instead of us?” and “Do we lack technology or resources that our competitors possess?”

In examining your weaknesses, you need to do so from an internal perspective. Identify weak point or limitations in one or more resources or competencies that impedes effective performance. List as many identifiable weaknesses as possible and in doing so, you will be able to turn the weaknesses into strengths.

•Opportunities. These are the external environmental factors that create in roads to achieving success either for the company generally or with respect to the specific project undertaken. In order to determine what opportunities exist, you must analyze trends in your marketplace and anticipate needs.

Opportunities may come from an unfulfilled need, arrival of new technology, implementation of new regulations, or changes in competitive circumstances. You need to contemplate realistic concepts that may stimulate new areas of growth or point you in a new direction which may be a path of less resistance and allow for the completion of the project or achievement of the end result in a more efficient manner.

•Threats. These are the external elements that can cause trouble for the company or which serve as barriers to the end goal. Threats can be dictated by shifts in customer tastes, elimination of a specific need in the marketplace, new regulations that limit or eliminate opportunities, and changes in competitive circumstances. Identify as many realistic threats as possible and be prepared to deal with them.

What matters most

A SWOT analysis is a simple and useful framework for analyzing your organizations strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities and threats it faces. It helps you focus on the things that matter most and take the greatest possible advantage of the opportunities available.

The most important thing to remember when conducting a SWOT analysis is to be realistic, objective, and specific. In doing so, you will discover your strengths and seize your opportunities by examining your weaknesses and identifying your threats.

Mark Bajalia is a partner and a managing member in Brennan, Manna & Diamond’s Jacksonville office. He is an experienced commercial, business, and insurance litigator, having prosecuted and defended numerous cases in state and federal courts and in arbitration. He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubble, has been recognized as one of Florida’s Legal Elite by Florida Trend Magazine, and has been selected as a Florida Super Lawyer in the field of business and insurance litigation. He can be contacted at 904-366-1500 or mbajalia@bmdpl.com.

By Hector Cisneros

That next, big networking social is coming up, but are you ready? Here are some tips to get the most out of your next networking event using proven techniques that will bring home results.

1. Have a plan. One of the first things is to always go to a networking event with a plan. Ask yourself, “Who am I looking to be introduced to? What new businesses have I been working this month? Which professions often send me referrals?”

Establish if you are there to get referrals for yourself or for others. It can be very beneficial to bring three business cards from one of your referral partners and work to specially get them referrals that day as well. Use the above questions to help you create your list of six to 12 categories or people you are looking to meet.

Remember, networking events are great places to invite potential guests for that organization. It is easy to invite people to a social, and it is also a great way to introduce them to the power of networking, and, more importantly, it will build your credibility with the host organization.

2. Know the length. Be sure to take into account how long the meeting is. Essentially, for every 10 minutes of meeting time, you can effectively talk to at least one person. In an hours’ time, that’s six people; in two hours’ time, you could have at least 12 names. It is possible to talk to a lot more people—especially if you are talking to small groups of people at a time.

3. Bring business tools. Make sure you bring plenty of business cards, at least 50 for big events, as well as a pen and a pocket notepad. If you have a business card file with your referral partners’ cards in it, bring that too. This could be a great opportunity to find referrals for them. These are all important business tools.

4. Make connections. When speaking with attendees, ask who they are looking for and see if you can make a connection for them. It will make a big impression on them and build your credibility. After they tell you about themselves, ask them to introduce you to the people on your list. By helping them find their connections, you have empowered them to help you.

5. Prepare your presentation. Once you have your list, decide what you want to say as your 60-second presentation. Don’t ask for too many categories or people—ask for no more than three at a time. If you get to meet your first three prospects, you can start on another three.

In a 60-second presentation, you can say something like, “Tell me about your business (or who are you looking to be introduced to),” and then listen. When it is your turn, say something like, “I’m on a mission to  meet these three people, (or introduce my partners).” After that, most people will try to introduce you if they can.

6. Seek referrals. If you’re looking to get referrals for someone else, remember the three card trick. Select a referral partner you have decided to help and ask everyone you meet, “I have a friend who has helped me out a lot this month, and I want to repay their kindness. Who do you know here who is _____?” Then fill in the blank with the people your referral partner is looking to be introduced to! (Obviously, you have to know who they need.)

Use this technique at every networking event you attend and you will always have referrals for your strategic partners.

7. Stay focused. When attending the actual event, focus on your list. Don’t be distracted, stay on task, and don’t drink or eat too much. You’re there to market your business or get referrals for others and meet very specific categories’ of people.

With your list of who you want to meet, start working the room from right to left and go through each section of the room until the entire room has been covered, then start over again. In two hours, you should be able to go through the room twice.

Make sure every person you talk to knows who you’re looking to be introduced to. Furthermore, let them know that you would appreciate that they mention it to their referral partners as well.

At the end of this event you should have about 12 names to follow up on. This is not the best place to try and sell somebody your product or service, especially if they don’t know you. Take the time to get to know them and build trust through face-to-face meetings.

Use these tips at your next networking event and get more business!

Hector Cisneros is a 17-year veteran of BNI, was BNI Director for more than six years, and is still a member in good standing in the River City Chapter. He is an entrepreneur and businessman with more than 30 years of networking experience. Currently, he manages three businesses and coaches’ business people in the fine art of Internet and word-of-mouth marketing. He can be contacted at 904-712-9355, hecisneros@gmail.com or through his blog at www.networkersapprentice.com.

Surrounded by good people and furry friends, Fred Goldsmith has found the secret to success for Pet Paradise Resorts

By Wendy Bautista

When he needed a place to leave his Bichon Frise, Fred Goldsmith, current CEO and chairman of Pet Paradise (www.PetParadiseResort.com), did what any good “pet parent” would do—he shopped around for the best, and what he found was a facility in St. Augustine.

“I toured the facility and met the owner, Frank Charles. After leaving Samantha there for the 10 days I was gone, along with my daughter’s dog Sally, I got into a conversation with Frank about the business,” says Goldsmith.

“Frank told me about a conversation he was having with the Jacksonville International Airport, and that’s where the light kind of got started for me. It was not so much to build something better, it was the airport concept,” says Goldsmith. “Part of the reason people will go to you is because it’s convenient—and if you’re at the airport, it’s not out of the way; you’re going to the airport.”

Getting going

Goldsmith met with Frank and bought the St. Augustine facility in December 2002, “mainly to start working on reporting, policies, procedures, and the kinds of things you would do if you were going to try and build multiple locations,” says Goldsmith.

In May 2003, he bought another facility in Palm Coast called Happy Dog Inn, which “offered an in-ground swimming pool, lots of play areas for the dogs to run, indoor/outdoor rooms…the things I envisioned for Pet Paradise going forward,” says Goldsmith.

They operated those two facilities while working the architectural drawings and the structural, mechanical things for the airport location. Goldsmith says he probably talked with more than 200 different kennel owners during the process, mainly to find out the good and the bad aspects. He wanted to make sure that when they built, they were building all the things they needed and not making some of the same mistakes the others had made.

Goldsmith jokingly adds, “Of course, I made lots of mistakes anyway. But as we built the current 13 locations, we think we’ve got the model down now where we can’t make too many more mistakes.”

Like a hotel

While being a Wendy’s franchisee, Goldsmith started a software company called Tridata Inc. He basically started writing software to help him run his own franchise, but as a bi-product of that he got into labor management working with hotel restaurants.

“The labor management system for hotels is really what got me into the hotel market—and as you might imagine, we’re running a hotel,” says Goldsmith. “Although I’ve never owned or operated a hotel, if you write software for an industry, you get used to what they need.”

Just as a hotel would, Pet Paradise has statistics on revenue per available room, occupancy, rack rate, and check-out times. When people come in, they have to check in their pet. The dogs then go to their individual suites with raised cots and indoor/outdoor access and auto-fill water bowls, and cat guests go to the cat room where they have an individual seven-level cat condo.

“People do the things they do at the Ritz, and the pets come here and they do the things that they would do at the Ritz,” says Goldsmith. “It’s just a vacation for them. This is for the parent who wants to make sure their ‘kids’ are getting the best that’s available—and that’s what we do.”

Goldsmith says really what they sell is peace of mind. When the customer is gone, they can use the Web cameras to check on their pets or they can certainly call, but Pet Paradise wants the customer to know that when their gone, their pets are having a great time—they are not stuck someplace they don’t want to be. Sometimes owners will even receive a video of their pet.

Working the plan

Knowing the industry and the potential of Pet Paradise, Goldsmith came up with a business plan, which helped assemble his impressive board of directors (see sidebar). Two board members, David Messerlie and John Foster, were friends of Goldsmith’s who had read the business plan and decided to invest in the early rounds, which got them through buying St. Augustine and Palm Coast.

The other board members—Dean Beckwith, Bob Hood, Fernando Acosta-Rua, Dan Rice, Buck Griswold, and Gary Chartrand— joined as the concept expanded.

“Actually, when we got started with this, it was people coming to me. Normally, if you’re trying to start a new business, you’re out in front of venture capitalists. But these guys heard about the concept, thought it was a good one, and came to me and said they would like to be involved,” says Goldsmith.

For the most part, Goldsmith knew the board members socially as they all live at the beach, but he made it clear that they didn’t invest because they were friends. “They might have looked at the business plan because we were friends, but they invested because the opportunity looked like something to build,” he says.

Good people

Goldsmith’s board is not just figure heads; they all play a part in the success of Pet Paradise, with many of the great ideas they’ve implement coming from experiences the board has had.

There are nine board members total and when they have a board meeting, all nine members are there. He says they are really just a great bunch of guys with vast amounts of experience and vested interests, but all of them do it because they were in business and have a business mind.

“If you look at the resumes of the people on the board, you would think they could be running General Electric—and to think they are involved with 13 dog kennel facilities is kind of ‘wow,’ but they have a lot of faith in our long-term goals.

“Even when I sit here and look around, I can’t believe it because really if you picked up General Electric’s 10k and read that that was the board, it would make sense to you,” says Goldsmith. “Everybody would go, ‘Gosh they’ve got the guy from McDonnell Douglas and AT&T and Acosta and Siemens, what a board,’ and we’re sitting in here talking about 13 dog kennels.

“The point to all of this is like most great minds, they can’t stop. You can retire from Boeing, but your mind is still business because you’ve done it for 35 years. That’s what they bring to the table,” says Goldsmith.

Mutual admiration

After the last board meeting, Goldsmith and John Foster went to dinner and were talking about the knowledge that was in the room. “John was just so impressed. Here I am impressed with his and John is with everybody else! It really is unique for a company this size to have that much talent,” says Goldsmith.

He says that sometimes there is a stigma that goes along with somebody that ran a multibillion dollar company with 50 thousand employees, but you won’t find it with this board. “There are people with big jobs that will tell you how important they are, but these guys would never tell you—I can’t even get them to brag when I need them to like in front of an investment group,” says Goldsmith. “They just don’t do it, they won’t do it—but that’s the kind of people they are and why I’m crazy about them.”

Inner workings

American Pet Resorts LLC (the parent company of Pet Paradise) has 13 owned facilities (no franchises) in four states throughout the southern region of the country, nine are located throughout Florida, two are in Houston, and one each in New Orleans and Charlotte, N.C.

In total, they are just under 200 employees, including all 13 facilities and the corporate office, with the Web design, legal, graphic design, and marketing being done in house. Goldsmith says they’ve got an organization here now internally where they can continue to grow and not have to do anything else from the administrative side.

He thinks they will be back on board with another two or three locations this year, and as money frees up maybe more. He says it can be difficult because in order for him to buy an already built location, it has to meet Pet Paradise standards.

“If we buy a facility, it may be one that has a play yard but it’s not artificial grass, or has an area that could handle a pool but they haven’t put one in, but when I get through, it’s got to look and feel like Pet Paradise—and the offer has to be something you understand,” says Goldsmith. “If you don’t know what you are going to get when you walk into a place, then you’ve lost your brand.”

For the love of it

Goldsmith spends as much time at the corporate office as he has to, but his love is to be over at the kennel, which is right next door. “We’ll be in meetings talking with lawyers or accountants and I will just stand up, and they know I’m gone,” he says. “I’ll go and play for 20 minutes with the kids and when I come back, we’ll start again.”

He says playing with the pets and seeing them happy helps remind him what they do because you can sometimes forget. “When we began, we just had an idea that if we built the Ritz Carlton but could be the same price as a Days Inn, they would come—and that ended up being the case. We are just trying to make sure we are meeting the needs of the pets and the people.”

Wendy Bautista is editor of Advantage: The Resource for Small Business. She can be reached at Wendy@advantagebizmag.com or 904-536-2234.

Business vitals

Owner: Fred Goldsmith

In business since: 2002

Projected growth: “We envision a national chain. We are at 13 and were on the path to 25 by 2012 when the economic downturn took the banks out of play. It’s not new news that banks aren’t doing regular banking and they are certainly not in the lending business, so until the world kind of gets straightened out, we’ve got acquisitions we are looking at now and a couple of relationships we are building—one of which is with  Park ‘N Fly, an offsite parking facility at airports.

They have 18 facilities at 14 airports and we are involved with them at five of those airports now. There’s a growth strategy there with Park ‘N Fly and the reason that is good is they got a customer base of people that already come to the airport and so just getting your name out is a challenge when you are in any business.”

How you can do it

“I’ve found all my life that if I surround myself with people a lot smarter than me, then I win,” jokes Goldsmith. “But having a good business plan that piques the interest of others and makes them want to invest in your idea also helps.”

The board of directors

Fred Goldsmith, CEO and Chairman, led an investor team to purchase Pet Paradise Resort in 2002 and has been the CEO and driving force behind the growth of the company.

Fernando Acosta-Rua, COO and executive vice president of finance, has been involved with American Pet Resorts LLC since August 2004 and joined the company in an operating capacity in January 2007. As a former partner with L&L Capital Partners, Fernando led an investment group to invest $4 million in American Pet Resorts LLC in October 2005.

John Foster, a director and founding investor in American Pet Resorts LLC, held a variety of executive and managerial positions, primarily in marketing and operations, during a 30-year career in the telecommunications industry. His later assignments at AT&T included regional vice president-marketing, president and CEO of a wholly-owned subsidiary in Jacksonville, Fla., and president and managing director of AT&T Services Group, Europe.

Robert H. Hood, Jr., a director and investor in American Pet Resorts LLC, is the past president of Douglas Aircraft Company, the commercial aircraft division of McDonnell Douglas Corporation. He served as president of Douglas Aircraft Company from February 1989 until April 1996.

David Messerlie, a director and investor in American Pet Resorts LLC, is the president and chairman of the board of directors of LCI Ltd., the world’s largest supplier of inorganic fluoride for water fluoridation and the production of silicon Tetrafluoride for the silicon wafer market.

Dean Beckwith, a director and investor in American Pet Resorts LLC, held a variety of executive and managerial positions in the computer and telecommunications industries for over 33 years. He created a joint venture company, ROLM Sales and Service, which was purchased by Siemens AG. He became SRVP of Services for that company and later SRVP of service for Siemens Private Communications in Munich, Germany.

Dan Rice has served as president and CEO of Mayport Venture Partners, LLC since its founding in 2000. Prior to assuming this position, Rice was a partner in one of America’s premier law firms, McGuireWoods LLP.

E. Bulkeley “Buck” Griswold is the founding partner of L&L Capital, an investment banking and consulting firm focused on middle market and emerging companies. Buck has more than 40 years’ experience in the financial services and investment management sectors.

Gary Chartrand is executive chairman of Acosta Sales and Marketing and has been the pivotal force behind Acosta Inc., one of the most effective in-store sales, marketing and service companies in the industry. Chartrand joined Acosta in 1983 as a business manager and subsequently was promoted to vice president, regional vice president of Florida, president, and in 1996, president/CEO.

Does your small business need an app to stay competitive?

By Robyn A. Friedman

Brian Young leads a double life. By day, he’s a periodontist with a thriving practice in Jacksonville. By night, he’s a developer of apps for the iPhone.

Young

In December, Young, 36, launched Tracknburn, a health and fitness application that allows users to track the number of calories they consume and burn on a daily basis. This is the fifth app Young developed—and his most successful. Over 24,000 people have downloaded Tracknburn to date, at a cost of $2.99. But Young hasn’t made a profit—yet.

“There are two primary reasons why a company might have an app,” Young says. “It would either be to support their ongoing business or to use it as a business model where they’re generating revenues from the application itself.”

Tracknburn is an example of the latter. Young developed the app as a hobby, he said, albeit an expensive one: he’s plunked down about $50,000 on the project so far.

It’s in the numbers

Apps—custom application software that runs on mobile devices—are all the rage these days. And it’s easy to see why. Just consider the numbers:

The use of mobile devices is exploding—the smart phone market alone is projected to grow 24.5% in 2011, according to International Data Corp. (IDC).

Application developers have churned out over 300,000 mobile apps in the past three years.

Worldwide mobile app revenue will exceed $35 billion in 2014, IDC projects.

In January, Apple announced that more than 10 billion apps have been downloaded from its App Store by 160 million iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users worldwide.

As a small business owner, it’s tough to ignore these statistics.

Design and development

But developing an app is time-consuming and costly. You need a professional programmer who has experience designing apps—often more complicated than a typical website. Separate apps need to be written for each smart phone platform; Android apps don’t run on iPhones, for example. And even once you develop an app, if it’s for the iPhone, you need to get it past Apple’s tough reviewers, who reportedly evaluate some 10,000 new apps each week.

Is it really worth the time and effort to develop an app? Does your business really need one?

Ennen

“A lot depends on what the small business is,” said Steve Ennen, president of Social Strategy1, a media intelligence firm in Ponte Vedra Beach. “I think it’s a stretch to say they are mission critical at this point, but they offer a set of advantages that are relevant to the digital ecosystem right now—that you can capitalize on if you know how to employ them smartly.”

Better benefits

Some advantages and benefits of having your own app include:

•Mobile apps get you to your customers. Today’s consumer is tech-savvy, better informed, and with high expectations of receiving timely and relevant information. “Today, businesses must reach customers where they are—not just wait for customers to come to them,” said Bernie Brennan, the Ponte Vedra Beach co-author of Branded! How Retailers Engage Consumers with Social Media and Mobility.

•Mobile apps give you visibility and drive traffic to your business. The more people who see your app and use it, the more potential customers you will have.

Gresham

•Mobile apps help you compete. “They level the playing field for small businesses,” said George Gresham, PhD, an assistant professor of marketing at Jacksonville University. It used to be that only large businesses could afford to have their own apps. Not anymore.

•Mobile apps cost less than some other forms of advertising. An app allows a business owner to reach millions of potential customers. Even though it can cost up to $50,000 to develop an app, depending on its technical sophistication, they still can be quite cost-effective when compared to other forms of advertising. Plus, some apps can generate revenues on their own.

Weigh your options

But experts say that apps are not a necessity for every business. “Don’t get blinded by the latest shiny object,” said Ennen. “Just because it’s available doesn’t mean your business is right for it.”

Indeed, there might be other digital creations that serve your company better. A well-designed mobile website, for example, is easily accessible to customers on their mobile devices and provides the information they’re likely to need on the go: address, phone number, directions, and basic information about the products and services you offer.

Plus, a presence on sites like Foursquare, Yelp, and Google Maps can lead mobile customers to your door without the expense of your own app.

Factors to consider

Still interested in developing an app for your business? Here are some factors to consider before taking the plunge:

•Is your app sustainable? In other words, is it something that users will keep coming back to frequently—you know, like Angry Birds—or will usage decline after the initial buzz fades?

“There are lots of stories of people with a gold rush mentality who started building apps thinking they would make a million dollars,” said Ennen. “But usage peaked, and then the app went away because there was no sustained usefulness behind it.”

The best apps are relevant, useful, and encourage users to come back repeatedly.

•Do your customers really access your product or service via their mobile device? If you’re a professional and the bulk of your clients find you on Twitter or LinkedIn, for example, it may not make sense to develop an app. Focus on what works for your particular business—market to your specific customers or clients—and resist the temptation to jump on the app bandwagon.

•What is the ROI? If the app won’t generate business, it isn’t worth the investment.

Do your research

“Find out who your competitors are, and determine what they’re doing right—and wrong,” said Angel Ayala Torres, a computer engineer at CloudYellow in Jacksonville, who is about to release GoTaxiCab, his first iPhone application, which

Torres

allows users to hail a taxi and pay for it via PayPal. “We tried other taxi apps on all platforms—even Blackberry and Android—to make sure we were bringing something to the market that is different and better.”

“Don’t have an app just to say you have one,” said Young, the periodontist. “If you’re going to spend time, money, and effort to not only develop but also manage and maintain an app, it needs to be functional. It needs to serve a purpose. If it doesn’t, then it’s just a waste of time.”

Robyn A. Friedman is a contributing writer to Advantage. She can be reached at robyn@everythingwrite.com.

Why e-banking is the best thing since sliced bread

By Lori Putnam

Those us who have paid attention over the last 25 years have witnessed the emergence of technology at what can best be described as warp speed. If you really think about it, the technology of today was probably obsolete before you evenpurchased it!

In the world of financial services, the technology boom has created the ability for bank customers to obtain immediate and accurate banking information, real-time and online. As e-banking technology began to emerge and improve, the initial fear that online banking would replace branch banking was quickly replaced with a desire to offer as much information to our customers through online portals as possible.

When you can sit at the computer at midnight in your pajamas and learn about the products and services your bank offers, it’s a better educational experience than sitting at your banker’s desk, trying to decipher “bank-speak” and knowing there are four people behind you waiting to be seen. This doesn’t mean you never need to go into a branch, but many things that used to be done in branches can now be done electronically, which can save you time and money.

Extended services

Most people log onto their bank’s website to balance their checkbook ledgers. They’ll look at their current or recent activity, maybe look at the detail of some checks they forgot to enter into their ledgers, transfer money to or from savings, and originate electronic bill payments through their bank’s online bill payment site. But e-banking is much more robust than just paying and receiving.

Need to stop payment on a check? Chances are you can initiate a stop payment from your bank’s website. Got a kid in college who needs money? You can initiate a payment to them through your bank’s online bill payment system. In fact, most banks’ online bill payment products can not only accommodate payments to credit cards and utilities, they can now accommodate payments originated electronically to individuals, and business owners wishing to make electronic payments can attach invoices and even apply discounts to electronic bill payments.

E-banking also extends to the lending arena, with a variety of information available through not only your bank’s website, but the links they most likely provide. These links can include calculators for loan payments so you can determine how much a payment will be and how long it will take to repay, as well as detailed information on the variety of loan products available to you, whether you are a business or an individual.

Many financial institutions offer online loan and credit card applications, and even current rate information for their most standard loan products. The e-banking application is virtually the same as what you would complete in a branch office; in fact, many banks no longer use paper applications, but instead originate in-branch loan and credit card applications through their internal electronic systems.

What about investing and retirement? Your bank’s website most likely offers a retirement planner so you can determine how much to invest and at the current rate of savings, how much you will have when you retire, and even asset allocation information so you know how to build a more balanced investment portfolio.

Want to keep up with the current news on your bank? Check out the website. News and information about your bank is readily available for your reading pleasure.  Many banks also offer the option to begin the new account opening process through their electronic sites, and some offer “switch kits,” which can help ease the pain of establishing yourself at a new financial institution by making the process a little more manageable.

New services

With the movement toward “paperless” transactions, many banks offer a terrific service, generically referred to as Remote Deposit. Remote Deposit allows business customers the ability to make non-cash deposits through a secure website using a desktop scanner.

Users simply scan their checks to be deposited, correct any errors that may occur during scanning, and then submit the deposit for practically immediate credit to their bank accounts. The images of the items are stored electronically and can be viewed anytime. While most banks do have processing cut-offs for credit for remotely deposited items, the system itself is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; deposits can be originated and transmitted to the bank and images of deposited items can be reviewed anytime, day or night.

Along these same lines, electronic bank statements, or e-statements, are gaining popularity as “go green” becomes the rallying cry of reducing paper waste. Statements are delivered through a secure system and retrieved at your convenience. All e-statements include transaction details, and most e-statements include the images of the items transacted on your account.

Wire transfer remains one of the most popular methods of moving funds swiftly between banks, and with the ability to originate wire transfers through electronic banking, customers can save a trip to the bank and even gain a reduction in the cost of wiring funds. Payments initiated or received through the Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) are the preferred method of handling payroll and expense reimbursements. Most banks even offer a “self-service” ACH product, which allows the end user to process ACH payments without the use of an intermediary, such as a payroll company.

Another e-banking service gaining popularity is Positive Pay. Check fraud is one of the most common reports of fraud among businesses. Positive Pay offers one of the most effective methods of deterring check fraud by allowing users to compare the checks they have issued against those being presented for payment on any given day.

Items that do not match the checkbook register raise a red flag and the user must decide if these exceptions represent fraudulent activity. This gives the business owner control over the items being presented for payment against their account, which in turn helps control costs by minimizing the risk of check fraud.

Your e-banking site also offers a wealth of information regarding FDIC insurance, the bank’s officers and directors, identity theft and fraud protection, and more. Many bank sites offer a tool that allows you to pull all financial information into one site for money management purposes. There’s even a good chance that if you visit your bank today, there are e-banking kiosks available for your use, right at the branch site! And we never even discussed the variety of electronic functions that are available now through ATMs and mobile banking. That’s best saved for another article.

It’s probably safe to say that advances in technology have not quite given us the time or cost savings that jet-packing to work or traveling by transporter might have offered us. But taking advantage of the many products and services offered by your financial institution’s e-banking site can certainly make it easy and convenient for you to manage your daily financial needs.

Lori Putnam is vice president, commercial deposit manager, and cash management officer for FirstAtlantic Bank. She can be contacted at 904-446-2567 or lputnam@bankfirstatlantic.com.

8 steps to ensure worthwhile returns on investment

By Jeffrey Spear

There are many things you can do to grow your business and attract sales. When it comes to marketing, most people think of advertising, websites, and perhaps even costumed dancers holding signs on the street corner.

While these are credible marketing tactics, you need to consider whether or not your business benefited from this activity, and if the results warranted and/or offset the costs for implementation.

Unless the answer to both is an undeniable “yes,” you’ll want to reconsider your marketing and promotional plans.

Step 1: Seek qualified help

To get things started, find a marketing specialist who can evaluate your competitive landscape, define a unique selling proposition, and develop an appropriate marketing plan. One advantage to this is it will be an unbiased set of eyes and ears that can evaluate your marketing activities from a fresh perspective.

Make sure to ask about the successes this supplier has created for other clients. If they cannot provide statistical evidence of results, find someone else. At the very least, obtain client references to confirm their effectiveness.

Step 2: Establish goals

Marketing can contribute to your bottom line in many ways. For new businesses and brands, it generates awareness and provokes inquiry. For established operators, and while it still supports awareness and inquiry, marketing can help increase market share, deepen brand understanding, and/or persuade buyers to change brand preferences.

The important thing is to define what you expect in advance, making sure your goals are feasible, clearly defined, and agreed upon by senior management. Subsequently, communicate these goals to your marketing team, making sure promotional messages and tactics are in alignment with and responsive to these confirmed objectives.

Step 3: Make a plan

Delivering the right message at the right time aimed at the right audience takes careful research and analysis. So does evaluating your sales cycle, identifying seasonal peaks and valleys, and crafting an appropriate marketing response.

There may be other variables to consider such as anticipated introductions of new products, ongoing improvements and upgrades to core offerings, intrusive competitive challenges, etc. Each of these situations could significantly influence the direction of your marketing program.

Anticipating and responding to these dynamics with a thoroughly researched and expertly planned marketing program will help you satisfy your business and marketing objectives with greater efficiency.

Step 4: Choose your weapon

It’s equally important to employ the right tactics. Whether it’s advertising, trade shows, Web-based promotions, or even a dancing chicken, what you select and the rationale behind those decisions will make a huge difference in the results you record.

When it comes to technology, please keep in mind that there is far more hype than reality about what works and what doesn’t. That being said, and especially if your key audience spends a significant amount of time online, you’ll want to investigate, confirm effectiveness, and prioritize online marketing opportunities.

In many cases, a more integrated approach—one that links traditional and technology-driven tactics—may be the best solution. In this regard, a print or broadcast message may ask audiences to visit your website, or your website, blog, or online ad could direct readers to your store or ask them to call.

Step 5: Have a budget

It’s easy to see how marketing can become a costly proposition. In order to avoid wasteful or ineffective spending, and to create investments that translate into meaningful outcomes, it is essential to have a budget.

Even when resources are limited, there are ways to generate worthwhile returns on investment. This is where the service provider you have selected can get involved. While advertising sales reps may be biased, your marketing advisor can take a holistic approach—evaluating opportunities based on the budgets you’ve set and the outcomes you expect.

While you may not be able to afford everything, you can prioritize essential activities and delay others. While growth may take a bit longer, you want to be sure your marketing investments are properly planned and managed so you can avoid damaging pitfalls and disappointments.

Step 6: Be delightful

It is human nature to spend more time doing things that are enjoyable and emotionally pleasing. In this regard, and regardless of the tactics you embrace, find ways to appeal to the senses and deliver positive experiences. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling office supplies, legal services, retirement packages, or tropical adventures, as long as your marketing approach engages your audience in an enjoyable, memorable, and delightful way, you are sure to generate favorable responses.

Step 7: Watch what you’re doing

The only way you can prove return on investment is to track and statistically evaluate the impact of the tactics you employ. While some are easier to track than others, there are lots of ways to acquire evidence of performance.

These days, most interactive activity is traceable through a variety of online services that quantify Web visitors, confirm delivery of e-mails, and monitor click-throughs. For public relations, there are a number of print and broadcast “clipping services” that provide tangible evidence of performance.

When it comes to advertising and direct mail, the process requires a bit more in terms of logistical planning. Again, the marketing advisor you work with should be able to recommend and develop effective tracking mechanisms for every tactic.

Step 8: Confirm success

Once you’ve tracked and recorded outcomes, you can construct mathematical formulas that assign a dollar value to your achievements. For example: If you spend $1,000 on a trade show and you meet 1,000 visitors, the cost per contact is one dollar. Going one step further, and if you secure 10 qualified leads, your cost per lead becomes $100. Finally, and after contracts are signed, you will be able to calculate the revenue generated per marketing dollar spent.

Similar calculations can be applied to Web visitors, phone inquiries, coupon redemptions, etc. and will confirm just how effective your marketing investments have been.

As you can see, there’s a lot of work that goes into a truly effective marketing program. When you plan ahead, define goals, set budgets, employ qualified marketing professionals, and take the time to delight your audience, the outcomes can be rewarding.

As long as you track, evaluate, and quantify your efforts, you’ll be able to justify marketing activities and confirm worthwhile returns on investment.

Jeffrey Spear is president of Studio Spear, a leading national marketing consultancy that approaches consumer products and brands—from research and planning to packaging, point-of-sale display, and promotions—in ways that generate undeniable interest. He can be reached at 904-685-2135 or 866-787-8761, jeff@studiospear.com, or through www.studiospear.com.

Procurement and technology do mix!

By Tony Lego

Lowering supply cost can be a daunting task for organizations even if its operations are lean and mean. The cost of operating a company continues to rise while getting new customers is harder than ever. Add to this the cost of providingemployee benefits, which are also rising, and it is becoming more difficult to operate a financially healthy business.

But you can increase profits by reducing the costs associated with expenses and overhead by cutting supply cost or reducing HR cost. Reducing supply cost can be an arduous and time-consuming assignment. A supply program running at peak efficiency requires time, knowledge, resources, and dedication. However, by focusing on what is most within your control, you can achieve substantial savings.

Reducing through technology

Several ways to use technology to address the issue of supply cost reduction include Internet shopping, inventory control systems, RFQ systems, spend aggregation/management systems, and hiring a purchasing partner.

Internet shopping: The Internet brings the supply industry to the desktop. It can be a great source for product research and pricing, but can become time-consuming if shopping time is not structured. Internet purchasing saves money by eliminating overhead such as warehousing, sales representatives, advertising, etc., and in turn the savings are passed along to the consumer.

In many situations, you deal directly with the manufacturer or an authorized distributor, but use caution when using the Internet as some of those great-looking sites may be out of someone’s garage. Orders should only be placed from trusted sites and never send personal information, such as your Social Security number, bank account numbers, or credit card numbers, over the Internet if you are not absolutely certain the vendor is legitimate or if the website is secure. Many websites display a SSL (secure socket layer) logo at the bottom of the landing page as their assurance you are on a secure site.

Inventory control system: Inventory control systems can be as simple as a pencil and pad of paper, Microsoft Excel worksheet, or more robust systems using software and bar code scanners.

In electronic inventory systems, re-order point inventory levels can be set to trigger re-ordering, and minimum and maximum inventory levels can determine reorder quantities. This reduces necessary stocking levels and minimizes unnecessary ordering of supply items, which translates into a more effective and efficient supply system—giving you greater control over where supply dollars are spent.

Ask your distributor representative if they have such a system available for your use. Some distributors will supply a basic system for little or no cost if you ask.

RFQ system: RFQs (request for quotes) are used to determine the best price for the same or similar item from different manufacturers/suppliers. There are providers that offer the capability to conduct RFQs via the Internet, which saves you time in administering the RFQ process. Some provide ways to rate each suppliers bid on various factors such as capacity, quality, product offering, flexibility, and terms. This helps you quickly hone in on the supplier that will be the best fit.

Before creating the RFQ, you need to know what you want in the product (specifications, tolerances, performance levels) to meet your application of the product. This is very critical to obtaining the right product at the best possible price, and can save a considerable amount of time in product selection.

If you are unsure of the product specification or capability required to perform the intended application, you can invite suppliers to educate you as to why their product/service is best suited for your needs. But beware—getting three bids is not the end of the procurement/strategic sourcing process, it is the beginning. This assumes that you have selected the correct/best suppliers and defined your requirements accurately.

Spend aggregation/management systems: Many businesses that start out small and grow into sizeable organizations with multiple locations usually are missing a way to aggregate their spending across items and services. These companies have hundreds of supply items and overhead items, and the “spends” quickly grow when you look at your spending at a category level.

For example: A telecommunications company with three locations and 20 associates at each with 10 telephone lines and 10 people using the Internet per location. If you look at this at a location level, they are only spending a couple hundred dollars per month. Not a really big dollar cost. But if you aggregate the spending on this across the locations, now you are talking in the $1,000 plus per month. You can see how expense items/services can quickly add up.

There are many systems and solutions in the marketplace to help you accomplish this, such as Google Spend Aggregation. But before you take this route, make sure you are ready to do what is necessary to categorize your purchases into the correct/accurate categories, and keep them maintained as you move forward.

Hiring purchasing partners: Business has become more complex, offering a variety of products/services under one roof, largely in response to customer demands. The result is that direct materials purchasing consumes a vast majority of the purchasing organizations time and effort. This complexity now requires a greater range of skills and knowledge to navigate a sea of suppliers and products/service to get to the best value, and usually comes with a reduced focus on indirect expense items/services, which should not be the focus of limited purchasing resources.

However, the indirect area of purchases can and has produced significant savings for businesses. The issue here is, “Are the savings significant enough to justify hiring a staff of full-time procurement experts?”

In response to this need, several organizations offer purchasing expertise and technologies on an as-needed basis to help businesses maximize value and harvest savings in the indirect expense area. These technologies include price benchmark and supplier databases, which help the partner to quickly identify opportunities in your indirect expenses. They also deploy advanced negotiation techniques using Web-based tools to ensure a competitive environment is created for your purchases.

Take control

Each of the previously mentioned points, when implemented, can help you take control of supply purchasing. Each action by itself will achieve positive results, but each also has a trade-off associated with it: time utilization, use of material resources, human resources that might be better utilized performing increased revenue activities, or importance of saving a few dollars relative to other matters.

Time and other valuable resources expended to save money may eliminate any savings at the expense of something else; in reality, it may actually cost you money. Businesses have always relied on purchasing departments with dedicated men and women who understand sourcing and negotiation practices to conduct product/service research, supply market/supplier research, and presenting RFQs or RFPs (request for proposals and other procurement techniques).

Unlike the person in customer service, sales, production, marketing, accounting, or new product development, the purchasing department is dedicated to knowing how to purchase. Purchasing partners and departments dedicated to a business’ bottom line provide a service that can yield significant savings with improved business efficiency.

Tony Lego is an entrepreneur and franchise owner of Expense Reduction Consulting (ERC). He can be contacted at 904-401-1235, TLego@ERCsaves.com, or through www.ERCsaves.com/TLego.

The next generation of business computing is cloud computing

By Stephen Commorato

Traditionally, a small business would consist of several desktops, laptops, and servers networked together on the premises.

But one challenge small businesses are currently faced with in a traditional platform is the upcoming end of life on the XP operating system. Yes, XP will continue to work on your PC, but without the support and patches from Microsoft, the security risk of your network and information will diminish significantly.

Another challenge is the industry’s move to 64bit hardware instead of continuing 32bit, and how upgrading desktops and servers are essential for compatibility with a new operating system for the best performance in your organization.

Because there are so many options available today you should consult with an IT company to analyze your business goals and objectives. There are many factors and the most important is current infrastructure, so choose an IT company that has knowledge and experience in data networks (transport) and not just local switching and sharing of computers.

Business advantage

Cloud computing is a natural evolution of the widespread adoption of virtualization, service-oriented architecture, and utility computing. By using software hosted in the cloud rather than on-premise, cloud computing can deliver significant business advantages.

There are several deployment methods to get to the cloud and the first component consistent with all methods is a cloud client. The client computer hardware and/or computer software that relies on cloud computing for application delivery, or is specifically designed for delivery of cloud services, and, in either case, is essentially useless without it. Examples include some computers, phones and other devices, operating systems, and browsers.

•Public Cloud or external cloud describes cloud computing in the traditional mainstream sense, whereby resources are dynamically provisioned over the Internet, via Web applications/Web services.

•Community Cloud may be established where several organizations have similar requirements and seek to share infrastructure so as to realize some of the benefits of cloud computing.

With the costs spread over fewer users than a public cloud (but more than a single tenant), this option is more expensive but may offer a higher level of privacy, security, and/or policy compliance. An example of a community cloud includes Google’s “Gov. Cloud.”

•Hybrid Cloud has been used to mean either two separate clouds joined together (public, private, internal, or external), or a combination of virtualized cloud server instances used together with real physical hardware.

The most correct definition of the term “hybrid cloud” is probably the use of physical hardware and virtualized cloud server instances together to provide a single common service. Two clouds that have been joined together are more correctly called a “combined cloud.” A combined cloud environment consisting of multiple internal and/or external providers “will be typical for most enterprises.”

Another perspective on deploying a Web application in the cloud is using hybrid Web hosting, where the hosting infrastructure is a mix between cloud hosting and managed dedicated servers— this is most commonly achieved as part of a Web cluster in which some of the nodes are running on real physical hardware and some are running on cloud server instances.

A hybrid storage cloud uses a combination of public and private storage clouds. Hybrid storage clouds are often useful for archiving and backup functions, allowing local data to be replicated to a public cloud.

•Private Clouds still have to buy, build, and manage them and thus do not benefit from lower upfront capital costs and less hands-on management, essentially the economic model that makes cloud computing such an intriguing concept and IT organizations use their own private cloud(s) for mission critical and other operational systems to protect critical infrastructures.

Components of cloud computing

The two most significant components of cloud computing architecture are known as the front end and the back end. The front end is the part seen by the client, i.e., the computer user. This includes the client’s network (or computer) and the applications used to access the cloud via a user interface such as a Web browser. The back end of the cloud computing architecture is the “cloud” itself, comprising various computers, servers, and data storage devices.

Cloud application services, or “Software as a Service (SaaS),” deliver software as a service over the Internet, eliminating the need to install and run the application on the customer’s own computers and simplifying maintenance and support. People tend to use the terms SaaS and cloud interchangeably, when in fact they are two different things.

Application delivery typically is closer to a one-to-many model (single instance, multitenant architecture) than to a one-to-one model, including architecture, pricing, partnering, and management characteristics.

For a small business owner, the benefit, first and foremost, is to lower your initial capital costs and predictable recurring expenses. The second is to have greater agility and scalability to add and subtract depending on the needs of your company. The third is to have access to more advanced software and capabilities.

The big three!

Amazon, Google, and Microsoft provide shared (public) or hybrid solutions, but for this purpose, the focus will be on Microsoft because it is the most common business solution in the workplace.

Microsoft offers a comprehensive set of cloud-based business solutions that complements the portfolio of on-premise solutions that customers already know and trust.

With the Microsoft platform, you can choose when to run solutions in the cloud (public or private), on-premise, or a hybrid model. Microsoft Online Services in world class datacenters are delivered to customers as subscription-based services, reliably delivered with 99.9% scheduled uptime, and carry a financially backed service level agreement.

Customers who purchase the Microsoft Online Services realize a 40% discount over purchasing standalone services.

Microsoft’s online solution suites

The deployment of Microsoft Online Services (MOS) is generally accomplished with a 24-hour turnaround to the customer.

Small businesses typically may use Microsoft Office, and use of a file server or Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange mail is generally replaced with a third-party POP3 or webmail because the cost of ownership of an exchange server maintaining software and hardware is a burden to their budget.

MOS provides enhanced services affordable to customers unable to afford a collaborating work environment.

Microsoft Office Professional Plus: The world’s leading productivity tool now seamlessly connected and delivered with cloud services—for the best productivity experience across the PC, phone, and browser.

Microsoft Exchange Online: This provides cloud-based e-mail, calendar, and contacts with the most-current anti-virus and anti-spam solutions.

Microsoft SharePoint Online: This provides cloud-based service that helps businesses of all sizes create sites to share documents and insights with colleagues, partners, and customers.

Microsoft Lync Online: This provides cloud-based instant messaging services, online meeting experiences with PC-audio, video conferencing, and screen sharing.

Stephen Commorato is the senior engineer for Tec on Call Inc., a company with a core team that helps clients solve intricate challenges in implementing small-to-medium scale, complex, and business critical IT development and integration programs. He can be reached at 904-880-2355, steve@tec-on-call.com, or through www.tec-on-call.com.

Forward thinking RadiatorBarn.com unlocking new customers online

By Wendy Bautista

Randy Amos has always pushed himself to do better and to go above and beyond what anyone else would do, and that drive and determination has paid off for him in his life and career.

Randy was only 9 years old when his father and brother opened the family business in 1958 as Lake Shore Radiator and Welding Works, which primarily consisted of a small welding facility and one repair tank to service automobile radiators.

“I was in elementary school then and would come by the shop after going to school and learned how to weld and then how to do radiator repair,” says Randy, the current company, Lake Shore Radiator & Specialty Auto Parts, president and CEO.

“By age 12, I was one of the better repairmen of radiators in the city. I used to think it was a big deal for a young guy like me learning how to repair radiators and weld at such a young age until I started seeing these young folks today that are 5 and 7 years old that can take a computer and do unbelievable things. I realize now that age was not really a factor, but I was probably better than a lot of older guys because I learned the new way and the right way of repairing radiators.”

Randy continued to work at Lake Shore while graduating from high school and continuing his education at Jacksonville University.

Making changes

After graduating in 1970 with his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a concentration in economics and finance, and a minor in political science, he decided to stay in the Jacksonville area.

“I looked at my brother and said, ‘If we are going to stay here, we are going to expand and do more than just repair radiators.’ And that’s when we started dabbling a little bit in selling the product more, as far as a complete radiator,” says Randy.

While still keeping the business going, Randy was elected to the Jacksonville City Council in 1975. At that time, he was the youngest city councilman ever elected. He served through 1979 when he left elected politics to devote full time to Lake Shore, which he had purchased a 50% share.

“I decided to run for tax collector and was unfortunately, or maybe I should say fortunately for the business, defeated by less than 3% of votes. I decided it was time to go to the next step with the business,” says Randy.

Making strides

That was when Lake Shore became a complete, full wholesale division and pulled that away from the repair side. In 1981, it started distributing radiators and condensers in the local region of North Florida and South Georgia.

“Back then, we were what they considered new pioneers in the business,” says Randy. “Traditionally, you would have a three-step process. But when I went out on the road, we did what we called a two step. We bought it directly from the manufacturer and sold it directly to the installer. By doing that, there was a lot more efficiency for us and we could lower the cost point to the garages and who we went to.”

1983 marked the first expansion to Fayetteville, N.C. Knowing the logistics of overnight delivery was 200 miles from a location, he took out a compass and drew a circle 400 miles outside of Jacksonville. “So between Fayetteville and Jacksonville, we covered everything from southern Virginia through Florida, and all the way over to eastern Alabama,” says Randy.

He has since opened up other branches in Macon, Ga.; Dothan, Ala.; Raleigh, N.C.; Greensboro, N.C.; and Charleston, S.C.

In addition to operating in those six physical locations, he also uses 3PL (third party logistics) warehouses, which are a fee-type warehouse, in Austin, Texas, and Sparks, Nev. (just outside of Reno), to help make delivery times shorter for those surrounding areas.

Making the move

Robert Amos, Randy’s nephew, joined Lake Shore in 1999. While he says he was not a computer professional per se, he was always actively interested and knew there were some capabilities out there that could take Lake Shore in a different direction and maybe to a different level.

“Rob was the founder of the Internet division and I am the funder,” says Randy. “I had the money and he had the knowledge, and we paired that together to get RadiatorBarn.com going.” And in 2002, the website launched.

“Randy has always been one to grasp something by the horns and then let our competitors adjust to what we do in a lot of ways,” says Robert, when asked if it was a challenge to get Randy to agree to an Internet site. “Randy has always been on the edge of technology and always embraced it so when I brought the idea to him about going to the Internet, he was willing.”

Robert, who has bachelor of business administration degrees in transportation/logistics and business management and is currently going to school at Florida State to get a masters in management of information systems, says “as far as taking the established company and moving it toward being on the Internet, there really wasn’t much of a transition as many of the procedures were in place with the warehouses.”

Randy says a lot of what Robert did he may be downplaying a bit because the  information and knowledge he has about how you set up these businesses and how the Internet works and how you do things the right way is the key to Lake Shore’s and RadiatorBarn.com’s success.

“Rob and I talked early on that we wanted to do everything professionally right and technologically right, but we still had to remember that we are an existing business and should never forget where we came from and how to treat customers,” says Randy.

“I like to say we are technologically advanced and future thinking of a Buck Rogers but have the customer service, smile, and friendliness of a Will Rogers.”

Making adjustments

Once they were up and running online, they saw an immediate boost in business. Knowing how other companies went from .com to .gone, they decided to take a slower approach and ease into it. And that decision paid off—by the end of the second year of being on the Internet, they were doing over $1 million in online business and have been multimillion ever since.

Of course, success doesn’t come without its growing pains. With Lake Shore being the parent company, they use the same warehouses and staff for both operations and for some branches there was an adjustment period.

“They were taking care of their normal garage and walk-up customers and then in the afternoon all of a sudden they would have four or five orders coming in that they had to rush, pull, write up, and ship out for RadiatorBarn.com,” says Randy. “It did take a little while for the culture to set in and some gentle reminders from me that we are one team, one company, and it’s not RadiatorBarn against Lake Shore,” says Randy.

Robert was able to turn these issues into solutions by developing a system where the orders are more consistent throughout the day instead of at once so these branches can write them up at any time.

“We’ve definitely gotten a lot more efficient,” says Robert. “We’ve gotten to the point where the time from when you order a radiator and send your order through to where we bill it out and get it to the location where it is shipping from is less than a minute.”

Randy jokes with Robert that some of the other changes he made were just things he didn’t like or didn’t want to deal with.

“That’s exactly true!” says Robert, “and some of these changes definitely save time and phone calls—especially in regards to tracking numbers.” Robert says that not having a tracking number was one thing he changed because he himself would want it. “People provide their e-mail address when checking out so why not?” he says. “We just do it as part of our customer service now and it makes them feel good to know exactly where the package is and when it is going to get there.”

“It’s one thing if it’s a book, but it’s another thing when it’s a radiator and your vehicle is down and you have to get it back up and running,” says Robert.

Making advances

And getting that car back up and running is being handled by only 38 employees, and all 38 work for Lake Shore and RadiatorBarn.com. “That’s the advantage with our technology,” says Randy. “A company our size with the volume we do would have somewhere between 60 and 70 employees, but with our high-level telephone system and electronic cataloging, we are able to get by with about half and we’re not sacrificing any level of customer service.”

“We do take care of the customers, number one, but the customer is only going to be taken care of as well as that employee feels like doing it that day,” says Randy, which is why he makes sure his employees stay happy and are kept up-to-date. “In today’s market, I see too many companies that don’t appreciate the employees they have.”

Many of the employees have been with the company for a great number of years, with some reaching more than 20 years. “I have a good strong group of people that have been here quite a while and my biggest equity is in those employees,” says Randy.

“Lake Shore and RadiatorBarn.com are really big marketing companies that sell a product—the difference is we know what the product is we are selling and how it functions,” says Randy. “I think that’s another big key for us versus other distributors in our industry.”

“If and when a customer does have an issue or problem, they are comfortable calling us because all of our guys are trained in keeping up with the mechanics on the car, not just selling the part. Our people are ASE certified, which means they are just a little bit more up on the cutting edge of technology and they know a little bit more about selling parts and taking care of the customer’s needs.”

“We want to make the sale just as much as the next guy,” says Robert, “but if a customer calls up and they describe a problem and they don’t need a radiator, we’re not going to try and sell them a radiator—we’re going to help them fix their problem. And when they need a radiator, they will come to us. Future business to us is just as good as current business.”

Making a prediction

“In 2006, the national average of how long people kept a car was 7.3 years, but now it is predicted at 10.6 years,” says Randy. “Just adding that three to four year increase in the time a car is kept on the road and operating, there will be more need for radiators and parts like we sell, so I know we are definitely in a growing business. We just need to be here and around to service more cars, and all indicators are we are going to be growing and doing really well online.

Currently, 15% of Lake Shore’s total volume is on the Internet. “Probably the most growth is going to come in that area in two to five years because we’ve strategically planned several more branch operations that were going to open up. We actually look at a map and figure out where we can get overnight delivery,” says Randy.

“The key to that, too,” says Robert, “is to get that overnight service at regular ground shipment rates without having to pay for the overnight service.”

Randy says he is looking for more brick and mortar locations across the country so he can provide service in the local area and be able to get parts delivered to a customer overnight and not pay additional fees. “Long term, I would like to see coast-to-coast Lake Shore and RadiatorBarn.com overnight delivery, and maybe even save money for the companies.”

“We may not have been the first one selling radiators on the Internet, but we are probably the best now,” says Robert, with Randy interjecting, “and our testimonials prove that! You can go to the section online and see an unbelievable amount. Continually hearing the good things people have to say makes me so proud.”

“The Internet, the way we do business through RadiatorBarn.com, the way we look at expanding down the line, and taking care of customers has created and keeps the passion and enthusiasm up in me,” says Randy.

“I feel there is a .com boom coming again for the correctly built companies on the Internet—for the good guys who develop good systems—and RadiatorBarn.com is definitely one of those companies.”

Wendy Bautista is editor of Advantage: The Resource for Small Business. She can be reached at Wendy@advantagebizmag.com or 904-536-2234.

Flexible programs allow entrepreneurs to continue their education while running a business

By Robyn A. Friedman

Lang C. Tarrant values education. After graduating from the College of Charleston and pursuing a career in commercial real estate, the 36-year-old entrepreneur completed a curriculum that earned him a CCIM designation (Certified Commercial Investment Member) for his expertise in the commercial and investment real estate industry. He also fulfilled the educational requirements to receive the prestigious SIOR designation (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors).

Not content to sit on his laurels, Tarrant, managing director of Tarrant Commercial Real Estate in Jacksonville, recently enrolled in an accelerated MBA program at Jacksonville University (JU). This semester, he attends class from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and works the remainder of the week. The accelerated MBA program at JU takes 12 months to complete and costs approximately $25,000.

“I’m a firm believer in continuing education,” said Tarrant. “I’ve reached the pinnacle in the commercial real estate end of continuing education, so the next step was to get the MBA—that was always a personal goal of mine.”

Tarrant had been hoping to get the MBA for some time, which he said would “further solidify me as the business executive running this company,” but the active commercial real estate market in Florida prevented him from doing so. Now that the market has cooled, however, he can fit the classes into his schedule.

Most companies—56 percent, according to the Society for Human Resource Management—offer graduate educational assistance benefits to their employees. This type of educational assistance not only helps the employee but also benefits the employer, which gains a more educated workforce. Additional education also helps employees increase productivity, improves employee morale and reduces turnover.

But continued education is just as vital to small business owners, who need to keep their skills sharp—and develop new ones—to compete in an ever-changing global economy. And even if small business owners are technically competent in their own professions, they may lack management experience, preventing them from taking their businesses to the next level. Tarrant, for example, said that the finance, accounting and computer classes he’s taking help to complete his knowledge base.

“There is no such thing as standing still,” said Candace Moody, vice president of WorkSource, the regional workforce development organization in Jacksonville. “If you’re in a business or industry that’s constantly changing—and what industry isn’t—you absolutely need to make lifelong learning part of your business plan.”

Moody said that an advanced education can help small business owners position themselves as more current in their field. Plus, customers with educational credentials may actually seek out those with similar credentials for vendors or partners.

There are two ways to approach education, Moody said. You can focus on getting credentials that will resonate with customers and prospects, or you can choose to fill gaps in your own experience that will allow you to make substantial changes in the way you operate. “Either way, do your homework,” she added. “Look for a program that is accredited and that has high quality instructions and high academic standards.”

Fortunately, colleges and universities are increasingly developing flexible programs that allow business owners to advance their education.

The Davis College of Business at Jacksonville University offers several programs that lead to an MBA. Tarrant is enrolled in the school’s accelerated day program, which takes 12 months.

There’s also a Flex program, with classes in the evening. “You can take as many or as few courses as you can handle,” said Mary Anne Waikart, director of graduate programs at Davis. Students must have three years of work experience to enroll, and the program takes 18 months to five years to complete. It costs about $25,000.

A third alternative is the Executive MBA program, for students with at least 10 years of work experience. Classes are every other Friday afternoon and Saturday, and the program takes 17 months. It costs about $49,000.

The University of North Florida’s Coggin College of Business also offers MBA programs for students who work full-time. According to UNF’s website, most of the 600 students in its MBA program are working professionals, but about 20 percent are full-time students. A typical student takes two courses each term while working full-time. To be accessible, graduate classes are offered in the afternoon and evening; some are even offered on weekends.

Misha Gryb, 27, is president of YanaEx Inc., a Jacksonville company that develops, designs and manufactures products for the food and pharmaceutical industries. He enrolled in the Flex MBA program at JU in October and attends class every Monday night for three hours. He expects to earn his degree in two years.

“I wanted to gain more knowledge in finance, accounting, marketing and human resources,” Gryb said. “This degree will help me improve the performance of my business. That’s the main reason I’m going back to school.”

Gryb’s wife, Ashley Testa, who also works full-time, is enrolled in the Flex MBA program as well. Attending classes with his wife helps him to better juggle the responsibilities of work, family and school.

Indeed, achieving balance may be one of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs who go back to school. After all, it’s difficult enough to balance work and family; for students, school is thrown into the mix as well.

Students need “an extreme amount of time management as well as a supportive staff and family,” Waikart said.

Still, MBA students say it’s all worth it. “I did the analysis, and I think it will not only improve my productivity but also open other business opportunities and give me a competitive edge,” said Tarrant. “It’s just another arrow in my quiver.”

Robyn A. Friedman is a contributing writer to Advantage. She can be reached at RAFWriter@att.net.

Accomplish success by understanding your profit and loss statement

By Keith Johnson, CPA

The ability to read and understand financial statements is critical to a business owner’s ability to effectively run an organization, and, in many cases, the difference between a profitable, thriving business and one that will shut its doors.

Financial statements such as the balance sheet and profit and loss (P&L), or income statement, give the practiced reader many clues as to a business’s viability and performance.

Of the two most major financial statements, the easiest for most small business owners to read and understand is the P&L. In its most basic form, the P&L provides a summary of an organization’s activities during a given period of time. Although one year is the most common time period a P&L is prepared for, it can be prepared for a six-month period, quarterly, monthly, weekly, or daily.

The P&L theory

The theory behind a P&L is actually very simple. Essentially, you take all of your income and billings and put it in a big pot. You then subtract what you spent and the result is your net income (hopefully, you will not have a net loss). Your net profit is what the business and owners are taxed on. If you can understand that, you have won half the battle.

Record your income

The first step in reading a P&L is to record all of your income from your business activities, usually your sales. They can be broken out by the different products or services you sell. For instance, a CPA’s P&L could show income from tax preparation, audits, and business consulting.

If you have more than one product or service, the income from each activity should be recorded. The income from the different products or services is summed up to produce gross income. Gross income is all revenues realized by the business.

Subtract your expenses

There are two basic types of expenses which are subtracted from income to get to net income. The first is cost of goods sold. Cost of goods sold are expenses that go directly into your product or service. They include raw materials, labor that went into the product, and other items that are actually in the product.

If an expense is not traceable to the product, do not include it here. Cost of goods sold is subtracted from gross income to produce your gross margin or gross profit. This is an important number as it shows how much money you have left after making your product.

A healthy gross margin may vary by industry, but as a general rule, you want a margin of at least 50% to 60%, if not more. If your gross margin is too small, you will be caught short on paying your operating expenses. You will need to raise your prices or you will have liquidity problems.

The other type of expense is called operating expenses. These expenses are paid, but do not go directly into the product. These expenses may include rent, utilities, phone, insurance, Internet, uniforms, auto expenses, travel, and continuing education. These expenses are just as crucial, but are not reflected into the final product or service.

You need to sum up each expense by account to get total operating expenses. Operating expenses are subtracted from gross profit to get operating profit. Many small businesses will stop here, but there may be small adjustments for nonoperating income and expense, as well as income tax.

Look for oddities

The best way to interpret your P&L is to first look for any expense that sticks out. Are your advertising expenses out of line with your dues and subscriptions? Do you have large bank service expenses? You may need to switch banks. Do you have large travel expenses? You may need to find more effective means of meeting, such as through webinars or conference calls, which may save you money. If one expense dominates your P&L, you will want to do additional research to understand why.

Schedule regularly and keep current

Second, you want to commit to producing P&Ls on a regular basis. Many CPAs will sit down with their clients quarterly to review their financials. By preparing regular and consistent P&Ls over time, you will be able to detect trends and act upon them.

For instance, you may have declining sales. Is it seasonal, or is it something else? Are your payroll expenses out of line? Payroll expenses may be the biggest expense you have. By trending payroll expenses, you will be able to make better hiring decisions. Are your bad debts going up? If so, you may want to implement tighter credit policies. Are your costs of goods going up? You may want to switch vendors or change buying habits. Current P&Ls give a business owner the “eyes” to see their business and project future performance.

In addition to having a firm grip on the pulse of the business, a business owner will find that updated P&Ls will be requested by many different stakeholders in a variety of situations:

•Current P&Ls are used by accountants to prepare the business tax returns;

•They will be required from bankers in credit and lending decisions;

•Vendors may request them to extend credit;

•Government and major purchasers may request them as part of a bidding process; and

•If a business decides to go public and issue stock, P&Ls will be required by regulatory agencies and investors.

Get with a program

The good news is that with a little investment in time and money, you can produce financial statements quickly and easily. Using a small business software program such as QuickBooks, any business owner can prepare P&Ls for any time period desired.

You can also prepare comparative P&Ls to see how your current activity matches up with past performance. The program is relatively inexpensive (about $200 plus tax), easy to learn, almost universally used by accountants, and very forgiving in errors, which you will certainly have while learning the program.

The key is that you must reconcile all of you bank and credit accounts each month. By reconciling all of your accounts, you will ensure all of your income and expenses are recorded and you have all of your information current. Your accountant can help you with this, or various local resources, such as the Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Center, University of North Florida’s Small Business Development Center, and the Beaver Street Enterprise Center, often have reasonably priced classes to learn how to enter transactions and reconcile.

Having the ability to understand a current P&L means you have the information you need to make timely and critical decisions for your business to not only survive, but thrive.

You will be able to take advantage of opportunities and stay ahead of your competition. Make a commitment to understand your financial statements as a New Year’s resolution and you will likely find 2011 to be a very happy and profitable year.

Keith E. Johnson CPA, is owner of Keith E. Johnson CPA PA in Jacksonville, Fla., a full-service CPA firm providing accounting, auditing, consulting, and tax services to individuals, businesses, and non-profits. He can be contacted at 904-727-0077 or kejcpa@comcast.net.

For Lisa Waas, the property manager for Airport Industrial Park (www.aip-jax.com), cooking and food has always been part of her life. “My Mom and Dad are great cooks, so I’ve been exposed to different foods and

cooking for years,” saysWaas, who attributes that to her being less shy about exploring new foods in the kitchen.

Waas, her husband, and two children have been cooking for quite a few years recreationally together, but their small kitchen in their Fernandina home would get in the way. “It used to drive us crazy when we would cook together because there would be at least one moment when you wanted to tell someone to move because they were in your way,” says Waas.

Old kitchen

New kitchen

That craziness lead to the remodeling of their kitchen. Two and a half years ago, they put in some sweat equity and did the renovations themselves, but it was worth it to more than double the size of the kitchen and put in a six-burner gas stove. “It was about six months after finishing it that I looked at my husband and said, ‘We’ve basically been cooking the same food we used to cook in this big beautiful kitchen and, even though it’s easier, I think it’s kind of silly,’” says Waas.

Waas’ habit of cutting recipes and ideas from magazines prompted them to do something different. Since most of the recipes are typically from the higher-end cooking magazines and are quite an effort to do, she set out to see how many new recipes they could cook in 2010.

The challenge

In November 2009, they began to tackle the challenge. “We would sit down and write out two weeks’ worth of recipes. We would go through the columns and articles and put together menus—writing down each recipe we did in a journal calendar. We kind of put ourselves into the position that we had to start cooking differently,” says Waas.

She says the more they got into it, they decided to put together a wish list of things they were going to learn to cook, such as homemade pasta, butter, ketchup, Asian dumplings, and short ribs.

“We never cooked with short ribs before and now we have three different types we can make. When we realized we weren’t cooking enough fish, we pulled fish recipes and put them on the menu, and by the end of the year we had logged 102 new recipes,” says Waas.

“Where 102 recipes over 365 days may not seem like a lot—with 200-plus days there that we didn’t make anything new—but it is a lot when you think they are brand-new, never-made-before recipes and we all have busy schedules.”

The column

One afternoon at a swim meet, Waas was complimenting her friend on her articles in the Nassau Sun newspaper, told her how much she liked them, and asked her how she started writing.

“While we were talking, I told her that I think I want to share what we were doing with somebody because we were learning so much and there were so many interesting recipes we were trying,” says Waas. “I know there are a lot of people out there that look at recipes and go, ‘Wow, that’s too hard,’ but if I can cook it, maybe somebody would be inspired to cook it as well.”

Waas’ friend introduced her to the editor of the Nassau Sun and he asked for a sample column. Waas explained how she would talk about what kinds of things they did wrong, what they learned, and how it brings her family together—and he loved it. Next thing she knew, she was in the next month’s newspaper and now has a column called The Inquisitive Cook that comes out the first week of every month.

“It’s a different creative energy that I don’t get at work or at home,” says Waas. “And having to sit down and process something that I think someone else would enjoy reading is exciting.” She also likes to add a little of that “uh-oh” factor, such as starting a recipe without reading it through completely and then realizing you don’t have all the ingredients.

“I mean, how many times have I done that? If someone sees that and says, ‘If she does that and gets through it and moves to another recipe, there’s no reason I can’t cook too.’ I really feel it’s important to push out of comfort zone in a lot of different things, and the kitchen for us is the place we do it,” says Waas.

She feels that writing about her foibles makes it more approachable to someone who might be a reluctant cook. “My desire is that people reading my article and the recipes I post will possibly try something new and maybe get other people in their lives, such as a spouse, children, friends, and family, involved in the cooking process.”

Lisa Waas is a resident of Fernandina Beach and has been a foodie and home cook for 34 years. She can be reached at lisaphr@bellsouth.net.

To read her latest column, visit http://jacksonville.com/community/nassau/2011-01-01/story/inquisitive-cook-knowing-your-knives-makes-dicing-much-easier

How to have your employees fit and keep your healthcare costs down

It has been said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. That adage can also ring true for small business owners. By making small changes and adding a wellness program, you, too, can keep the doctor away, your healthcare costs down, and create a high-performing workplace.

With healthcare costs and premiums increasing 15% to 30% a year and 50% of the population obese and hypertensive, many companies are looking for alternative solutions. A wellness program or a wellness-type approach for your business may be just what the doctor ordered.

Where to begin

One of the best places to begin adding a wellness program is to find out what the cost drivers are, which can be accomplished by having a health risk assessment performed. A health risk assessment generally includes a lifestyle questionnaire, health screening, and counseling/coaching.

At the end, the employee receives a report of their individual finings and the company receives a group report, which is a valuable tool for understanding the needs of their population, what risks they have, and what targeted interventions their population would most benefit from.

“As you recognize where the problems are and the more you’re educated on what your real cost drivers are, the more you recognize what the potential savings are by applying a wellness program,” says Aaron Marston, an expert in the fields of exercise science and athletic training, is the executive director of The HIT Center (www.thehitcenters.com) of Jacksonville LLC and Healthletix Management LLC.

The cost of wellness

“Studies have been done on the return on investment of wellness, and all of them come up with for every $1 invested in wellness there is a return on investment of $3 to $6,” says Ann Sabbag, MS, CEO and founder of HealthDesigns (www.healthdesigns.net), a leader in worksite wellness specializing in employee health assessments, biometric screenings, and face-to-face health coaching.

That is quite the return on investment when you consider that adding some sort of wellness program to your business doesn’t have to be expensive.

“There are a lot of changes a company can make within their company to really create a fit culture in their workforce,” says Marston. “Regardless of what you have for a budget to provide for your wellness program, you can always do something for your employees. It can be something as small as quarterly educational in-services, such as bringing in a dietician or lifestyle coach to speak to your employees, or what you purchase for your vending machine—these are all things that really don’t cost much of anything.”

“Employees, as well as the organization, benefit when employers provide the tools and education they need to help improve their health and make it easy for them to do so in a supportive environment,” adds Sabbag. “The greatest thing is that employees want to be healthy, they just need the right information and some support and believe they can be successful.”

Changing for the better

Does your kitchen or break room constantly stock donuts, cookies, and soda? When you order food in to the office, is it pizza and burgers?

“Companies really need to take a look at their work environment because if they want employees to improve their behaviors and make healthy choices, they need to make it easy for the employee to do so,” says Sabbag. “You don’t have to make elaborate changes; it’s the small things that make the big difference.”

Some easy-to-incorporate workplace wellness approaches include:

• Serving healthy foods at company sponsored events;

• Having healthier snacks on hand in your breakrooms and kitchens;

• Providing bottled water or a water cooler;

• Asking your vending machine vendor if it’s possible to change to healthier options;

• Seeing if you can have a section or area for healthy food,  such as a salad bar or fresh fruit, and entrees that are low fat, high protein, and high fiber in your company’s or building’s cafeteria;

• Starting an intramural kickball or softball team;

• Selecting healthier food choices for those working lunches;

• Picking an event per quarter that you and your staff will participate in, such as a walk for the cure or a charity 5K;

• Creating a challenge within your workforce where you have multiple teams working against each other and they get points per mile or minute walked or per pound of weight loss;

• Sponsoring a community walk or run, and then offering to pay half or all of the registration fee to any employees that form teams;

• Mapping out a one-mile walking course around your workplace or building;

• Encouraging your employees to use the stairs. You can even decorate the stairwells with artwork from employees’ children or local artists;

• Providing a small, non-elaborate fitness rooms or offering fitness equipment that can be checked out;

• Paying for gym membership if employees turn in a weekly log from when they attended the gym and worked out;

• Putting volleyball nets or basketball hoops or court in a small area or parking lot; and

• Encouraging employees to conduct walking meetings. It can be easily done with four to five people and the same amount of information can be covered and discussed in a more pleasant, active way.

The bottom line

“It needs to be an approach that they are going to be able to use consistently and it can’t seem like a punishment,” says Marston. “In order for it to be a long-term solution and for you to get the return on investment, it needs to be something the employees want to do.”

Sabbag sums it up by saying, “The bottom line is if we can get employees to be more physically active, eat fewer calories, manage stress, and not use tobacco, everything improves—cardiovascular health, diabetes, osteoporosis, weight, and cancer.”

“Health risks go down and health costs follow right after. People will have more energy spirit and vitality less health risks and wellness really can be the magic bullet when it comes to driving down healthcare costs.”

How to get customers by giving away your expertise

By Pete Michaud

As a business owner, you’ve accumulated a lot of expertise over the years that you may not realize you have. Strategies, methods, and skills that are obvious to you could be startling revelations to people just starting out.

Advertising can be a pricey way to tell potential customers how good you are, but giving away your expertise is a free way to show customers how good you are.

There are two different strategies to giving away your expertise, of which you can choose one or both. One is to be an expert’s expert; the other is to be a customer’s expert.

Become an expert’s expert

Microsoft runs what they call the MVP program. MVP, or Most Valuable Professional, is a designation software developers can earn from Microsoft for being active in the software development community. An MVP developer is a recognized expert who has written articles, blogs, and books that help other professionals make the most out of Microsoft technologies.

Developers clamor to get the competitive and temporary MVP designation because, with it, they can name their hourly rate, are offered publishing deals with technical presses, and have more customer prospects than they can possibly take on.

While Microsoft has taken the initiative in the computer programming industry to create a specific designation, anyone can become an “MVP” in whatever industry they are in.

For example: James does fine carpentry work. He builds high-end furniture and fabricates delicate woodwork for historic properties. While other skilled tradesmen struggled to find work during the recession, he remained booked solid with commissions for a full year out.

“It’s the videos,” he says, explaining his good fortune. James has a sizable following on the video hosting website YouTube. He posts videos that demonstrate the techniques of woodworking. Some videos are overviews of a particular period style, while others show a very specific technique or specialized tool.

By sharing his videos for free, he’s trained tens of thousands of aspiring woodworkers who all look to him as their “Expert’s Expert.” When they have too much work themselves or when there is a project out of their skill range, James is the first person they think to refer their potential customers to.

James has a secretary process the requests that flood in from all over the world asking him to produce everything from Jacobean valuables chests with oak inlays, to Federal-style looking glass frames.

James made himself the “MVP” of fine carpentry, but there is another strategy you can use to bring in customers directly.

Become a customer’s expert

While the previous strategy was all about making a name among your professional peers and earning referrals and credibility by doing so, this strategy is about helping your customers directly.

For example: Floor & Décor sells flooring of all types, from granite tile, to ceramic backsplash, to rental-grade laminate. Their customers are mostly homeowners who are renovating kitchens, bathrooms, foyers, or solariums.

One customer acquisition strategy they use is to host floor installation workshops. Homeowners come to a store location to attend classes that teach them how to use the materials that Floor & Décor sells. Classes vary, but they cover topics such as floor tile or hardwood installation.

Once a potential customer has come to the store to learn, they are primed and ready to buy all the tools and flooring material from Floor & Décor instead of a competitor. The added benefit is that if a customer attends the class and finds the work too difficult or time-consuming, Floor & Décor is ready with their own professional installation service right at the moment that the customer fully understands the value of the service.

You don’t have to be a national company to use the “customer’s expert” strategy. For example: A CPA for small businesses can run a workshop about how to organize the accounting system for a particular type of business. When those workshop attendees need their quarterly taxes filed or their business grows beyond their ability to manage the books, he’ll be the first accountant on their mind.

Ways to give it away

Whether you choose to become an expert’s expert, a customer’s expert, or both, you have a variety of options to give away your expertise.

If you’re not comfortable being on camera or presenting in front of groups of people and you prefer writing, try having a blog or website. If you already have a blog or website, provide a free PDF report relevant to the customers in your industry. Let them download the valuable content in exchange for their e-mail address.

The free information is passed around the Web, attracting more prospects, and you can use the list of e-mails later to contact those people about special offers—or better yet, to give them more free information.

If you don’t have a website, you can write guest articles on established websites or in magazines that your customers read. If you’re ambitious, you could write an entire book.

No matter what methods or strategies you employ to give away your expertise, it’s never too late or too early to start. If you begin to build presence and credibility now, the effort will pay off for years to come as a stream of potential customers who already understand what you do and trust you to do it flow into your business.

Pete Michaud is a veteran Internet entrepreneur who has started businesses in the technology, marketing, and healthcare spaces. His current venture, Kenrose Media (KenroseMedia.com), is a publishing company specializing in health and wellness titles. He helps entrepreneurs meet and exceed business goals by training them to connect with core principles, overcome uncertainty, and plan effectively. He can be contacted at pete@kenrosemedia.com or through PeteMichaud.com.

Wholesome Tummies tackles childhood obesity by offering nutritious options to schools

Every day there’s a surprise waiting at the end of the lunch line for Promise Land Academy first-grader Jada King. When it’s her turn, 6-year-old Jada doesn’t receive a lunch tray, but a small, white box adorned with a brightly colored logo.

Will it contain a lo mein noodle bowl, spaghetti and meatballs, or maybe all-natural chicken tenders? Jada tears open the box to find a fresh, healthy meal, made personally for her.

Thanks to Wholesome Tummies, a new innovative healthy school lunch business, midday meals have become more interesting and appetizing for Jada and children at four area schools. Wholesome Tummies creates foods that cajole picky eaters to make healthy food choices.

Parents order the meals through an online system and lunches are delivered directly to local schools including Promise Land Academy in Jacksonville, and Grace Episcopal Day School, High Point Christian Academy, and The Broach School — all in Orange Park.

The Wholesome Tummies service is getting traction having just contracted with San Pablo Elementary, the health and fitness magnet elementary school in Duval County. The company will be providing healthy snacks for an estimated 300 children who participate in San Pablo’s after-school fitness program. Students will fuel up on wholesome snacks, such as organic baby carrots with hummus, before or after enjoying tennis, gymnastics, Zumba, dance, and swimming activities. More schools are expressing interest in providing Wholesome Tummies as a lunch option.

For parents like Jada’s mother, Casey King, Wholesome Tummies offers convenience she feels good about.

“I’m extremely busy, and mornings can be tough. With Wholesome Tummies, I don’t have to worry about packing a lunch. I know that Jada will have a healthy, tasty lunch,” King says. “Jada loves the food, and it takes only minutes to order her lunches online. Wholesome Tummies has made healthy food exciting to Jada.”

That’s the kind of validation Wholesome Tummies owners Bradley and Carrie Farnsworth were hoping for when they purchased a Wholesome Tummies franchise in July 2010.

The jump-start

Carrie grew up in Colorado while Brad was raised in Arkansas. Both value an active lifestyle, and share their love of sports with their sons, Jacob, 10, and Zackery, 8. They met in college at Baylor University in Texas where Carrie double-majored in finance and international business, and Brad in environmental studies and business.

Dismayed by the constant marketing of unhealthy foods to children, the couple was immediately interested in learning more about Wholesome Tummies when they discovered the company’s business page on Facebook.

“We noticed how little attention is paid to providing healthy meals for children,” says Brad Farnsworth. “So my wife and I decided to make the move to help change the way parents and school administrators view children’s nutrition.”

The couple secured commercial kitchen space inside First Baptist Church of Mandarin in Jacksonville and launched their operations in October 2010. So far, initial feedback from school administrators, parents, and children has been overwhelmingly positive.

Making healthy easy

Wholesome Tummies only uses fresh, all-natural, or organic ingredients—no trans fats, no high-fructose corn syrup, no nitrates, and no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. The menu also offers entirely vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free offerings.

Parents register on the Wholesome Tummies website where they can view different menu options for any given day. They select the meals for their children and pay for them online. The Wholesome Tummies crew prepares all the meals fresh daily and delivers them to the schools hot and ready for lunch.

“We are very concerned about the state of nutrition and health of children. Wholesome Tummies is an efficient and effective way for parents to make sure their kids eat right at school,” Farnsworth says. “Childhood obesity is a major problem and we want to be a part of the solution. We are investing in this business, but also in the health of our community’s children.”

Addressing concerns

Alarming childhood obesity trends have made access to healthy food an important concern for parents and lawmakers alike. Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years, according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, (NCCDPHP), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In one study, 61 percent of obese children ages 5 through 10 exhibited risk factors for heart disease, and 26 percent had two or more risk factors for the disease. The United States spends as much as $147 billion annually on the direct and indirect costs of obesity, according to the NCCDPHP.

School lunch has been the subject of national attention for lawmakers. The $4.5 billion “Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act” was signed by President Obama in December after passing unanimously in the Senate and by the House 264-157.

The act eliminates junk food in school lunches, increases reimbursement rates for meals, and makes school lunches available to more children. First Lady Michelle Obama released a statement calling the act, “…a groundbreaking piece of bipartisan legislation that will significantly improve the quality of meals that children receive at school.” The First Lady launched her “Let’s Move” campaign last February to end childhood hunger and fight childhood obesity.

The Farnsworths share the same concerns as other parents.

“Parents and schools everywhere are demanding healthier food choices and Wholesome Tummies offers a much-needed and convenient solution,” Farnsworth says, noting that the couple envisions growing their business over the next five years and expanding into more local public and private schools.

Wholesome Tummies was founded three years ago by two working mothers in Orlando. The Farnsworths became the company’s second franchisees, with the first opening in Tampa. Other Wholesome Tummies franchises were awarded in 2010 in West Palm Beach and St. Petersburg.

Giving food a makeover

Combating the notion that a children’s meal should consist of fries, soda, and chicken nuggets is a challenge. Those associated with Wholesome Tummies know that children can be picky eaters by nature, so Jacksonville chef Ace French gives traditional favorites a healthful makeover.

“We have to introduce healthy food to children to show them that all-natural food can be tasty,” French says.

Take, for instance, macaroni and cheese—the franchise’s best seller. Wholesome Tummies uses whole wheat, high-protein, high-fiber pasta with no preservatives or additives. French uses four all-natural cheeses, and adds a puree of organic carrots and white beans to sneak in extra protein.

The New York style pizza, another favorite, is made with an all-natural pizza crust and fresh marinara sauce that also has pureed vegetables for added nutrition.

French brings more than 25 years of experience to Wholesome Tummies. He has worked as an executive chef at a Marriott resort and Houston’s restaurant, in addition to owning a restaurant and catering business.

“When I heard about the Wholesome Tummies concept, I thought it was a great idea,” French says. “While my children are older and out of school now, I remember being horrified about the school lunch that was available to them when they were in school. I wouldn’t let them eat it.”

A typical day

French arrives to the Wholesome Tummies kitchen around 7:30 a.m. each morning, and begins preparation including cutting up veggies and fruit, making fresh hummus, and mixing yogurt.

“I truly believe that we are food missionaries,” French says. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to share wholesome food with children, and hopefully set them on the path for healthier lives.”

Farnsworth arrives by 8:00 a.m. to help pack anywhere between 50 to 100 lunches. They work until 10:45 a.m., when Farnsworth leaves the kitchen to deliver the hot lunches to the schools. Promise Land Academy serves the meals directly from the kitchen since the school and kitchen exist on the same property. Farnsworth is finished with all deliveries by 12:30 p.m. and sometimes stays to watch the children’s reaction to the food.

“I love to hear them comment about how good the food is,” he says. “I used to do electronic distribution sales and also called upon IT staffing managers who needed contractors, so delivering healthy lunches to children is a very different experience. I feel like we’re really making a difference in educating parents about the importance of natural, healthy food, and making this food available to children.”

The price you pay

The price of a typical Wholesome Tummies meal—$4.50—is more than a typical public school lunch of less than $2.00, but many parents are willing to pay the difference to ensure that their children receive a healthy meal.

“Unhealthy food can lead to so many health problems later,” Farnsworth says. “You can pay for high-quality food now or pay for high healthcare costs later.”

Martha J. Milton, headmaster of Grace Episcopal Day School, agrees.

“Parents are willing to pay more for Wholesome Tummies because they realize the incredible value of what they’re getting,” she says. “Being able to ensure that their children have fresh, healthy, organic food makes them feel good.”

Before Wholesome Tummies, the school—which doesn’t have a kitchen—brought in lunches from eateries such as Subway and Chick-fil-A. Milton wanted to offer healthier options to the parents. Today, Milton estimates that about 40 percent of students at Grace Episcopal eat Wholesome Tummies lunches.

“Wholesome Tummies is so user-friendly, and the quality of the food and service is excellent,” Milton says. “They have been able to provide superior nutritional value, taste, and presentation. The numerous selections keep the children from getting bored, and the parents love it.”

The moms behind Wholesome Tummies

Orlando-based Wholesome Tummies was founded in 2007 by two working mothers, after a Fourth of July pool party.

Samantha Gotlib says that she and Debbie Blacher shared their frustrations about the lack of convenient options for providing healthy lunches for their children.

“As a business owner, I needed the convenience of a school lunch, but I refused to have my kids eat pizza every day,” Gotlib says.

Gotlib and Blacher opened their kitchen in 2008 starting with five private schools. They have since grown their business to preparing thousands of meals each month and delivering them to 20 public and private preschools and elementary schools in Central Florida. The initial success and rapid growth prompted the owners to expand their concept to a much broader scale.

The co-founders launched the franchise option this year to expand their mission to change school meal plans from high-fat and processed foods to more fresh and natural selections. In addition to the existing franchises, several others are under review and with potential to expand nationwide

“We care passionately about children eating foods that are fresh, all-natural, and free from artificial ingredients,” Gotlib says. “Some people may not realize, but we are faced with an epidemic of childhood obesity because poor food choices are the tradition in our nation’s schools. Our mission is to change that.”

How technology can help you improve efficiency, cut costs, and increase revenues    

By Robyn A. Friedman

Still using paper and pencil to keep track of your fleet? How about a telephone?

If you’re not using technology to manage your fleet operations, then Paul Norse has a message for you: You could be making more money.

“The technology now for fleets is amazing,” said Norse, vice president of Jacksonville-based Security Center USA, a security solutions provider. “We put money back in your pocket through cost savings and time savings. And we’ve got the return-on-investment calculations to prove it.”

Fleet technology solutions, such as vehicle tracking systems, are no secret to large organizations. But as prices come down, smaller businesses with fleets, such as plumbing and electrical contractors, pest control companies, and courier services, are now adopting this technology, which can help them operate more efficiently, reduce costs, improve safety, save time—and ultimately increase revenues.

“By using technology to track the location of vehicles, companies can monitor the efficiency of a particular route or determine at any given time if one driver is closer to a customer than another—both saving time and money, which is good for the business owner and the customer,” said Cathy Hagan, area director of the Small Business Development Center in Jacksonville.

Hagan said that companies with large fleets or those with a lot of contract drivers probably get more out of their investment in technology than do smaller firms. But companies with small fleets can start with a simple GPS system to help drivers find their destinations faster—and even that measure can help save time and money.

Tracking your fleet

Norse is a distributor of technology manufactured by C3 Location Systems called the “Great Communicator,” although there are similar systems available from distributors across the country.

Here’s how it works: A small “black box” is installed underneath the dashboard and hardwired to the power supply of the vehicle. The box acts as a transponder, providing vehicle status updates and reports via satellite and cellular signals. Anyone who has access to the Internet can log onto a secure website to pinpoint the location of the vehicle, see if the ignition is on or off, the speed of the vehicle, where it’s been—and much more.

The Great Communicator can locate, track, and recover vehicles; monitor vehicle diagnostics and let you know when the oil needs to be changed; and notify an administrator if the vehicle has been in an accident, is speeding, leaves a certain pre-defined geographic boundary, or is stolen. It’s kind of like an OnStar system on steroids.

What can it do for you?

Here’s what fleet technology can do for your business:

•Reduce costs. The ability to track vehicles allows you to create more efficient routes for drivers. It also enables dispatchers to send the closest driver to emergency calls or track when the vehicle is idling. That reduces fuel expenses.

“A lot of workers will sit in a parking lot at Publix and eat lunch while the air conditioning is running and the vehicle is idling,” said Norse. “With an idling alert, you can designate a particular time—if the vehicle is sitting still and running for five or 10 minutes, for example—and you’ll receive an e-mail and text alert.”

Norse said that his own company, which has a fleet of eight vehicles, has saved $600 to $800 a month in fuel costs since installing this technology. Using the system to help monitor vehicle diagnostics and ensure that vehicles get oil changes and other preventive maintenance on a regular basis can also help reduce overall operational costs.

•Save time. Technology can save time not only for a business operating a fleet, but also for its customers. That can help improve the competitive position of a company and increase customer loyalty. Harold Boyett knows this firsthand. Boyett, president of Jacksonville-based Blue Streak Couriers, spent 20 years working for UPS before purchasing the company.

“UPS went through a major technological transformation over that two-decade period, so I had the luxury of seeing firsthand how technology can be leveraged to improve efficiencies and to drive costs out of the equation,” he said.

Boyett uses Xcelerator Dispatch Software in his business, a Windows-based software solution designed for the courier, messenger, logistics, and warehousing industries. Drivers use handheld devices that do barcode scanning, capture customer signatures, and allow dispatchers to track them in real time.

It’s an integrated solution, allowing customers to request package pickup online, and streamlines the entire life cycle of a particular package, from pickup to delivery to paying the driver, invoicing the customer and receiving payment. It also allows customers to track their packages.

Boyett said that the software costs him “a couple of thousand dollars a month,” but saves him many times that in operational efficiencies—such as allowing him to operate with fewer order-entry employees.

•Increase revenues. Norse’s customers purchase his technology on a 36-month term for $50 per month per vehicle after putting $100 down and paying a one-time activation fee of $49. But most recoup that cost by cutting idle time, reducing overtime expenses, and eliminating downtime. That translates into more streamlined operations.

“Unfortunately, employees in the field aren’t heavily supervised, so you get a lot of downtime, playing around and time in between calls that we have been able to eliminate,” he said. “We can usually increase calls by a minimum of one or two per week. The revenue you’re generating from those calls is more money in your pocket.”

Larry Teague & Sons Plumbing in Jacksonville, a customer of Norse’s, has shaved time off its routes since installing the technology in its nine Ford vans, said Melanie Darlington, the company’s office manager.

“We work on every side of town, even in St. Augustine, so when we get calls in during the day, we can distribute that work more efficiently,” she said. “That saves us time, money, and gas.” Darlington also verifies drivers’ timesheets using the technology, helping her manage payroll better.

Norse said that lately, his product has been purchased by not only business operations, but by consumers.

“Surprisingly enough, a lot of husbands want to make sure their wives are safe—or make sure their teen is abiding by speed limits,” he said. “But it’s really suited for fleet operators—painting companies, electrical companies, plumbing companies, you name it. If you have a fleet, you need it.”

Robyn A. Friedman is a contributing editor to Advantage. She can be reached at RAFWriter@att.net.

5 small business blog tips that make a big difference    

By Pete Michaud

Success with a business blog means attracting and retaining customers. Blogging is also an excellent way to prove your industry expertise and expand your network.

You probably already know you’ll need to write sharp prose and update your site regularly, but do you know how to add that extra pizazz that takes a blog from ordinary to outstanding?

Read on to learn the five critical elements that every blockbuster business blog shares.

Tip #1: Focus on your real customers

Small business owners like you are experts in at least two areas—not only your business domain, but running a small business as well! Maybe you run a dog grooming business. It would be easy to get caught up writing about how to run a dog grooming business, which would be fine if your customers were other dog grooming business owners. If your goal is to get dog grooming customers, then you need to write about grooming dogs.

The difference is subtle, but the effects of shifting focus from you and your business, to your target customers and their needs will transform your blog into a marketing powerhouse.

Tip #2: Add value with every post

If your blog posts are all about you and they don’t address the needs and interests of your visitors, then people won’t stick around for long. They certainly won’t convert into customers.

Don’t bloviate about your latest product release, price change, or customer acquisition. That’s all about you, and frankly, your customer doesn’t give a damn.

Ask yourself before writing and posting, “What is in it for my customers? Does this post help them solve a problem they are facing or give them information you know they need?” If the answer is no, then don’t post it!

Of course, you want to promote yourself and your business to your customers, but droning on about yourself will make you look like a boor. So how do you announce a new product or service in an interesting and useful way?

For example: A successful blogger started a company that helps people build a following on Twitter. He wrote a post about wanting a following on Twitter, and the exact steps he took to build that following. The process was slow, painful, and monotonous. For that reason, he said, he built a piece of software that could help him by doing everything he did manually, only faster. And he also made his tool available to the public.

The response was huge. By sharing that step-by-step guide that addressed one of the very specific needs of his target customers, he positioned himself as a credible expert in his market and convinced hundreds of people that their problem was worth spending money on.

Tip #3: Don’t oversell

What the blogger did with his Twitter article was clever because he added value with his post that doubled as an explanation of and advertisement for his business as well. Business bloggers are always thinking of new ways to convert visitors into customers. That’s a great skill to have, but it’s easy to go overboard.

No reader is going to stick around for a hard sell every time you post an article on your blog. If you bombard them with popups when they enter your page, and all they get out of the deal are thinly veiled infomercials seducing them to give you money, their defenses will go up and they will run, not walk, away from your blog and your business.

Blogging works because it gives you a platform to communicate with your customers, who, over time, begin to associate you with your market. When the time comes to make a purchasing decision, you’ll be on their mind.

Blogging works much like a Coca-Cola advertisement. When is the last time you saw a billboard that said, “Buy Coke right now!”? Instead you’ll see its colors and logo with a tag line like, “Life is good.” Those advertisements exist to keep Coke on your mind and to connect the concept of Coke to the good life.

That way when you’re standing in the supermarket aisle a week later and there is a red package of soda right next to a blue package, you’ll choose the red package without thinking too much about it.

Blogs work the same way, by making you visible to your customers and associating you with trust and expertise in your niche. When the time is right for them to buy, they will think of you first.

Tip #4: Show your personality

You have thoughts, opinions, and goals and the best thing for you to do is show yourself as you really are on your blog. People want to connect with other people, and if you try to maintain a dry, corporate style in your blog writing, you won’t give your readers anything to connect to.

There is some controversy about how formal you should be on your blog. Some people say that staying business-like lends you credibility, and warn that sharing too much of yourself might offend some readers.

Ask yourself, “Do you trust your accountant because he’s a stone-faced rock of a person, or is it because you like him and think he’s competent?” We don’t choose doctors or dentists based on how serious they can act or how “professional” they seem. We choose based on a good bedside manner, who we feel we can trust and be honest with.

Another important question to ask yourself is whether you really want to work with people who are offended by you. Maybe it would be for the best if those who don’t like you don’t try to work with you.

Tip #5: Stick to It!

Finally, even if you’re talking to the right people in the right way, you’re still susceptible to the number one reason business blogs fail—bloggers give up too early.

You may feel discouraged early in the life of your blog because it seems like no one is reading it, and that is perfectly normal. Even expert bloggers start blogs that get almost no traffic for months. In fact, you can expect it to take between six months and a year to take off.

The reason is that growing blog readership is exponential, not linear. Instead of straight diagonal line going upward, the graph of your blog’s popularity is a curve that borders near zero before it finally explodes upward around month eight.

Don’t give up before that explosive growth hits. If you stick to writing sharp, personal content that your customers really appreciate, your blog may soon become one of the driving forces behind the growth of your small business.

Pete Michaud is a veteran Internet entrepreneur who has started businesses in the technology, marketing, and healthcare spaces. His current venture is Kenrose Media, a publishing company specializing in health and wellness titles (on the Web at www.KenroseMedia.com). Pete helps entrepreneurs meet and exceed business goals by training them to connect with core principles, overcome uncertainty, and plan effectively. Pete’s blog is on the Web at www.PeteMichaud.com and you can reach him at pete@kenrosemedia.com.

Why you should never have more business partners than you can fit in an elevator    

By John Minahan

Never have more partners than you can fit in an elevator. It’s a comment that seems like a joke, but is deadly serious when you’re starting a business. Too many partners will create conflicts you don’t need. Even the most bonded of partnerships will fray under the pressure of competing interests.

While it is important to have partners who each bring skills to the table, these choices must be made carefully and with an eye toward keeping the group a manageable size. Every partner you add increases the possibility of an interest that will stray from the good of the company.

What’s more, a big group of partners is simply difficult to manage. Good communication is key to a successful partnership, and when the partner group is too large, that communication becomes more complicated. There is always the risk that one partner will hear important news last and be aggrieved as a result or that some other critical piece of information will get to some partners but not all. A big group is added complexity. Keep the partners group compact and manageable.

Rules to follow

If you’ve run into problems, there are rules to follow to improve a partnership.

Rule 1: Schedule regular and open communication. A formal meeting once a month, either in person or at least by phone, is a must. Review the past month’s performance and talk to each other as owners, not as managers. Discuss matters in your common role as owners.

Rule 2: Clarify ownership versus executive. Owners own the company; owners don’t run the company. When you go into the corner office of a company and ask that individual what he or she does, nine times out of 10, you will hear, “I’m the owner.” That’s the wrong answer. The owner might be who you are, but it’s not what you do.

What you do is your job title: you are the CEO, the CFO, or the VP of sales. That’s the phrase that tells people what you do all day. You can’t be an owner all day. If you take “owner” as your title, then all day you will be operating in your mental state as an owner, and that might mean worrying about your investments, wondering whether you will make enough money to send your kids to college—all kinds of things that have no business being in the mind of a manager.

A manager must work at all times for the good of the company. Owners must recognize that if they are going to be involved in the day-to-day experience of the company, they can’t operate as owners. They must operate as their job titles dictate. Otherwise, they might steer the company away from its best path forward.

Not only are owners hobbled by their own conflicted interests, but also employees are undermined. When they have a question, instead of respecting the clear management hierarchy, employees might shop around from owner to owner while looking for the answer they like. Owners need to know their management roles and respect them.

If an employee comes to the owner/CEO with a payroll question, the CEO should respond, “That’s not for me. Take that to the CFO, and whatever the CFO says is your answer.”

Rule 3: Define roles and responsibilities. An offshoot of defining owners versus executives is defining roles and responsibilities. The most efficient way to run a company is to have employees assigned to specific tasks without overlap. This is true for partners and owners as well. The greater the definition of their roles, the less likely you are to have conflict. This is a key principle because when roles are allowed to overlap, it’s often a disaster.

Take this example from the U.S. military. It’s called the Buzz Saw. The military has a method of covering as much ground during an assault as possible, and it is called the Buzz Saw. Here’s how it works. If you have three professional snipers and their mission is to protect a certain area while under attack, how do they cover as much ground as possible?

The answer is strict division of territory. Each is given an area to cover that does not overlap with the other two snipers’. That way they can cover as much ground as possible without waste.

This seems like a very simple concept: each sniper has a separate area of responsibility, but there are downsides to it, to be sure. If one sniper fails to achieve the goal, the other two might necessary.

What happens if or when their division of territories overlaps? Because each sniper does not have a personal area of responsibility, the method of sharing risk will fail. Yes, certain areas are better covered, but each person is now stretched. Terms and phrases such as “bandwidth,” “stretched too thin,” and “scope of responsibility” all mean the same thing: You are stretching your resources.

Relate it to business owners

Now look at this in the context of three business owners. When owners do not have defined roles and they share duties, risks appear because now there is overlap. That can create conflict. Who is in charge of the areas where there is overlap? That confusion can lead to paralysis or two individuals working at cross-purposes, neither of which is good for a business.

What’s more, not only do you have overlap, you have gaps. You have the CEO and CFO worried about finance and the CFO and COO worried about accounting. So who is focusing on sales and delivery?

When individuals are stretched over multiple areas of responsibility, key elements fall through the cracks. On the battlefield, that can mean defeat. It’s the “shoot everything that moves” method of attack. It wastes time and resources. It is far less likely to succeed than the “shoot only in a defined area” method. This concept is just as applicable in the business world.

Too often, you are conditioned to see sharing as a good thing, a frame of mind in which you should all strive to be. That might be true in your personal lives, but it can have negative consequences in other settings. The battlefield is one. The business world is another.

John Minahan is an advisor to CEOs and executives, a certified public accountant, and author of The Business Mechanic: 9 Simple Ways To Improve Your Business. He is also cofounder and owner of a successful and multimillion-dollar media company, which was named one of the fastest growing private companies by Inc. Magazine. Minahan can be reached through www.BusinessMechanicBook.com.

What entrepreneurs need to know about intellectual property issues    

By Thomas C. Saitta

Among the many concerns facing entrepreneurs, protection of intellectual property (IP) and IP issues in general are often overlooked—especially during the start-up phase.

While some trademark, copyright, and patent issues may be addressed down the road, an early awareness of IP issues can be beneficial to all entrepreneurs.

Trademarks

After weeks of brainstorming, you have decided on the perfect name for your new business or product. The good news is that you are not required to get any sort of government permission to use your mark—you can spend thousands of dollars on new signs, brochures, menus, packaging for the product, etc. and spread the word far and wide.

The bad news is that if you have not performed a trademark search, you may shortly receive a demand letter from the owner of an identical or similar mark insisting that you stop using the mark. You are now faced with the choice of fighting for the mark in court or rebranding your service or product—both of which will likely entail significant costs.

Additionally, while you receive certain limited common-law protections merely by use of your chosen mark, you should also explore the benefits of registering your mark either within the state or federally. Registration of a trademark puts others on constructive notice of your rights, and a federal registration in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office can extend your rights throughout the country and enable you to secure international protection.

Copyrights

If you create an original work in a fixed expression (write a song, book, or manual, or create a website, for example), you should determine whether registering the work with the Copyright Office would be useful. The process is relatively straightforward, and registration can be valuable in certain instances.

Another copyright issue that often arises is the question of ownership of software and website content when the software or website is developed by an independent contractor. As strange as it may seem, you do not automatically own the software or website copyright even though you have paid a third party to produce it for you.

Still another concern with websites is the issue of unauthorized use of photographs taken from other sources. It is a common occurrence for website developers to use copyrighted photographs without obtaining permission from the copyright owner, and it is the owner of the website that usually ends up paying for this infringement.

Patents

If your new venture includes an invention, then you must pursue patent protection for your product. A patent gives the inventor the right to stop others from making, using, or selling the invention, which gives value to the invention by precluding competition or by allowing the rights to be licensed or assigned to third parties.

In a business enterprise, the issue of employee inventions made on the job should be addressed in an employment contract to avoid ownership disputes.

Words of wisdom

A final word of advice: The old saying that it’s better to spend a little money now rather than a lot of money later applies in the IP world. Seeking advice from an experienced IP attorney before problems arise will almost always be money well spent.

Thomas C. Saitta is a registered patent attorney and board certified in intellectual property law. He is head of the intellectual property department at Rogers Towers P.A. in Jacksonville, Fla., and can be reached at 904-346-5518, TSaitta@rtlaw.com, or through www.rtlaw.com.

Lauren Little, owner of two Edible Arrangement franchises in Jacksonville, creates fresh fruit bouquets as part of her business. But what she likes to create most are healthy feelings in the homeless at the Clara White Mission (www.ClaraWhiteMission.org).

“Having worked with the homeless before and having that prior experience of seeing that people are hungry and children are hungry, I knew that once I opened my business, and we have what I like to refer to as excess fruit versus waste, that it needed to be donated  to someone,” says Little.

 “It is still good quality fruit. Just because it may not be large enough for us to put on our bouquets or a pineapple was miscut doesn’t mean it should be thrown away. Someone can still eat it.”

Making the donation

Pineapples, strawberries, honey dew, and cantaloupe are among the 25 pounds to 30 pounds of fruit that gets donated and delivered to the Mission every day by Little or someone on her staff.

Little says she doesn’t mind paying her staff the extra 30 minutes to 40 minutes to go down there and make that delivery because, to her, it’s important someone gets to eat.

“It makes me smile when people run to the truck when we drop off the fruit,” says Little. “They unload it, dump my fruit in their bins, and then wash out and put my bins back—all while being very appreciative.”

Once the delivery is made, the Mission takes over from there and cuts it down and uses it whichever way they see fit—whether it’s to serve the hungry or be used in its culinary program.

Filling a need

Little says the Mission pretty much has everything they need for a meal—the meat, potatoes, vegetables, and drinks—but while serving at the Mission the first year before she bought her  business, Little found it interesting that they didn’t have any fruit.

Now she finds it very moving when she walks around somewhere downtown and has her Edible Arrangement hat and shirt on and someone says, “I’ve eaten your fruit. You donate to the Clara White Mission.”

 “Because they don’t get to have fruit, it’s their treat,” says Little. “Whereas for me, it’s just my business—but I have no business throwing it away when I know it’s going to be something nutritional for someone else, and they really appreciate it.”

The choice was clear

Little chose the Clara White Mission for a couple of reasons. One reason is it is convenient to her two locations (The Shoppes of Avondale and The Shoppes at Bartram Park) with its downtown location. The other, more important reason is it has a culinary program with a kitchen.

 “A lot of food banks don’t have a kitchen,” says Little. “And so with freshly cut fruit, there is no means to care for it. I felt that this was something the Clara White Mission could use and have been told our fruits are in the pies and the things they bake.”

The recession has seen a lot of people trying to make ends meet and the Mission’s food lines have gotten a lot longer as a result, so it uses the fruit for those recipients as well.

Going forward

While most people think about the needy most around Thanksgiving and Christmas time, Little would love to get people to do more when the donations and efforts are fewer.

“I think it’s important for anybody in business to figure out how they can help someone, whether it’s mentoring someone young or another business owner,” says Little.

She realized it’s tough for a lot people on their P&L, but for her, the reward is knowing that at the end of the day somebody’s going to go to bed with some fruit in their belly—even if that’s the only thing they’ve eaten all day. “It’s something small for me to do, but for the recipient it’s something big for them.”

“You never know if you are ever going to be in that line someday,” says Little. “I would hope that if I ever have to be on the receiving end that somebody has decided that it was worth paying an employee an extra 30 minutes so I could have something to eat today.”

What is the Clara White Mission?

For over 100 years, the Clara White Mission has helped Jacksonville’s at-risk individuals gain new perspectives on life. The Mission has been the one-stop community center stimulating economic development through job training in educational programs, daily feedings, advancement, and more.

It offers a 20-week culinary curriculum designed to offer students an opportunity to practice their skills in an environment that will prepare them for a career in the industry.

By Wendy Bautista    

Myron Pincomb has always considered himself an entrepreneur, even starting his first company as a freshman in college. But when he started Educational Tools 11 years ago with less than $10,000 of his own money, one employee, and a dream that he could make a difference, he only aspired to be running a $100 million company with more than 500 employees someday.

Well, that “someday” has become “today” with the recent sale of his company to Triumph Learning.

The beginnings  

When the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) added science to its test, many teachers were concerned. With his degrees in biology and chemistry, Pincomb understood the “pain and panic of science.”

“Most elementary teachers have never had any formal training in science, so dissecting a frog was one of the scariest things they could do,” says Pincomb. “What we did was develop tools to help make that easy for them.”

He hired some of the best writers and curriculum experts in the county, including some from the department of education that wrote the FCAT for Florida, and asked them to be a part of his vision to change education.  

With the forethought of how to make a teacher’s job easier and how to help students learn faster and more effectively, he started the company as a print-based curriculum provider, essentially “aerating workbooks and textbooks for students,” says Pincomb, in the form of activities and worksheets in the subjects of science, math, and reading.

“We were a pretty good size and in 17 states,” says Pincomb. But as in most industries, the past few years have brought about a lot of change. “Even when we were print-based, we pushed the envelope and did some very creative things. But in the last three to four years, we have gone 100% digital and today, are on the cutting edge of educational innovation.”

Changing with the times

While Pincomb says education has generally been slow to adopt technology, recent events with the economy and some state and federal mandates demonstrates the need for education to speed up its conversion. 

According to Pincomb, the state of California has a new law that prohibits schools from using state money to purchase conventional textbooks. “The reason being is textbooks are usually outdated before they are printed and are rarely used in todays’ classroom,” says Pincomb. “It is difficult to engage a student in today’s classroom by sticking him or her in front of a book.”

And that’s where Educational Tools’ digital product iCORE steps in. “What iCORE does is take every topic taught in the classroom and provides the teacher 12 to 15 different ways to teach it,” says Pincomb. “So literally, you can reach every learning style and every learning level within a classroom.”

It takes what is conventionally known as a textbook, workbook, lab book, video library, audio library, or curriculum-based gaming tool, and delivers them through the Internet so teachers can access the curriculum on anything from a laptop to a smart phone.

Teachers can pull it up on screen and print it out if they don’t have any other technology, or they can use it on LCD projectors and smart boards. “Everything is available digitally so it doesn’t matter how they want it delivered, they can use our curriculum on just about any device,” says Pincomb.

The curriculum consists of full activities; if it is printed, it looks like a worksheet, but if it is used it on a smart board, it is interactive.

Gaining momentum

Pincomb says as soon as they converted to digital and had that competitive advantage, people started to take notice of them. “I think we were one of the first ones to really define what technology means in education,” says Pincomb. “For a lot of years, there were LCD projectors and smart boards and all this hardware in the classroom, but no one utilizing it. Basically, what we did was create the curriculum to work on all these different hardware.”

In the past three to four years, they have been very successful in their approach. During this time, Pincomb tried to be very active in industry associations and get the name in front of a lot of key people. As a result, he was courted by several companies before making the final decision on Triumph Learning.

Once he started to get offers and a lot of people started to show interest, he surrounded himself with a really good team of people in legal and accounting who knew what they were doing, and he says he could not have done it without them. 

“Ironically, the company that bought us was one of our biggest competitors six to eight years ago when we were just a print company,” says Pincomb.

On this deal alone, it took six months of grueling due diligence that went on 24/7. Pincomb says they had eight teams of consultants checking with each team member and every customer. “They look at you upside down and every way,” says Pincomb. “I mean it’s a very in-depth process to go through, but in the end it was worth it because it was successful.”

 In this case, Pincomb took over as President/CEO of the new company, so his main concern was not just to sell the company, but also to position the new combined company so that it could be successful in years to come. 

Moving forward

With Triumph Learning still a 100% print publisher and one of the largest supplemental print publishers in the country, the big draw for acquiring Educational Tools and its iCORE product was finding somebody that knew how to convert to digital and then grow a digital business. “That was the match for them as they acquired our platform, but then also our team and now were running the whole company,” says Pincomb.

With competition increasing every day, Pincomb says it’s nice to know there is a ton of potential with Triumph Learning. “The good thing about the new company is we now have more content available to provide teachers and educators,” says Pincomb. “We have more content than probably any other publisher in the United States and we’re digitizing it. We’re working with teams all over the world to digitize it quickly and be able to deliver it for classroom use.” And that potential has grown iCORE from being available in 17 states to all 50 states.

 Pincomb says that part of what they’re doing right now with the merger is integrating the sales force and integrating every department. The sales force will roll out in January for a full, nationwide coverage with all 50 states.

This merger has brought a lot of change to Pincomb’s life. He now works in three offices—Jacksonville, Fla., New York City, and Littleton, Mass., which is just outside of Boston—and oversees about 580 employees.

His Jacksonville office will also see some changes. Pincomb foresees hiring about 12 to 15 people in the next four to six months to create an inside sales team for Web sales, increase his development team, and bring on a CTO. He also has plans to build a marketing team in the near future.

While Educational Tools will only retain its name through the end of the year, at which point it will become Triumph Learning, iCORE will remain as the brand.

Looking ahead

“We will continue the print element as it’s a large piece of our business, but it’s going be as a customer dictates it,” says Pincomb. “We will be able to go to a school and say, ‘Would you like this content in print or in the full digital version?’ and I think the natural erosion of print means we can expect huge growth in digital.”

Pincomb says that while it’s a different world working for a $100 million company, you just have to apply a lot of the same principles you learn in small business to your current situation. He says it all still comes down to hard work, honesty, and relationships with employees. “That’s what it’s all about,” says Pincomb. “It’s just on a bigger scale.”

He says one of the best things you can do is find your passion. “I knew I wanted to make a difference,” says Pincomb. “And it sure is easy to get out bed knowing that more than 10 million students use your product every day.” 

Wendy Bautista is editor of Advantage: The Resource for Small Business. She can be reached at Wendy@advantagebizmag.com or 904-536-2234.

How you learn

Research shows that if you can actually bring in content or information in several different ways at once, your retention will be higher. For example: If you can read something while you’re hearing it and watching a video about it, the retention of that information will be increased.

However, everyone learns in different ways.

• Audio learners learn through listening,

• Visual learners learns through seeing,

• Tactile learners learn through touch and feel, and

• Literary learners learn through reading.  

Any way you look at it, it is called differentiated learning. Everybody is not one style learner, but everybody has a preferred way to learn.

Which is the reason iCORE offers 12 to 15 different ways to teach one topic.

Whether it’s through an LCD projector, a smart board, a computer screen, a print out, or a game, iCORE takes the content that was locked in a book and unlocks it, with the intention of reaching more students on different levels.

“With the games, students can play them on their smart phone, or whatever it happens to be, and play it live with other students from all over the country,” says Pincomb. “But because it’s an educational game, they’re learning something as a result. It’s just another tool in the teacher’s bag when and if they are having trouble engaging their students.”

Data driven

In the business world, people are familiar to receiving data all the time. They may even be used to watching the stock market ticker go across the screen to see what happens. Essentially, that is what iCORE brings to the education world.

iCORE uses what is known as data driven instruction Every time a student touches one of the activities, iCORE collects data on them. The data reveals how long a student is using it and what he or she is doing correct and incorrect, and then feeds it back to a teacher through a dashboard. 

A teacher can then pull up the dashboard and see that this group of students performed well and here’s why they did—bringing one other element of data that was never available to a teacher previously.

By Chad V. Sorenson, SPHR    

Fired. Terminated. Dismissed. Let go. Made available to the industry. There are many ways to say it, but they all have the same result—you’re down one employee and there are probably some hard feelings and bruised egos left behind.

Hiring and firing, when done right, can be very effective and lead to better results. When misapplied or misunderstood by managers, however, hiring and firing can cause headaches and increase an employer’s potential liability.

There is an old saying that states one should “hire slow and fire fast,” but many employers often get it wrong. Just like investors who know they are supposed to buy low and sell high, too many do just the opposite.

Last month, Richard Hadden talked about behavioral interviewing and getting it right the first time when hiring an employee. Now, what do you do when you need to terminate that employee?

Just do it

The natural tendency of most people is to avoid conflict and confrontation, but as a manager, you are doing a disservice to yourself, the company, the less-than-adequate employee, and your top performers by avoiding performance or behavior related issues at work.

Each stakeholder is affected differently by your inaction when dealing with performance or behavior issues.

•The manager: You probably spend more time dealing with these issues than serving your customer or working with your top performers.

•The company: Productivity can be impacted by a low-performing employee. Customers often see the issues directly or indirectly, which, over time, can impact their image of your company.

•The nonperforming employee: If you, as the manager, are not addressing the issue, you are, in effect, telling the employee their behavior or performance is acceptable. You may also be letting the other employees know that substandard performance is tolerated.

•The top performing employee: Your inaction can lead to your top performers becoming disengaged in their job and eventually lead them to move to another company. Your attention has been diverted to the nonperforming employee and your star employee has been picking up the slack.

Step by step

Once you have determined that an employee needs to be terminated, there are a series of steps you need to take to protect your company and minimize the disruption in the business that may follow.

1. What is the issue? What is the specific policy or rule that has been violated; or what is the performance issue that needs to be addressed? Once this is known, talk to the employee in a nonthreatening way. Don’t beat around the bush, but be tactful in your conversation.

Explain the issue and talk about how to resolve it. It is always better if they can come up with a solution that is acceptable to you rather than simply telling them what to do. In the end, be sure to clearly communicate the consequences of not correcting the problem or not improving the performance.

2. Is the consequence fair? Not every result or consequence has to be the same; however, the actions of an employer must be fair. In other words, are the actions consistent with your company policy? Have other employees in similar circumstances been treated in this manner? Does the punishment match the action?

3. Is the decision based on a business reason? The best way to avoid a charge of discriminations is to ensure all decisions to terminate someone’s employment is based on a business reason or need. In addition, informing the employee of the business reason for the termination will reduce the chances of them believing you are singling them out.

Your company needs to have employment policies in place to ensure a safe and productive work environment. If an employee violates these policies, he or she needs to be told about it. In some cases, the employee needs to be given the opportunity to correct the behavior. However, if the behavior continues, the next step in the disciplinary process must occur.

The same holds true with performance-related issues. There should be performance standards for every employee in order to deliver the best product or service for your customers. If an employee is not performing to these standards, tell them about it, develop a plan to improve the performance, and reward success—do not accept subpar work.

In addition, you need to verify that there are no other legal reasons why this termination cannot occur. There are numerous employment laws that preclude the termination of employee at certain times during their employment. It is always best to seek the guidance of a human resources consultant or employment attorney to get answers to all the proper questions before stepping over a line.

4. Have you documented every step in the process? One of the best protections against an employee’s charge of discrimination is proper documentation. Document every step in the process as you go. Don’t wait for a termination to occur or a charge to be filed to document what happened and why.

Memories fail and people leave. If you can show the business reasons why someone was terminated and the steps that led up to this outcome, you should be able to reduce your liability.

5. Terminate with dignity. No employee should be surprised by their termination. If you, as the employer, did everything right, the employee should know the consequences of their behavior or lack of performance.

In the event of an immediate termination for a flagrant violation of a company policy, the employee should still not be surprised because they would have been made aware of the policy when they were first hired.

During the termination meeting, be direct, polite, and courteous. Explain the reason for the discharge, tell them the next steps in regard to their benefits and final paycheck, inform them of the effective date of the termination, and the manner in which they must leave the premises.

Do not hold out hope for the employee that the situation can be reversed. Do not blame others for the termination. Do not discuss the termination with other employees.

By terminating the employee with empathy (not sympathy) and dignity, you may be able to minimize the amount of resentment the terminated employee may have toward the company. In addition, you are showing the other employees who remain that you apply the company policies in a fair and just manner.

It’s never easy

Terminations are never easy. Sometimes managers avoid them because they are afraid of lawsuits or simply dealing with the confrontation. This doesn’t have to be the case.

If you address situations as they arise and be clear about your expectations of the employees, they will respect your decision as an employer. Most importantly, you will retain a high-quality workforce that produces results you desire—and your employees will thank you.

Chad V. Sorenson, SPHR, is the president of Adaptive HR Solutions and vice president of Talent Development Inc. His primary focus is helping small and mid-sized employers navigate employment law and get the most out of their employees. He can be reached at csorenson@adaptivehrs.com.

By Bert Livingston    

Most small business owners and professionals are familiar with group term life insurance programs—particularly those that offer up to $50,000 of term life insurance to employees.

These programs, sanctioned by Section 79 of the Internal Revenue Code, also permit employers to provide additional amounts of term life insurance in excess of $50,000 to employees. To the extent that they do so, the employer must report the value of the excess coverage in the employee’s W-2 as additional compensation.

The value of this coverage for tax reporting purposes is determined under Table I of the Treasury Regulations, in the form of uniform premiums computed on the basis of five-year age brackets. So long as the employer is not directly or indirectly a beneficiary of the insurance, all employer contributions to the plan are currently deductible and the employee not taxable on the first $50,000 of coverage.

Permanent benefits

What is less commonly known is the same Section 79 permits a group term insurance plan to provide permanent benefits. The regulations define a “permanent benefit” as “an economic value extending beyond one policy year (for example, a paid-up or cash surrender value) that is provided under a life insurance policy.”

When a Section 79 plan containing permanent benefits is adopted by an employer, there are several significant advantages:

•All contributions to the plan are currently deductible to the business;

•Only a portion of these amounts are includible in the participant’s income;

•Plan assets (in the form of life insurance policy cash values) accumulate tax-deferred;

•In the event of the participant’s death, an income tax-free survivor benefit is provided;

•Benefits can be structured to avoid estate taxes; and

•Once the plan is terminated, the participant has the option of receiving a tax-free income stream from the insurance policy to the extent of the policy’s cash value.

Determining eligibility

Section 79(d) does contain nondiscrimination rules as to eligibility and benefits. Certain types of employees can be excluded from consideration, such as employees who are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, employees who have not completed three years of service, and part-time (not more than 20 hours per week) or seasonal (not more than five months per calendar year) employees.

A plan is nondiscriminatory as to benefits if “the type and amount of benefits available under the plan do not discriminate in favor of participants who are key employees.” A well-designed plan requires that all eligible participants be offered the option to elect the same type of benefits offered to key employees (e.g., permanent benefits).

Such a plan will also require that all employees be offered a nondiscriminatory amount of benefits, by mandating that ALL participants shall be offered a life insurance in an amount that represents a uniform percentage or multiple of W-2 compensation.

Know the options

Because the options available to eligible employees that involve coverage in excess of $50,000 of term insurance will result in an increase in the employee’s gross income—and generally an increase in the employee’s income tax liability—employees are permitted to decline coverage in excess of $50,000.

Most employees accept the free (to them) $50,000 of group term life insurance and waive their right to higher amounts of insurance or permanent benefits.

Employees who do not elect to receive permanent benefits must include the value of the permanent benefits in their gross income, reduced by any amounts they contribute from their own funds for the permanent benefits.

The actuarial formula for calculating the value of permanent benefits is set forth in the Treasury Regulation under Section 79 of the Internal Revenue Code, and is based on such factors as the age of the employee and the type of insurance contract used. Only specially designed life insurance contracts will produce favorable tax results under this formula.

Is it for your business?

Section 79 plans are not for every business and your insurance professional will help you determine eligibility. But for those closely held businesses and professional practices where there is a fit, these plans provide an exciting, tax-advantaged opportunity for both owners and employees.

Bert Livingston is a financial advisor at National Financial Services Group with 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is a registered representative and investment adviser representative of Equity Services Inc. He can be contacted at 904-296-3300.

Disclaimer: This is not offered as tax or legal advice. For advice concerning your own situation, consult with an appropriate professional advisor. The views and information contained herein have been prepared independently of the presenting representative and are presented for informational purposes only. TC58753(0910)

By Dr. Harold S. Resnick    

Difficult economic times can create stress and challenges for any business. But trying times can also create potential opportunities. It is during difficult times that true leaders sustain and grow their business—ready to expand even more rapidly as the economic climate improves.

Surviving during difficult times does not necessarily require more capital. Some of the best business opportunities come from natural organic growth when a company focuses on the basics that created its success in the first place.

Following are some “back to the basics” guidelines to consider.

Focus on current customers

Current customers are your best resource for sustaining and growing your business. In times like these, it is critical to pay extra attention to every customer—to make sure their needs are being met and they feel they are being treated properly. It is harder to replace a customer than it is to address their issues. Satisfied customers tend to purchase more goods and services.

Reach out to customers you have not seen for a while. Check in with them even when they are not in the midst of a transaction to surface and address any issues. This provides a great opportunity to ask them to identify any other needs or desires that could turn into additional business.

For example: You purchase your first new car. The salesman sends you a birthday card every year and calls you one other time each year just to check in and see how you are doing. Because of those actions, you purchase three more cars from the same salesman.

On the other hand, let’s say you are leasing a high-end vehicle. Your visits to their service department are marginal—the service was acceptable, but it comes with an attitude. You never hear from the salesman until he calls you two months before the end of the lease and opens the phone conversation with, “Guess who this is?” You can probably guess the outcome: Neither he nor that dealership gets your future business.

Look for revenue growth opportunities

Your best top line growth opportunities come from current customers. Current customers already have a relationship with you. They are the best immediate source of potential value-added revenue.

Consider the following two simple examples. Your lawn is serviced by a small business owner with three crews. As the winter season approaches, business slows down and he has more capacity. He calls to make sure you are satisfied with his service. While on the phone, he asks if you need any landscape or irrigation system work. If he had not made that call, he would have missed the revenue opportunity.

On the other hand, the man who installed your landscape lighting comes by to perform basic maintenance. He complains about how bad business has been during this current housing market, since most of his business was installing systems for new houses. When you ask him whether he was going back to all those houses he installed five years ago to see if they wanted upgrades, he confesses he never kept a customer database. Today, he is paying a high price for that lack of customer focus when times were good.

Another opportunity for revenue growth is the natural extension of your business. Adding or extending a service that is closely related to your current business creates opportunity for additional revenue from current customers. It also opens up a whole new set of potential customers.

The final opportunity for revenue growth is to ask current customers for referrals to new customers. A satisfied customer advocating on your behalf is the easiest way to attract a new customer. Yet many businesses have no solicitation or referral process. Consider a program, perhaps with some incentive for current customers, to help bring new customers to you.

Search out and remove leakage

Every company has leakage. Leakage is the money that “leaks out” in between your top line revenue and bottom line profit.

There are many sources of leakage. Some of the most common sources are quality or service issues that require you to provide a service again at no charge; providing a replacement product at no charge because the initial product was defective; addressing product ordering or delivery issues; internal process inefficiencies; untrained employees who cause errors; etc.

Examine your internal business operations. Finding and correcting leakage issues can make dramatic bottom line differences.

Invest in your employees

During difficult times, many employers cut back on training and development. Others freeze salary increases. For some organizations, this belt tightening may be necessary, but it should be avoided if at all possible.

This is the time to invest in your best employees and address issues with marginal performers. Marginal performers may “pick up their game” if you describe the issues in terms of performance or behavior and not personality. They are also keenly aware that good jobs are hard to replace.

But the real opportunity is to continue to invest in the development of your best employees. Investing in employees during difficult times builds loyalty, commitment, and greater productivity.

On the other hand, employers who take advantage of employees during difficult times may find that those employees will vote with their feet when better opportunities become available.

Challenging times are not easy, but they do provide an opportunity to look hard at your business and focus on the basics. Paying attention to customers, strengthening the quality of products and services, improving the efficiency of internal operations, and developing key talent will ensure your survival in today’s economy and position your organization for dramatic growth as the economy improves.

Dr. Harold S. Resnick is an internationally renowned organizational development consultant. His most recent book is titled, “Energizing Workplace Performance.” He can be reached through www.worksystems.com.

After a terrible car accident at the age of 16, Jeremy P. Miller, vice president of Harden & Associates (http://hardeninsight.com), finds himself fortunate to even be alive today.

In that accident, Miller’s car flipped six times, the vehicle was totaled, and he was rushed to the emergency room. By the time doctors determined his condition and found what was causing him problems, he had been bleeding internally for quite some time from a ruptured spleen.

“They had to rush me into the operating room immediately to save my life,” says Miller, who has the rare O-negative blood type. The surgeons later told him that if they didn’t have the ample blood supply to replace what he had lost and sufficient blood to actually perform the surgery, they would not have been successful.

“If it weren’t for the efforts of my community blood bank in my small hometown, I wouldn’t be here today,” says Miller. “At 16 years old, that really opened my eyes to the efforts and importance of community blood banks.”

Getting involved

After his recovery, he became active in his local blood bank by becoming a regular donor and continued his efforts while attending the University of Georgia. But it was after his move to Jacksonville in 2003 that he really began giving back on a grander scale.

He immediately sought out The Blood Alliance (www.igiveblood.com) to donate blood and to learn more about it, its operations, and mission. “With every blood bank, the optimal outcome is the same, but everyone does things differently,” says Miller. “I was interested to learn how they were different, which communities they serve, and which hospitals they work with.”

 Through donating and learning more, he took on the role of a blood donation chairperson, where he coordinated and set up Harden’s regularly scheduled blood drives on a quarterly basis and encouraged his associates to participate.

“We’ve had tremendous success across our company in scheduling those quarterly drives and we’ve been doing them now for about six years,” says Miller. “In fact, three years ago, after finalizing our new building, our blood drive grew from just a Harden blood drive to a building-wide blood drive.”

 Many companies in the building appointed their own blood drive chairperson and got other companies to participate in the quarterly blood drives that the donations have grown from 15 per quarter to more than 50 per quarter.

Through these efforts, Miller was approached to join The Blood Alliance’s board of directors. “I happily and humbly accepted the offer and have been on the board now for about five years,” says Miller.

Being on the board

In the last few years, Miller has taken on a few different roles on The Blood Alliance’s board—as head of the strategic planning committee, treasurer, and vice chairman, but his most recent role was that of chairman.

As the chairman, he was the “go to” person. He oversaw the board of directors and worked directly with The Blood Alliance’s CEO on a number of matters that might need approval or insight, as well as participated on a number of different projects throughout the year.

With each fiscal year, The Blood Alliance ushers new officers into its positions, and this past October was no different. While Miller will still be active and play a major role on The Blood Alliance’s board, it will be that as the immediate past chairman.

“I’ll be on the executive committee and participate in a number of other committees we have, but I will also be there as an advisor of sorts to the new chairman to support her wherever I can bring value as she sees fit,” says Miller.

Making it all worth it

Although never in any formal capacity, Miller’s experience is what drives him to reach out and educate the community. “I find that just meeting people and discussing what you are involved with in the community is a good way for me to express my passion for the mission of The Blood Alliance,” says Miller. “It also educates people and helps them become more motivated to give back to the blood banks that might be in their own communities.”

Because he’s personally felt the difference a community blood bank can make in somebody’s life, Miller says his motivation is to “make sure the next person who is in the same circumstances that I was in at age 16 gets the same outcome I received—they were able to save my life and to make sure I lived another day.”

Jeremy P. Miller, AAI, ARM, RPLU, is vice president and commercial insurance division account director at Harden & Associates, one of the Southeast’s leading insurance, risk management, and employee benefits firms. He can be contacted at (904) 354-3785 or through www.hardeninsight.com.

By Snowden McFall    

As a small business owner, you have an enormous amount to get done every day. And if you’ve been hurt by the economy, you more than likely have fewer employees who are doing more, which means your to-do lists never end and at the end of the day you often feel frustrated.

Half-started projects, incomplete reports, neglected client correspondence, and business books begun and never finished all drain large amounts of energy and actually create stress.

Incompletions [all those things described above] can create significant anxiety, worry, and tension. Every day, you make commitments to do things. Saying you’ll meet a client at a certain time is an agreement. Committing to have an employee review done by a certain date is an agreement. Promising to send that article you read to a new contact is an agreement.

Keep your agreements

Most business owners are good at keeping agreements with prospects and clients, or they would quickly go out of business. In today’s world of ethics and integrity violations, people have significant distrust of business. The only way to overcome that is to be stellar in your reliability and commitment-keeping.

Broken agreements destroy relationships. If you don’t do what you say you will do when promised, that’s a broken agreement. The problem for many entrepreneurs is keeping agreements with themselves.

Promising themselves they will get up early to exercise and then rolling over when the alarm goes off is a broken agreement. Telling themselves they will review that new report on technology and never look at it is a broken agreement. Pile up enough of those and you have a fundamental sense of discomfort, distrust of self, and poor self-esteem.

Completion is powerful

In “The Path of Least Resistance,” Robert Fritz describes the circle of completion. The three phases in this circle are germination, assimilation, and completion.

Germination is the initial startup phase of a project. This is usually where you feel the greatest excitement and enthusiasm. You’ll most likely share that contagious energy with others, get your client fired up, and propel your team forward.

Assimilation is the phase where people take action, where you’re actually doing what needs to be done to make things happen. This is where many people get stuck and never completely finish projects. They get halfway done or quit just short of realizing their goals. That is a big mistake because they lose out on all the success, joy, and power that comes from completion. All too many businesses get stuck in assimilation.

Every time you reach completion there is a distinct and special energy you experience. Reflect on the last time you finished some goal or project you’d been working toward for some time. How did you feel? Were you satisfied and pleased with yourself, perhaps even proud?

Did you delight your client? Did you finish on time and under budget? Does that client now value you highly and want to do more work with you? That great feeling is all part of the energy of completion; that energy gets you motivated to accomplish your next goal and actually fuels the next project.



How to get more completion in your business

• Do a walk through. Walk through your office and notice what is incomplete. Are there piles and piles of papers to be filed, hundreds of emails to be read, contracts to be reviewed? Take 10 minutes right
now and just do one of those tasks. Feel the completion.

• Perform a 10-second tidy. Are there any old newspapers or half-read industry magazines in your office? Recycle them or throw them away right now.

• Prioritize your day. Tackle the top six most highly leveraged activities first thing each day. The ones that have the biggest ROI and payoff for your clients and your business should be the top six. Focus on those first every day.

• Give praise. Reward yourself and your employees every time you have a big completion by taking everyone out to lunch or passing out bonuses or handwritten thank-you notes to each employee who worked on the project. Celebrate successes.

Completions can fuel your energy for new projects, hugely improve your productivity and well-being, and get you motivated! Start tackling your incompletions now and see how much better you feel and how much stronger your business becomes as a result.

Snowden McFall, professional speaker, trainer, author, is the owner of Fired Up! Professional Speaking and Corporate Training. She can be reached at 904-940-7355 or through www.firedupnow.com.

By Wendy Bautista   

What began as an idea for an online portal has turned into a mobile photo lab with a retail environment.

And that is just the patent Haim Ariav, president of Glossy Finish (www.GlossyFinish.com) and professional photographer, has applied for—mostly to protect the intellectual property, but also to add value to the Glossy Finish enterprise.

When he started four years ago, the intention was to maintain an online portal for photographers to take pictures around the country at sports tournaments and then upload them to Glossy Finish, where he would help market the photographs to families. But what looked great on paper just wasn’t the same in person.

While photographers were great at getting the photos, they lacked at obtaining the proper contact and marketing information. Ariav learned early on something had to change.

“I either needed to get out completely or find a better way to do it—and that’s when I said, ‘let’s build something and take the pictures to the people,’” says Ariav.

That something is a custom-built, 32-foot mobile photo lab trailer complete with 16 viewing stations, several printers, and a six server rack, which he can access to check the status of each computer and adjust the workload if need be.

To ensure safety, the gas-generated or electric-powered trailer was designed a little wider, a little taller, with air circulation and overhead lights. The on-board computer network is a closed system, but it has Internet access to remote in with the Glossy Finish office and developer working on the application.

All of the viewing stations’ wiring is inside the walls, with the monitors securely hanging off support system beams and the keyboards secured to shelves on top of cabinets.

“It was really made for this purpose,” says Ariav. “I joke that I could do camel races in the Sahara Desert as long as I had enough gasoline.”

Application is the true beauty

When Ariav did analyses of northeast Florida and sports, he found it ideal with its year-round abilities and felt the “evergreen” youth sports market, which is a $2 billion industry, was a large enough pie to get a slice of—then he built the two-part Glossy Finish model based on it. The first part is the traditional team picture day, and the second part is attending events with the trailer.

“We’re not the first people to shoot sports photography,” says Ariav, “but we’re probably the first company in the country to bring it to this level—meaning that we’ve built a business model specifically for the youth sports industry that allows instant gratification.”

That instant gratification and success comes from the application—all photos are shot, viewed, ordered, customized, printed, and delivered before a customer leaves any given event.

Part of that success is due to its proprietary software’s capabilities to run the entire operation. The software collects the customer’s cell phone number and e-mail address to allow their favorite photos to be collected and stored, thus alleviating “window shoppers” and giving those customers complete and fast access to their photos during the event. 

From there, the customer can choose from a number of different packages including collages, posters, and digital CDs full of all the high-resolution images, and customizable options such as name, event, player number, etc. Then after just a few administrative steps, they cash out in the system. “It’s all shot there, processed there, and delivered right there,” says Ariav. 

Change is good

 He used to hire photographers to photograph 100% of every athlete and get five or six shots of each one, but he soon realized that at any event they never sold to more than 20% of the families attending.

From this realization, he created a model of only photographing kids with a reservation. So now when a tournament begins, the brand ambassadors (salespeople) walk around with samples and inform everyone that if they want their child photographed, they need to sign up because we don’t do random photographs.

If they sign up, a $20 deposit is required, which is a credit toward anything they purchase. If they don’t like any of the photos, they receive their money back. 

“We joke that we don’t want their $20, we want their $120; and once people see the value, they spend $120 because now they are looking at a screen filled with shots of nothing but their child, and not just five or six shots embedded in hundreds of photos,” says Ariav. “They start spending more and buying digital files, and all of a sudden we are still selling to 20%, but that 20% is now buying a lot more than it used to.”

Evolving with your market

 “From our first event to where we are today has evolved so much. We know what sells, we know how to sell it, and we know what parents are looking for,” says Ariav, recalling their first 3,000 player tournament event on President’s Day weekend 2007 where they made $3,000, “but now we go to tournaments with less players and we can make $35,000 to $45,000 for the same time.”

In the beginning, they would attend any event they were invited to, mostly because they were happy to get a job and they were still testing the idea. But as he knows now, not every event is successful—so he looks at the return on investment and weighs it against the cost of towing the trailer and hiring photographers, salespeople, and graphic designers.

“We are an equal opportunity photographer,” says Ariav. “We’ll go out and shoot any sport as long as there’s an opportunity for us to sell a critical mass of images.”

Knowing his target audience is very narrow, that is an important factor. “It’s not like we are creating one picture and selling it to a million people. No, we are creating one picture and selling it to one person.”

Keeping overhead low

While at an event they may look bigger than life, Glossy Finish is actually a small business. Ariav says to manage his expenses and keep overhead low, they “inflate” on weekends and “deflate” on weekdays.

“I’m not going to deny that from an image capture perspective, we really are probably the best at what we do and it’s because of the people we hire—but I can’t have a staff of photographers sitting around with no event,” says Ariav, “so I have a pool of about 100 professional photographers from different areas of the Southeast U.S. that I call on.”

The minimum amount of people needed to run an event is three; one graphic, one sales, and one photographer. During the week, it is usually himself and two others running the office, but on weekends or depending on the event, they could have anywhere from 10 to 20 people working at a time.

The staff and all contractors are there from the first day of an event to the last day of an event and are required to wear a custom-made bib complete with the Glossy Finish logo on both sides, pockets for brochures and cards, and a lanyard for a walkie talkie.  This helps assure the look of professionalism and the brand that Ariav is building.

Expansion is in the air

“The initial thought was to build a business and then become a franchisor,” says Ariav, who already has another trailer built but not outfitted. “But with the economy taking a turn as it did and the startup costs of something like this, we decided to just keep building, pushing, and tweaking what we already established—and we’ve been fortunate to have some great events.”

For a while, he thought he pulled the trigger too soon on that second trailer, but he now has serious interest from another photographer based in south Florida who he has worked with for over a year and already understands the Glossy Finish marketing, photography, and computer system, and can really “own it.”

Ariav is structuring a relationship/partnership with the photographer for a possible first of the year launch where he will become a Glossy Finish division under Ariav’s umbrella and will be supported with software, computers, the trailer, and other intellectual properties that will allow him to spread his wings and build the Glossy Finish brand.

Ariav says he has been fortunate to have the success he’s had and plans to continue growing by changing up his products and creating partnerships and considering expansion plans that allow the brand and brand equity to be seen in other parts of the Southeast.

Ariav says, “It’s all about quality, service, and product mix, and at the end of the day you hope that when you get that triangle figured out, you can start generating money as well.”

Wendy Bautista is editor of Advantage: The Resource for Small Business. She can be reached at Wendy@advantagebizmag.com or 904-536-2234.

 Partnership promotion

Haim Ariav, president of Glossy Finish (www.GlossyFinish.com) and professional photographer, figured out how to leverage the parents who like what his company does, but don’t want what they do, and he approached Shutterfly Inc., a $250 million company and one of the leading solutions for photo sharing and publishing on the Internet, with his idea.

 Parents at events with digital cameras and the recent upswing in sales of his CD product got him thinking about how many people don’t do anything with these images—they stick the CD in a drawer or download the images off their camera and forget about them. But with Shutterfly they can do something.

 Shutterfly liked the idea and believes in what Glossy Finish is doing and agreed to the deal. Glossy Finish will pass out $20 Shutterfly gift cards to its customers that contain a unique code. Once it is activated and the customer signs in, a customer acquisition fee will be given to Glossy Finish for generating a new customer for Shutterfly.

 “I don’t want to build what Shutterfly already has,” says Ariav. “Let’s give them the opportunity to use their product line, and if I get a little something back in residual, great.”

 Giving back
 Haim Ariav, president of Glossy Finish and professional photographer, occasionally puts on photo workshops at various events for photographers interested in shooting sports photography.
He doesn’t charge for this, but does limit it to about five or six “students” for the half day course.
“It’s part of my way of giving back and embracing the Business 2.0 model of thinking—be open and show others as it will breed success,” says Ariav.