Produced by Blank Stage Productions, ThriveAMERICA attracts top business leaders willing to share their experience, strength and hope so that we may all learn how to thrive in this economy.  We recently asked career coach and author Richard Kirby to visit the set and discuss ways a business executive can thrive in today’s competitive job market.

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ThriveAMERICA

A meditation on thriving in this economy and beyond.

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More about Guest, Richard Kirby:

Our guest today is Richard Kirby, an executive career coach and job search guru. Richard has devoted the last 7 years to helping executives market and sell themselves successfully in an ever-changing jobs landscape. Since Richard has helped advance the careers of clients in both up and down markets, we wanted to ask him to share some of his secrets for breaking through the job market noise and succeeding despite today’s highly challenging employment situation.  Here is  Richard Kirby’s Five to Thrive:

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Show Notes:

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1) Build and Maintain A Superior Attitude. This is huge! Associate with the right people.  Learn from those who know more then you do; become a student. It takes effort, but willingly do this.  Also consider exercise a great way to get a clear mind. It also helps to get and keep your energy up.

2) Uncover and Package your Skills and Talents. We all have tremendous skills and talents.  Sometimes we don’t know how to package them. Take an assessment and identify where your talents and abilities lie so that you can package them more effectively.

3) Have Laser Focus.  Do Your Research. Discover the job market.    A good way to discover the culture is to go on LinkedIn, a reputable employee connecting site.  Do some searches on the company you are thinking about applying for, and discuss the culture with current employees you find on LinkedIn.  Do your research. Make an intelligent decision. This will pay off in the end.

4) Step out of the Herd. What worked before does not work now. We are in a different era.  Stop blindly sending out your resume. The best way to get a job is to network your way there.

5) Discover a Mentor. Discover a mentor.  Look inside your family.  Network for a mentor! Whatever you do, find one. This will help you in the end because they have been where you want to be and know the best ways to get there.

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http://www.fasttrackyourjobsearch.com/

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ThriveAMERICA

A meditation on thriving in a down economy and beyond.

Produced by Blank Stage Productions, ThriveAMERICA is a show that attracts top business success leaders willing to share their experience, strength and hope so that we may all learn how to thrive in this economy.  We recently asked personal client Lori O’Brien, president of Atlanta Special Events, to visit the set and reveal a few principals an how an events company can thrive in this down economy and beyond.

Meet Lori O’Brien. Lori is the president of Atlanta Special Events, a premier full service events facility located in Gwinnett Ga.  Lori has become a business icon in her community, has partnered with other top event companies and is a mentor to many other businesses and entrepreneurs like myself.    While you may be here to learn about how to market your events company many of the principals Lori shares are applicable to any business and to life.  An extremely gifted singer Lori has performed nationally for Collin Powell, The Atlanta Falcons and Shirley Franklin to name a few. She regularly books shows for her tribute to the RAT PACK, a wonderfully nostalgic look back to the classic days of Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.

Answer the Questions Below…

To answer click on the “Comment” icon next to the video player

1. What are some of the most creative events you have ever seen or took part in?
2. What are other ways an events company can thrive in this economy?
3. Have you seen an event go BAD?  Let us know!

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Lori O’Brien: Five Special Tips For Running A Successful Events Company

Show Outline

1. Character + Integrity = Reputation

2. Strategic Partnership

3. Marketing

4. Feel the Pain

5. Community Involvement

THE SINATRA AND FRIENDS TRIBUTE SHOW

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USO TRIBUTE SHOW

Video chronicles the highlight’s of Lori’s tribute to the Rat Pack!

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LORI’S VOCAL DEMO

Connect with Lori and Atlanta Special Events:

LinkedIn
Facebook
Twitter
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More About Lori O’Brien…

President of Atlanta Special Events

Incorporated in 2002, Atlanta Special Events is a full service Event Planning and Entertainment Company. Along with her husband, Frank, the Vice President, Atlanta Special Events produces between 100 and 150 events a year for small, medium and large businesses throughout Metro Atlanta, the Southeast and the continental United States. The scope of services is expansive, including, but not limited to: Event Planning, Site Selection, Catering, Theme Development, DJ services, Entertainment, Décor, Rentals, Casinos, Teambuilding, Games and Attractions. Though the majority of their events are in the corporate arena, Atlanta Special Events also provides services for weddings and private parties.

Atlanta Special Events was named one of the Top 50 small businesses in Gwinnett County in 2009.

Clients

Lori has produced over 100 events for BB&T bank throughout Georgia since 2005. Her company has serviced over 450 clients including Home Depot, AT&T, Bellsouth, Morgan Stanley, State Farm, Georgia Tech, Maxwell Air Force Base, Emory, GE Power Systems, Coca Cola, Cibavision and Nokia. She has also emceed and helped produce several major fundraisers in Gwinnett County including the Hi Hope Ball and the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center.

Entertainer

Lori O’Brien is a dynamic vocalist and captivating entertainer. Singing the timeless songs loved by all ages, she has the unique ability to draw the audience into herself. Lori is best known for her patriotism and singing of the National Anthem for major conferences and events throughout the United States. She has sung in front of public figures such as Colin Powell, Oliver North, Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss, Governors Sonny Perdue and George Busbee.

Lori produces stage shows for events and municipalities. She produces a Rat Pack style show called “Sinatra and Friends”, which includes tribute artists portraying Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin. Lori  plays Marilyn Monroe and Liza Minnelli in the show.

Community

Lori O’Brien is extremely active in Gwinnett County. Atlanta Special Events, Inc has been a Chairman’s Club member of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce since 2002 and Lori has voluntarily served as a mentor, ambassador and facilitator. Lori is honored to be a graduate of Leadership Gwinnett, a nine month program which identifies, challenges and inspires potential leaders. Only 750 leaders have been chosen for this program since 1985.

Family

Lori was born in Bridgeport, CT to Ed and Irene Suchezky and is the 4^th of 5 children. In 1980, Lori married her high school sweetheart, Frank O’Brien. They raised their 2 children in a loving, Christian home in Naugatuck, CT before moving the family to Georgia in 1997. First born son, Robert, is a computer science graduate of DeVry University and is employed by Gwinnett Medical Center in the IT department. He married his high school sweetheart in Oct 2008. Second son, Thomas (TJ) is a Business Management student at Gwinnett Tech and works as a salesman in the computer department of Fry’s.

Education

Educated in parochial schools, Lori graduated #14 in her 1976 class at Notre Dame High School in Fairfield, CT. Lori graduated Cum Laude from Western CT State University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts double major in Music (concentration piano) and Theater

Top Views on ThriveAMERICA | Click on Thumbnail to View the Interview

These past guests, in order of standings, are getting the most views for their past appearances on ThriveAMERICA. Click on their picture and see why!

ThriveAMERICA

Produced by Blank Stage Productions, ThriveAMERICA is an internet video-blog show where you can come and gain invaluable insights on how to thrive in this economy… and beyond. We recently asked Top ActionCOACH Business Coach, Wayne Kurzen, to visit the set as a guest to serve up his expertise, strength and hope. Please leave a comment by seeing the comment icon next to the main video player above and if you know of anyone who would benefit from the interview use the “share” button to share this valuable information with others.

Plan for Harsher Downturn, Free your “C” Players, and Don’t Cut Marketing

Wayne Kurzen | Corporate Video Bio | ActionCOACH Master Coach

Show Notes: Not sure if I have ever had someone so ready and prepared than Wayne Kurzen.  Wayne KNOWS his stuff when it comes to the basics do’s and don’t’s of running a business.  As an ActionCOACH he is privy to the back end matrix of thoughsands of other ActionCOACH’s and the latest in businss development and marketin trends.  If I can apply an ounce of what he shared into my business I will be well on way to business success.

Give Wayne a call and let him learn about your business!
678-494-5155 or 678-362-7734

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find or follow or both

Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Blank Stage | YouTube

Top Views on ThriveAMERICA | Click on Thumbnail to View the Interview

These past guests, in order of standings, are getting the most views for their past appearances on ThriveAMERICA. Click on their picture and see why!

We asked Angel Investor Alan Urech of Stoney River Capital LLC to come as a guest on our show to share his experience, strength and hope so that other business owners might learn a new principal they can apply in their business today. Below represents a very basic summery of the interview so you might find what you need and move on. Be sure to comment on what you may have learned from this segment or list examples of how you might apply these principals in your business. Beside the video player is the comment icon.

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10 Killer Secrets to Developing a Powerful Business

The following is a listing of 10 Killer Secrets that will help you develop a powerful business. They are not in order of importance because I see them as equally important to business growth.

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· Develop a stellar Advisory Board across functional levels

This is not a Board of Directors (BOD), which is a legal entity with potential liability. Advisory Boards are a must to grow strong businesses. As business owners we get very wrapped up with what we ourselves think is important and forget that there are other ways for business growth. We are products of our own life’s business experiences but should understand that other people have diverse experiences that may be more relevant to the situation at hand and we should embrace those experiences to grow our businesses intelligently. Advisory Boards should be set up along functional business parameters and members chosen for their experiences within those functions. Operations, Sales, Marketing, Finance, Legal, Human Resources, Product/Services are some of the different functional areas the slots you should have solid focused and seasoned professionals represented on your Advisory Board.

· Understand the Management’s strengths and weaknesses

As managers we all have our strengths…and our “challenges”. This is the way it is and we must understand what they are and make sure that our management team has representative diverse views. Some managers see no dangers and charge ahead with programs while others may be more hesitant and see the positives and the negatives of the movement. Whether you are optimistic, a risk-taker, can rally the troops and engage others, are traditional and hard-working with a strong focus on quality, detail and precision or can build trust and help others, you need to know your business personality “gifts”. Embrace them. Brownell Landrum at DrawSuccess (www.DrawSuccess.com) has some very interesting methodologies for you to access your strengths and weaknesses.

· Grow the Business methodically

In Six Disciplines for Excellence Gary Harpst states that most businesses do not succeed because they are not grown methodically. Something always gets in the way of a business’s methodical growth path. I believe that if you establish upfront some solid and non changing parameters like “Monday mornings 9:30am we are having a management meeting and reviewing operational issues that affect the business”, most of the time you will succeed. Don’t deviate from that plan. Keep it simple and formal on a Project Management type electronic or paper template and make sure that everyone one is accountable weekly for the action items that they said they would complete. Have firm dates and if the task is not completed by that date, make sure that the whole team knows why. This takes a couple of weeks to instill but the company’s president must be vigilant and hold his/her management team accountable for the actions they have agreed to accomplish.

· Be very focused on what your business is…and is not. Understand what is important to you…and your business

Strong businesses must understand what their market opportunity is and then focus their organizations on their core competency within that opportunity. Know your opportunity and then exploit it. This does not mean that you can’t have adjacent products and services that improve your core offering. You can. For example, if you are in video productions and your first product is traditional movies, it does not mean that you can’t go into some adjacent product lines like commercials or promotional pieces. Just treat this as an adjacent product line. The core product is still video productions. Do an “elevator” pitch of 15 words or less about what your business is. An example might be “North Atlanta Networks, Inc, develops, markets and services high technology turnkey satellite, terrestrial, wireless and VoIP network solutions to business and government customers.” Or “The Medical Group is a provider of all-inclusive turnkey management solutions to meet the increasingly complex technology needs of physician practices”. Also understand what your personal goals as a manager are. What you will do and what you will not do. Each organization should have a posted Vision Statement, a Mission Statement and a Values Statement.

· Focus on Sales and Marketing, not on the products or services

Once your product or service offering is “complete” or Version 1 is complete, shift your human and monetary resources to sales and marketing. Most companies have a very difficult time crossing over the chasm from a Research and Development organization into a Sales and Marketing business that can commercialize your product and make you money. Understand that your product/service will never be done because our world is in constant change mode. Put a “stake” in the ground to when your resources will be focused onsales and marketing. At this point, 90% should be spent on Sales and Marketing and 10% on R&D.

To market your product use “Groundswell” techniques. Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff wrote a great book on using new technology tools to market your products by getting a social network “buzz” about them and then when people come to your website, they will be “warm” prospects. Much easier than cold calling. Free social networking technology tools like LinkedIn (an online network of more than 25 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries, www.linkedin.com), Flickr (online photo management, www.flickr.com), Wordpress (blogging, http://wordpress.com), FaceBook (social network, www.facebook.com), Twitter (social networking and microblogging service utilizing instant messaging, SMS or a web interface, http://.twitter.com), Del.icio.us (social bookmarking, http://delicious.com), Digg.com (discover and share content by tagging, http://digg.com), Wikipedia (online free encyclopedia that anyone can add to and edit, www.wikipedia.com), Add This (Social Bookmarking that adds content everywhere, www.addthis.com), Ping (a website that makes updating your social networks a snap, www.ping.fm) and Second Life (virtual world, www.secondlife.com). To measure and monitor your blogs and online discussion groups use TNS Cymfony (http://www.cymfony.com), Nielsen BuzzMetrics (http://www.nielsenbuzzmetrics.com), and Google analytics (improving your understanding about where your website visitors come from to better utilize your marketing dollars, http://www.google.com/analytics/). It is easy to do and will gain you great exposure.

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Blog Directories:

If you are starting a blog or have a blog it might be a good idea to submit your URL to blog directories.  A blog directory is sorta like the yellow pages and can be a hub for all kinds of blogs.  Below is a vast list of such directories. I thought this would be a good edition to Alan’s installation sense he is focusing on sales and marketing and that creating a blog is a very powerful way to market yourself. Another site where you can find places online to list your blog is found here: Online Marketing Blog

List pulled from the Seach Engine Journal

Best of the Web Blog Search

EatonWeb Blog Directory

Blog Hub

Bloggeries

Blogarama

Blog Search Engine

Blog Catalog

Globe of Blogs

Ultimate directory of British blogs

Bigger Blogs

Bloggernity

Bloggapedia

Spillbean

Blogging Fusion

Blogflux

Bloglisting

Blogio

Blog Explosion

Super Blog Directory

· Work with people that are Compatible

Life is too short to work with people that you don’t like or are not compatible. Surround yourself with people that have similar values that you do so that in addition to just “working” in the business that you sometimes get together in social events to understand each other as fellow human beings with personalities, families, attitudes, biases and needs. I think this is critical for people to understand where their work companions are coming from and sometimes forgive them when you know they have had a rough day when something outside of the work place is weighing on them. Help them along and you will be stronger and happier in the business and as a person.

· Form Key Business Alliances/Partnerships/Affiliations

This is a critical component of growing a company into a strong business. Strong growing companies form alliances, partnerships and affiliations with companies and businesses that can support their growth. Once a company focuses on their business they should look for alliances and partnerships that make sense to them within their competency. Being a good partner means that when something falls outside of your core competency, you refer that business to the other organization to fulfill the customer’s needs. Customers love this and embrace this as being good corporate citizens by putting the customers’ needs above their own.

· Understand the Businesses Unique Value Propositions

When I consult with companies, I first develop with them a “Corporate Position Paper”. A CPP has three areas in it. The first section answers the question “What are the problems in the industry?” The second section answers the question “What is different and better about my products/services?” This should be about 3 bullets that include your unique value proposition that no other company can say. Remember that your unique value proposition does not include service, price or quality. No one will say that they deliver poor service, high prices or bad quality. They always have the best service, low prices and great quality. That is a given. Create your UVP on something that no one else can claim that they have like a product that does (xxx) or a service that provides this.

· Understand the Business’ Revenue and Profit model

A business must understand where they make their income. Detail by bullets the different components of where the businesses money comes from and the profit potential from each area. Once this “audit” is completed you may see that there are some areas that need to be focused on because they bring you more profit.

· Understand your Product/Service offerings

A company must understand their product lines thoroughly. It is vital to understand what the products are and what they are not. The “consultative sell” approach works wonders when the business development person first listens to the “challenges” the prospect has (what keeps them up at night) and then leverages their products and services to alleviate those challenges. They are showing an understanding of their business, a concern for the prospect’s business, and a solution to their concern. Many business development people do not understand this and subsequently do not form a relationship with the decision maker. Developing this relationship becomes capital that the strong business person can use to leverage their first product into the organization and positions them to sell additional products later on in the business cycle. I suggest a PowerPoint or something like that that outlines every product and service that you have and its value for the consumer.

I hope that these 10 Killer Secrets have helped you understand some business “Secrets” that can help you to significantly grow your business. Being methodical with great management focused toward your growth is the core, understanding your value proposition and then understanding where you make your money.

Alan W. Urech, Managing Partner

B: (770) 587-2166 | C: (678) 520-9989
E: AUrech@StoneyRiverCapital.com
www.StoneyRiverCapital.com

]]> http://thriveamerica.com/video/alanurech/feed 3 http://thriveamerica.com/video/crain http://thriveamerica.com/video/crain#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:10:57 +0000 Brent http://thriveamerica.com/?p=2175

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THIS JUST IN! For a limited time Coach Rick is fielding your questions about your business.  This is an incredible opportunity to receive invaluable tips on how to make your business thrive!  Send in any issue or question you may be having regarding your company by commenting below.  Press the comment icon next to the video player or scroll to the bottom of this page to submit. ( Be sure to use the subscribe to comment feature to be notified when your question is answered. )
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Top ActionCOACH Rick Crain reveals some powerful business building principles you can implement in your business starting today.  Rick has a lead a long list of business owners to reach incredible success and is part of the top business leadership community, ActionCOACH.  Within ActionCOACH Rick enjoys being a part of a rich and powerful community of coaches across the globe where he engages in success forums dialogues with other coaches. On ThriveAMERICA Rick shows real passion for solving business issues and reveals real world solutions.  Take heed.

Show Notes: This was the early days of ThriveAMERICA and my own coach Rick Crain came to set the tone of the show and deliver some powerful business building strategies that can be applied to just about any business looking to grow and thrive in this economy.   The newer versions of Thrive are meaner, leaner and SHORTER but this one packs a punch so sit back, relax and learn some powerful ways to grow your business from top business coach ActionCOACH Rick Crain.
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Overview:

1. Scout and Develop your Talent
2. Position with a Mission
3. Do the Right Things
4. Practice Wild Empathy
5. Massive Recap

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Rick’s Bio:

Rick Crain’s experience and knowledge for building successful businesses and leaders began with a 32 year career with the World’s largest financial services company, ADP. Starting with ADP in St. Louis , MO in 1974, his career includes leadership responsibility for the startup operations for regional offices in San Antonio Texas (1982) and Princeton New Jersey (1986). In Philadelphia (1997), Rick was selected to save a regional center that was in critical danger of closing its doors due to lack of sales and organizational performance. In 2002, just five years later, the Philadelphia Region won the exclusive ADP worldwide award as Region of the Year which was weighed heavily on sales, profits, quality and customer and employee retention. In that same year, Philadelphia was selected for expansion through merger initiatives which Rick also led to success, doubling the region’s revenue from $50 to $100 million annually. In 2003, Rick accepted Vice President responsibility for the Southeast operations for ADP Major Accounts division spanning 14 locations in seven states with $280 million in revenue. Throughout his career Rick has developed high performing leaders and teams to replace him before moving on to the next organizational development and personally challenging initiative.

In 2005, Rick left ADP to pursue his career and passion. Rick is a certified and licensed business and executive coach with the World’s #1 business coaching and consulting firm, ActionCOACH Business Coaching. He owns his own company, Breakthrough Business Solutions, and is also an entrepreneurial partner with DrawSuccess, a company with an innovative and fun solution for team transformation. Through his coaching and team transformational programs, Rick has a successful history of organizational leadership and development while driving bottom line results. He has been recognized as a Top 100 Coach in the World by the International Business Coaching Institute in 2008, Georgia ’s Most Inspirational Coach for 2008, North America Network Coach of the Year for 2008 for his prominence in the community he serves and the 2008 Action Coach of the Year Global Award. Rick’s mission is to accelerate the advancement of inspiring leaders and teams above and beyond bottom line results.

Rick Crain received his undergraduate degree in Business Management from Peirce College and Master Certifications in Project Management and Strategic Organizational Leadership from Villanova University . Rick is the father of Rick, Jr., a teacher and basketball coach in Philadelphia , and Maria, a Nurse Practitioner specializing in pediatric food allergies and residing in Dallas , TX . Rick is also a proud grandfather to William, also in Dallas . Rick still loves to play baseball and has a burning desire to participate in a major league baseball fantasy camp. Rick is currently co-authoring a leadership book scheduled for a 2010 spring release.
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Contact Rick and be sure to mention that you him on ThriveAMERICA for a COMPLIMENTARY business evaluation:
404-799-1020

Website: http://www.actioncoach.com/rickcrain/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rick-crain/2/928/322
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1278236742

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Top Views on ThriveAMERICA | Click on Thumbnail to View the Interview

These past guests, in order of standings, are getting the most views for their past appearances on ThriveAMERICA. Click on their picture and see why!

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RESOURCES – the first “R”

I challenge people in defining what there marketing resources really are. Define what your marketing resources and determine where you are allocating your them.  Most of us think marketing = advertising. However most people have intangibles such as goodwill, location and your client list.  There are 8 kinds of marketing and I define them by:  Advertising, PR, business networking, trades show, promotional products, signage, referrals, and the internet.  I teach people how to look at all these marketing channels and see where they can take advantage of each one, and many of them don’t cost money.
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Accountant’s Fairy Tale!

Pro@ctive CPA

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REFERRALS – the second “R”

Referral is a way to get great leads from word of mouth.  Get a referral program in place. When people refer to you, those people tend to shop you less.  You have a much better shot of getting the right price point. The more money you can per transaction the better.  Be sure to ASK for the referral.  People may assume you don’t need any more business, and do so early on in your sales process.  Establish a unique and tailored referral program.  Reward those that send you business.

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RELATIONSHIPS – the third “R”

Your reputation should proceed you. If you have done a good job for someone that is going to spread. Practice reciprocity.  Make someone “feel” like they owe you something because of something you gave them first.  Most people don’t even have past customer list or a current one. Most business owners do not actively practice this, they don’t talk to their customers.  Research shows you should be getting in front of clients about 33 times in order to “sink in”. There is no silver bullet to manage your time. You can outsource this kind of work, but in general you have to work hard to build these relationships.  Host highly creative events, get in front of people and fight like mad connect those that come with each other.  People like coming to these kinds of events.   The more you can leverage your contact list in one room will better serve you and your community.

John mentioned this book: “The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert B. Cialdini

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Contact John:

770-912-8774

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ThriveAMERICA is produced by Blank Stage Productions