Letter from the Editor

While talk of change is in the air everywhere these days, positive change is actually occurring for the Business Alliance. Over the past five years, we’ve gained name recognition in the business community and made inroads with name recognition within our own Clubs. Even in the current economic climate our membership numbers stay above 160 business members with a healthy mix of B2B and B2C enterprises. The Clubs are delighted with the participation of our BA Partners and Associates in our monthly activities and if you have attended or exhibited at any of our Expos in the last two years, you’ll know both exhibitor and guest numbers are up. Our Joiner’s Table lunches on the third Thursday typically attract 15-20 people in addition to the 30-50 folks attending our monthly program lunches.

So why mess with a ‘good thing’? To make it even better, of course! Take a look at some exciting changes coming for 2009:

• A new Business Alliance Logo that will take advantage of our name recognition
  
• An infusion of non-speaker formats amid the professional development speaker luncheons
• More participatory activities
• A sprinkling of off-Club-site gatherings
• A 2009 Save-the-Day calendar ready by the end of 2008

You simply will not want to miss out on what’s to come!

We do have one more change ahead of us - naming a new BAG editor since Jean Wiley has moved to the Outer Banks to pursue her career and her writing. We thank Jean for all her work putting together the BAG editorial program and for working with Daniel Trimpey, our BAG Publisher who will continue in this position, to create our newsletter.

Fall always seems to me like a good, comfortable time to talk about change. The weather cools, energy (at least mine) rises, the temptation to buy new (and sadly unneeded) school supplies tickles my fancy and I am energized to complete to my To-Do list before year’s end. I hope these hints at changes on the Business Alliance front are tantalizing and that their realization will be invigorating. And I hope that this fall brings only positive changes to each of you.

Yours positively,

Lee Heinrich

Chair, Business Alliance

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August Issue 2008

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Send your company announcements to Lee Heinrich to go in the next Grapevine!

Happenings

If it’s so Simple, Why Don’t I Do It?

Have you ever noticed that the longer we are in business the less there is we haven’t heard or read before, but for some reason, we don’t do all the thing we know to do to have the business success we desire. Bill Davis of Team Nimbus will explore the simple principles of success that can help us breakthrough our procrastination and get in action for the success we want. Bill says there is seldom a “Silver Bullet”, but everyone should discover at least one thing in this presentation that will make a difference for them!

Bill received his Bachelors of Arts Degree in Politics from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC and completed The Stanford Executive Program at Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Bill’s other executive educational experiences include the Management Development Program at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, The Wharton School of Business- University of Pennsylvania and the Aspen Institute.

During Bill’s professional career, he has had numerous opportunities to develop his coaching ability and support people who were up to achieving extraordinary results and making major changes in their lives, their organizations and/or their careers.

Through Team Nimbus of North Carolina Bill now specializes in coaching, advising and training small business owners and professionals to grow their businesses and make more money in less time allowing them to live the life that they want.

Bill is a certified coach by Results Coaching System and a certified One Page Business Plan Professional Consultant.

Raleigh 2030

Come meet, network and enjoy dinner with our guests, business members of the Raleigh Downtown Alliance and get ready to get excited! David Diaz, president of the Raleigh Downtown Alliance and Mitch Silver, Raleigh City Planning Director will share their views on the Raleigh of 2030. You will be amazed and energized! Raleigh is on the move. The new Convention Center and the RBC Building are only the beginning!

BA Member Announcements

S. Dawn Shaw has recently joined the team at PBM Graphics as an Account Executive and has added this organization to her Business Alliance Membership. PBM Graphics is a print solutions company offering digital options with fully customizable on-line systems that will streamline the purchase, management and distribution of marketing materials. Contact her at DShaw@pbmgraphics.com or 919.595.7549.

Tuesday Leads Group Becomes Professional Networking on the Web Group. Martin Brossman, professional speaker and networking coach, and Whitney Hill, Internet marketing consultant, have introduced ongoing networking meetings to be held at the Capital City Club (www.capitalraleigh.com) in Raleigh on alternating Tuesday mornings from 7:30 am to 9:00 am. Admittance is complimentary for Club members. Check the Club Calendar for meeting dates. The intention of this group is to teach members how to utilize the Internet as a resource for business introductions, develop the best methods for gathering information, and understand the opportunities the Internet holds for business enhancement. Contact Martin Brossman or Whitney Hill for more information.

Janice Cutler, president and owner of North Raleigh Florist, has been named vice chairwoman of the Wake County Business Alliance for Mount Vernon Middle School. Janice will partner with educators to provide students with resource for choosing careers.

Imp Designs, LLC has launched their redesigned website at www.impdesigns.com. The site features a more robust portfolio section, more information about Imp Designs' services and abilities and a staff listing. Contact owner Chris Basnight at chris@impdesigns.com or 919.790.9800.

Imp Designs has also just launched the new website for the Joel Lane Museum House, a historical site located in downtown Raleigh. The Joel Lane house was built in the early 1770's and was the home of Colonel Joel Lane, a patriot who was extremely active in the affairs of North Carolina both as a colony and a state. Sometimes referred to as the "Father of Wake County", Joel Lane was also active in the decision to make Raleigh the state capital. The new site (www.joellane.org), has a calendar of events, a gallery of images of the grounds, historic and genealogical data, and visitor information.

Katie Gailes, President, SmartMoves International will run her first marathon next month. (www.smartmovesintl.com) New Business Alliance member and business development consultant and coach, Katie Gailes, will run in the Marine Corps Marathon on October 26th in Washington, DC. She is running this first full marathon in honor of her mother, who passed away in 2005. “My mother tackled all that life handed her with a winner’s attitude and a warrior’s spirit.”

Adult Ladies Beginner/Intermediate Tap Class starting October 2nd. “Where Broadway Style meets the Golden Oldies.” No strenuous moves or intricate hoofer techniques. Thursday evenings 6:30-7:30 p.m. at 241 Horizon Avenue, Raleigh, 27615. Drop-ins $15 per class / 5 class card - $65 / 10 class card - $110. To register contact instructor Barbara Carr Brossman at 919.845.4385 or barbara.carr@naturesface.com.

Page Progressive, LLC Launches the Lynden Centre of Crabtree Website. The Lynden Centre is a Class A, LEED Gold Certified two story, 47,000 SF environmentally-friendly Green Building with 43,000 SF of leasable space and 68,900 SF of covered, structured parking near Crabtree vallery Mall. Check out the website here.

Our Newest Members…

• Robert G. Smith, CPA - Becca Smith - Accounting
• Avon Pam Alterman - Beauty & Skin Products
• Mary Kay - Hope Owens - Beauty & Skin Products
• T.A. Cook Consultants - Larry Olson - Consulting Services
• SmartMoves International - Katie Gailes - Consulting Services
• Marketing Depot USA - Greg Fawcett - Copying & Printing Services
• Xango-Raleigh - Cindy Poole - Health / Counseling
• New York Life Insurance Company - Frank E. Leggett, Jr. - Insurance
• PBM Graphics - Dawn Shaq - Marketing
• York Simpson Underwood - Cindy Poole - Real Estate
• RMS Network Services - Patricia Adkins - Communications & Telecommunications
• J Braren & Associates, Inc. - John Braren - Business Management/Software
• Ahaji Amos, Esq. - Ahaji Amos - Legal Services
• NAI Carolantic Realty - Daniel Marquardt - Real Estate

Featured Articles

Leadership Judgment and Planning

Dave Vogelpohl, Guest Columnist dave@excelleratesolutions.com

I recently read an article entitled Judgment: Making Great Calls. This article pointed out that what differentiates effective leaders from less effective ones is their ability to make better calls in key situations. They not only made better calls, but they were able to identify the vital decisions that needed to be made and made the right calls in those cases. It went on to say that there are three judgment domains in which effective leaders excel: People, Strategy and Crisis.

It occurs to me that the foundation for exercising good judgment in these domains is having a sound strategic plan for the business that is alive and actively guiding the business. The process of reviewing and deciding on the vision, values and mission of a business conditions the leadership to be ready to make the right decisions at the right time – even in times of crisis. Let’s consider the benefits of effective planning in each of these domains.

People

The need to involve key personnel in the strategic planning process promotes buy-in and alignment with the future direction of the organization, equity in the way decisions are made consistent with the plan, and promotes effective communication of the plan throughout the organization.

Strategy

The creation of the strategy involves the key leaders in evaluating the market and competitive forces which drive the business. Will there be surprises down the road that weren’t anticipated? You bet, but having a baseline plan allows the leadership team to quickly react to inevitable changes and be prepared to use better judgment in the decisions that need to be made as surprises (both good and bad) occur.

Crisis

During a crisis, leadership needs to be guided by the values that were decided upon by the team during the relative calm of the planning process. They need to be guided by the ultimate goals for the business contained within the plan. One of the best examples of this principle was the Tylenol tampering situation faced by Johnson and Johnson 25 years ago. The leadership team of J&J at the time was clearly guided by the longer term view of the company – their goals and values, when they made the decision to have a total recall of the Tylenol product and to very quickly redesign the packaging to better prevent tampering.

In a book entitled “Fail-Safe Leadership”, by Linda L. Martin and Dr. David G. Mutchler, the authors advocate 4 key leadership principles:

1. Leadership is more about the ability to set goals and achieve results than individual leadership qualities.
2. Developing leaders is about developing and following the processes that lead to achieving the outcomes desired.
3. Leadership development processes are needed that lead to consistent achievement of results, specifically the alignment and goal setting/goal achievement processes.
4. Core values of the company need to be established and regularly revisited as appropriate.

Many of the leadership development processes are captured in the strategic planning process. Development of leadership that makes the right calls in tough times is enabled by creation and implementation of a strategic plan, which includes the process of setting goals based upon analysis of the organization’s internal and external factors, the actions to implement the goals, and the key results measurements to guide implementation of the plan.

Therefore, if you want to develop sound leadership judgment for your organization or business, hire the right people who are guided by an effective strategic plan. Lastly, keeping the plan alive with periodic reviews which track progress relative to desired results is essential to reinforcing the appropriate fail-safe leadership practices. How fail-safe is your organization?

Triangle Real Estate: Should You Believe the National News Coverage?

As a real estate broker, one of the most popular questions Buyers and Sellers ask is: “How’s the market?”

Given that the national news continues to be so heavily focused on the housing market, it’s natural for Sellers to be anxious to see if their home, which has often been the result of their lifetime of hard work, will continue to rise in value or if they will lose equity.

Buyers, on the other hand, desire a bargain – and want to make sure that they’re receiving the best price. (Of course, Buyers want the market to be “down” while Sellers want it to be “up.”)

No doubt, you’re seeing quite a few For Sale signs as you go about your daily business – and this is to be expected, given that lending guidelines have tightened and some who are seeking relocation are unable to sell their homes in slower markets.

Our local market is still doing well compared to many markets in the country. We’re fortunate to live in the Triangle. You’ve seen the lists and read the articles about how great we have it here:

• Forbes.com lists Raleigh as #5 out of the top 10 “recession proof” cities in the United States when it comes to real estate.
• Raleigh and Cary rank #2 out of 200 in the best performing metros, this according to the Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best Performing Cities Index.

Data from the Triangle Area Residential Realty(TARR) Report offers good news: from the second quarter 2007 to the second quarter 2008, average home prices for resale properties have risen in the Triangle from: $232,400 to $240,700. This is in the wake of falling home prices in many parts of the country! During the past 13 months (as of 9/24/08), for Wake County, the TARR Report shows that the largest number of resales occurred in the homes priced under $300,000 (10,250 homes) compared to the 2796 homes that sold over $300,000. The “sweet spot” appears to be less than $300,000.

If you would like to see the appreciation for your neighborhood, visit: http://tarr.smapublications.com/SalesDB.asp

Regarding equity and appreciation, Sellers often ask:

Do I really need a real estate agent to help me sell my home?

The National Association of REALTORS® reports “the typical FSBO [For Sale by Owner] home sold for $187,200 compared to $247,000 for agent-assisted home sales.” That’s a whopping difference of: $59,800!

If the money isn’t convincing, think about this: a real estate broker, ethically, has the responsibility to bring only qualified buyers into your home – and not the “Looky Lou” who is not serious about buying today or maybe never!

Also, it’s dangerous to let strangers into your home. Who knows, they may be checking out your big screen television or other valuables. Yes, we live in the Triangle; however, there can be dangers lurking on the other side of the door. Why chance it??

Buyers also have a host of questions about real estate:

What are some of the things I should consider when purchasing a home?

Always begin with the end in mind (e.g. things that may affect resale value, such as backing up to a busy street or having a driveway that is significantly below street level). Often, Sellers must discount their properties significantly to draw Buyers for these types of properties.

Should I spend the extra money for a survey? The current owners had one completed a few years ago.

The short answer: YES! The long answer: Surveys show legal boundaries of properties. They also identify locations and sizes of buildings on the land, easements, and set-back lines; and provide information on restrictions.

Also, without a survey, you wouldn’t know if the neighbor’s fence is on your property. (It would be a shame if you were giving your neighbor land without your knowledge, wouldn’t it?) Besides, shouldn’t you know exactly what you’re purchasing?

Although the Sellers may have had a survey when they purchased, who knows what happened on the property since then? If you fail to have your own survey completed, your title insurance will not cover any items a survey may have revealed, such as the fence.

Surveys offer the peace of mind – and help you manage your risks.

I’m purchasing new construction. The city conducted inspections so why should I waste my money on a home inspection?

Builders may strive for perfection, but no home is perfect. Not even a new one. A licensed home inspector has special training to notice items that may not be apparent to the average consumer. It’s best to catch items before closing so that the builder may repair them before you put your name on the dotted line.

Have a question not answered here? Call or email me.

Most recently, Lorana was named an Impact Woman Business Owner by Business Leader magazine. She sat on the board of directors for the AAF - Raleigh Durham as the public service co-chair and is currently on the advisory board for the Achievement Academy of Durham.

Prior to founding Holy Cow Branding, Lorana Price attended NCSU, where she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in public and interpersonal communication. She lives in Cary, NC with her husband, two sons and pet parrot. In her spare time she enjoys reading, gardening and taking in the occasional nap.