Letter from the Editor

Welcome to 2010! Your Downtown Clubs’ Business Alliance continues to bring you the tools and training that you need to protect and grow your business. Review the Navigation Series classes that are scheduled throughout the year. If you missed the first session in January, don’t worry. Each session is designed to stand on its own, and as part of the series. No other business networking group provides the value and learning that you receive from the Business Alliance.

I’ve written before about my voracious love of reading. Thus, one of the recent best-of-the-last-decade lists caught my eye because it recounts the five best business books “that defined the decade.” Some I have read, and I bet you’ve read a few of the books on the list too. It’s a good start to some fundamental business leadership reading and a logical complement to the Business Alliance Navigation Series. Here is the list, as provided by author and blogger Matthew E. May of www.inpursuitofelegance.com.

1. The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization, by Thomas Friedman (2000). Thomas Friedman is the popular Foreign Affairs columnist for the New York Times. In this book, he argues that globalization is not a phenomenon nor a passing trend. Rather, it is the international system that replaced the Cold War system—the integration of capital, technology, and information across national borders in a way that is creating a single global market and, to some degree, a global village. The central conflict shaping the world, he says, is the tension between lusting after “the Lexus,” which represents globalization, and the refusal to give up the land and borders that have traditionally mattered to individuals and nations—“the olive tree.”
2. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, by Malclom Gladwell (2000). Malcolm Gladwell has been a staff writer at the New Yorker since 1996. One of his earliest and most popular articles was The Tipping Point in which he looked at the “Broken Windows Theory” and articulated how enforcing petty crimes in New York City—subway turnstile jumpers, squeegee men, graffiti—was at the root of the dramatic decrease in larger scale crimes. In this book, which remains on most bestseller lists, Gladwell provides a framework for looking at how social phenomena happen, giving us three guiderails: The Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor, and The Power of Context—all of which are required for an idea to “tip.”
3. Free Agent Nation: How America’s New Independent Workers Are Transforming the Way We Live (subtitled now “The Future of Working for Yourself”), by Daniel Pink (2001). It was twelve years ago this month that Fast Company published Dan Pink’s groundbreaking article Free Agent Nation. The magazine was in its infancy, and definitely the one to read if you considered yourself a change agent. The article put Dan, a former White House speechwriter and recently-declared free agent, on the map. The book took a year to research during which Pink canvassed the country interviewing people who were “declaring their independence and drafting a new bill of rights.”
4. The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations, by James Surowiecki (2004). Like Malcolm Gladwell, James Surowiecki is a staff writer at The New Yorker where he writes the popular business column, “The Financial Page.” It’s a favorite of mine because it’s always counterintuitive. So is this book, in which Surowiecki explores a deceptively simple idea that has profound implications: large groups of people are smarter than an elite few (no matter how brilliant they are) at solving problems, fostering innovation, coming to wise decisions, and even predicting the future.
5. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. Dubner’s 2003 New York Times profile of economist Steven Levitt provided the basis for this book, which has a straightforward proposition: complex phenomena can be understood if we find the right perspective. Dubner and Levitt dig into the facts behind patterns and basically deconstruct everything from the organizational structure of drug-dealing gangs to baby-naming patterns. In so doing, they illustrate just how wrong conventional wisdom can be.

Enjoy your reading and invest in your business by signing up now for the BA classes and events. Commit to yourself to finish stronger in 2010 and take the steps now to make it happen. Here’s to a happy and prosperous 2010!

Beth LaSasso
Editor, Business Alliance

Quote to consider:
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it." - Maya Angelou, American poet and memoirist

February Issue 2010

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Happenings

Business Alliance After Hours (2nd Wednesdays)

Join fellow Business Alliance members monthly on the 2nd Wednesday for after-work relaxation and networking in Caps Grille.

 

 

Business Alliance Open Table (3rd Thursdays)

Join other Business Alliance Partners and Associates on the 3rd Thursday for a casual lunch and free-ranging conversations in the Main Dining Room at the Capital City Club.

 

Navigation Series Unit One Outline: Business Development

• Wed, Jan 27 - Syncing Mission, Goals and Customers
• Thu, Feb 25 - Building, Leading and Sustaining an Innovative Business
• Wed, Mar 24 - Bridging the Gap between Strategy and Execution
• Tues, Apr 20 - Building your Sales Pipeline for 2010 and Beyond

Gain from every Navigation Class:

• Immediately useful strategies
• Immediately applicable processes
• Immediately available action tools and resources
• In-class universal practicums to ingrain the lessons
• In-class thinking time to plan to apply the lessons in your own company

We know your time is valuable and schedules are packed so we’re creating MP3 files for each 2010 Navigation session in case you miss a session you registered for or you just want to go back and review session material. (If you didn’t register for the class, you can access the MP3 files and the session handouts for a $15 access fee.)

Building, Leading and Sustaining an Innovative Business

This session presents the latest methodologies for developing and implementing strategies that really work for your business development. From relevant conceptual frameworks to real-life examples, participants in this session will explore the concept keys and specific tasks to ensure the success of corporate, business, and functional strategies. You will take away from this interactive class worksheets, resources, practical in-class experience and planning time in applying these strategies.

• Building a good Business Plan: an art for competitive strategy for a competitive environment
• Charting your Strategic Direction: best practices for implementing strategic planning
• Making your money work smart for you: the role of financial management in strategic decision making
• Looking at technology for straight through business processing: recognizing technology as a major variable
• Using market intelligence wisely: relating organizational learning to competitive advantage
• Coping with the complexities, uncertainties, and changes that are reconfiguring your world today: strategies to examine the market, your competition and your customers

This session will be led by Stephen C. Peters, CEO of VisionQuest Wealth Management. Steve holds an MBA from MIT and is a former college football player. He served in the US Marines completing his duty with the rank of Captain. Steve spent years in the corporate world using the strategies he is teaching today and then put this expertise to work to build his own successful business.

Navigation Series: Bridging the Gap between Strategy and Execution

Today, most businesses are in search for ways to react to intense competitive pressures and economic turmoil. In a challenging marketplace, the focus of you (as a business owner or executive) is to bridge the gap between strategy and execution; taking ideas and corporate maps and turning them into actions and tactics that produce measurable results. Improvement is only defined by measurable results that align with the vision of your business. To achieve the business improvements we all desire, execution must result in maximizing your business’s performance in all aspects and properly aligning actions and tactics to your strategic plan. However, far too often companies dedicated to execution fall short of the intended results. This "step-by-step" course will help you

• launch or refresh a plan for how to translate strategy into operational terms
• create an execution map o design a scorecard
• identify measures, targets, and initiatives o get executive buy-in
• build on an existing business initiatives

Amanda Metcalfe and Bryan Smith will be leading this session. Amanda Metcalfe is the Director of Business Development and Marketing for VisionQuest Wealth Management. Prior to VisionQuest, she worked in the banking industry with Regions Bank and MagnetBank and started her banking career with Wachovia working in their acquisitions group, small business banking and retail services. Amanda also spent two years in public relations with Richard French & Associates, now French|West|Vaughn. Amanda holds a degree in Communication with a minor in Business from NCSU.

Bryan Smith, UAM Agency and Azalea Coast Consulting, has proven success in working with small businesses and Fortune 500 Companies in areas of strategic planning, sales development and training, productivity and cost reduction techniques, corporate marketing and advertising. Bryan’s clients include National Institute of Health, Time Warner Cable, Cardinal Health, COTY Operations, GSK, and LORD Corporation.

Navigation Series: Business Development - Building Your Sales Pipeline for 2010 and Beyond

This Navigation class is focused on the process of recognizing, finding and developing business through comprehensive strategies to win sales opportunities. This session is for individuals looking to accomplish the following:

• secure approval from multiple decision makers
• navigate the internal bureaucracy of customers and prospects
• gain more visibility into the status of important sales opportunities
• allocate resources appropriately for large sales
• improve team collaboration to pursue strategic opportunities
• forecast revenue with greater accuracy
• increase close rates for opportunities with long sales cycles

This session will be led by Stephen C. Peters, CEO of VisionQuest Wealth Management. Steve holds an MBA from MIT and is a former college football player. He served in the US Marines completing his duty with the rank of Captain. Steve spent years in the corporate world using the strategies he is teaching today and then put this expertise to work to build his own successful business.

BA Member Announcements

(Please send submissions to bag_editor@yahoo.com)

Charlie Fortune, Custom Clothier, announces the official launch of a Ladies line of custom clothing. “Finally, a selection of true women's clothing worthy of your close attention: Suits, jackets, pants, skirts, shirts, and blouses. A most impressive array of the finest Italian fabrics that ladies can enjoy at the office, a wine tasting, or on the golf course. Choose from over 100 fine wool, cotton, cashmere, and linen selections. Each garment is measured to ensure your proper fit.” Spring and summer fabrics include wool, linen and seersucker in a variety of colors, patterns, and fabrics. Ask about the Spring 2010 special, an exclusive offer just for Club members. Contact Charlie at www.thetailoredlook.net or cf@thetailoredlook.net.

Molly Bitner, of Management Applications, Inc. (MAI) of Raleigh, celebrates 25 years of serving the needs of the Microsoft Dynamics SL (Solomon) user community. “We are one of a very select few Solomon partners in the country that have been at it since 1983 and are still operating as our original organization. Watching and helping the acceptance of the Solomon Solution evolve in the market place over the past 25 years has been very exciting. With change comes challenge and always opportunity. MAI has embraced the changes that Solomon has presented to us over the years. We are proud to be a Raleigh, NC-based company and have worked with Solomon customers across the country and across the globe. Our hallmark is commitment to our customers and to our team members, which enables us to provide consistency while adapting to change. We are all looking forward to the next 25 years!” You can reach Molly at ncsol@bellsouth.net.

Farzad Khoshnoodi, Registered Investment Advisor, announces that his company now offers Insurance to individuals (as tourists, or for work,) traveling abroad or coming to the United States and staying for more than 5 days but less than 2 years. “Some of our clients either travelled abroad for longer than a typical vacation time or had invited their parents and relatives for a visit. They have always been nervous about the ‘what if they get sick’ syndrome, knowing the horrors that can occur if you do not have insurance. This coverage fills a void in today’s typical insurance coverage and may be right for you or your family.” For more information, contact Farzad at farzad@farzadfinancial.com.

Ray Pfeiffer, President of Raymond Pfeiffer Photographers (www.pfeifferphoto.com), is proud to announce that he will have a piece of photographic art on exhibit in the Cary Photographic Artists group show, to be on display at the Raleigh Convention Center from March 15, 2010 to May 24, 2010. For more information, Ray may be reached at pfeiffer-photo@bellsouth.net.

Brian Rosenthal, Owner, RDUTennis, LLC, is excited to announce new partnerships with facilities across the state. In the Triangle, new locations include Brightleaf Club (Brier Creek Area), Morrisville Aquatics & Fitness Center, and Netsports in Morrisville. Information about the programming at all of our locations can be found on our site: http://www.rdutennis.net.

Chuck Norman, APR, Executive Vice President of S&A Cherokee, has been elected president of the Public Relations Society of America’s North Carolina Chapter for 2010. Chuck has also been named chair-elect of the Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce for 2010. Delivering intelligent communications, S&A Cherokee is a full-service communications company providing public relations, print and digital marketing, advertising, photography, event planning and custom publishing services. S&A Cherokee is also honored to have been recognized for business growth and employee satisfaction. S&A Cherokee was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America, as well as the Triangle Business Journal Fast 50 and Publishing Executive magazine’s “Best Magazine Publishing Companies to Work for.”

Daniel Trimpey, President and CEO of a local web development company, Page Progressive, would like to announce the launch of the Huntstone Homes website. Huntstone is a new development near Oxford and Henderson.
Also on a personal note, Daniel would like to anounce the birth of his second son, Isaiah Scott on January 21st!

New Members

• Robin Moody - Camelot Design Group
• Alice Osborn - Write from the Inside Out
• Mica Parekh - Tesh Photography
• Doug Rogers - Autohaus Import Service
• Janice Witt Smith - JW Smith & Associates

BA in the Community

(Please send submissions to bag_editor@yahoo.com)

Shaila Pandya reminds us of the upcoming 19th Annual Red Cross Ball. This year’s theme will feature the food, drinks and music that make North Carolina the best place to live in the South. “We’re excited to share that this year’s event is being held on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at a great new location, the Renaissance Hotel at North Hills. The location is not the only change! The layout for this year’s event will also be much different than our previous eighteen years. In lieu of a formal dining event, we will have a cocktail style gathering that will feel more like a party! We will again feature a live and silent auction, and we are seeking the expertise of a Benefit Auction Consultant who will serve as our auctioneer to insure a successful auction again this year. As always, fundraising raises money for the disaster response in our community. Tickets for this very worthwhile cause are $125.”

Adam Saad, owner of Rush Hour Karting, is pleased to report that Rush Hour worked with Angela Georgallisa of the local Red Cross to organize a “Fundracer” on January 23, 2010 to help support the relief efforts in Haiti. Titled "Help Race Funds for Haiti," the 12-hour race raised funds with 100% of all net proceeds going directly to the Red Cross to help victims of this terrible crisis. The Red Cross was also on hand to collect any extra donations provided outside of the racing. Contact Adam at (919) 662-9101 or adam@rushhourkarting.com.

If you are involved in community projects, we want to hear about them! Many of our members serve meals, help build Habitat homes, and volunteer their time to help others in need. Please share your experiences, or your company-related activity, with your fellow BA members.

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