undefining
innovation grab your spork and dig in
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Features
12 DO
Nine Things Small Business Owners Should Do to Ensure Success
16
KNOW
Undefining Innovation
26
The TRIBE
Meet 14 Members of the TRIBE
46
Special Qs What object can’t you live without?...........
8
What is the kookiest entrepreneurial idea you ever had?......
40
What’s your go-to lunch?..............
52
table of contents
Good Stuff Inside
Departments 4 b2bTRIBE Manifesto....... 5 Publisher’s Note............
Editor’s Note/ Become a Contributor.....
6 Book Review............. 55 Save the Dates............ 56 Staff....................... 59 Ad Index................... 62 TRIBE Index............... 63 Eye Candy................. 64
FEEL
How do you recharge?
b2bTRIBE.com 3
publisher’s note
Welcome
to b2bTRIBE magazine! This magazine was born from a creative spot in my head and is fueled by the need for a platform to share the realness of the lives of entrepreneurs and small business owners. This venture is needed to help unify our network of Charlotte-area business owners, so we know each other as people first but also know what our businesses have to offer each other’s. I do believe this publication is needed, and many of you have enthusiastically agreed. However, needing something, wanting it, and supporting it are all very different things. So Melisa, the SPARK Publications team, and I have had a great deal of thoughtful and intentional fun launching this issue. Where it goes from here will evolve from the support, participation, and collaboration from those of you who choose to believe in this effort. I don’t see this publication as competition with the already great and targeted magazines in our area; they are all needed and very valuable to their niches. b2bTRIBE magazine simply identifies and addresses an unmet need in our marketplace. (Hey, that can be considered innovation! We’re going to discuss a lot about innovation starting on page 16.) Our aim is authenticity, vulnerability, courage, and knowledge shared through story and photography while answering a few questions. What fuels the entrepreneur and small business owner day to day and year after year? What do we KNOW? How do we FEEL? What can we DO better? Who’s in our TRIBE, and what are their stories? As I sat down to describe this business-to-business tribe concept, the manifesto to the right just poured out of me. Can you relate? I look forward to your feedback and suggestions. Please send comments to publisher@b2bTRIBE.com. If you want to support this effort and promote your business with an ad, please connect via advertising@b2bTRIBE.com. Thanks for letting us play. Come join the b2bTRIBE! With Gratitude,
4 b2bTRIBE.com
b2bTRIBE magazine VOL. 1, 2014 Fabi Preslar Publisher Melisa LaVergne Editor Larry Preslar Director of Creativity Merissa Jones Creative Goddess Sofi Preslar Production Assistant Constance Brossa/Final Edit Proofreader Design and Production by SPARK Publications www.SPARKpublications.com Advertise: advertising@b2bTRIBE.com Subscribe: subscriptions@b2bTRIBE.com Provide feedback: publisher@b2bTRIBE.com Submit story ideas: editor@b2bTRIBE.com 2116 Crown Center Drive, Suite 300 Charlotte, NC 28227 704.844.6080 b2bTRIBE.com / b2bTRIBE b2bTRIBE is published semiannually by SPARK Publications and distributed in the Charlotte region. Subscribe online at b2btribe.com/ subscribe. Acceptance of advertising does not mean or imply the service or product is endorsed or recommended by b2bTRIBE or SPARK Publications. POSTMASTER: Send corrections to b2bTRIBE, Address Change, 2116 Crown Centre Drive, Suite 300, Charlotte, NC 28227. ©2014. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.
manifesto b2bTRIBE
i s a community of ENTREPRENEURS and SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS —supporting, uplifting, educating, and laughing with other entrepreneurs and small business owners. We work hard, build smart, and play harder. We’re CREATIVE and RESOURCEFUL.
We are
Independents, Democrats, Republicans, and Unaffiliated. We are multi-dimensional, MULTI-CULTURAL, multi-racial, multiethnic. We are straight, gay, married, single, divorced, widowed, wounded, and EMPOWERED. We’re a rainbow of PERSONALITIES peppered with type A and high D—and various degrees of ADD.
We are
i ntroverts who have been transformed to functional extroverts; we are extroverts taking relationships to new heights. We are dreamers with goals. WE ARE POSITIVE AND ENERGETIC. We love technology, simplicity, complexity, and nature. We thrive to challenge the status quo; BREAKTHROUGHS and DISRUPTIONS are our norm. WE
EXEMPLIFY COURAGE.
We are
mostly unemployable, yet we know how to work for thirty bosses at once. WE ARE SERVERS to our clients, our staffs, our communities. We charge fairly and give genuinely. We laugh often and deeply. We are PASSIONATE.
We differ
in practices and opinions; we are unique. We infuse our unique beliefs into our businesses, and our businesses are viable and profitable. WE ARE THE BACKBONES of our cities and our countries.
We are
united as a tribe. We are entrepreneurs and small business owners SERVING ONE ANOTHER and the community. We strive for and obtain EXCELLENCE.
We are the b2bTRIBE. © 2014 Fabi Preslar, Publisher, b2b TRIBE
b2bTRIBE.com 5
magazine!
For b2bTRIBE to truly be by and for small business owners and entpreneurs, we need your contributions! Submit your ideas to me at editor@b2bTRIBE.com. Ideas that show lots of personality and are crafted to fit within an existing section of the magazine are more likely to be chosen. Ideas submitted in perfect Chicago Style will earn a hug and tears of gratitude. I hope you’re as excited as I am to add b2bTRIBE to your reading list and to get involved as a contributor. Welcome to the TRIBE!
The TRIBE features local, small business owners who provide businessto-business services. The profiles heavily emphasize the person, because people do business with other people.
the special Q
DO offers a few brief and practical checklists of actions readers should take on a variety of topics.
the TRIBE
FEEL is a photographic essay of sorts that should convey 10,000 words or so with as little typography as possible. In this issue, it is tied to a Special Q, but that doesn’t need to be the case.
do
KNOW is an informative, in-depth article on a topic important to business owners. Readers should gain a greater understanding of the topic and immediately be able to apply lessons to their own businesses. They should also know from the sidebars and mini profiles who to turn to for help should they need it.
feel
Yours truly,
know
editor’s note
How to contribute to b2bTRIBE
The Special Q is just fun. Any small business owner who provides businessto-business services may participate by submitting the questionnaire at b2bTRIBE.com/ thespecialQ. The most entertaining answers will be highlighted. Be sure to include a high-resolution headshot, because we made special spaces for your faces.
If you’ve already subscribed to b2bTRIBE, thank you! If not, this is your promotional sample issue. Please subscribe at b2bTRIBE.com to continue receiving the magazine. 6 b2bTRIBE.com
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Q What personal or business item can’t you live without?
“Pants. Never overrated and always a must! I also like a cool watch.”
– Michael LoBiondo, Michael LoBiondo Photography, mlobiondo.com
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“My vintage Wilson Jack Kramer Millennium Edition tennis racquets (each is numbered, only 3,000 made), because they remind me I’m unique and the craftsman of my achievement.”
– Carlos Salum, Salum International Resources, Inc., saluminternational.com
“My laptop is critical to my business. Desktops were useful too, but bulky. Tablets for my business are a novelty and nearly useless.”
– Darryl Parker, Parker Web, parkerweb.com
“My two large-screen monitors. I spend hours looking at computer screens each day and don’t wear glasses ... ‘nuff said.”
– Julie Bee, Bee Smart Social Media, beesmartsocialmedia.com
“Black sharpie pens, second only to my computer.”
– Angela Prince, AF Prince Associates Public Relations/ Marketing, afprince.com
“Eyeliner.”
– Michelle Menard, Choice Translating, choicetranslating.com
“My lipstick. I was brought up by a Southern, proper mother who wouldn’t even go to the mailbox without lipstick. I feel naked without it at all times.”
– Tana Greene, Strataforce, strataforce.com
“My iPhone. As sad as it is, this device has every detail about my life, what I’m thinking, where my next meeting is, and reminders to call my wife to let her know I was thinking of her. It’s the only item that I will travel back home for if I forget it.”
– Reginald Bean, Ideas in Motion, 40-lessons.com
“My laptop. I don’t print items on paper very often, so it holds all of my important docs.”
– Terri Bennett, Terri Bennett Enterprises, terribennett.com
“I’m big on CRMs. I was in sales for years and understand the value of a good database. It’s the foundation for great inbound marketing and analytics.”
– Drew Porcello, PivotPR, pivotpublicrelations.com
“My new husband. He makes me feel special.”
– Donna Jernigan Meinhold, Moments by Donna, momentsbydonna.com
“My toothbrush! I was born to smile, and I love talking to people. Both require sparkly freshness!”
– Lee McCracken, Joyfullee Written, joyfulleewritten.com
b2bTRIBE.com 9
“I can’t live without my business bag. I wear out one every single year. Because I’m a roving consultant, I carry two or three files worth of client information at all times. Additionally, everything I might need is in there including replacement contacts, breath mints, earphones, a small container of snacks, copies of both of my books, and pens and paper.”
“Notebook paper. I know this seems strange in a time of digital everything, but the tactile aspect of the paper and getting it into a notebook in the order I need for work still has a tangible feel of being organized. Maybe this is a throwback to elementary school.”
“My iPhone primarily because of the nearly 10,000 song library that I listen to constantly.”
– Stacey Moore, Inside Tailgating magazine, insidetailgating.com
– Angie Mattson Stegall, Your Organized Guide, yourorganizedguide.com
– Jack Trlica, Loss Prevention magazine, LPportal.com
“My iPad. It is my notebook, how I do email, how we run our applications ... it’s just a great business tool. My favorite app is called Penultimate. It’s a handwriting app, so I really do use it like a notebook.”
– Emory Simmons, CMIT Solutions of South Charlotte, cmitsolutions. com/south-charlotte
“Wait for it ... my motorcycle! Well, I suppose I could live without it, but my motorcycle is my connection to parts and people unknown. It’s my talisman, my ticket to adventure. I love being out in the elements.
– Tamela Rich, TamelaRich.com
“My Louis Vuitton agenda. I’m from the old school, and although there are electronic calendars, I like to still write things out.”
– Sonya Barnes, Harris & Barnes Image Consulting, harris-barnes.com
10 b2bTRIBE.com
– Scott Carlberg, E4 Carolinas, e4carolinas.org
“N.C. State tickets for football and basketball. They keep me attached to my father and grandfather, both deceased, and make me happy, win or lose.”
“My shades. During the sunny days my shades are a must! Also, shades are a great fashion statement.”
– Dave Washington, DW Designs, dwdesigns.biz
“It’s a toss-up between the business card and a cup of coffee. Either way it sets in motion the opportunity to build relationships. NOTHING works better in business than getting to know someone and feeling like the transaction is more than a dollar sign. You are a trusted partner and associate. Period.”
– Terri Deboo, Ideas@Work
“I am attached to my computer. It has information about every contact I have with every client and helps me keep track of my crazy schedule.”
– Deborah Peterson, Money Counts, moneycounts.biz
“My lip gloss, Lip Session. It was prescribed to me in high school after a freak reaction to Carmex. I’ve been using it ever since—let’s just say at least two decades. I have one in my purse, one in the bathroom, and one by the bed. I buy a box of twelve about every year.” – Stacey B. Randall, Randall Research, randallresearch.com
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B2BtribeAd.indd 1
2 1 3 4
do
Nine
things small business owners should do to ensure
Success by Dennis Toler
Manage your time for work-life balance.
I put this first because it is so important. Being small business owners will consume ALL of our time if we allow it. We must set aside time for our spouses, our children, and our hobbies and interests. While at work, we must be working on what is critical to the success of the business. We must be efficient. We must also find time to recharge and reflect, so we can return to the business each day with energy and enthusiasm. “Life’s too short” is not just a cliché. Ask anyone over fifty years old.
Plan for success.
A failure to plan is a plan to fail. Did you create a strategic plan and budget for 2014? Have you consistently monitored your goals and the action steps to get you there? Mid-year is a great time to evaluate your progress and tweak your plans accordingly. Analyze results from the first two quarters versus your budget and previous year trends. What went well, and what should you be working to improve?
Be strategic.
Strategy is all about allocation of resources. We cannot do all things for all people every day. We must focus on doing a few good things consistently well. We all know we should be thinking about the business as a whole, its long-term success, our customers, and our competitors, yet we still end up being firefighters of every-day problems. We must find ways to think about what is critical to the success of our businesses and spend our time on those critical activities, not simply on what someone else thinks is urgent.
Understand the metrics for your business.
How do you make money in your business? Which of your products or services are most profitable? Which of your customers are most profitable? Should you fire some of your customers? Do you understand the difference between net income and cash flow? Do you understand that you can be profitable but still run out of cash? Is the quality of your product or service as you expect? How would you know? How much time do you spend understanding and improving your key business processes? Spend some time answering each of these questions and understanding how those answers impact your business.
12 b2bTRIBE.com
5 8 9 6 7 Expand your financing in the good times.
We all have learned that the worst time to call on your banker for a loan is when you are two weeks away from running out of cash. Unfortunately, many or some bankers only want to lend money to those that don’t need it. If you had a profitable 2013, leverage that success by talking to your bankers or other financing resources to increase lines of credit, refinance existing loans, etc. Take advantage of your success and use it to build an even better future for your company.
Pay attention to the tax filing dates.
If it is your first year in business, you will soon realize there are numerous monthly, quarterly, and annual tax filings for income, payroll, property, and other business taxes. If not paid on time, penalties and interest are assessed, creating an additional burden on business cash flow.
Talk to your team.
If you have employees, make sure you are talking with them about their roles in the success of the business and how key processes or quality can be improved. Engage them and make them feel like part of the business. It is a lonely world for business owners some times, and reaching out to employees, service providers, or even spouses can provide a sounding board and important feedback.
Pay estimated taxes.
Estimated tax payments are worthy of separate mention. Remember, our tax payment system is a “pay as you go” system. The government expects tax payments throughout the year in the form of withholdings or estimated payments. Significant penalties and interest await those who do not make these payments timely. If you come from a world of weekly paychecks and related tax withholdings, it can be a shock to write checks for thousands of dollars each year. Estimated taxes are due starting April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 each year. It is, unfortunately, not unusual for first-time business owners to be surprised at the amount of taxes owed after the first year in operation. They’re even more surprised in their second year when the profits begin.
What makes’m an expert: Dennis Toler
Moyer, Smith & Roller P.A.
Understand how recent tax law changes impact your business.
It seems like every year brings more legislative changes in our income tax laws. Last year and the coming year are no exceptions. The most significant change in federal tax law is the Affordable Care Act with employer mandates, individual mandates, and new taxes. In North Carolina, 2014 brought a lower individual tax rate, changes in standard deductions, and an end to the $50,000 business income tax deduction.
Dennis Toler has a long background in serving as corporate accountant to several successful entrepreneurial ventures. As a recent thriver and survivor of aplastic anemia, a rare and intense bone-marrow disease, when Dennis shares his wisdom about work-life balance, it’s from a real-world viewpoint. Moyer Smith Roller, P.A. is one of the Charlotte area’s top twenty-five largest certified public accountant firms. Visit the firm online at msr-cpa.com.
b2bTRIBE.com 13
do
To Connect or Not on LinkedIn?
Hiring Mistakes Equal Bad News!
Consider the following when deciding how to handle connection requests from people you don’t know. What value does the person have for you? Is it their industry, location, or current position? Is there potential for possible collaboration? Do you offer compatible services? Is the person connected to over 500 people? Anyone with less than 500 connections is simply not engaged with the platform, but the people they know on LinkedIn may intrigue you. Are you simply trying to grow your network to increase your chances for broader connection possibilities? This strategy reflects upon your desire to gain traction with anyone who can lead you to many others. How you handle connection requests from individuals you do not know is entirely your decision. I believe the spirit of LinkedIn is about expanding your network and creating new meaningful business relationships.
If your company is growing and hiring, congratulations! That means things are turning around, or at least you are optimistic that they will turn around soon. Hiring is one of the most important actions you take in your business, and it is one of the most long-lasting. Because of this, you need to take the time and set up the systems to allow you to hire carefully—and successfully. Here are a few issues to think about as you return to hiring mode. U rgency. “You can hire fast, or you can hire smart—you can’t usually do both together.” Precision. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’ll never know when you find it. It’s important to think about what you really need the new hire to do, to know, and to become. O bjectivity. Hiring is very personal business. Setting up a good interview, testing, and reference checking process can help you stay focused on the real issues.
by Ira Bass
Ira Bass is the CEO of IB Media LLC. Learn more at IBMedia.biz.
DIY Hints From a PR Pro by Marcia Merrill
eady. Just because it’s everyday news to you R doesn’t mean it’s not special. What your company or nonprofit is doing may be exciting or inspirational or just what a reader needs. Brainstorm story ideas that matter.
by Denise Altman, MBA, CPA, CPBA
Denise Altman is president of the Altman Initiative Group, Inc. Learn more at altmaninitiative.com.
“C” Your Way to Joy by Geri Crooks
F ire. Take photos as often as possible. Then use them! Post them on your website, social media, (you are on Instagram, aren’t you?) add them to your website, and email signature.
Compassion for self and others brings meaning to life. Care for your body. It’s the only place you have to live. Commitment to maintaining a positive attitude benefits everyone. Choose thoughts, emotions, actions, and words that reflect what you desire to experience. Celebrate all of your successes. Change the way you look at things, and things you look at will change. Calmness creates clarity. Charge your mind, body, and spirit by breathing, surrendering, and letting go. Check in before you turn in and reflect on your joys, lessons, and gratitude(s) of the day.
Marcia Merrill is the president of Red Rover Communications. Learn more online at redrovercommunications.com.
Geri Brisbane Crooks, M.Ed, is a certified transformational life coach and educator at J.O.Y. Coaching. online at myjoycoach.net.
A im. Find advocates to help tell your story. Sure PR folks have the connections you need, but maybe some of your friends or colleagues do too. Ask them to help.
14 b2bTRIBE.com
b2bSOLUTIONS
Your Cash Should Be in Your Pocket by Deborah Peterson
Properly managing cash flow can make or break many small business owners and solopreneurs. Unfortunately, most financial planners and accountants are accustomed to dealing with people who are flush with cash. They provide well-meaning advice about tax deductions, investing profits into retirement accounts, and using accrual accounting as a strategic planning tool. Many of them have also never started or owned a business and don’t realize that focusing too rigidly on the future can sometimes be a detriment to your present.
Before I embarked on my entrepreneurial adventures, I was in charge of trust banking operations and technology at a major bank in upstate New York. That position came with heavy responsibility for strategic planning. I found that having a
five-year strategic vision was nice, but planning out that far was a waste of time. Too much could change. So my strategic plans went out a year, and even in that shorter time frame, I kept them flexible.
Strategic Timelines Are Subjective
When I became a business owner, I began taking an even narrower view, especially when it came to cash flow. I realized that my optimum strategic planning window was six months. I would think ahead and determine the minimum amount of money I would need to pay expenses on the business and personal sides, and then make sure I kept enough cash accessible and in my control to cover my needs. That optimum
Keep your money accessible, and stay in control of the cash in your business. Your money needs to be where you need it when you need it. window may be slightly more or less for other small business and microbusiness owners depending on their revenue models. But from experience, I’ve found that six months is a good benchmark.
Disclosure: Money Counts, Inc. is an independent company with securities offered through Summit Brokerage Services, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC. Advisory services offered through Summit Financial Group, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor.
Deborah Peterson, president of Money Counts, Inc.
I now provide financial planning advice to individuals and to entrepreneurs and small business owners with twenty employees or fewer, a niche with unique needs and challenges. I’ve already hinted at the most important advice I give to my clients, but I’ll say it clearly and repeat often: keep your money accessible, and stay in control of the cash in your business. Your money needs to be where you need it when you need it. What do you have to change to make that work? Come see me. I’ll help you clarify your priorities, put together a plan that works for your unique circumstances, and keep an eye on your progress while you focus on your work.
moneycounts.biz info@moneycounts.biz 704.315.5623 11121 Carmel Commons Blvd., Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28226
b2bTRIBE.com 15
know
undefining
tion
o n v In a
by Melisa LaVergne
16 b2bTRIBE.com
Grab Your Spork and Dig In
and support their families. Is innovation really important for them? How much time and money would it take, and are their businesses even structured for it? Perhaps most importantly, what is it?
Louis Foreman
Chief Executive, Edison Nation Louis Foreman started his first business while still in college at the University of Illinois and went on to create nine successful start-ups. He is also the inventor on ten registered US patents, and his companies have developed and filed more than 500 US patents. He founded Enventys in 2001 to help other inventors and entrepreneurs navigate the process of product development. From Enventys, a family of companies was born.
What Is Innovation?
Like a movie starlet hounded by paparazzi and plastered across the tabloids, innovation has lost its identity to its own fame and oversaturation. It’s used interchangeably to mean everything from developing new processes to producing disruptive technology, from creating new packaging to creating new markets. Acting on such a vague concept is a sure path to wasted productivity for most small business owners. Louis Foreman, chief executive of Edison Nation and one of Charlotte’s go-to speakers on the topic of innovation, isn’t pleased with the oversaturation of the word. “Everyone is using the word innovation, but the real meaning when you look at it is so different from how people use it,” Foreman said in a recent telephone interview. He went on to note the rising popularity of innovation as an advertising concept, even for products such as tequila, as though a company’s ability to innovate is a key selling point. Edison Nation helps inventors and people with great ideas take their concepts to market.
Catalyst
The drive to innovate—to be innovative—sometimes feels like peer pressure. Organizations like Apple and Bell Labs are held up as paragons of the Innovation Age, something like the preppy clique with their fancy patents and deep pockets. Over decades of research and development, these companies have created and then dominated markets. Similarly, tech startups fueled by nothing more than caffeine, caviar wishes, and sturdy bootstraps are lauded for their nimble moves and experimentation. In recent years, many such companies have changed the way we play, communicate, and do business seemingly overnight. They’re like a mixture of the rebels and the valedictorians, the role models kids choose combined with the role models their parents wish they would choose. The cool kids are driving innovation, and the media and boards of directors never hesitate to belabor the point while they cry, “Innovate or die!” That leaves the rest of the class: the accountants who want to make a decent living, retire comfortably, and help their clients do the same; the lawyers who want to keep their friends and clients out of trouble; and the graphic designers who want to make the world a little more beautiful one pixel at a time. These professionals do their jobs well, please their clients,
Inventor
Not all great concepts can be consumed in small sound bites.
Carlos Salum
Founder, Salum International Resources, Inc. Carlos Salum calls himself a performance architect, breakthrough catalyst, and value designer. His business focuses on helping executives and leaders to overcome risk and to develop and adopt plans that achieve exponentially positive results. An avid tennis player, Salum’s most famous client may be Gabriela Sabatini, the 1990 US Open champion. He designs and manages corporate events and hosts a series of educational and networking workshops and events.
b2bTRIBE.com 17
Y variable (payoff, degree of newness, or market impact)
And that’s where Foreman says the true meaning of innovation lies. “Invention is coming up with a novel idea. Innovation is putting that novel idea to practice. So the way I define innovation is a great idea plus execution. A great idea by itself is just that— it’s a great idea. But innovation occurs when you take that great idea and you execute on it.” Carlos Salum of Salum International Resources takes his definition a step further by emphasizing value: “Creative thinking needs to produce something new. It’s a human skill that needs to be developed just like learning a language. Creative thinking is essential. And in a way, it is a human right. Innovation is very symptomatic of creative thinking, but it has to deliver value.”
X variable (risk or invesment)
18 b2bTRIBE.com
Innovation Delivers Value
Now we’re on to something. Delivering value is something most business owners can understand. The next natural question is how much change is necessary for the resulting value to count as innovation. Here’s where the issue gets tricky again. Incremental improvements to a widget still leave you with a widget, not a groundbreaking new product. But what if those small improvements lead to significant cost savings or become the tipping point that makes the product or service the hottest on the market? What if, for example, those small improvements transform a spoon into a spork, reducing by half the amount of material necessary to create your dining utensils? That small improvement nets big results. How to measure innovation varies just as widely as the definition. As Suzanne Fetscher, creator of the Innovation Institute at the McColl Center for Art + Innovation, puts it, “In every way that an organization can embrace or implement innovation, there are different ways to measure it.”
Fetscher also believes measuring innovation will become a growing field as innovation becomes more mainstream. Most existing measurement methods plot variables on a matrix to determine various levels of innovation. Then each MBA with a book deal assigns a clever name to those levels, and the MBA with the highest book sales that year wins the name game, for that year anyway. It looks something like the charts shown here. “Unicorns” is a particularly descriptive label Tim Kastelle (an Australian blogger and lecturer) applied to companies that don’t try hard to innovate but somehow manage to churn out innovations despite themselves; in other words, those companies are mythical beasts. This variety tells us that measuring innovation is subjective and depends on a company’s industry, business model, goals, and other unique factors. So like many business processes, intentionality, information, and respect for the process are key factors.
Innovation Starts with People
David Phillips, interim director of the Innovation Institute and innovation provocatuer at Faster Glass Consulting, says that “innovation efforts should, in most cases, focus on what people (internal or external) need or want, not what the company needs or wants.” He teaches his clients people-centered design principles with wide applications to problem-solving and creativity. Inspiration can come from anyone inside your company. In fact, great solutions frequently
Artist
Suzanne Fetscher
President and CEO McColl Center for Art + Innovation
come from people who aren’t as close to problems as those typically tasked with solving the problems. Early in his career, artist and inventor David Martin tackled a project that involved inventing new materials and methods to cast metals for an art installation. Everyone at the studios and foundries approached for the project said it was impossible, so Martin hired a staff with zero foundry experience, people who had no idea what was or was not possible. Through trial and error, Martin and his team figured it out and made something beautiful. “It was an art project but had nothing to do with art. It was my first research and development project,” says Martin. He took that experience and, without a formal degree in science, went on to become a Disney
imagineer and a research scientist in Lockheed Martin’s remarkable Skunk Works division. His work led to the first articulated aircraft seat made entirely of composite materials, which reduced aircraft weight, and the embedded fiber optic sensors that monitor the structural integrity of composites, making these materials safer for a wider variety of uses. He also founded Charlotte-based ScentAir, a scent marketing company. Martin believes that some of the best ideas—those that seem to drop fully formed from the sky—really do come from a higher power to those who are receptive. What if the most receptive person in a company is the receptionist or the accountant or the slightly awkward intern? When a company needs to generate ideas that bring value to its customers or to design
Provocateur
Suzanne Fetscher was appointed founding president of McColl Center for Art + Innovation in April 1998. In 2005, she created the Innovation Institute at McColl Center for Visual Art, a program led by artists and designed to help senior-level executives understand where creative capacity lies and how to nurture it, create a culture that supports it, and harness it for organizational or business advancement. She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s in fine arts.
David Phillips
Innovation Provocateur Faster Glass Consulting LLC After thirteen years working for large corporations and consulting firms, David launched Faster Glass Consulting in 2010 “to help people grow their businesses and to help businesses grow their people” through innovation and peoplecentered design. His company offers solution design workshops, innovation training, ethnographic research, and visual storytelling. In addition to running his business, he is also the Innovation Institute’s interim director.
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new methods, inviting a variety of perspectives to the discussion enhances creativity and exploration.
Respect the Process
Now you have a better idea what innovation is and who does it. How to do it is the next big bite. In his workshops, forums, and roundtables, Salum offers a systematic approach to the kind of creative thinking that leads to value, to innovation. Salum studied under Dr. Edward De Bono, the psychologist and medical research scientist who coined the term “lateral thinking,” the scientific term for thinking outside the box. Salum focuses on three key steps: “Analyze what is. Envision what can be. Design what shall be.” So it begins with analysis. “I think it’s by identifying where there’s a pain and coming up with a remedy,” says Foreman of the beginning of the innovation process. “And I know that sounds so simple, but the fact is that today all of our basic needs are already being met. Figure out what customers want, not necessarily what customers need.” Marketing communications consultant Juan Garzón puts it another way and says innovation begins in the same place as effective communications: “It starts with empathy and is as simple as knowing your customer.” It can be as quick and low-tech as an empathy map, an exercise where you imagine your customer
ScentAir now has approximately 250 full-time employees worldwide with about one hundred of those in Charlotte and others spread through the United States and Canada and a smattering in France and Hong Kong.
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Inspiration can come from anyone inside your company. In fact, great solutions frequently come from people who aren’t as close to problems as those typically tasked with solving the problems. and go through the process of understanding what they do, how they feel, where they go, and why. Or it can be a more advanced process of observing your customers with the help of audio and video equipment, website data, and other research tools. Whichever way you put it, collecting and understanding information is a good starting point for many business goals. Salum’s second step is an opportunity to “play with the
concept related to the value you want to create.” He recommends a wide range of questions to look at the concept from different angles. What could be changed? What could be exaggerated? What could be taken away? What could be added? His final step, putting the new concept in motion and taking it to market, is where many companies fall short. “It’s a scary notion, and not all the people and companies that claim to be innovative truly are. They pull back from the change and completing the process,” said Salum. Whether it’s the financial investment, restructuring, or cultural changes that frequently come with the process, innovation holds inherent risk. And while entrepreneurs typically have high risk-tolerance, not all small business owners are entrepreneurs. Calculated risks, however, can lead to great things. Venture and gain!
Creativity in Action
Story and example make all things clearer. Here are a few examples of regional companies getting great ideas (some simple and some grand) and putting them into practice. The Nose Remembers—For years, Disney struggled with ways to add scents to the overall sensual experience of park shows. In their experiments, the scent molecules settled on upholstery, carpets, and walls blending into an unpleasant mix. Normally, scent molecules are activated with heat; when they cool off, they settle. Using patents he was able to retain from his days at Lockheed (inventors typically give up patent rights to
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www.AllegraCharlotte.com
Target Your Audience Advertise in these local niche magazines!
target: residents and businesses in South Charlotte ballantynemagazine.com
target: residents and businesses in the Lake Norman area lncurrents.com
target: affluent members of the African-American community pridemagazine.net
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Ginny Porowski demonstrates her invention, the GoGown, developed with the help of Charlotte-based Edison Nation Medical. Visit thegogown. com to watch a video demostration.
Decommissioned shipping containers get drab-to-fab makeovers in the hands of Boxman Studios.
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with about one hundred of those in Charlotte and others spread through the United States and Canada and a smattering in France and Hong Kong. Its customers are spread throughout 109 countries. “Charlotte has been a great business climate for us,” says ScentAir spokeperson Ed
Burke. “We try to operate like a start-up generating great ideas and moving quickly.” Another key to ScentAir’s success, of course, is the subconscious emotional connection people have to smells and the potential for that connection to influence behaviors and decisions. Martin says the
Photo courtesy of Boxman Studios
their employers), company founder David Martin developed a way to activate the scent molecules at room temperature, which kept them airborne and manageable. Then he launched ScentAir and marketed the system to Disney and other entertainment companies. His wife, who was also his salesperson, helped him realize the market potential in custom scents for all types of businesses. Today, the diversity of ScentAir’s client base is one key to its success, from the refreshing white tea aroma found in Westin Hotels & Resorts worldwide to the disturbing battlefield scent used in training simulations by the United States military. When ScentAir consolidated its California and Florida offices and moved its headquarters to Charlotte in 2004, it had five employees. The company now has approximately 250 full-time employees worldwide
Clean and Compact—Ginny Porowski, a nurse from Raleigh, noticed that disposable isolation gowns and gloves used in hospitals were creating potential for secondary infection with their bulk and method of disposal. She invented the GoGown™, a gown with an attached pouch into which the gown and gloves can be folded as they are removed. The resulting package is compact and leaves no contaminated surfaces exposed. With the help of Edison Nation Medical, GoGown has been licensed through Medline Industries, Inc. and is now on the market. Have Lounge, Will Travel— The widespread use of intermodal steel containers revolutionized global trade in the 1950s by packing cargo into large, durable containers that could go from boat to train to truck without disturbing the cargo. The problem is that the U.S. imports more of these containers than it exports. Once all the cargo reaches its destination, we are
Book ’Em—Fabi Preslar launched SPARK Enterprises from her house in 1998 as a traditional graphic design firm providing brand identity
Communicator
left with literally miles of empty steel containers. Shipping them back to their countries of origin is not cost-efficient, and melting them down to recycle the metal requires massive amounts of energy. Some time in the 1970s, someone (or several people around the globe) got the idea to transform these containers into building blocks for homes, shopping centers, and schools, and the shipping container architecture industry was born. The first United States patent for how to transform containers into building material was filed in 1987. In 2009, David Campbell created a new niche in the shipping container architecture business when he founded Boxman Studios. His company purchases decommissioned shipping containers and turns them into mobile, customizable, even rentable real estate. Want to have an eye-catching presence for your business at the next tailgate, festival, or trade show? Rent a mobile hospitality suite complete with a wide-screen TV and couches. Going on a nationwide marketing tour? Purchase or rent a pop-up showroom. The options are truly only limited by your imagination. And if your imagination is, well, stuck in the box, don’t worry—the fine folk at Boxman Studios have ideas aplenty and know how to make them happen.
Juan Garzón
Marketing Strategist The Garzón Company After spearheading a successful, global rebranding effort for health care market research firm WorldOne, Juan Garzón hung out his shingle to offer brand strategy and marketing consulting to small businesses. It’s not this young entrepreneur’s first time in business for himself though. While in college at Johnson & Wales University (for the business program, not cooking), Garzón developed an online platform to serve the niche market for manufactured home mortgages, an underserved sector.
Entrepreneur
effect is instantaneous and transformative, noting that the memories brought on by scents can often feel less like memory and more like something that is happening in the present, a powerful tool companies can use in their branding and marketing. Now a minority shareholder in the company, Martin lives in California where he’s channeling his endless curiosity and entrepreneurship in Aqueous Gold, a technology company pioneering a new cold distillation process.
David Campbell CEO Boxman Studios
A stock broker by trade, David Campbell moved to Charlotte in 1995 to seek new opportunities. He became interested in architecture and construction and started his first business, Acer Development, in 2004 with a focus on infill commercial real estate development. The shipping container architecture industry caught his interest in 2008. He saw an opportunity to create a unique user experience and founded Boxman Studios in 2009.
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packages (logos, business cards, and letterhead), brochures, signage, advertising layouts, and the like. The firm carved a niche in magazine design and production and became SPARK Publications in 2002. The earliest magazine clients, Pride and Loss Prevention, are still two of the firm’s key clients. As the recession dragged on, Preslar needed a new revenue stream to offset losses. Preslar had helped organizations produce books and decided to build on that strength. She began proactively marketing custom publishing to entrepreneurs and aspiring authors. The effort was successful, and the additional revenue helped SPARK Publications thrive through the recession. The firm is now celebrating sixteen years in business.
What You Can Do
Innovation has become a buzzword. Its widespread use is an attempt to reduce a complicated concept and process into sound bites. Clear directives better serve small businesses. If “innovate or die” feels too threatening and too much like pointless peer pressure, focus instead on these simple actions that can help you solve problems and create opportunities. Put people first, what they need and more importantly what they want. Business-to-business company owners especially must remember that human interaction drives their businesses. Constantly question how to transform core skills and services into new offerings, just as the companies above did. And don’t focus solely on improving
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your core products or services. Your business model, processes, customer experience, delivery methods—opportunities for improvement—exist in every aspect of your business. Allow yourself to be vulnerable. Release some control and let others take some ownership of the process. Build a culture that supports creativity, experimentation, and learning through failure. Such a culture demands trust and practice. “Creativity is a muscle that must be exercised and flexed,” says Fetscher. “It is only then that people will gain confidence in applying their inherent creativity to produce innovations for an organization. Over time, they will get better at applying creativity to better and more adventurous recommendations.” Teach and empower employees to notice and record what’s working, what isn’t working, and what isn’t even being addressed. Ask questions, listen hard, and
Never ... no, wait ... always judge a book by its cover. These custompublished books are just a few from the SPARK Publications catalog of work.
try on different roles to build empathic abilities. Determine your unique metrics for tracking progress and record those metrics consistently. And here’s the killer for lots of small business owners: if you can’t make it happen by yourself, ask for help. This article has mentioned just a few of the people who are ready and able to help you. Don’t let a great idea languish in your head for lack of time, personnel, or money. If it’s truly a great idea, the resources to make it real are out there. Melisa LaVergne is the resident word nerd at SPARK Publications, a design firm and publisher of b2bTRIBE. Connect with her on Twitter at @melisakl or @b2bTRIBE.
FOUR REASONS TO JOIN THE CHARLOTTE CHAMBER:
1 BUILD YOUR NETWORK OF STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS. 2 SHARE YOUR MESSAGE WITH MORE THAN 30,000* PEOPLE FOR JUST $50. 3 COMPETE TO WIN $25,000 FOR YOUR BUSINESS IN THE 2014 POWER UP CHAPTER CHALLENGE. 4 PROMOTE YOUR SPECIAL OFFERS TO MORE THAN 200,000 EMPLOYEES AT CHAMBER MEMBER COMPANIES THROUGH THE NEW CHAMBER APP. Is your business worth a $400 investment? Let’s talk. Contact at sales@charlottechamber.com or 704.378.1300. * Email subscribers to At the Charlotte Chamber weekly electronic newsletter.
ABOUT THE POWER UP CHAPTER CHALLENGE WHAT IS IT? The Power Up Chapter Challenge identifies promising entrepreneurs and small businesses, awards a prize package to one company in each chapter footprint and awards a grand prize to one finalist. Competitors are asked to present their businesses’ stories to chapter members. Presentations should identify issues faced in the attempt to grow and create jobs, and discuss successes and challenges along the way. Chapter members will select the winners.
WHAT ARE THE PRIZES AND BENEFITS? A cash prize and package of in-kind services from Charlotte Chamber member sponsors and Power Up partners will be awarded to each chapter-level winner. The grand prize will be an additional cash prize of $25,000 provided by Duke Energy.
HOW DO I PARTICIPATE? It’s free to participate! Members and nonmembers may apply to compete. Download the application online at charlottechamber.com/powerup. Contact Cherise Walker at cwalker@charlottechamber.com or 704.378.4106 with questions.
The Charlotte Chamber creates competitive advantage by growing the economy, advocating pro-business public policies and delivering innovative programs and services.
the tribe
Queen of the Lake 38
Pride in All She Does 31
Keeping It Real
Tight Knits
27
Mentorship in Motion 28
Finding Joy in the Word 30
Web Guy down the Hall 30
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The TRIBE Each issue of b2bTRIBE highlights a few of those worthy rebels described in The Manifesto on page 5. The common thread among the small business owners and entrepreneurs featured in this issue is their affiliation with SPARK Publications, a design firm that produces custom-published books and magazines, including this magazine. The natural bias aside, these individuals take a rightful place in the spotlight as they design and grow their enterprises.
Ghostwriter Takes the Podium
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Waltzes and Whinnies 37
Reinvention Is Spelled G-R-E-E-N 36
Journalist for Hire 33
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ifestyle L RN 36
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Bee Awesome
PARKly S Creative 32
Lou Solomon
Keeping It Real interactauthentically.com Lou Solomon’s entire life has been driven by communication—writing, speaking, listening, and connecting. She wrote her first piece in the fourth grade. After that, there was never a question that her first degree would be in journalism and communications. Solomon began her career in broadcasting in Nashville, Tennessee. She had a front-row seat to watch hundreds of new music artists come and go. She observed who made a pivotal connection and who couldn’t connect; who could move the fans to action and who couldn’t make impact; and who sustained influence and who had it briefly before losing it. An avid follower of the NPR style, Solomon went to work for an affiliate station. She eventually became a consultant for the local NPR station and other clients until she had a fateful opportunity to teach public speaking. “There I realized something was missing from the way speaking, presenting, and other business communication courses were being taught,” she says. In 2000, Solomon founded Interact, a development firm committed to authentic connection as the driving force and value of communication. Today she has a reputation as a coach with a unique gift for seeing her clients’ authentic styles and building on their strengths. She has discovered that the biggest impact occurs in unscripted moments, and she has been helping leaders create those moments as secret weapons. Words courtesy of interactauthentically.com Photo by Deborah Triplett Studio
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Reginald Bean
Mentorship In Motion 40-lessons.com Reginald Bean hails from the streets of Detroit, where he admits to participating in “unproductive behavior” as a teenager. Now a youth mentor, inspirational speaker, and multicultural marketing director for one of Charlotte’s venerated corporations, he recently launched into entrepreneurship with the release of his first book, Unfinished: 40 Lessons on Purpose, Self, and Becoming a Man, custompublished through SPARK Publications. Bean’s startup business, Ideas in Motion, partners with organizations that serve young people to offer self-awareness workshops and mentorship opportunities. He makes time for the business in the evenings and on weekends and plans to take the business full time when he retires from corporate life. Unfinished targets young men transitioning into adulthood and provides a series of stories and exercises to help them define their paths. The first chapter shares his motivation for writing the book, which includes the vital role he believes men play in the success or failure of families and communities: “The reality is we never set a goal to fail our families and communities. That’s never the goal to start with, but it happens. It happens with our lack of presence.” It’s no surprise that Bean puts a heavy emphasis on family time when he isn’t working. He, his wife (who took this photo), and their daughter enjoy playing board games together. Rather, they enjoy winning board games, and he enjoys smack talking. After a particularly stressful week, he likes to unwind on his motorcycle. It’s just him, his 2012 Victory Cross Country Tour motorcycle, and the open road with no iDevices demanding his attention. He has his eye on a Ducati Streetfighter 848 that he can one day open up on a racetrack. Whatever comes at him, you can always find Bean moving forward and adapting. And he’s transforming that lesson into a business of serving others. Photo by Shawn B Photography
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Lee McCracken
Finding Joy in the Word JoyfulleeWritten.com With her radiant smile, blonde tresses, and perky personality, you might think Lee McCracken has had an easy road. But like many artists, deep pain and disappointment fuel some of her best work. Late last year, this freelance writer and editor published her first book, A Prayer and a Pink Pedicure, which has already received critical acclaim with two national MARCOM Gold Awards. The book describes McCracken’s journey through motherhood, including the deaths of two children and the troubles of a teenage daughter, and a battle with breast cancer. Finally, she found joy and peace in her faith. Building her writing business and publishing the book has given new energy to McCracken’s career and opened up pathways to even more joyful writing opportunities and speaking engagements. Photo by Glenn Roberson Photography
Darryl Parker
The Web Guy Down the Hall ParkerWeb.com How do you thrive through a recession? One way is to refine your business to focus on a niche service or product. As the recession hit hard in late 2008, Darryl Parker saw that his six-year-old business, Parker Web, was already poised to transition from building websites to maintaining existing websites. The shift proved so effective that by 2012 building new websites was no longer part of the business plan. The company now strictly provides hosting, monitoring, and maintenance packages designed to keep websites current and relevant. In his downtime, Parker enjoys traveling and playing board games. He confesses to spending this past New Year’s Eve engrossed in a game of Settlers of Catan. “At least I was with my wife and friends!” 30 b2bTRIBE.com
Photo by Magen Portanova, Magen Marie Photography
Dee Dixon
Pride In All She Does pridemagazine.net Dee Dixon became an entrepreneur in 2001 when she established Pride Communications and purchased Pride Magazine from the Charlotte Observer. She quickly positioned the magazine as an important voice for the Queen City and launched a variety of public relations and marketing ventures via Pride Public Relations. In addition to producing six issues of the magazine each year, the company hosts the Pride Awards Gala and the Pride Sunset Jazz Series, two major events that promote diversity, cultural awareness, and charitable giving. Dixon is also active in the nonprofit world. Under the Pride umbrella, she founded PEEP (Pride Entrepreneur Education Program), which works to eliminate future socio-economic disparities in the African American community by promoting education, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship among youth ages ten to twenty-five. She also co-founded the Women’s Inter-Cultural Exchange (WIE), a nonprofit organization designed to build social capital and trust among women of all races. In addition to her role as a voice for the community, Dixon is a mother and grandmother who enjoys traveling. She has visited many exciting locales, including Egypt, Israel, South Africa, Peru, China, Ghana, Brazil, and India. Photo by Michael LoBiondo Photography
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Fabi Preslar
SPARKly Creative SPARKpublications.com Business as usual for Fabi Preslar means a careful eye for details, a healthy dose of whimsy, and a steadfast dedication to principles. Her mission is to help other entrepreneurs and businesses look good with beautifully crafted publications and marketing materials. But what’s the point in looking good if you aren’t having fun and staying true to your ideals. This attitude has helped Preslar grow and adapt her business, SPARK Publications, through several market and economic changes. And this summer, the company will celebrate its sweet-sixteen anniversary. “I go into every new client meeting with three key words in my pocket: intention, audience, and authenticity,” says Preslar. “Know what your goals are for your business and yourself. Know the audience you want to reach. And be your authentic self, and your audience will respond to your message. Those are the keys to my business, and they work for my clients as well, whether they’re authors, entrepreneurs, or corporate representatives.” These days, when she isn’t at work, Preslar and her husband are helping their daughter remodel her kitchen and dining room. “We make a trip to Lowe’s every weekend and snuggle up with heating pads every Sunday,” she says laughing. “The fifty-year-old, dark wood paneling and cabinets needed to come down.” And in case you’re wondering, Fabi rhymes with lady. 32 b2bTRIBE.com
Photo by Michael LoBiondo Photography
Constance Brossa Journalist for Hire FinalEdit.net
After spending more than a decade at the Charlotte Observer, Constance Holloway Brossa hung out her shingle in 1995 as an independent content provider. Over the years her clients have included regional magazines, trade publications, and corporations from various industries. One such client even gave her its highest honor, a Writer’s Excellence Award. All of her clients have one thing in common: the need for timely, effective storytelling, which Brossa delivers. When she isn’t writing or editing, Brossa enjoys cheering on her alma mater, the University of Georgia Bulldogs. She also enjoys the outdoors and has an adventurous streak. Want to know what it’s like to soar thousands of feet in the air on a hang glider? Ask Constance Brossa. Photo by Tiona Fuller Photography
Julie Bee
Bee Awesome BeeSmartSocialMedia.com When you need a smart social media strategy, turn to an accountant. Wait … what? It’s true. Julie Bee began her career as a tax accountant with one of the world’s largest professional services firms and holds a master’s in professional accountancy. She reinvented her career as an online marketing strategist in 2008 and launched BeeSmart Social Media in 2010. Her background, she says, helps her counsel clients on data-driven decisions. Bee’s engaging storytelling style no doubt helps her clients as well. Content is king in the online marketing world, and Bee says every brand has a story to tell. The key is merging smart analytics with measurable objectives and a personal touch. That strategy is paying off as Bee’s business keeps building. Photo by Jeff Cravotta Photography
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Tamela Rich
A Ghostwriter Takes the Podium TamelaRich.com The notion of a ghostwriter conjures images of a studious esthete comfortably working behind the scenes to craft another’s legend. This pale penman bears little resemblance to the motorcycle-riding, public-speaking, brightand-shining Tamela Rich. But there you have it—this modern ghostwriter wields a pen, a podium, a BMW motorcycle, and the limelight with equal dexterity. With a background in business development for insurance and financial services firms, Rich attended Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in her late thirties. While at Fuqua, Rich’s classmates often turned to her for project edits and write-ups. But she didn’t catch on to the potential of ghostwriting just yet. After graduation in 2000, she launched an industrial cleaning company that folded in 2006. Bereft after the business failure and feeling like she had nothing left to lose, she decided to try something crazy and launched her ghostwriting career. The risk paid off, and Tamela now has a thriving business. Her most recent project—Retirement GPS with Aaron Katsman of Lighthouse Capital—even included cover credit as a coauthor, a rare feat in the ghostwriting world. She published her own book, Live Full Throttle: Life Lessons from Friends Who Faced Cancer, in 2011 to document two cross-country motorcycle trips to raise money for breast cancer charities. It has won three national awards. Her ghostwriting services focus on nonfiction books, articles, presentations, and speeches for business and legal professionals. As a speaker for hire, Rich borrows from her life experiences to present engaging keynotes, after-dinner speeches, and workshops that are part entertaining story and part practical advice. She offers a range of topics including lessons learned from cancer patients, the difference between wants and needs, the importance of positive inner dialogue, the kindness of strangers, facing fear, and more. Photo by Christina Shook Photography
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Jim Cherry
Tight Knits CarolinaMade.com Though he’ll never retire, at least not of his own accord, Jim Cherry does enjoy spending downtime in his mountain retreat in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. His condo there is decorated with an 1850s theme, a time period he associates with individualism and self-reliance, when your word was your bond and handshakes were meaningful. His interior design preferences are symptomatic of his character and business style. Growing up, Cherry always wanted to own his own business. He craved the freedom of being his own boss and setting his own rules. After college and a brief stint in the US Navy, he got his chance. On his day off from working retail at Sears, he spotted a very colorful rug that he liked. It was a blind item, meaning that no one in the area had seen the item or knew what it cost. So he began selling the rug to retail stores and gift shops throughout the Carolinas and soon made more money moonlighting. He resigned from Sears and began traveling the East Coast selling rugs, handbags, and garment bags from the back of his truck in 1967. Forty-seven years later Carolina Made has graduated to 225,000 square feet of warehouse space in Indian Trail, North Carolina, from which it sells and distributes imprintable sportswear to screen printers, embroiderers, and other apparel companies. The secret to business longevity, Cherry says, is to sell quality products without overcharging, hire quality personnel, and never spend more money than you make. Now chairman of the board, Cherry recently handed over official reins to the company to his eldest son, Tripp. Two of his other five children and his sister also work for the company full time, and many of the staff members have been part of the team for their whole careers. Proving himself a master of puns as well as business, Cherry calls his wholesale apparel company a “tight-knit” group. Photo by Michael LoBiondo Photography
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Mary Buchan The Lifestyle RN MaryBuchan.com
Over fifteen years of working as a nurse in hospitals and community health clinics, Mary Buchan has heard all of the excuses for why people can’t live healthy, balanced lives. And she may have used a few of them herself along her journey to adulthood and through motherhood. Now, at “fifty or so,” she has published her first book, Over iT: How to Live Above Your Circumstances and Beyond Yourself. She has also launched a business offering worksite wellness workshops to corporations and life reinvention workshops to women in need of a little help navigating midlife changes. In addition to exercise and nutrition, Mary uses music to ground herself and feed her spirit. She even writes and performs her own music. Photo by Myra Wilson, The Wilson Way Photography
Terri Bennett
Reinvention is Spelled G-R-E-E-N TerriBennett.com After sixteen years as the first and only female chief meteorologist in the market, Emmy winner Terri Bennett lost her job. Once she worked through the grief, she decided not to look for a new contract and instead to transform and simplify her life. She launched Terri Bennett Enterprises, a media company specializing in all things green. Its signature brand, Do Your Part®,was launched in 2008 with the mission of creating healthier homes, healthier families, and a healthier planet. It offers syndicated, eco-friendly content to news outlets. In addition to advocating for green living, Bennett’s passion is teaching. She shares her wisdom on the speaker circuit as an expert on green living, entrepreneurship, and fresh starts. You might also find her at a local school captivating students with science. Photo by Sean Lyon, Lyon Pictures
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Angela Prince
Waltzes and Whinnies linkedin.com/afprince28105 On weekdays, you might find Angela Prince at her computer hard at work providing public relations services to her clients. At night, you might find her in the dance studio practicing her ballroom moves. On the weekends, you might find her exercising one of her two horses stabled at her farm along with fifteen other horses. From boardroom to ballroom to paddock, Prince has the skills and grace to get the job done. Her business, AF Prince Associates, is a twenty-fiveyear-old public relations and marketing firm serving the real estate development, sports, and entertainment industries. One of her top clients is USA Dance, Inc., for which she serves as publisher and editor in chief of American Dancer Magazine (a membership publication with 20,000 subscribers) and national public relations director. Photo courtesy of USA Dance
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Sharon Simpson Queen of the Lake lncurrents.com
When your children grow up and leave your nest quiet and empty, it’s time to shag. Just ask Sharon Simpson, native Charlottean and publisher of Lake Norman CURRENTS. She and her husband took up shag dancing, the official state dance for both North Carolina and South Carolina, eight years ago after their son was grown and out on his own. They’ve been dancing ever since, spending quality time together going to dance parties and making new friends among shag enthusiasts throughout the Carolinas. Simpson began her career straight out of high school as a classified ad sales rep for the Charlotte Observer. Over the next thirtyplus years, she was promoted through the magazine division and eventually became the director of targeted publications. Following layoffs at the newspaper in 2008, a group of investors encouraged Simpson to launch a magazine focusing on unique characteristics of the Lake Norman area. Simpson recruited her former coworkers to work on the new magazine with her. Thus Venture Magazines, LLC and Lake Norman CURRENTS were born. Venture Magazines now publishes three monthly or bimonthly magazines and four annual magazines. Her secret to business success is developing strong relationships. “If you love what you do, you need to share it with others,” Simpson says. “It’s really important to show people how much you appreciate and value them.” She applies this basic principle to relationships with employees, colleagues, friends, and vendors, and says it’s the key to her leadership. While the nest is still empty––no grandbabies on the way just yet––Simpson and her husband have adopted two dachshunds that have become like children to them. The fur-babies, Barkley and Bailey, are regular companions on the couple’s travels. Photo by Glenn Roberson Photography
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Q
What is the kookiest entrepreneurial idea you ever had? Perhaps more importantly, did you act on it?
“I’ve always thought it would be interesting if there were a Geek Olympics. It could include competitions in games (chess, Scrabble, etc.), intellect (trivia, match, etc.), skill (Rubik’s cube solving, lock picking, etc.), as well as video games, card games, and dork sports (ultimate Frisbee, cornhole, laser tag, etc.). Someone should do this. The advertising opportunities would be endless.”
– Adam Holden-Bache, Mass Transmit, masstransmit.com
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“After almost twenty years in business with one niche and a tanking economy, it was time to launch an added line of business: truck drivers. Road Dog Drivers was born four years ago and is growing at more than 50 percent per year since inception. That crazy idea worked!”
Tana Greene, Strataforce, strataforce.com
“When I was younger I spent my fair share of time riding my bike. I would often try to attach my boom box with a bungie cord or some type of tie-down strap and plan to make a bike that included mini speakers built into the handle bars. Kids today have iPods and earphones that replace my grand idea.”
– Reginald Bean, Ideas in Motion, 40-lessons.com
“I remember watching a segment of Sixty Minutes with rapt attention as an artist used snails to paint on a canvas. Actually, he was pulling in a wad of cash with his snail art. Why not give it a try? ... The snails were too small to dip in paint and didn’t seem to understand what I was asking them to do. Besides that, touching the snails simply grossed me out. … I think I’ll just let that one go.”
– Catherine Plough, freelance writer
“In 1988, I got the idea to prove my value as a breakthrough catalyst by setting up an international speaking tour for sport psychologist Dr. Jim Loehr—on a handshake, on my own money, living on $25 a week on a friend’s sofa in Dusseldorf, Germany, for eight months, speaking only English, and with zero corporate contacts. I wrote an instructions manual for the cities’ representatives and booked five venues on the first run; it sold out. The success led IMG (the largest sports agency in the world) to offer me the position of vice president of international promotions of sport science at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, where Loehr was based. There, I managed his marketing, publications, and client relations; created three additional European and Asian tours; got my Green Card; and met my future wife. In 1990, we helped Gabriela Sabatini with the U.S. Open Championships, and all our lives changed forever. We moved to a larger tennis facility, coached many more world-class athletes to victory, and started lecturing regularly at corporations.”
– Carlos Salum, Salum International Resources, Inc., saluminternational.com
“Back in the early ‘80s my wife and I considered developing a fish camp-style vacation destination consisting of several small cabins on a lake where we would live on site while promoting the location to outdoors-oriented families. We did not do it.”
– Jack Trlica, Loss Prevention magazine, LPportal.com
“Run an all-women lawn service company! Not yet! Stay tuned.”
– Sonya Barnes, Harris & Barnes Image Consulting, harris-barnes.com
“Thirty years ago, I had an idea I was going to call Accountability Inc. I never did anything with it, thinking that people probably really wouldn’t want to pay someone to nag them. Turns out, it was the ‘coaching’ concept that took hold years later.”
– Denise Altman, Altman Initiative Group, Inc., altmaninitiative.com
“Create a Joy Jingle app that sends inspiring or uplifting audio messages or music clips. I haven’t implemented it. I need to have the money to get this done!”
– Lee McCracken, Joyfullee Written, joyfulleewritten.com
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“My kookiest entrepreneurial idea was a mobile barbering service, which I did act upon. It became a successful enterprise during my high school and college years.”
– Dave Washington, DW Designs, dwdesigns.biz
“My mother-in-law needed some kind of elevation when sitting in most chairs, especially in restaurants, and she gave me the idea of creating a specialty booster seat specifically for the elderly. I did some research but didn’t move forward with the idea.”
– Douglas Grant, Ethos Business Advisors, Inc., EthosBusinessAdvisors.com
“My brother and I wanted to patent a seat that flips up from a truck tailgate, making for the most comfortable tailgating experience around! Imagine the concerts and sporting events I would have to attend to promote it. We haven’t done it yet, and you’re not allowed to steal my idea.”
– Drew Porcello, PivotPR, pivotpublicrelations.com
– Angela Prince, AF Prince Associates Public Relations/ Marketing afprince.com
“I had a business card titled ‘What Do You Want?’ It was fun until people started calling me for illegal activities.”
– Noelle de Atley, Creative Thinking Group LLC, creativetinkers.com
“Shortly after graduating from college (prior to the days of social media) I developed the idea of Props Trading Cards with one of my best friends. We thought if athletes can have trading cards, why can’t everyday people who do amazing things have trading cards. Or a person could hand out a trading card like a business card to give some depth beyond a name, title, and phone number. It was an opportunity for people to share stories about themselves and why they deserve props, either from a good deed, an accomplishment, or just an entertaining story. It was going to take a decent amount of time and up-front capital to go the route of selling them without sponsorship, and we were concerned about the sponsor just taking the idea without compensating us, so it just remained a fun idea to discuss while having a few beers.”
– Stacey Moore, Inside Tailgating magazine, insidetailgating.com
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“When I was five years old, I wanted to sell washed worms. I had created all of the marketing campaign materials—flyers for the mailboxes, cute sign for the yard, neat packaging. (I was destined to be a marketing and PR person even then.) I didn’t get very far, actually not even to the curb in front of my house. That was when my mother put her foot down and wouldn’t let me market worms or dig them up any longer. It was the only time she ever said no to my kooky ideas.”
“When I was eight, I had an idea for a system that allowed trees to grow in individual containers or pots. These containers would come in different sizes to accommodate any tree size. The containers would be attached to an electrical track control system that ran underground, on predefined paths, complete with a specialized irrigation system. This would allow people to move their trees around their yards, whenever they wanted, for different landscaping looks. I have not acted on this idea. Yet.”
– Julie Bee, Bee Smart Social Media, beesmartsocialmedia.com
“I have two. One was to create an online money game where people could compete to create the greatest amount of wealth given a certain set of circumstances—like chess but for financial strategies. I did talk with people about it but found that games do not really produce a lot of income, and it would be very time-consuming to design it. The second idea was to create a series of children’s books about different jobs. This came from my granddaughter, Cassy. She wanted to know how old she would have to be to come work for me. I asked her why. She said, ‘Because if I worked for you, I wouldn’t have to go home when you go to work.’ Good answer! That made me think that it would be fun to have books about kids going to work with family members and learning about the types of jobs that are available. I feel there is a big gap in our education process in both areas: money management and job awareness.”
– Deborah Peterson, Money Counts, moneycounts.biz
“Back in the early ‘90s I got a wild hair to reinvent the umbrella after watching people struggle opening and closing the model we all know. I thought what if you were to reverse it—push the slide and web forward instead? That would prevent door catches and all the water droplets would be encased inside. It made sense to me. Somewhere I dropped the obsession. Since then, I’ve seen similar notions on shows like Shark Tank. I still have the sketches somewhere in the attic. I think about it when it rains.“
“Replacing our four video editing workstations in our edit suite with doggie day-care stations because the need for high-quality pet services is exploding, and I don’t think that market is saturated yet. After careful consideration, we decided to stick with what we know—creating great video marketing projects for our clients.”
“When I was a little girl I loved watching Rin Tin Tin and Lassie. I always wanted a dog like that. When our kids were half grown, we got a fluffy mutt named Radar from the dog pound. I spent a lot of time training Radar because she was so smart. I had started taking portfolio shots for a talent agency, and one day asked them if they ever needed dogs. I brought a photo of Radar in, and a few months later they cast her in a commercial. The next time they had a call for a dog, Radar needed to ‘audition,’ but she was also the only one with experience and got the job. During her career she made 18 commercials, including one with Macaulay Culkin the summer before Home Alone came out. For a while, my dog’s credits were better than my own. She was truly a star.”
– Donna Jernigan Meinhold, Moments by Donna, momentsbydonna.com
– Russ Gill, Professional Communications LLC, Professional Communications.com
– Nathan Richie NR Creative Group, NRcreative.com
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b2bSOLUTIONS
Are You Focused on Your Strengths? by Darryl N. Parker Jr., BSIT, i-Net+ If website maintenance tasks are not your core business, why are you doing them? As a successful web designer or online strategist, your client base has grown. You are likely spending more time fielding client website maintenance requests such as plugin updates or form submissions. You know how the online world ticks, so you figure out the solutions and do the little one-off tasks. Sometimes you bill for it; sometimes you don’t. By tackling these easy requests, you feel helpful and valuable.
Little Tasks Have Hidden Costs
Every moment you spend doing these one-off tasks is a moment you no longer have to focus on your strengths. You start to wonder why revenue is down, your job satisfaction is waning, and you are busier than ever. Even worse, your clients begin to question why you are not quite the competent professional they hired as they experience lagging response times and your sour mood. The little tasks done with good
intentions have, instead of shoring up your relationship, begun to whittle away at it. This creeping normalcy has been the ruin of many fine creative and strategic thinkers.
We partner with creative shops to help them focus on their strengths while we focus on ours. Website Maintenance Is Task Focused
Since 1996, I have experienced the difficulties of customer service beyond the initial project build. My paycheck was dependent on my next build and not some disruptive task. But in 2008, I discovered a different perspective. We phased out website builds, internet marketing, and application
Darryl Parker, general manager of Parker Web Services
development. We retooled our operation and developed back office systems to power a new kind of business. By 2012, we had completely committed to providing high-quality customer experiences for a new kind of service: website maintenance.
Partner with Professionals Parker Web is not a project shop. We’re a task shop. We’re uniquely designed and tuned to make those little website maintenance requests into exceptional and profitable experiences. We partner with creative shops to help them focus on their strengths while we focus on ours. And that’s a good thing for everybody. To learn more, for case studies, or for references, reach out to us at www.parkerweb.com
parkerweb.com darryl@parkerweb.com 877.321.2251 222 S. Church St., Suite 300 Charlotte, NC 28202
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feel
recharge?
How do you
“My husband, Nelson, and I head outdoors. We both close up shop regularly at noon on Friday. We plan almost every weekend to go away kayaking, hiking, or camping. Sure, we take our phones, but it’s only to share photos of our adventures on our Facebook page (U-Turns with Yukon and Bean). We both are happier and more motivated to work hard during the week knowing we’ll have the weekend OFF. We’ve done it together for the past three years, and I’ve done it pretty much the entire time I’ve owned my business (since 2003). I find both kayaking and hiking to be like moving meditations, and I emerge from nature more grounded, balanced, peaceful, and joyful. And I highly recommend EVERYONE find their ‘thing’ and make some room every single weekend to go do it!” – Angie Mattson Stegall, Your Organized Guide, yourorganizedguide.com 46 b2bTRIBE.com
“A trip to the beach, anytime of year. The sound of the waves, the crowds (or lack of them in winter), and the smell of New Jersey pizza—it all reminds me of growing up and relaxes these old bones. Of course, searching for a small BBQ joint also works.” – Michael LoBiondo, Michael LoBiondo Photography, mlobiondo.com “Just being with family and friends is time off to me. I love to walk the beaches with a sweatshirt, sit in a chair and read without anywhere to be, and eat great food and enjoy a good bottle of wine. I love to float in water. I love to create any type of art. (My favorite is oil painting.) Having nowhere to be or nothing to do creates the space to be … when in that space peace and joy are present. It’s at this time that all thoughts become clear. I need clarity to run and grow a business and give back to my family.” – Tana Greene, Strataforce, strataforce.com
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photo by Sofi Preslar
“I am a compulsive knitter; I even knit at stoplights when I’m driving a car. It’s a meditative exercise that results in beautiful things that I can either use myself or gift to others. People often say, ‘Oh, you should sell your work,’ but they have no idea how much a hand-knit item of mine would cost. I use Merino and cashmere wool, silk, and other fabulous fibers; some of my creations take hundreds of hours to finish.” – Tamela Rich, ghostwriter and public speaker, tamelarich.com
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“Soak up the environment of someplace new so I re-gain perspective. In the past, backpacking in the Cimarron Range, a subrange of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico at the Boy Scouts’ Philmont reserve. It was a way to get away from cell phones, electric lights, and traffic. The hikers carry what they need and make camp around the range that relatively few people have seen. These days, being able to escape 100 percent somewhere and enter a new place is a treat. Doing that in Italy (I gave my cell phone to someone else during that time) and Kenya (I went to the western province near Uganda, a place on the map of the world at night where there are no lights) were both terrific experiences. Invariably, when coming back to home I wonder, ‘And what was it that had me so concerned when I left? Can’t remember.’” – Scott Carlberg, E4 Carolinas, e4carolinas.org
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“During my time off, I love taking mini vacations that include spa services. I’m a true spa buff! Deep tissue massages and facials—I’m all over it! Spa services allow me to say, ‘Time out,’ so I can reflect, relax, and recharge for the next task at hand. Great therapy!” – Dave Washington, DW Designs, dwdesigns.biz
“A quick recharge is a long, slow bike ride. I usually get in ten to fifteen miles with stops at various places like the post office or bank. An ‘I’m tired of the work week’ recharge is a fast from displays: no computers, no television, no phones, no displays whatsoever. This usually happens on Sundays and winds up with church services, some hours alone reading or working in the garage, and cooking with the family. An ‘I’m tired of this whole business’ recharge is usually twice a year where the family and I get out of town for two to four weeks, and the business takes a backseat to time with my family and experiencing new things.” – Darryl Parker, Parker Web, parkerweb.com
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“I often just go outdoors, take a walk, or drive somewhere for fifteen minutes. Or when I have more time, especially on weekends, I ride my horse. If I’m escaping indoors, I’ll go to dance practice or just play the piano.” – Angela Prince, AF Prince Associates Public Relations/Marketing, afprince.com
“I have a routine: I read and write for several hours enjoying Illy espresso while I listen to jazz piano trios. Then I play tennis and work out, in that order. Later, I might take a walk with my wife in a forest, followed by afternoon tea and a brainy movie. It helps me integrate all my passions into one juicy bundle.” – Carlos Salum, Salum International Resources, Inc., saluminternational.com
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Q What’s your go-to lunch?
“I very seldom eat lunch alone. Lunch is one of those times when you can talk with the various people in your life. Getting and giving feedback on small ideas and directions professionally and personally are what keep you from operating in a vacuum. So I tend to eat wherever that person would like to eat because the food matters much less than the company.”
– Darryl Parker, Parker Web, parkerweb.com
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“Pink Floyd sushi roll at Room 112 downstairs in our building. It’s convenient and delicious.”
– Michelle Menard, Choice Translating, choicetranslating.com
“Most days find me at Panera because of the quality food and Internet access, so I can read the news on the USA Today iPad app.”
– Jack Trlica, Loss Prevention magazine, LPportal.com
“I try not to break for lunch. I have found that having to make so many decisions throughout a day is taxing enough, and then comes the where-are-we-going and what-are-we-eating. I bring almonds, a yogurt, soup, or a salad and some kind of fruit. That takes one decision away, and it helps me control my girlish figure.”
– Tana Greene, Strataforce, strataforce.com
“My favorite place is one of my earliest memories—White Castle in the Chicago area. It’s a northern comfort food. It’s the only place where it is acceptable to eat eight burgers at one time. We just won’t say anything to the doctor about this part of the diet. Traveling with business people where there is a White Castle is nervewracking. I want to ask to stop at White Castle. I secretly think they do, too. My ‘best clients’ have understood the craving.” – Scott Carlberg, E4 Carolinas, e4carolinas.org
“Sesame herbed kale from Earthfare with a scoop of tuna salad. It’s yummy and healthy and fills me up with great greens!”
–Sonya Barnes, Harris & Barnes Image Consulting, harris-barnes.com
“I work close to Phat Burrito in South End. I’m there way more than I probably should be. Always best to beat the lunchtime crowd and go before 11:45.”
– Drew Porcello, PivotPR, pivotpublicrelations.com
“For me, lunch is a bit of an irritation. Typically I don’t want to break but do so because of our dog that most certainly does want a break. Convenience is the key. A quick bowl of soup (Italian wedding if it’s handy) is perfect. A hot beverage, coffee or cider, transitions me back to work mode.”
“Peanut butter and jelly because it’s fast.”
– Emory Simmons, CMIT Solutions of South Charlotte, cmitsolutions.com/south-charlotte
– Catherine Plough, freelance writer
“Leftovers because it is easy and economical, and it was ingrained in me at an early age not to waste food.”
– Julie Bee, Bee Smart Social Media, beesmartsocialmedia.com
“My go-to lunch is the Tasmanian Devil Roll from Cowfish Burger and Sushi Bar.”
– Reginald Bean, Ideas in Motion, 40-lessons.com
“Usually a piping-hot bowl of soup because it requires slowing down the sometimes hectic pace of my day to enjoy it.”
– Russ Gill, Professional Communications LLC, ProfessionalCommunications.com
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“Anything on the menu at Luna’s Living Kitchen, the best vegan restaurant in Charlotte, for all the right reasons, including love-and-art-as-food. Working regularly in Zurich, Switzerland, I’m exposed to some of the most fabulous food in the world, yet Luna’s fundamental simplicity and elegance energize me like no other choice. And I meet there with artist John W. Love Jr., for our regular creative jolts, a dear friend and colleague.”
– Carlos Salum, Salum International Resources, Inc., saluminternational.com
“Sushi. For the most part, it’s healthy, fairly fast, and it rarely makes you feel over-full. Plus for lunch you can get it much cheaper than in the evenings.”
– Adam Holden-Bache, Mass Transmit, masstransmit.com
“I keep yogurt and protein bars at my office. I don’t like to take time to go to lunch. But my favorite food, by far, is salad. I love vegetables and lots of color mixed together with any type of vinaigrette dressing.”
– Deborah Peterson, Money Counts, moneycounts.biz
“My go-to lunch is Italian (lasagna, salad, chicken Parmesan) from Hawthorne’s or Open Kitchen. Pasta tends to be a great source of energy for me, plus the taste is incredible.”
– Dave Washington, DW Designs, dwdesigns.biz
“My go-to lunch is so dependant on my location. My office is my vehicle. I move about and have some favorites, depending where I am in town. But it is not about the food; it’s about the company! However, I can be swayed by ease of parking and driving distance between my guest and me. Lately, I love fresh vegetables steamed, grilled, or raw. I carry my protein shake in a shaker cup and supplement. I can usually get that anywhere! I love The Palm for business and a wonderful way to impress. The place has a cool vibe, great service, excellent parking, and location, plus the prices are astoundingly reasonable for lunches—very cool place to go and a favorite for business lunches when shaker cups won’t do!”
– Terri Deboo, Ideas@Work
“I love a great salad and anything with bleu cheese dressing. Firebirds, Panera Bread, Harper’s, even EarthFare.”
– Angela Prince, AF Prince Associates Public Relations/Marketing, afprince.com
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“I’m based out of my home office a lot. My ‘go-to’ is often an old-fashion grilled Colby/pepper jack cheese sandwich with ham or turkey in the middle. I like it smashed down really flat with plenty of butter to get that tasty edge. I’m also a soup guy. Year-round it takes care of the hunger pains and fuels me up.”
– Nathan Richie NR Creative Group, NRcreative.com
by William McKee
As a freshman in college, I had the fortunate experience to hear August Turak speak on campus, and he profoundly influenced the next four years of my life. His recent book, Business Secrets of the Trappist Monks, continues to call me to the challenge of seeking the knowledge to lead a life worth living.
Search for Meaning
on Christmas morning as a new man. While all three forms are necessary, confusing one for another leads to undesirable outcomes. A common example would be eating for comfort rather than sustenance. Turak makes a powerful argument that what we really seek in much of our hustle and bustle is actually a transformation of being, not condition or circumstance.
“The problem with life is that it must be lived forward and only understood backward,” writes Turak. Thankfully, mentors, books, and spiritual teachings can provide support and guidance for us as we go about understanding our own lives. During my college years, Turak played that role for me during my own search for meaning. While many books have been written about the Trappist Way, very few have explored the highly successful business methodologies that the monks have preserved and prospered by for centuries. Turak shares eleven business lessons that he learned from his time at Mepkin Abbey. The messages are applicable to both business and personal life. Like Turak, his book will challenge Are we ready to make the you to risk taking the hero’s journey and commitments necessary for such a to become transformed in the process. transformation? Or do we hope that an outside force like Mr. Scrooge’s ghosts Transformation will goad us into changing? In either Life can be defined as a series of case, a teacher can only show us the transformations—from conception door; it’s up to us to walk through it. to birth, childhood to puberty, young Service & Selflessness adult to middle age, and from old Many books have been written about age to death. Turak identifies the following three types of transformation: the power of giving and how our own transformation of condition, e.g., when best interests are served by putting a thirsty man drinks; transformation of selfish objectives aside for the greater good. We reap that which we sow. circumstance, e.g., when a poor man Through personal experiences and hits the lottery; and transformation of being, e.g., when Mr. Scrooge wakes up stories about monastic life, Turak
shows how this lesson lies at the heart of Trappist business success. This code of behavior is not about sacrificing growth and profitability for some abstract and elusive “common good.” It’s not about dismantling capitalism but rather transcending the inherent limitations in the model.
book review
Transforming Business
Commitment to Quality
During Turak’s time with the monks, the monastery transitioned to a new business model. Through their commitment to excellence and trust in the process, they survived novice mistakes and created an even more successful business. However, their measure of success is beyond the numbers. In their effort to live for a higher purpose, they look at their business as a means to a higher end. And, through prayer and meetings, they make time to attend to the end as well as the means.
Pass it On
How would you change your words and deeds if you expected your business to carry on for 500 or 1,000 years? Turak calls us to the challenge of thinking beyond our individual biases and selfish desires to aim past the target, to look beyond short-term gains, and be open to “happy accidents.”
What makes’m an expert: William McKee Knowmad
William McKee is a founding partner of Knowmad. As a web architect and Internet business consultant, he is passionate about applying business knowledge and technical expertise to deliver solutions that advance business online. William was a student of August Turak at UNC Chapel Hill.
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save the dates
Broaden your brain; build your business.
Almost any event calendar rendered in print in a long-lead publication (like this one) is out of date before the magazine hits the stands. Too many details are still subject to change: times and dates get nudged to accommodate big-name keynote speakers; even bigger-name speakers sign on; venues change to fit smalleror bigger-than expected attendance; or, most unfortunate of all, events get canceled. So pencil these learning and networking events on your calendar and check the websites for confirmed details.
August 2014 Thursday, August 7 Power Up Chapter Challenge - Ballantyne Chapter Location to be determined The Charlotte Chamber’s Power Up Chapter Challenge identifies promising entrepreneurs and small businesses and awards $25,000 to a grand prize winner. Each chamber chapter selects one finalist to compete in the finale in November. charlottechamber.com/events Friday, August 15 Charlotte Chamber Health Care Summit The Westin Charlotte Attendees will hear from health care industry leaders and experts and have opportunities to engage in discussion on how health care impacts their businesses. The event attracts various professionals, from attorneys and consultants to physicians, insurers, and providers. charlottechamber.com/events
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Dates to be determined NC IDEA Fall 2014 Grant Cycle begins NC IDEA is a nonprofit organization that provides early funding for promising high-growth companies in North Carolina, focusing on information technology, medical diagnostics and devices, material sciences, and green technologies. ncidea.org
September 2014 September 18-19 Think Like an Artist Innovation Institute at McColl Center This two-day program is designed to help individuals find their inner artist, disrupt the status quo, challenge assumptions, embrace uncertainty, and overcome traditional challenges through nontraditional means. mccollcenter.org Tuesday, September 23 Power Up Chapter Challenge Metro Chapter The Westin Charlotte The Charlotte Chamber’s Power Up Chapter Challenge identifies promising entrepreneurs and small
businesses and awards $25,000 to a grand prize winner. Each chamber chapter selects one finalist to compete in the finale in November. charlottechamber.com/events Thursday, September 25 University City Taste The Shoppes at University Place The Charlotte Chamber University City Chapter hosts this annual, outdoor event to showcase businesses in the University City area. It features live music, paddle boat rides, and delicious samples from area restaurants. charlottechamber.com/events
October 2014 Tuesday, October 8 FailCon Charlotte Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte Presented locally by the Business Innovation & Growth (BIG) council, this one-day conference is for entrepreneurs, investors, developers, designers, and even corporate suits who want to nurture a fail-forward state of mind. charlotte.thefailcon.com
Tuesday, October 21 Power Up Chapter Challenge East Chapter The VanLandingham Estate The Charlotte Chamber’s Power Up Chapter Challenge identifies promising entrepreneurs and small businesses and awards $25,000 to a grand prize winner. Each chamber chapter selects one finalist to compete in the finale in November. charlottechamber.com/events
November 2014 Date & location to be determined Financing Growth for Companies with $10 to $100 Million Revenue presented by Business Innovation & Growth (BIG) bigcouncil.com Thursday, November 6 Autumn FoodFest Location to be determined The Charlotte Chamber SouthWest Chapter hosts this annual, outdoor event to showcase businesses in the southwest Charlotte area. Attendees are treated to delicious samples from area restaurants while networking with business neighbors. charlottechamber.com/events November 7-8 Think Like an Artist Innovation Institute at McColl Center This two-day program is designed to help individuals find their inner artist, disrupt the status quo, challenge assumptions, embrace uncertainty, and overcome traditional challenges through non traditional means. mccollcenter.org Friday, November 14 Charlotte Chamber Energy Summit Location to be determined The growth of the energy sector continues to power the local economy. Last year’s Energy Summit addressed the roles that clean and safe energy, technology, and government play in the
future of the industry. Attendees heard from leaders, including those in the coal, gas, and nuclear fields, and learned about sustainability efforts as related to environmental responsibility. charlottechamber.com/events Thursday, November 20 Power Up Chapter Challenge Grand Finale Label Charlotte Help determine which of the seven finalists will win the Power Up Chapter Challenge grand prize of $25,000. charlottechamber.com/events
December 2014 Tuesday, December 2 Charlotte Chamber Annual Meeting NASCAR Hall of Fame With 2,000 or more people in attendance each year, the chamber’s annual meeting is among the largest businessrelated events in the area. Expect to hear from business and government leaders about the state of the local economy and what the chamber is doing to impact it. During the networking portion of the event, stuff your face with delicious heavy hors d’oeuvres or put on your game face and say hello to the region’s top movers and shakers. charlottechamber.com/events Monday-Tuesday, December 8-9 SBA Advanced Proposal Preparation and Development Workshop CPCC, Hall Professional Development Building This workshop includes two days of lecture, discussion, extensive hands-on class exercises, and homework. Participants will build on prior experience to make informed bid/no-bid decisions, develop a technical proposal response to a sample solicitation, develop a pricing estimate for a sample solicitation, present an oral presentation of their proposal, and more. Attendees must have working knowledge and experience with
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basic acquisition processes, federal government solicitations, basics of technical and price proposal preparation, federal source selection processes, and applicable Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). ncmbc.us/calendar.php
January 2015 Tuesday, January 13 Funding Startup and Early Stage Companies UNC Charlotte Center City, Large Auditorium Learn about various funding channels available to start-ups, including bootstrap, crowdfunding, seed and angel investors, venture capital, and grants. bigcouncil.com
February 2015 Date and location to be determined The YPs The Charlotte Chamber Young Professionals present these annual awards to recognize up-
Certified Public Accountants Celebrating 25 years of serving small business owners in the greater Charlotte & Monroe region Services Income taxes Audit and accounting Consulting
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and-coming business leaders ages twenty-one to twenty-nine. charlottechamber.com/events
March 2015 Date and location to be determined Lake Norman Chamber Business EXPO Meet the businesses in and around the Lake Norman area. Date to be determined Business Showcase The Park Expo and Conference Center The Charlotte Chamber East Chapter hosts this annual, business-tobusiness trade show in partnership with the Greater Charlotte Hospitality and Tourism Alliance. More than 1,200 people and 150 exhibitors attend the event each year. charlottechamber.com/events
Date and location to be determined Global Competitiveness Summit and Advanced Manufacturing Awards The Charlotte Business Journal partners with Central Piedmont Community College to present this annual summit and awards program to focus on strengthening a globally competitive workforce for our region. bizjournals.com/charlotte Date and location to be determined Forty Under Forty Each year the Charlotte Business Journal recognizes forty of the region’s best and brightest professionals under the age of forty. bizjournals.com/charlotte
Do you have a first quarter 2015 event designed to help small businesses owners? Please send the event date, name, location, brief description, and website address to editor@b2bTRIBE.com.
What will YOU build? * Serving low-income families since 1989 * Over 100 homes built * Dedicated to serving 25 new families in the next 5 years * Monetary gifts and ReStore donations help build homes * Serving Matthews, Mint Hill & Stallings Shop! Donate! Volunteer! 704.847.4266 habitatmatthews.org
Fabi Preslar is a deep introvert playing the role of an extrovert in the game of life. She creates unique projects from her sparkly desk that pull her into public excitement. b2bTRIBE magazine is one of her most recent creative endeavors with the big purpose to fill a promotional (and networking) gap for many local small business owners. In 1998 Preslar launched SPARK Publications, which specializes in creative design and production of creative content, magazines, catalogs, custompublished books, and marketing materials.
photography by Michael LoBiondo and SPARK Publications
Melisa LaVergne, who wrote many of the words in this magazine, struggled with her own bio. Her co-worker Merissa did the dirty work: “Every good publishing team needs a word hero, and LaVergne is ours. She will dazzle you with wit, dance skills, and her ability to use a semicolon correctly. She not only is an accomplished writer and editor but also has a fail-proof plan for when the zombies come. No one is more of a badass than LaVergne except maybe Batman. Let’s face it—there is no bigger badass than Batman, even if he doesn’t have LaVergne’s sweet dance moves or understanding of AP and Chicago styles.” It’s mostly accurate. Want to explode Larry Preslar’s brain? Leave a trail of nifty iGadgets in one direction and a trail of peanut M&Ms and coffee in the other direction and make him choose a path. He serves as the creative director for SPARK Publications overseeing all creative and production elements for design projects, and handles the firm’s IT operations. Before joining his lovely wife in business (yes, SPARK Publications is a family affair), he served as creative director at the Charlotte Observer in its magazine division for more than twenty-four years.
staff
b2bTRIBE
was lovingly created by the core in-house talent at SPARK Publications, the magazine’s parent company. This team (the SPARKlers) is a talented and quirky bunch that likes to work hard, laugh loudly, and dance like no one is watching. Merissa Jones is a six-foot-tall redhead who wears six-inch stilettos unapologetically and slings witticisms faster than a speeding bullet. With an extensive background in magazine production, including more than eight years at Sporting News, Jones specializes in speedy, beautiful layouts for SPARK Publications’ magazine clients. She also designs marketing materials and handles several book projects. In her spare time, Jones designs custom jewelry to augment her personal style and to sell to boutiques. Notably, you will never see Jones and Batman in the same room. Sofi Preslar wrangles creative
minds for fun and profit. In other words, she provides project tracking, production support, and customer service at SPARK Publications. In her spare time, she tutors young children in reading and study skills. She rounds out the Preslar trifecta that drives the firm forward. When she isn’t helping to keep creative minds organized, she can often be found snuggling with her furbaby, Xena the Warrior Princess Dog, or rocking out at a concert.
Want to become a SPARKler? We’re growing our team to meet our clients’ needs. If you’re interested in joining the SPARKlers, contact us at info@sparkpublications.com.
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save the dates
Where to Find Great Business Events usiness Innovation and B Growth (bigcouncil.com), also known as BIG, is a membership organization for high-growth entrepreneurs. It offers monthly learning opportunities.
The Charlotte Business Journal (bizjournals.com/ charlotte/calendar/) hosts a series of events and, for a charge, lists community business events on its website.
harlotte Business Resources C (charlottebusinessresources.com) is a partnership of several public and private organizations in the area that serve small businesses. The site offers information on
Professional associations offer outstanding opportunities for learning and networking. And many of them are open to business owners, even if they don’t have experience in the field. Marketing and public relations associations, in particular, may be useful for business owners seeking tips and advice for running their businesses. Each of the associations listed below hosts monthly events with networking and knowledgeable speakers. American Advertising Federation of Charlotte e Women Network – (ewomennetwork.com) (aafcharlotte.com) Social Media Charlotte (facebook.com/social. B usiness Marketing Association Carolinas media.charlotte) Chapter (bmacarolinas.org) P ublic Relations Society of America – Charlotte Charlotte American Marketing Association Chapter (prsacharlotte.org) (charlotteama.com) The Small Business Center at Central I nternational Association of Business Piedmont Community College offers regular Communicators (ciabc.com) seminars and workshops for entrepreneurs of all N ational Association of Women Business experience levels. Visit cpcc.edu/sbc. Owners (nawbocharlotte.org)
share your
story.
While usually whipped out in debates over effective Internet and email marketing, “content is king” applies to all aspects of marketing. The valuable information (content) you supply to potential customers is key to winning them over. Share your business content in tangible, portable form with a custom-published book.
Register for a free seminar on how to get your book written, edited, designed, produced, marketed, and promoted. Visit sparkpublications.com/events.
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If you’re looking for opportunities to network
with a general business audience, the local chambers of commerce are a great resource. Most provide listings of monthly chamber-hosted events as well as member-hosted events on their websites. harlotte Chamber (charlottechamber.com) C Matthews Chamber (matthewschamber.com) Mint Hill Chamber (minthillchamberofcommerce.com) Lake Norman Chamber (lakenormanchamber.org) Gaston Chamber (gastonchamber.com) Statesville Chamber (statesvillechamber.org) York County Chamber (yorkcountychamber.com) Union County Chamber (unioncountycoc.com Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber (mooresvillenc.org) Lancaster Chamber (lancasterchambersc.org) Carolinas Asian-American Chamber (caacc.com) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Black Chamber (cmbcc.org) German American Chamber (usa.atlanta.ahk.de) Latin American Chamber (lacccharlotte.com) French American Chamber (faccnc.com) Charlotte Business Guild (charlottebusinessguild.org)
Success
starting, growing, relocating, and financing a business in Charlotte. Meetup.com has a group for nearly any interest you can imagine. One of the more popular businessoriented meetups in Charlotte is the series held at Packard Place (meetup.com/packardplace), which includes a robust schedule of free seminars. The Charlotte Business Owners meetup (meetup.com/ CharlotteBusinessOwners) has more than 700 members and hosts monthly meetings. Explore the site for other meetups that fit your industry or particular needs. NextPlex (nextplex.com/charlottenc) is a network of companies and individuals dedicated to the growing high-tech entrepreneurial community of Charlotte. Many of the events listed on the calendar are tech-oriented, but you can also find gems appropriate for all audiences.
Looking for a way to stay in touch with clients or prospects? We offer a system using hand-signed greeting cards mailed on a consistent schedule to keep you topof-mind, build client loyalty and encourage referrals. *Not affiliated with SendOutCards.
Call Client Linker Today! (704) 243-4635
The Matthews Chamber of Commerce is the chamber of choice in the greater Matthews area for businesses of all sizes that want to build their contacts and clients through networking and fellowship. The monthly meetings and events serve over 850 members!
Visit us online at matthewschamber.org.
Meetings Conventions
Solutions
Build Client Loyalty & Referrals!
.
Trade Shows
.
Special Events
Strategy
Supporting Business Building Community
Exhibitions Incentive Travel Festivals Fundraisers 704.253.4722 southcharlotte@planaheadevents.com 8022 Providence Road, Ste 500-125 Charlotte, NC 28277 www.planaheadevents.com/southcharlotte
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ad index Allegra...................................................................... 21
Perry’s at SouthPark..................................................1
b2bTRIBE magazine.................... Inside Back Cover
PivotPR..................................................................... 57
Ballantyne Business Center.......Inside Front Cover
Plan Ahead Events................................................. 61
Charlotte Chamber................................................. 25
Professional Chauffeuring Services.................... 63
Client Linker............................................................ 61
Professional Communications..............................11
DAT-A-SYST................................................................7
Red Rover Communications................................ 63
Habitat for Humanity of Matthews...................... 58
Selmarq....................................................................11
HRS&S..................................................................... 57
SPARK Publications - Books................................. 60
Interact........................................................................2
SPARK Publications - Magazines......................... 21
J.O.Y. Coaching....................................................... 58
SPARK Publications - Marketing.......................... 62
Matthews Chamber............................................... 61
SPARK Publications ...............................Back Cover
Money Counts........................................................ 15
Sukha Yoga.............................................................. 44
Moyer, Smith & Roller, PA.................................... 58
The Woman’s Advantage...................................... 44
Parker Web.............................................................. 45
For our clients we:
Create. Design. Brag.
Content
Publications
Images
Digital
Copy writing Editing Strategy development
Annual Reports Magazines Catalogs Custom Books
Retouching Infographics 3D illustrations Photo Illustrations
presents
Websites Microsites Interactive Publications
Event Logo Signage Invitations Programs Presentations Microsites
Feel free to mix and match!
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sparkpublications.com
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To get the conversation started as to how SPARK Publications can be of service to your company, contact Fabi@SPARKpublications.com. PA_program.indd 1
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1/3/14 11:30 AM
b2bTRIBE Index AF Prince Associates 9, 37, 42, 51, 54 Angela Prince 9, 37, 42, 51, 54 Altman Initiative Group, Inc. 14, 41 Denise Altman 14, 41 Bee Smart Social Media 9, 33, 42, 53 Julie Bee 9, 33, 42, 53 Boxman Studios 22, 23 David Campbell 23 Carolina Made 35 Jim Cherry 35 Choice Translating 9, 53 Michelle Menard 9, 53 Christina Shook Photography 34 Christina Shook 34 CMIT Solutions of South Charlotte 10, 53 Emory Simmons 10, 53 Creative Thinking Group LLC 42 Noelle de Atley 42 Deborah Triplett Studio 27 Deborah Triplett 27 DW Designs 10, 42, 50, 54 Dave Washington 10, 42, 50, 54 E4 Carolinas 10, 49, 53 Scott Carlberg 10, 49, 53 Edison Nation 17, 22, 23 Louis Foreman 17 Ethos Business Advisors, Inc. 42 Douglas Grant 42 Faster Glass Consulting 18, 19 David Phillips 18, 19 freelance writer 41, 53 Catherine Plough 41, 53 Final Edit 4, 33 Constance Brossa 4, 33 Glenn Roberson Photography 30, 39 Glenn Roberson 30, 39 GoGown 22, 23 Ginny Porowski 22, 23 Harris & Barnes Image Consulting 10, 41 Sonya Barnes 10, 41, 53 IB Media LLC 14 Ira Bass 14 Ideas in Motion 9, 28, 41, 53 Reginald Bean 9, 28, 41, 53 Ideas@Work 10, 54 Terri Deboo 10, 54 Innovation Institute 18, 19, 56, 57 David Phillips 18, 19 Suzanne Fetscher 18, 19 Inside Tailgating magazine 10, 42 Stacey Moore 10, 42 Interact 2, 27, 62 Lou Solomon 27 Jeff Cravotta Photography 33 Jeff Cravotta 33 J.O.Y. Coaching 14 Geri Brisbane Crooks 14 Joyfullee Written 9, 41 Lee McCracken 9, 30, 41 Knowmad 55 William McKee 55 Lake Norman CURRENTS 21, 39 Sharon Simpson 39, 40
Loss Prevention magazine 10, 41, 53 Jack Trlica 10, 41, 53 Lyon Pictures 36 Sean Lyon 36 Magen Marie Photography 30 Magen Portanova 30 MaryBuchan.com 36 Mary Buchan 36 Mass Transmit 40, 54 Adam Holden-Bache 40, 54 McColl Center for Art + Innovation 18, 19, 64 Nick Bloomberg 64 Suzanne Fetscher 18, 19 Michael LoBiondo Photography 8, 31, 32, 35, 47, 59 Michael LoBiondo 8, 31, 32, 35, 47, 59 Moments by Donna 9, 43 Donna Jernigan Meinhold 9, 43 Money Counts 10, 15, 43, 54, 62 Deborah Peterson 10, 15, 43, 54 Moyer, Smith & Roller P.A. 13 Dennis Toler 12, 13 NR Creative Group 43, 54 Nathan Richie 43, 54 Parker Web 9, 30, 45, 50, 52, 62 Darryl Parker 9, 30, 45, 50, 52 PivotPR 9, 42, 53, 57, 62 Drew Porcello 9, 42, 53 Pride Communications 31 Dee Dixon 31 Professional Communications LLC 43, 53 Russ Gill 43, 53 Randall Research 10 Stacey B. Randall 10 Red Rover Communications 14, 62, 63 Marcia Merrill 14 Salum International Resources 9, 17, 18, 41, 51 Carlos Salum 9, 17, 18, 41, 51, 54 ScentAir 19, 20, 22 David Martin 19, 22 Ed Burke 22 Shawn B Photography 28 SPARK Publications 4, 21, 24, 26, 28, 32, 59, 62, Back Cover Fabi Preslar 4, 5, 23, 32, 59 Larry Preslar 4, 59 Melisa LaVergne 4, 16, 24, 59 Merissa Jones 4, 59 Sofi Preslar 4, 48, 59 Strataforce 9, 41, 47, 53 Tana Greene 9, 41, 47, 53 TamelaRich.com 10, 34, 48 Tamela Rich 10, 34, 48 Terri Bennett Enterprises 9, 36 Terri Bennett 9, 36 The Garzón Company 23 Juan Garzón 20, 23 The Wilson Way Photography 36 Myra Wilson 36 Tiona Fuller Photography 33 Tiona Fuller 33 USA Dance 37 Venture Magazines 39 Sharon Simpson 39 Your Organized Guide 10, 46 Angie Mattson Stegall 10, 46
Congratulations to Our Friends at SPARK Publications on the launch of b2bTRIBE! We celebrate their success. Nothing makes us happier than good people being recognized for good work! After all, we help our clients create their own successes.
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Let’s talk! Call Marcia at 704.364.0084
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eye candy
Sphinx (Light Blues) by Nick Bloomberg, acrylic on canvas, 26”x36”
“I consider each of my paintings as a song or poem. Its musical qualities create an analogy to the ebb and flow of our natural world. I want viewers to feel like they’re looking into and through our environment to transcend and swim in imagination. This opens channels for non-verbal dialogue, which I hope unleashes the viewer’s full range of feelings, from the blues (the relation of struggle) to excitement (the exaltation of success), resulting possibly in confusion but preferably in inexplicable resonance. By continuing to nurture patterns with universal appeal and benefit, we are all cultivating value with different products while desiring similar results. Our city’s cultural branding and creative capital resides in our ability to seek collaboration, embrace challenging notions and conversations, and be invested in art, especially locally.” –“Artpreneur” Nick Bloomberg, visual artist, curator at Gallery Twenty-Two, and coordinator at McColl Center for Art + Innovation
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SPARK Publications 2116 Crown Centre Drive, Suite 300 Charlotte NC 28227
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Since 1998, we’ve helped our clients to create compelling content, design beautiful layouts, and brag about their businesses and accomplishments. Thank you to all the wonderful clients who are part of our sweet story.
How can we be of service to you? 704.844.6080
Create Content, Images, Strategies Design Magazines, Books, Catalogs Brag Newsletters, Advertisements, Print & Digital Signage
www.SPARKpublications.com