Entrepreneurs Anchor_Volume 2 Issue 4

DRIVING BUSINESS INNOVATION WITH TECHNOLOGY ALSO INSIDE: Family Vs. Business Customers: Love ‘em or Lose ‘em?

Social Media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter Legal Elites Entrepreneurs Anchor

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Vol. 2, Issue 4

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Editor’s Letter

The Algebra of Business Efficiency Dear Reader,

Editorial Publisher/Editor-In-Chief Ethelbert Nwanegbo Marketing Director of Marketing and Public Relations Nina Renick Michael Cobb Graphic Design Alexis Audate Web Design Eva Bailey Copy Editor Ryan Day Contributing Writers Gary Anderson, Lisa Davis, Ryan Day, Lisa Haggerty, Candice Moody, By Adam O’Neal, Harvey Slentz, Bryan Smith, Liz Wendling Subscriptions (904) 265-0765 www.entrepreneursanchor.com ©Entrepreneurs Anchor Magazine may not be produced without written consent.

Last week, I decided to clear my mind after a busy work-week by reading a book. Searching through my library, I stumbled upon my college algebra textbook.

After just a few minutes, I found myself solving some of the word problems in the text. I found myself mentally involved, applying the steps of algebraic solutions to actual business problems. Anyone with an understanding of algebra knows that there are steps in solving every algebraic word problem.

First, you must define the problem. Then define the variables. Next, you must solve the problem using the right method-substitution method, elimination method, etc. Finally, you must check and measure your result to make sure it is right.

Every business problems can be solved using the above steps.

To solve every business problem, you must first understand and define the problem. Without proper definition or understanding of the business problem, it is impossible to reach a solution.

Once the problem is defined, it is imperative to define the variable underlying the problems. In the business sense, these variables could be an incomplete budget, poor marketing, weak market penetration or over-pricing. As in algebra, the variables help in associating the components of the equation to the solution.

Hence, you cannot solve a business problem without defining the variables of the business problem.

The next step in the algebraic business efficiency process is attacking the problem. In solving the equation, you either use the substitution method. In business this could mean substituting in a better business strategy, or better performing marketing strategies. The problem could also be solved using the elimination method, getting rid of obstacles in the business process.

The aim of Entrepreneurs Anchor Magazine is to help business managers and decision makers attain business efficiency through top-notch content. We aim to help businesses reach their target market through our effective distribution and circulation network.

I want to personally say thank you to our newest advertisers: Wholesale Auto Network; Fenderson & Hampton – Attorneys at Law; The Law Firm of Reznicsek, Fraser, White & Shaffer, P.A; The Harper Law Firm; The Law Office of Marteal Lamb, P.L.C; Law Office of Imani Boykin, P.A; The Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce; Care Options Support Services; and our repeat advertisers. We couldn’t have continued to exist if not for your support.

This issue is loaded with interesting topics and nuggets of business information from top industry executives.

Happy reading!

Disclaimer: Entrepreneur’s Anchor Magazine is intended to provide general information about business topics, but does not provide legal business advice. The views and opinions presented on all articles and advertisements are solely those of the authors, and do not represent those of the company. Therefore, Brain Media Group, and the management of Entrepreneurs Anchor will not accept any liability in respect to any incorrect, incomplete, or unacceptable statement on the magazine.

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Ethelbert Nwanegbo Publisher/Editor in Chief

content Entrepreneurs Anchor

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FEATURED

Family Vs. Business: Why Not Both?

College Hunks Hauling Junk

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29

Business Technology 14 25 38

Data 1 Advantage Buzz In Technology Trends Technology for the Small Business Owner

Business Management Lisa Davis, President and Founder of Analytics Partners

18 24 34 40 42 45

Motivational Business Quotes Doing Business With The Government The Balanced Scorecard Small Business Energy Crisis Jacksonville Startup Weekend Business Start-Up Checklist

Marketing 16 21

© www.entrepreneur.com

College Hunks Founders Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman

Customers: Love ‘Em or Leave ‘Em? Social Media

Business Profiles 09 10 11 12 13 28 37

Fenderson & Harper Imani Boykins, P.A. Harper Law Firm Marteal Lamb, P.L.C. RFWS Law Firm Your Web Marketer Care Options Support Services

www.brainmediagroup.com

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Featured

Family vs. Business: Why Not Both?

Words by By Adam O’Neal

Women CEOs are an absolute rarity, even in today’s modern business climate. According to a recent Harvard study on 2,000 of the world’s largest companies, only 1.5% have women CEOs. Despite the progress of social equality and the opportunistic nature of our culture, few women are venturing into the business world.

With this in mind, it is refreshing to meet someone of Lisa Davis’ caliber. Born and raised with her two sisters in Jacksonville, Davis is the founder and owner of local business Analytics Partners. She breaks the mold of the typical businessperson, coming across as warm and friendly, fostering a family-like working environment for her employees.

“We’ve got to do our job right,” said Davis. “I have to put my people first, because without them I don’t have a company.

It’s all about teamwork. You can’t do it by yourself.”

Analytics Partners is primarily a consulting firm that helps companies integrate their data into their decision-making.

But as complex as their operations may be, the company’s home office is admittedly very modest and located in a quaint part of the city—on Old St. Augustine road less than half a mile from I-295.

“Different companies have a lot of different sources of information – an application for checking into hospitals.

We get that information from all their systems, integrate it together, so they can look at their business as a whole and see how they’re doing. When inefficiencies are happening, we just really make that information available to them. We are helping businesses become more efficient.”

Davis not only talks about her company with pride, but she conveys a real sense of community in the workplace. Similarly, 6

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There were lots of companies that needed what I had and there’s many ways to get that information to them. I quit a comfortable, safe, well-paid job and started doing it on my own. it is clear that family has played a huge role in Davis’ life and this seems to have affected her approach to management.

“Every person here plays a unique role. Being a small company, you have to. You may be an expert in a certain subject, but when it comes to being well rounded that’s what I try to strive for. I don’t expect you to know everything, but I expect you to try as hard as you can and have a go-getter attitude.”

Before venturing into the working world, Davis said she learned an important lesson on perseverance. She originally attended the University of North Florida, playing on the women’s softball team, but quit her sophomore year because of what she said was boredom. Her father was in the construction business, so he told her to take the summer off and come work for him. Davis didn’t last long with the manual, going back to college that next fall.

“It was the best life lesson my dad could have taught me.

My father is definitely a role model for me.”

After graduating with a degree in statistics, Davis said she experienced a path that has led her all over the country working for different companies, and each job seems to have prepared her in some way for what she is doing now.

She always seems to be talking about the future and what direction her company is heading in. Like every big player in business though, Davis had to gamble and make sacrifices to get where she is today. After two years of working at Blue Cross and running the business intelligence group in Jacksonville, she quit her job and that was how Analytics Partners was born.

“I didn’t feel challenged and I was bored. There were lots of companies that needed what I had and there’s many ways to get that information to them. I quit a comfortable, safe, wellpaid job and started doing it on my own. I was out there for about a year trying to get business and consulting myself. It really grew from there.” (continued on page 8) Analytics Partners have also been fortunate in that the recession hasn’t really given them many problems. They had a slight slowdown in 2008, but Davis said it allowed the company to regroup and separate from the competition.

“During the recession, we looked internally and decided to specialize in healthcare. Everyone in the company had a background in health care, so I decided we needed to stop

being everything to everyone and be more specific and local.

You want to own your neighborhood before you go and conquer other neighborhoods” Analytics Partners has an ongoing partnership with Oracle, a multinational computer technology corporation, which specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products. This is a relationship that Davis said she values, as it enables her company to implement technology into their consulting.

Davis isn’t a stranger to awards and decorations either. She was recently awarded the Honoree 40 award, which recognized her as the most accomplished CEO under the age of 40, in the region. And though studies suggest women are struggling to assert themselves in some businesses, Davis hasn’t experienced much sexism in her line of work.

“There are always the “good old boys” networks, but it can be the same for women too. There are some women who will only deal with women. I might be blind to it, but I’m going to try my hardest and go out and do whatever I can do. I would say there is more age discrimination than gender.”

For a woman who is very focused on her business, Davis is incredibly sociable, but admits that it can be tough to have much personal time with her schedule. Being on the road for the majority of her week also takes a toll, but she does take comfort in her family life. This is reflected by her words of affection for her parents and siblings in general.

“Family is everything. I didn’t come from a wealthy family, but I always knew that with my family support that I could fail at anytime. A lot of people don’t have that; they’re out on their own. I always been able to take additional risks, because I knew that no matter what, my parents were and my sisters were going to love me.”

The future looks bright for both Analytic Partners and Lisa Davis. The entrepreneurial young woman is optimistic about her personal prospects as well as the future of the company. She said she plans to improve on community service output and work on product development, but sees no radical changes for the future.

“Everything happens for a reason. I haven’t always been successful in everything I do, but it’s not about failing, it’s about learning opportunities.”

www.brainmediagroup.com

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AXIMIZE YOUR

BUSINESS GROWTH

Entrepreneurs Anchor Magazine exists to empower and inform business owners.

Each issue we feature a thematic editorial, highlighting dynamic entrepreneurs who have excelled in their field of expertise.

Subscribe with us for 40% off the cover price Only $14.36 per year Visit us at entrepreneursanchor.com

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Business Profile: Legal Elites

Aggressive Jacksonville Florida DUI Defense and Personal Injury Attorneys.

At Fenderson & Hampton, Attorneys at Law, personal injury claims represent a significant portion of the cases handled. The Attorneys at Fenderson & Hampton are accomplished trial attorneys and negotiators, committed to ensuring the rights and obtaining full and fair compensation for every claimant.

We offer 24 hour service by calling our office at 1-866-990-4LAW (4529). Your initial consultation is Free, and we provide excellent service at a reasonable price.

www.fendersonandhampton.com | Toll Free 1-866-990-4LAW (4529) | 904-854-4222 644 Cesery Blvd Suite 301 | Jacksonville, FL 32211 www.brainmediagroup.com

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Business Profile: Legal Elites

LAW OFFICE OF IMANI BOYKINS, P.A. Excellence in Representation

Estate Planning, Probate, Real Estate, Family Law, Consultations We strive to provide our clients with straight answers, aggressive representation and experience to work through the complexities of legal matters. We pride ourselves in offering solid representation to our clients, while making complex legal processes as simple and affordable as possible.

We help clients throughout Florida with a focus on Duval, Clay, St. Johns, and Nassau counties. iboykinesq.law.officelive.com/default.aspx

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644 Cesery Boulevard, Suite 340

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Phone 904-632-4836 |

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Fax 904 399-8348

Jacksonville, Florida 32211

Business Profile: Legal Elites

THE HARPER LAW FIRM Aggressive, Proactive, Caring

Our Vision, Our Mission, Our Goal To achieve results for our clients using an aggressive, proactive, and fearless approach. With more than 35 years of combined legal experience and genuine care and concern for those we represent—we fight to help injured people every day.

“Kay Harper is excellent at what she does. People skills are a must and she possess this quality to the fullest. Everyone wants to work or deal with someone who cares...and Kay Harper cares. I would recommend Kay to any and everybody in need of her services.”

-Michael, former client www.theharperfirm.com

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Toll Free 855-641-HELP (4357)

10752 Deerwood Park Blvd S., Suite 100

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Phone 904-997-9955

Jacksonville, FL 32256 www.brainmediagroup.com

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Business Profile: Legal Elites

Law Office of Marteal Lamb, P.L.C. “The Homeowners’ Little Helper”

Facing Foreclosure?

The Law office of Marteal Lamb can show you all the options & choices that you can chose from.We can tailor a solution to your family’s financial situation.

BANKRUPTCY FORECLOSURE DEFENSENSE HOMEOWNERS’ ASSOCIATIONS CONTRACT REVIEW EMPLOYMENT LAW

(904) 534–5598 4800 Beach Blvd., Suite #9 Jacksonville, FL 32207

www.MartealLaw.com E-mail: www.marteallaw.com

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Marteal Lamb, P.L.C. Pre-Paid Legal Provider Attorney U.S. Legal Provider Attorney ARAG Provider Attorney

Business Profile: Legal Elites

Reznicsek

•

Fraser

White

•

Shaffer

The Jacksonville Law Firm of Reznicsek, Fraser, White & Shaffer, P.A Rick M. Reznicsek, T.J. Fraser, Christopher White & Robert Shaffer are all rated A.V. Preeminent Attorneys by Martindale-Hubbell. Each Attorney blends business acumen, in-the-field experience and long-standing relationships in the business and legal communities to help clients achieve maximum benefits while minimizing legal risks. Their clients rely on them to not only provide expert legal services— they also depend on them as strategic partners who provide innovative solutions, and who always keep their objectives in mind.

Vision Statement

List of Services

The Jacksonville Law Firm of Reznicsek, Fraser,White & Shaffer, P.A. brings clients and their goals together through expert representation in a full range of business and personal legal matters.

Corporate •

Healthcare Law •

Business Mergers and Acquisitions

About Us

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Litigation

With years of experience in the Corporate, Business, Healthcare, Family Law and Litigation sectors, our attorneys assist clients in every aspect of business law, from setting up or selling enterprises, to intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions and the issuance of non-registered limited offering securities.

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Criminal Law & Professional Licensure Defense •

Family Law •

Real Estate Law Add or find us on:

www.rfwslaw.com

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Phone 904-567-1060

4230 Pablo Professional Court, Suite 200

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Fax 904-567-1065

Jacksonville, Florida 32224 www.brainmediagroup.com

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Business Technology

The

data Advantage

Words by Gary Anderson The electronic payments industry has seen significant growth over the past decade. Battling both economic and technological pressures, it’s an ever-changing and oversaturated corner of the financial services market. The industry’s sales-driven focus brings representatives of all different calibers into businesses like yours every day. With an accreditation program scheduled for release in the fall of 2011, it can be hard to tell the difference between who knows what they’re talking about and who sounds like they know.

First things first—if it sounds simple, it’s a lie. The electronic payments industry combines a blend of technology with some very tricky math. Payment professionals who lack the knowledge of either aspect fall short of being able to properly 14

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transactions are the same. Not all businesses are the same.

And, not all payment processors are the same. A company that’s not willing to answer your questions, provide you with information and take the time to compete for your business is not worth your energy.

Furthermore, companies who offer rates that are significantly lower than their competition are lying to you.

What about after the sale? If you didn’t challenge the sales representative to meet your needs and prove himself or herself before the sale, how can you guarantee they’ll be there after the sale? That’s when you really need them. Electronic payments falls underneath the financial services umbrella.

One of the biggest mistakes a new business owner can make is disregarding the service that is required after the sale. Rates aside, you need a company you can trust to answer your phone calls, reply to your emails, and help you run your business.

Data One Merchant Services has a unique focus on postsales services. With free-online reporting, a highly trained service staff, and the industry’s leading resources Data One Merchant Services will earn your business, foster your development, and provide value and growth opportunities for the lifetime of our partnership.

consult and advise your business. While transaction count, average ticket size, and monthly volume make up a large portion of the math, those who fail to take into consideration the environment in which the payments are processed negate a large factor that can have a significant impact on your expenses, your consumers’ view of the transactions, and ultimately your flow of business.

As a business owner, you have a fiduciary responsibility to the longevity of your business to research best practices and industry standards before choosing a payment processor.

If you have a mobile business, did you know you can process payments via your smart phone—without expensive equipment – quickly and securely? If you have an ecommerce business, did you know you can safeguard against chargebacks with advanced reporting? We’re talking with our clients every day to help them realize the additional revenue opportunities that lie in thinking outside of the box. We’re utilizing technology to maximize and streamline your electronic payments. Whether it’s the addition of mobile payments, electronic check conversion, gift and loyalty programs, or a complete overhaul and streamline of the point of sale, Data One Merchant Services is going the extra mile to make sure that our clients are successful and are maximizing their revenue. We are business consultants—in a business to business type business.

At Data One Merchant Services we realize our fiduciary responsibility is to fulfill our clients’ needs. Not all www.brainmediagroup.com

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Marketing

Customers:

Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em? Words by Liz Wendling

Earn more business from existing customers

Virtually every business owner knows that in today’s challenging competitive business climate, retaining your customer base is critical to your business success. Your current long-term customers provide many financial benefits to your company. In fact, strengthening the relationship with your current customers is one of the most effective methods of boosting profits.

If you don’t give your customers good reasons to stay, your competitors will give them reasons to leave. Customer retention and satisfaction drive profits. It’s far less expensive to cultivate your existing customer base and sell more to them than it is to seek new, single-transaction customers. Most surveys across industries show that keeping one existing customer is six times more profitable than attracting one new one.

Therefore, many companies focus on increasing up-selling and cross-selling to current customers instead. Unfortunately, many salespeople avoid these techniques because they are afraid that suggesting additional products or services could scare off customers. Good salespeople know the difference between

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It’s all too easy to take existing clients for granted and to assume that if they’re happy with your current work they will automatically come to you with additional needs. Not true. suggesting additional products versus forcing products on customers that they don’t need.

Your customers are your greatest asset and the key to your business growth. If you’ve served your current customers well, then they already like and trust you. At this stage they’re much easier to target, than a complete stranger who knows nothing about you or your business.

It’s all too easy to take existing clients for granted and to assume that if they’re happy with your current work they will automatically come to you with additional needs. Not true.

Research shows that most customers don’t know the range of services you can provide to them. The result is that they go elsewhere for a service you could easily offer.

rely on automatic loyalty. Your competition would love nothing better than to lure them away from you, so you need to be proactive to ensure that this doesn’t happen.

To remain competitive, you must figure out how to keep your customers longer, increase their loyalty, make them more profitable and serve them more efficiently. They get more out of doing business with you, and your revenue stream becomes more solid and secure. Remember that it’s not what you sell, it’s how you sell.

Here are just a few ways to profit from your current list of satisfied customers: 1. Educate:

Sometimes you need to educate your current customers on the many ways you can be of service to them. You’re so familiar with your products or services, that you may assume your customers are just as familiar with them. Don’t assume they know about them. Send them a flyer, post card or letter. Include a brief description for each product or service you sell as well as current prices and any special deals. They can’t buy it from you if they don’t know you sell it.

2. Cross-sell and up-sell:

There is no better time to sell to a customer, than when they are already in a buying mood. Cross-selling is when a customer is buying something and then think of a related item that would complementor enhance the first item. This is when you would ask if they would be interested in your product. Up-selling is when they are considering one grade of a product or service.

Here you let them know about the features and benefits of a better product or service. That’s not high-pressure; it’s letting them know their options. Never assume your customers always want the cheaper version of a product or service. They want the best value for their money.

3. Stay connected:

One of the most powerful ways to increase profits in your business is to stay connected to current customers and remind them of your products and services. If you wait for your customers to come back on their own you may be waiting a long time. Customers have so many options today that you can’t

Liz Wendling, the sales coach for women and one of Denver’s top sales coaches. Liz believes everyone is in sales. She coaches women business owners (and smart men) to create immediate sales results, achieve lasting business success and permanently raise their bottom line. She works with business owners who don’t have sales experience as well as those who have sold for years that need a tune-up to communicate more effectively and sell more efficiently. For a FREE download of the Seven Deadly Sales Mistakes And How To Avoid Them! Go to www. salescoachforwomen.com or e-mail Liz@salescoachforwomen.com www.brainmediagroup.com

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Business Management

MOTIVATIONAL BUSINESS QUOTES It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.

If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.

In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield.

I always knew I was going to be rich.

I don’t think I ever doubted it for a minute.

Warren Buffett

It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.

Photos:

Warren Buffett: Courtesy of cwa9511.com Henry Ford: Courtesy of leanhomebuilding.wordpress.com Bill Gates: Courtesy of famous-wallpapers.com

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Henry Ford

I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act.

If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 MPG.

Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven.

It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.

Bill Gates

A business absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits.

They will be embarrassingly large.

An idealist is a person who helps other people to be prosperous.

Business is never so healthy as when, like a chicken, it must do a certain amount of scratching around for what it gets.

Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas. www.brainmediagroup.com

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Eva Greenfield Owner Hometown Threads

“People do business with those they know, like and trust.

The Chamber helped me build my reputation and my business.”

Connect. Grow. Prosper.

Join the Chamber

Call 904.366.6628 or visit us at www.myjaxchamber.com

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Marketing

SOCIAL MEDIA: Why Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn Are The Difference Between Rags and Riches Words by Ryan Day, for EA Magazine

Photos courtesy of Andriy Popov (page 21) and Alexander Raths (page 22).

W

hen Myspace launched in 2003, few knew just what a “social network� was. Friend requests? Private messages? Create groups?

Why do I need to have 400 online friends when juggling half a dozen face-to-face relationships is hard enough? [continued on page 22]

www.brainmediagroup.com www.brainmediagroup.com

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London could listen to it. Write a book in Toronto and fans in Tokyo could read and buy it.

International business grew faster than any of us could have predicted and the need to maintain a plethora of relationships grew with it. The locally owned store down the street with no web presence folded and the guy working out of his basement with an eBay account, a Facebook page and a Twitter handle was tripling profits.

Nearly 50 years ago, businesses owners could rely solely on face-to-face networking and thrive. Now if they do it, they’ll toast. Why? The perspective of the average customer has shifted from wanting a personal relationship to wanting a good deal and the attention span of the average person has decreased considerably.

Oscar Wilde said “Life imitates Art more than Art imitates Life.” Perhaps the quick, concise, pay-attention-to-me-forten-seconds attitude of social media has become the standard and we have devolved into that kind of society, imitating social media instead of letting social media imitate us.

Whatever the reason, it’s where we are as a society and business owners need to take note—social media will be the difference between success and bankruptcy for you and your venture.

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But how do you take the reins of social media and use it to its full potential? Each form of social media is different. You don’t use Facebook the same as Twitter nor are either of those similar to LinkedIn. The first step of using social media is to understand that these websites were created for their own unique purpose and they will contrast more than they will compare.

Let’s first look at Facebook. When it arrived in 2004, it was only for college students, but as Facebook’s owners quickly found out, if you open a social networking tool up to the public it’s going to become exponentially more profitable.

As of Alexa’s ranking in October of 2011, Facebook was the second-most visited website in the world, just below Google.

The site has over 800 million active users and is growing at a rate of 3.5% per month.

But how can a business owner use Facebook to his or her advantage? The user demographics for Facebook are one of the most helpful places to start. Did you know, for instance, that over 64% of Facebook’s users make between $26,000 and $74,000 a year? Did you also know that 63% of its users are ages 13-34? Finally, 54% of Facebook’s users are women and of those users nearly 41% log in at least once a day. That means that most of Facebook’s users are young, middle-class females who show daily faithfulness to Facebook.

Next, let’s look at Twitter. The social networking and “microblogging” service came on the scene in 2006, but really

exploded in 2010 when users were sending out 50 million personal min-messages, or tweets, per day. As of an Alexa ranking in October of 2011, Twitter has over 200 million users and is the ninth-most visited website in the world.

I suggest that business owners use all three social media tools, but I recommend they do it in the specific ways I have outlined below:

The demographics of Twitter are similar in a lot of ways to Facebook. For instance, 56% of its users are making between $26,000 and $74,000 a year, just 6% less than Facebook’s users. And 52% of Twitter’s users are women, just about where Facebook is.

Because of the demographic of Facebook (young, middle-class women with money to burn and checking their accounts with regularity), I suggest that companies use the world’s most popular social networking tool to do one thing – advertise!

The difference, however, is in the age and education. While Facebook is a little more spread out among the age range, 48% of Twitter’s users are in college and another 26% are over 45 or older, making it harder for companies to target a specific demographic on Twitter.

Also of note is the fact that Twitter users average at least one tweet per day. That’s an incredible user rate. People on Twitter are loyal to using it and businesses should be aware of that.

Finally, there’s Twitter’s “retweet” feature which allows any user to forward any message to all of his followers by the simple click of a button. This is an incredible promotional tool, probably the best in all of social media, and should be employed by any business, big or small.

Lastly, let’s look at LinkedIn. LinkedIn is one of the most recent social media tools and the only one that’s designed exclusively for networking. But just because it’s new and focused primarily on business doesn’t mean it’s lacking in popularity. According to Alexa’s October 2011 ranking, LinkedIn is the 13th-most visited website in the world and has over 120 million active users.

As I said before, LinkedIn was designed for business networking. One purpose of the site is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people with whom they have some level of relationship, called Connections. Users can invite anyone (whether a site user or not) to become a connection.

But, you can only connect with someone you know. This is vastly different than the way Facebook and Twitter allow users to connect. At LinkedIn, if you don’t know a person, you have to provide their email address. With Facebook and Twitter, you can add total strangers to your network of “friends” or “followers”.

This is both good and bad. It’s good in the sense that if you’re a business professional, your time is incredibly important and you don’t want it weighed down by strangers hawking random products or services at you. It’s bad because you can’t build a big network quickly or easily, like with Twitter or Facebook.

LinkedIn isn’t as much about promotion or advertising as it is about building relationships more quickly than going to a faceto-face networking event.

Facebook

This should be done in two ways: First, build a Page for your business. When you go to the Facebook home page, you can see “Pages” on your left. Build one. Don’t make it content heavy. Put pictures up. Have contests regularly rewarding the person who recruits the most followers to your company’s Page. Just build a community of people who “Like” your page and then post 2-3 statuses a week.

Whatever you do, don’t buy ad space. According to a 2007 article by Gawker.com, Facebook only has a 0.04% click through ratio. That means that for every 1,000 ads you buy to put up on Facebook, only four are being clicked through. It’s the worst in the social media industry and should be avoided at all costs. You’ll be better off interacting with fans, writing on people’s walls, posting statuses and asking people to re-post things you write to their statuses.

Twitter

This social media was meant for high frequency and low content. If you can devote time to this, or hire someone to do it for just a few hours a week, it can garner a lot of attention for your venture for very little effort. You can maintain relationships with thousands of people with tweets sent out frequently and semi-regular replies to fans of your company writing about how they used your product and loved it.

I’ve also seen friends vent their frustration about a specific product, get a reply within minutes, have a conversation via Twitter and have the problem solved with very little effort. The friend is an ardent evangelist of your company for at least the next week, telling everyone about your “great customer service” when all you did was take a few minutes and respond to their complaint through a public apology on your Twitter and maybe send them a product replacement.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn isn’t about building the biggest community. It’s a place where you can develop relationships with other professionals.

The site is mostly men (58.5% of the users) and much older than any other social media (41.8% of users are at least 35 years old). This isn’t the place to promote, but it is the place to build your team. Don’t go to LinkedIn expecting to advertise your company. Go expecting to find other professionals you could hire, either full-time or part-time, and grow your brand.

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Business Management

Doing Business With The Government May Be Easier Than You Think Words by Lisa Haggerty Understanding how to do business with any branch of the government can be overwhelming. There are agencies that assist different businesses at different levels but unless you’re an expert, it looks like an endless road of red tape. But it’s worth the work because many of these services are provided free of charge to all businesses no matter the size.

The goal is to show small businesses how to be successful in governement contraction and provide a road map on how to get there.

The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), with matching funds provided by state and local governments and non-profit organizations. 97 PTACs operate all 50 states as well as the territories of Puerto Rico and Guam and all PTACs are staffed with counselors experienced in government contracting. These PTAC’s are knowledgeable about government regulations and provide a wide range of services including seminars, individual counseling, access to bid opportunities, contract specifications and procurement histories.

No matter who you are or what kind of small business you own, the PTAC at the University of North Florida will help you know yourself, understand your capabilities and set realistic goals. They’ll get you off and running in the right direction.

All of this sounds really great, but you’re in northeast Florida and you may have never heard of any of this.

Where do you begin?

as training in government procurement.

There’s a PTAC at the University of North Florida’s Small Business Development Center — right in your own backyard!

This is one agency that has assisted hundreds of clients, helping clients register to do business with the government and obtain small business set-aside certifications. The goal is to show small businesses how to be successful in government contracting and provide a road map on how to get there.

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For more information, please visit sbdc.unf.edu or give us a call at (904) 620-2476 and ask for Lisa Haggerty.

Photo courtesy of National Contract Management Association.

Lisa Haggerty works at the University of North Florida in the Small Business Development Center, providing business counseling as well She also meets with business owners at the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of

Commerce and Beaver Street Enterprise

Center. She holds a Bachelor in Science degree from the University of North Florida and later became a Certified

Business Analyst (CBA). She is also the

Treasurer of the National Contracts Management Association ( Jacksonville).

Business Technology

The Buzz in Technology Trends Cloud Computing

Business Intelligence (BI)

Online Applications

Web 2.0 to 3.0

Social Networks and Software

Virtualization / Green IT

The cloud is a term that defines using resources from distributed servers to perform computing needs. Cloud computing is essentially infrastructure as a service.

Increasing amounts of online applications are becoming available that only require connectivity. The benefit of online applications is a decreased cost in maintenance of applications, including licensing.

Using the power of human connectivity and new tools to connect with customers, co-workers, and business partners, social networks are a helpful way to engage consumers and find out what interests them.

CRM 2.0

CRM 2.0 emphasizes using internet capabilities to manage customer relationship effectively. Interactions with customers the way they want to interact with you is essential to maintaining customer loyalty.

Improving organizations by providing business insights to employees, leading to better, faster, more relevant decisions is why BI is among the top things on CIO’s minds.

The continuous evolution of internet technologies and interactions is the basis surrounding Web 2.0 to 3.0. intelligent applications create a richer interaction with customers and potential customers.

Moving physical servers to virtual ones can save money, lower costs for hardware, power, and save space

Enterprise Mobility

To rematin competitive, organizations are making enterprise applications accessible from mobile devices. Accessibility to data is essential, especially as Blackberries and iPhones increase in usage.

Source: http://www.itstrategists.com/Technology-Trends.aspx

Unified Communications

Bringing people and information together using software is the core of unified communications. Connecting to the right person at the right time can make a serious impact in a business’ success. www.brainmediagroup.com

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NETWORKING. CELEBRATION. APPRECIATION.

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EVENT STARTS AT 7:00 PM • COCKTAILS AT 6:00 PM WYNDHAM JACKSONVILLE RIVERWALK 1515 Prudential Drive | Jacksonville, FL 32207 Contact Nina to reserve your seating at nina.renick@brainmediagroup.com, or call 904.265.0765 or 904.240.4292

SEATING IS LIMITED 6

Vol. 2, Issue 4

NETWORKING. CELEBRATION. APPRECIATION.

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Featured

COLLEGE HUNKS Hauling Junk Words by By Adam O’Neal, for EA Magazine They say luck is when opportunity meets preparation. Those words certainly ring true for Nick Friedman, co-founder and president of College Hunks Hauling Junk.

this business plan competition and he suggested we write a business plan,” Friedman explained. “We wrote the business plan and submitted it and ending up winning out of 150 applicants.”

Friedman started hauling unwanted items away for people during his college days. He described it as a way to earn some spare money and pass the summer. Over the years, his list of clients steadily grew, he hired employees to keep up with demand and now he is the president of the largest franchise in the junk removal and moving industry.

Even then, it was only considered something that would look good on the resume. After he graduated, Friedman moved to Washington, DC, and ended up getting a job for a consulting company.

Friedman, a graduate from Pomona College in California, said it never really occurred to him that this was something he would be doing as a career, “My senior year of college, my business partner [Omar Soliman] was in an entrepreneurial class and he told me about

“It was about three months into it and I emailed Omar and told him I was unhappy sitting in a cubicle punching numbers every day. I wanted to take the business plan and make it a reality.”

They got together that night, took the business plan off the shelf and made a plan as to how to get started. They quickly realized that it wasn’t going to be easy and it wasn’t going to www.brainmediagroup.com

29

be cheap. For one, they needed a truck so they started saving money from their jobs.

“Our vision right then and there was to become a national brand, a household name.”

Like every business starting out, Friedman understood that in order to be successful, he would have to gamble. As it was, he and Soliman bought the number 1-800-JUNK-USA for $13,000 out of a combination of personal savings and business loans.

“It was very gutsy. We bought it before we had even turned a profit.”

The gamble paid off. Friedman and Soliman had built a profitable venture in Washington DC with six trucks. This was the moment that College Hunks Hauling Junk developed into a franchise.

“We wanted to realize our vision by expanding to other cities.

When we sold our first franchise, and flew down to Orlando where it was opened, then it really hit home.”

Friedman, who was recently named in Inc. Magazine’s list of “Top 30 Entrepreneurs in America Under 30” said that when they first started the business, it was pretty easy to make the phone ring. However, when the recession hit, College Hunks Hauling Junk was unprepared.

“We were inexperienced and hadn’t been through any kind of business cycle and we were doing things and conducting business as if it was normal. That was probably the biggest challenge for us and it forced us to become good business owners. There’s a saying that in good times everybody wins and in tough times, the most strategic and disciplined win.”

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I wanted to take the business plan and make it a reality.

Since then, College Hunks Hauling Junk has expanded their core competency to meet demands. Initially, the company’s focus was to haul away unwanted items by cleaning out garages, offices and taking stuff to Goodwill. People then started asking for moving services, so the company expanded to be more than just junk removal. Friedman said he didn’t want to pigeonhole the business and wanted to let the customers dictate to a certain degree.

Friedman also cited a series of events that enabled the company to become even bigger. It was the luck that was about to meet all of Friedman’s preparation.

“I was having breakfast with a guy I’d met at a networking function. It just so happened that his Mom was a hoarder [someone who is addicted to collecting] and she was in the middle of filming for the Oprah show,” said Friedman. “They were doing a hoarding special show and his Mom was featured.

The company they were using was too slow in picking up the dumpsters, so he offered to introduce me to the producers to see if we could help on this particular project, which just so happened to be in the city we were operating in.”

The project was a success and motivated Friedman to get on the show a second time a few months later.

“It was huge and great boost of credibility for us. [Oprah] has the golden touch and the stamp of approval to generate for businesses.”

The acronym “HUNKS” stands for “Honest Uniformed Nice Knowledgeable Students” Friedman also said the company has had some previous experience with hoarders, usually getting calls from the family members to come clear the stuff away.

“When I used to work on the trucks, we cleaned out a house that was filled from floor to ceiling with boxes, newspapers, clothes, magazines, food. It was literally about 20 truck loads and four days worth of work to clean it out.”

College Hunks Hauling Junk is a brand that is going to cause people to react one way or another, but he insists that the word “Hunks” in the name isn’t meant to be sexist or arrogant.

The acronym “HUNKS” stands for “Honest Uniformed Nice Knowledgeable Students”.

Friedman said this was purposeful and said it’s a catchy, fun idea and creates a paradoxical situation where clean-cut college students are doing otherwise dirty manual labor work.

“When you’re in a business like moving and hauling where anybody with a truck or labor can alter this service, you need something that is going to set you apart and distinguish you from the rest. “We felt that the brand is bright, playful, colorful and we don’t want people to be offended or take it too seriously.”

“If we didn’t have our vision clearly defined, then we probably would have given up during the recession when things got a bit tough. Any entrepreneur is going to experience difficult times and challenges. The ones that persevere are the ones that have a clear three to five year vision and a long-term goal as well. If you’re heart isn’t in it, then it’s going to be pretty difficult.”

Friedman also encourages new entrepreneurs to meet mentors that can give them some insight about how to get things done and what’s important.

“You need to have a vision and to live by that plan. Ideas are also just ideas until action is taken on them. People have good ideas all the time, but until they turn the idea into that vision, then it falls flat.”

Ultimately, College Hunks Hauling Junk isn’t where they want to be. The company is always realigning their vision into the future.

“We’ve gone from one location to 36 franchises across the country. We’ve got close to 500 employees nationwide. One thing that we pride ourselves on is a professionally trained collegiate labor force. There are other moving and hauling companies, but our focus is providing a useful, energetic labor force that is going to deliver a five-star experience.”

If Friedman walks like he talks, then College Hunks Hauling Junk will be successful for many years to come.

Friedman is never short of advice for budding entrepreneurs either. The most important part of being a successful entrepreneur, according to Friedman, is to have a vision about where you are going to go and to be so passionate about it that you pursue it by any means necessary. www.brainmediagroup.com

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AXIMIZE YOUR

BUSINESS GROWTH

Entrepreneurs Anchor Magazine exists to empower and inform business owners.

Each issue we feature a thematic editorial, highlighting dynamic entrepreneurs who have excelled in their field of expertise.

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33

Business Management

The Balanced Scorecard: If You Think It, You Need To Ink It Words by Ethelbert Nwanegbo

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I

would wager that most employees neither understand nor know the company’s overall strategies or specific objectives. As a management consultant, it’s not that surprising to me. I often ask my clients questions like “Do you have your strategies and objectives properly written down?” or “Do all the employees understand the strategies and objectives of the organization?”

A good portion of business executives would respond yes to the first question. But few would be able to answer the same way to the second question.

[continued on page 36]

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Business managers need a way of communicating the strategies of the organization to most important people —employees. A good way of ensuring that goals are communicated properly is using a system called a Balanced Scorecard. It’s used to express the strategies in terms of measurements and targets; hence ensuring strategy execution.

To develop your own Balanced Scorecard, look at these common problems and see if your venture falls into any or all of the traps.

Vision Barriers The problem with most organizations is not lack of good, strategic vision but rather poor communication. No one in the organization understands the vision or core values of the organization. Hence, a vision barrier is built and the vision and strategies of the organization are not properly communicated to every member of the organization.

The difference between productive employees and nonproductive employees is in the understanding of the organization’s core values and vision.

To avoid vision barrier, the executives or business managers must ensure that every employee of the organization understands and committed to the vision of the organization.

People Barriers I’ve also found a widespread difficulty with matching people within the organization and different objectives.

This problem is easily found within organizations that do not invest the time in understanding their employee’s core competencies. Research has shown that people are more productive when there is a love and passion for their job, and objectives are well defined and communicated.

To avoid people barrier, organizations and business managers must invest time in ensuring that people and process are properly matched and objectives properly defined. More so, the departmental objectives must be correlated and match to the organizations objectives.

Resource Barriers Business managers must spend some time thinking about their organization’s priorities in order to understand activities that are critical. A documented business process enables the business manager to properly allocate time, energy, and money to those activities that are critical to the organization. Budgets must be linked to strategies, thus avoiding wasted resources.

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Management Barrier It is very easy for business managers and executives to drown themselves in the day-to-day activities, neglecting the bigger needs of the business. Management functions and roles must be properly defined, allowing the business manager to avoid being lost in the short-term tactical activities.

After looking at the aforementioned problems, we can now summarize the organization’s objectives and strategies with the used of the Balanced Scorecard. It is a management system used to aid the implementation of a plan. In the center of any successful organization is the creation of value.

To ensure that the organization creates value, strategies and objectives are critical. The Balanced Scorecard provides the platform around which changes in an organization results through the implementation of its strategies.

Developing Your Own Balanced Scorecard There are three phases in creating a Balanced Scorecard.

Business managers can follow these phases and steps outlined below to build a Balanced Scorecard: Phase 1: The Strategic Foundation • Develop a clear and concise strategy; communicate and align the organization to the strategy.

• Determine the core activities for ensuring that the organization stays focused to its core competencies.

• Develop and build grids for each area of the organization.

Phase 2: Critical Components • Establish measurements for each objective on the grid.

• Determine and establish goals for each measurement.

• Develop programs and initiatives for achieving the strategies set in Phase 1 above.

Phase 3: Deployment • Once the Balanced Scorecard is coherently developed, it should be pushed into the entire organization.

Developing a Balanced Scorecard can seem a little overwhelming and may take some time, but I promise you it is worth it. If your organization needs help with developing a Balanced Scorecard, we at PowerHouse Anchor Consulting Group can help you pull everything together, allowing your vision to become a reality.

Business Profile

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Business Technology

Getting Technical:

Technology for the Small Business Owner

F

or decades, large corporations have used technology to produce and ship products as well as track receipts and payments.

Until the 1980’s, price and space considerations kept most technologies out of reach of the small business owner. But as computers became smaller and less expensive, small business owners began to embrace technology as a means of saving time and money. Now technology is not only useful to the small business owner, it is critical for the company’s survival.

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As products have improved, prices have come down.

The tools needed for a business owner to monitor business functions such as sales, production, inventory, and accounts receivable and payable are either very affordable or free. For a business owner to keep their business competitive, they must seek out and learn new technologies.

My advice? First, invest a good small business accounting program such as QuickBooks by Intuit. QuickBooks has about 95% of the small business accounting market and for good reason. The software can pretty much automate all of your business needs. It can track sales, inventory, time spent on a job, payroll, accept credit cards, track accounts receivables and payables, maintain a customer database, prepare financial statements and more. Most accountants have a version of QuickBooks that will allow you to prepare an accountant’s copy of your company’s operations, send it to your accountant and allow them to make any adjustments. The accountant then sends the file back to you and allows you to incorporate their changes into your main file without missing a beat.

For most businesses, a basic version of QuickBooks will do just fine. You can get the QuickBooks Pro version, the least expensive of the QuickBooks suite, for around $200. In fact, if you shop around, you may find a genuine version for even less.

If you are a retail store or general contractor that may need to track inventory or job costs, you may need a specialized version which runs about $450. If you go to a QuickBooks ProAdvisor’s website (QBProAdvisor.com) they can get you discounts. If you are very small, you can use the online version which is about $10 per month or Simple Start version which you may be able to get free. They do not have as many of the functions as the Pro or specialized versions, but if you are a very small business, you may not need many features anyway.

Additional features such as payroll or merchant services are available for a reasonable subscription charge. Talk to your accountant to see what is best for you.

Also, make sure you invest in a copy of Microsoft Office.

Microsoft Office is the suite of office products that are essential not only for business, but everyday life. The most popular features include Excel for spreadsheet calculations of costs and revenue projections. You should also have Microsoft Word to draft reports, letters, and other communications with customers, vendors, and employees.

Next, you should also have Microsoft PowerPoint.

PowerPoint allows you to create eye-popping sales presentations to prospective customers as well as presenting

Without a doubt, a good, clean website is essential to doing business today.

financial reports to banks and shareholders. There are other features such as Access, Publisher, Visio, and Project which are very useful for various niche purposes, but for most small businesses, sticking with the three main office applications is all you really need to start.

Without a doubt, a good, clean website is essential to doing business today. People prefer to shop the Internet for goods and services and not having a presence on the web means you’re out of sight, out of mind with many of your customers.

To develop a good web presence, first develop a website that tells the customer two things: who you are and what you’re selling. In terms of what info to put on your website, think of it as a “need-to-know” basis. Do my customers need to know something? Put it up there. If it’s superfluous, leave it out and let a phone conversation or personal email be the way you communicate that info to clients. You can build a website yourself with programs such as Microsoft Expressions or WebEasy. The programs cost about $100 and have a lot of features that you can use to keep your customer engaged.

If you don’t have the time or expertise to develop your own site, you can have one made. A barebones website will run about $500 or so, while a site with several pages will cost you about $1,500. Most web designers will work with you and design a website that fits your needs and your budget, but be sure to shop around. Putting down that much money is worth a few phone calls.

But that’s not all. People must also know about your site.

Its not enough to just put a website out there and wait for people to click in. You must develop a solid Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and/or Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign.

You could have the greatest restaurant in Jacksonville, but if you don’t advertise it, it will take much longer to develop a good customer base. Same thing applies to websites. There are many tools such as Google, Yahoo, and Twitter. They can tell you how many clicks your website is getting and by whom.

That way you can tell how to strengthen your site to keep your ranking high on the online search engines. Best of all, a lot of them are free!

Speaking of free, you also need to setup a good social media campaign. The must-haves for any small business are FaceBook, LinkedIn and Twitter. If you are more tech savvy, you may want to consider YouTube. About $10 billion of social media sales are expected in 2011. You can use social media to advertise products or put out information.

Moving your venture into the digital age is not only smart business, it’s critical to your company’s survival. Fortunately, many tools are free so there is no excuse for a smart business owner not to implement most of these tools immediately.

Start getting technical today!

www.brainmediagroup.com

39

Business Management

The Small Business Energy Crisis Words by Candace Moody

Small business owners are experiencing an energy crisis of epic proportions. I’m not talking about electricity or the price of gas; I’m talking about what a friend refers to as “personal bandwidth.” Small business owners have a terrible time getting things done on time and yet sometimes they have trouble getting them done at all.

Tony Schwartz, author of The Energy Project, puts it this way: “Demand is exceeding our capacity. Time is the resource we’ve traditionally relied on to get more done. The problem with time is that it’s finite, and most of us no longer have additional hours left to invest at work. Energy, by contrast, can be expanded and regularly renewed.”

Many small business owners are exhausted. They can’t accomplish the ambitious goals they’ve set for their business.

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They can’t event accomplish the seemingly trivial clerical tasks that are popping up all over the place. The longer small business owners put off the small tasks, the more overwhelming the idea of just getting started. The energy crisis is so palpable that I’ve begun to identify small business owners in a crowd by the size of the bags under their eyes.

Executive coach Doug Wilder says that he sees the effects of the energy crisis in the business owners he coaches. To address it, Wilder takes his clients back up to where they

You can keep yout to-do list, but you can’t use it as an excuse to worry about what remains to be done. started: the big picture vision of their dream. He helps them articulate what their ideal life is and the role their business plays in creating that life. An important part of his coaching strategy is to address the energy crisis. De-stressing and working on time management are very important steps for a business owner to take before they can succeed.

HERE ARE MY STEPS FOR OVERCOMING YOUR OWN PERSONAL ENERGY CRISIS.

Step One: Take a break.

Relax physically, and you’ll be more likely to relax mentally.

Personal nutrition, fitness and sleep are usually the first casualties of war when someone starts a business. But you can take steps toward better health every day. Take short work breaks to stretch or walk around the block. Try yoga at your desk – clasp your arms behind your back and pull back your shoulders. Lift your arms behind you as high as they will go.

Or sit in your chair with your feet flat on the floor about hipwidth apart. Bend over so that your head goes between your knees and hold this position for about a minute.

Better than a break at your desk is an actual step toward fitness. Start work an hour later or take a break at lunch for a yoga class or a 30-minute walk. Go to bed an hour earlier for a week and see how you feel. Swear off fast food and bring a healthy lunch to work for a month. See if your energy level comes up.

10-minute meeting with an Energy Vampire can ruin your day. You might also find yourself putting off important work if it involves dealing with the Energy Vampire. Isn’t it time to let go?

Step Three: Refocus.

Leo Babauta writes an inspirational blog called Zen Habits.

He writes about his journey from overweight, sedentary, debt and doubt-ridden to healthy, fit and debt-free in just a few years. He provides tangible, actionable steps that anyone can follow to be healthier and happier, saying, “Your energy, not time, is what matters when getting work done. From this perspective, procrastination isn’t always a character defect; it often happens because you’re exhausted. If you manage your work in bursts of extreme productivity followed by energy recovery, you’ll perform better.” Babauta actually recommends killing your to-do list. He says that he gets up every morning “and I decide what one thing I’m excited about. Then I focus on doing that, pushing everything else aside, clearing distractions, and allowing myself to get caught up in the moment.”

You may not be ready to kill your to-do list today, but imagine what would happen if you focused on the one thing you need to do and let yourself be fully engaged. You can keep your to-do list, but you can’t use it as an excuse to worry about what remains to be done. Instead, focus on being in the moment with what you’re doing right now.

Focusing on the one thing that is really important will give you more energy than that double shot latte you’ve been investing in every morning – guaranteed!

Candace Moody is a writer and workforce

professional based in Jacksonville, Florida.

Her background includes over 15 years of

experience in Human Resources, training, recruiting, and assessment, and she is

frequently quoted in the Jacksonville media on labor market issues. She was

Step Two: Put a stake in the hearts of your EnergyVampires.

If you think for a moment, you’ll be able to identify a few of what author Jon Gordon calls “Energy Vampires.” In place of fangs, they use negative comments, what Gordon calls ‘dream snatching’ and ‘shrinking devices’ to suck the life out of everyone they come into contact with. Do you have one at the office? At home? As a vendor or customer? One

awarded an M.B.A. from Jacksonville University in 2001.

Her column and features have appeared in

the ( Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union, the Atlanta Journal Constitution

and 904 Magazine. Her blog at http://atworkjax.wordpress.com, is dedicated to helping workersf ind and keep a great job and achieve success.

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41

Business Management

Concept to Creation of Companies in 54 Hrs www.Jacksonville.Startupweekend.org Are you ready to start a business and put your creativity to work? Looking for an opportunity to test your entrepreneurial prowess? Look no further, Jacksonville Startup Weekend is here! Scheduled Jan. 20–22 at the University of North Florida (UNF), the Jacksonville Startup Weekend is a 54–hour event where idea generators and enthusiasts will form teams, build products and launch startups. At the end of the event, participants build scalable companies that solve real-world problems.

The INDO-US Chamber of Commerce, Northeast Florida, JAX Chamber and iStart Jax Inc. partnered to organize Jacksonville Startup Weekend “We are offering aspiring entrepreneurs a chance to connect with others who successfully launched new businesses, startup experts and technologists,” 42

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said MJ Charmani, Startup Weekend Chair. “We hope this educational environment will provide Northeast Florida entrepreneurs with the creative skills and contacts to help implement their ideas.”

With the goal of launching at least 10 new companies, Jacksonville Startup Weekend,expects about 100 participants.

John Delaney, former mayor and president of the University of North Florida and Kevin Riley, Vice President, Innovation and Consumer Health Solutions, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, will open the event Friday, Jan. 20 at 6:30 p.m.

So, what is Startup Weekend?

Startup Weekend was founded by Andrew Hyde in July of 2007 in Boulder, Colorado to connect entrepreneurs.

Startup Weekend quickly turned into a worldwide movement.

Worldwide, Startup Weekends occurred in 295 cities; helped launch 2,450 businesses; and engaged more than 35,000 entrepreneurs. They are premier education experiences for entrepreneurs that also result in the development of implementable business plans. The phenomenal success of Startup Weekend has garnered the support of global technology organizations such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Twillio, oDesk and OpenTok; as well as local Jacksonville organizations like the Small Business Development Center, the Coggin College of Business, Microsoft, Company Corporation and Entrepreneurs Anchor.

What happens during a Startup Weekend?

Friday:

Participants arrive between 5–6:30 p.m., begin networking, eat dinner, and introduce themselves. Then the “Pitchfire” will commence: anyone intending to pitch will have 60 seconds to give their best pitch. When pitches are complete, all attendees vote to select the top 10–15 ideas. Teams form organically, consolidate, and begin working.

Saturday:

Teams work all day, with breaks to eat or listen to experts provide brief presentations. Mentors circulate to provide concrete advice in the field of their expertise..

presentations begin. Each team presents their product in about five minutes and answers questions from the panel of judges..

The judges select the top three teams, award prizes, and new startups launch!

In addition to providing a tremendous educational experience and incomparable networking opportunities, Startup Weekend offers participants a wide variety of technical prizes that will help accelerate the success of early stage startups: • Free access to Microsoft BizSpark • $50 credit for Amazon Web Services and a $200 credit for the winning team • $50 credit to Twilio provides an application programming interface (API) for businesses to build scalable, reliable communication apps • $100 credit to oDesk allows the hiring of remote contractors, including web developers, graphic designers, SEO/SEM experts and more • Free access to OpenTok by TokBox enables developers to build live group video chat into their web experience using an extensive set of Javascript or AS3 libraries.

Jacksonville Startup Weekend continues to attract sponsors and experts. The event will provide aspiring entrepreneurs the creative space and practical mentorship needed to develop and launch their idea.

So, spread the word and hurry to register at http://jacksonville.startupweekend.org/ for the early bird offer of $75 (expires December 21, 2011).

Sunday:

Teams will work uninterrupted from morning until midafternoon. They begin wrapping up their product, prototype and presentation around 3–4 p.m. They perform techchecks and practice their demonstration. Judges arrive and www.brainmediagroup.com

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