Preview of b2bTRIBE v3

for and by charlotte-area small business owners and entrepreneurs

table of contents

Good Stuff Inside Features

14 DO

11 DOs and DON’Ts for Promoting Your Business

24

KNOW

The Right Time for Change

30

The TRIBE

Meet 12 Members of the TRIBE

48

FEEL

How do you satisfy your sweet tooth?

Special Qs What’s the one thing about doing business in Charlotte that you wish you’d known sooner?

...... 10

What is the best business decision you ever made?

............ 44

What is the hottest emerging trend in your industry?

.............. 56

Departments ................ 4

Publisher’s Note How to Get in the Magazine

................. 6 News Briefs..................... 7 Also Do...................... 16 Be the Change.............. 52 Book Review................ 59 Save the Dates.............. 60 Ad Index..................... 62 TRIBE Index................. 62 Eye Candy................... 64 b2bTRIBE Manifesto.... 65 ®

Our focus is remarkably uncomplicated.

We help human beings communicate an engaging message in an authentic way to capture the hearts and minds of clients and community. From conversations and presentations to pitches and keynotes, we’ve got you covered.

Give us a call today at 704.374.0423.

We’re a friendly bunch, and we would love to talk.

Jackson Sveen

Michael Rogers

Amber Lineback

Julie Haldane

Jeff Serenius

Lou Solomon

Interact Studio, 210

1435 West Morehead Street Charlotte, NC 28208 704.374.0423 www.interactauthentically.com

Patrick Sheehan

publisher’s note

Welcome Welcome to the third issue (v3) as we at b2bTRIBE® magazine share the realities of life for entrepreneurs and small business owners with 100 employees or fewer. This issue celebrates our one year anniversary. (Yep, only two valuable issues per year.)

The v1 issue was packed with great business friends and connections from my network. Now in v3, it is exhilarating to flip through the pages and see so many new faces. Thank you for referring your peers, friends, and networks to the magazine!

I still get the weird side-eye look when I say that business owners can subscribe and get in b2bTRIBE® magazine at no cost to them. It is completely true; we are not pay-to-play!

The v1 issue featured sixtyeight Charlotte-area business owners; v2 featured ninetyeight (plus twelve nonprofits); and this issue has 102 business owners providing great content while gaining exposure for their businesses.

Side-eye stares aside, you are correct—the magazine isn’t free, and far from it. Flip back to page 2 and then to the ad index on page 62. The companies highlighted are the companies that make this magazine possible. And they want your positive attention, referrals, and business. SPARK Publications still covers over 50 percent of the total production cost to create this resource for you, Charlotte business owners, who have so very few places to share your voices and personalities and most importantly promote your businesses. All I’m asking is that you help us grow this magazine by growing our sign-ups.

The theme of this issue is change, and it’s packed with value and real-world wisdom. When is the the right time for change? Who are some business owners that have taken great leaps of faith from cushy corporate paychecks to entrepreneurship? What are the options for business owners who want to be the change they want to see in the world? On the lighter side, as much as we like to work hard, the TRIBE apparently harbors a serious sweet tooth.

The business owners on pages 48 to 51 know how to quench it.

Thanks for letting us play. Come join the b2bTRIBE®!

Please send feedback and suggestions to publisher@b2bTRIBE.com. If you want to support this effort and promote your business with an ad, please connect via advertising@b2bTRIBE.com.

4 b2bTRIBE.com

b2bTRIBE® magazine v3 > Summer/Fall 2015 Fabi Preslar, Publisher Melisa K. L. Graham, Editor Larry Preslar, Creative Director Merissa Jones, Creative Goddess Genna Baugh, Pixel Princess Sofi Preslar, Production Assistant and Photographer Jim Denk, Design Boy Bonnie Dodson, Proofreader Extra Special Contributors Colleen Brannan Michael LoBiondo Laura Neff Jenni Walker Design and Production by SPARK Publications SPARKpublications.com Advertise advertising@b2bTRIBE.com or go to b2btribe.com/advertise Provide feedback & suggestions publisher@b2bTRIBE.com Submit story ideas Subscribe at b2btribe.com/subscribe and then watch your email for each issue’s “call for content.”

2116 Crown Centre 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. ©2015. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

Email subscribers are invited to share their news, including awards, new products and services, new certifications, and more.

Tara Goodfellow, MBA, CTACC, owner of Athena Consultants, Inc., recently earned her certified coach certificate after completing a twenty-two week program. She then presented at a conference of 300 attendees in Greensboro on the topics of empowerment and personal branding, while donning a Wonder Woman cape.

Atlantic Database is now a certified partner for Zoho CRM, offering cloud-based automation for sales and marketing initiatives.

Barks, Bones, & Biscuits Bakery received the Retailer Excellence Award for Community Service at the 2015 Global Pet Expo in recognition of the company’s fellowship, integrity, and clear demonstration of giving back to the community.

The owner is Robyn Kline.

BeeSmart Social Media recently launched a service offering that provides social media services for $75 per month to entrepreneurs and micro-businesses.

Blue Line Technologies, owned

by Jeff Sagraves of Charlotte, has acquired CMS Networking out of Hickory. The newly combined company now provides IT services to over 350 organizations throughout the Carolinas.

Booking Authors Ink has been retained by Story River Books (SRB) to handle all marketing efforts for its next 2015 fiction title, Untying the Moon. SRB is the fiction imprint of University of South Carolina Press. Pat Conroy is editor at large.

Booking Authors Ink is a boutique PR firm dedicated to authors.

Bouley Printing Co., Inc. has added laytex wide-format signs and banners, wiro-binding equipment, and a true roundcornering machine to its services, presses, and bindery equipment.

Business Acquisition & Merger Associates (BAMA) won three new sell-side engagements: an international sale engagement for a $94 million connector and wire harness manufacturer; a Carolinas-based industrial products distributor; and a Southeast packaging products manufacturer.

KLH Capital retained BAMA to identify platform companies to acquire in business services, distribution, and manufacturing.

CC Communications, a leading web development and digital marketing agency, has expanded its social media services through a partnership with Posse Social Media. Services include comprehensive social media solutions designed to increase

news briefs

Toot your horn! online visibility and drive website traffic for Charlotte businesses.

Charity Golf Guns was created from a hobby turned into a niche fundraising opportunity. A platform for giving back to local charities and organizations, players use AR-15 assault rifles to launch golf balls 375 yards from the tee box during golf tournaments.

“Starting Over” is the story of Dr. Donna Hinkle’s journey from a one-room schoolhouse, to thirtyfive years with early childhood programs, policymakers, and researchers at the national level, and then on to founding Child Care Decision to provide transparent information. The story is one of twenty-three included in the book Unexpected Pathways: The Journeys of Women in the Workforce available on Amazon.

COSKids, a Matthews, NC, nonprofit, is very proud to announce that it has been awarded the designation of 5 STAR Childcare Facility, the highest rating bestowed by the North Carolina Division of Child Development.

COSKids provides assistance to single parent families.

Create A Video has launched the PhotoVision Events App, which allows special event

b2bTRIBE.com 7

Q

What’s the one thing about doing business in Charlotte that you wish you’d known sooner?

“The one thing about doing business in Charlotte that I wish I had known sooner was that there are so many free resources for startups and business owners seeking to move from start-up to growth and expansion. Charlotte is rich with resources. If I had known, I am certain I would have made the decision to leave corporate America and jumped into business full-time much sooner.”

LaPronda Spann, Lain Consulting LLC, lainconsultingllc.com

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“I’ve lived in the Charlotte metro area for twenty-six years and wish I had learned earlier how important it is to create ongoing, mutual-mentor relationships with fellow professionals. From finding a new job to starting several new small businesses, I’ve realized how important these mutualmentors are to me and how I can help others through offering connections, suggestions, and perspective.”

Karen Dortschy, Haute Dauge Portraits, HauteDaugePortraits.com

“Where to get a frequent buyers card for local coffee shops! I don’t even drink coffee, but I do meet at a lot of coffee shops.”

Curtis Burk, Charity Golf Guns, charitygolfguns.com

“How much help the City of Charlotte has to offer small business. The Neighborhood and Business Services can connect businesses to new opportunities, especially for MWSBEs.”

Noelle DeAtley, Creative Thinking Group, LLC, creativetinkers.com

“How in business making solid relationships is so very important.

Charlotte has such a broad diversity of businesses and so many ways to connect.”

Donald Grothoff, Focused Healthy Kids, focusedhealthykids.com

“Charlotte has a host of resources and opportunities.

I wish I had built opportunitybased relationships sooner. It is important to network and build mutually beneficial relationships.”

Shauntae Jordan, SMJ Speaks, LLC, sunnyjordan.com

“People in Charlotte want to know you personally, and most of them care about you and your business.

I wish I had been more open about being gay from the start; it would have saved me from a few uncomfortable conversations!”

Julie Bee, BeeSmart Social Media, beesmartsocialmedia.com

“Coming originally from New York, I was initially confused when businesses would be very friendly and genteel but did not do business with me. In New York, you know quickly when the opportunity is over.”

Lou Amico, L.A. Management Company, lamanagementco.com

“Networking skills and etiquette, but that is true for everywhere, not just Charlotte!”

Nancy White, Rejvn8u, rejvn8u.com

“The South has a lovely, relaxed tone, which is wonderful; however, it also means that establishments tend to close rather early. I tend to work around the clock, and I love exploring places and letting my creativity roam in a different environment from an office.

I’m usually inspired to do that at night. However, as the city grows I think there will be a vast amount of opportunities for my fellow night owls.”

Cheale Villa, Visual Caffeine, VisualCaffeine.com

“Doing business in Charlotte has its own set of complexities.

I spent so much time trying to network with the ‘right’ groups that it left little time to work on or in the business. I wish I had known which networking groups had the highest ROI for me or where I could add value for others. I had a lot of breadth in meeting people but very little depth in developing real relationships. Now I am more focused on those activities and groups in which I can learn, network, and add my wisdom and knowledge to the mix.”

Dr. Janice Witt Smith, J.W. Smith and Associates, LLC, jwsmithconsulting.com

“I wish I had known that it was possible to be more selective with my networking. Charlotte is known as the networking city, and when I first started my business, I was told that I had to network. And networking I did! I went from one networking group to the next without checking to see if it was a fit for me or me a fit for it. Did I meet a lot of people? You bet I did. But looking back now, I could have saved myself a lot of time and energy if I had been strategic in my quest to network.”

Paula Okonneh, Computer & Database Solutions LLC, computer-database.com

b2bTRIBE.com 11

“Networking is EVERYTHING! Charlotte is a very ‘connected’ city and making connections is mandatory. You have to get out and make those connections in person. Not much will happen if you sit behind a desk all day.”

“That it is a tight-knit community, and there are very few dots; the connections lines are close to each other.”

Alan Staten, Association Management Solutions, amshoa.com

“The networking available in Charlotte. Just one example: eWomen Network. For one thing, that’s how I learned of b2bTRIBE. But seriously, I’ve only just joined eWomen, and I feel like my consciousness has been expanded what with meeting new people and receiving suggestions and direction to more contacts and resources we hadn’t even known were there.

We love it down in Fort Mill and Rock Hill, but I wish I’d known of the wealth of people resources in Charlotte a lot sooner!”

Debby Millhouse, CEO Inc. and Xcentri, ceoinc.com and xcentri.com

“Charlotte’s a great place to do business. If you’re different and offer value, you can do business anywhere in the city.”

Matthew Bradbury, Business Acquisition & Merger Associates, buysellyourbusiness.com

“I wish I had known that Charlotte was such an amazing and profitable market because I would have moved here a lot sooner. My business has thrived in this city strictly by word of mouth, and I have made some unbelievable connections here.”

Kathryn Isaacs, KTeas, LLC, KTeasOnline.com

“SEO is extremely important to your website. There is a lot of competition, and having an optimized site can make a huge difference in your profits.”

Christine Mason, Telecom Made Simple, LLC, TelecomMadeSimpleLLC.com

Heather Bishop, Chloe’s Playhouse Pet Sitting, chloesplayhouse.com

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Magazines . Books . Catalogs

12 b2bTRIBE.com

Pantone 158

do

also do:

bits of wisdom from the TRIBE

Business owners who are signed up and subscribed to b2bTRIBE® receive an invitation to share their expertise in the magazine. No sales pitches are allowed, but you know where to find them if you want to know more.

Take a Product-First Approach

By Steven Sacks

The biggest mistake made by many technology startups is not having a “product-first” mentality. There’s a natural tendency to want to get traction as fast as you can in terms of customers and revenue. However, at the core of your business is the connection of a person and your product. The strength of that connection is what is ultimately going to decide how successful your company will be.

A product-first approach includes: Having all employees be constantly thinking about ways to improve your product.

Asking customers what product improvements they’d like to see.

Creating and managing a list of product improvements to consider making over time.

Focusing on improvements to the core features before adding new features.

Steven Sacks is the cofounder of PodKeeper, an online organizer for parents, and has twenty years of experience in product management for startups and Fortune 500 companies. Learn more at podkeeper.com.

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Compliant Background Checks

By Deanna Arnold

Conducting background checks as a part of the hiring process continues to be a hot topic into 2015, particularly around how the information received is used as well as the disclosure and acknowledgement forms that companies use. It is important for companies to review their background check policy to ensure that they don’t have “blanket” policies excluding anyone from employment strictly based on a criminal conviction.

Companies that conduct background checks must comply with not only the guidelines set forth by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) but also the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The FCRA has new requirements for the disclosure form that employers use to notify applicants that they will be conducting a background check. It is important to note that this form must be separate from the employment application and that it is a stand-alone document.

Learn more about Deanna Arnold of Employers Advantage LLC at employersadvantagellc.com.

Reveal Yourself

By Kent Youngstrom What makes your product or business different than my product or business?

The world is full of people and corporations who claim to be authentic, creative, gamechanging, innovative, inspiring, and paradigmshifting. Sounds great, but that’s not good enough. I want to be with, work with, or collect the work of someone who shows fall-down, crazy-stupid love for their work and want to be surrounded by people who are alluring, beguiling, blazing, bursting, epic, frenzied, ravenous, and volcanic. I want passion to erupt.

Learn more about Kent Youngstrom, artpreneur, at kentyoungstrom.com.

Social Media Dos

By Shauntae Jordan Post frequently and be consistent.

Keep your posts short and sweet. Quote pictures usually gain more likes and comments versus a status update with a plain quote.

Use proper spelling.

Take shortcuts when appropriate. It is okay to use BTW (by the way) and LOL (laugh out loud).

Link to additional information—web pages or blog posts that offer more details.

Be willing to share. Post 90 percent motivational quotes, 5 percent others’ information, and 5 percent content.

Be discreet. Make sure that you use your best judgment when making a post.

Don’t accept every friend request that you receive. It is better to have a smaller community of friends. Quality over quantity!

Don’t post if you don’t have anything interesting to say. Post informative content and news.

Don’t post anything that could be possibly used against you.

Learn more about Shauntae Jordan of SMJ Speaks, LLC at sunnyjordan.com.

Tools for Motivation

By Glenn Proctor

elief: Believe in yourself, your team, and the B agreed-upon goals.

Focus: The right mindset leads to successful outcomes.

Planning: Well-drawn plans provide a roadmap to follow.

Execution: Work the plan and revise it when necessary.

Learn more about Glenn Proctor, writer, editor, business, and career coach, at reddjobb.com.

Find Your Voice

By Cheale Villa

Regardless of size, to be seen and heard, companies must have a clear voice—that’s the sweet foundation of branding. Start with targeting, though it may sound simple, branding or rebranding relies on knowing whom your business is speaking to and what you are trying to say in order to relay your brand effectively and establish your voice in a sea of other voices—especially those which are belting out of tune. Once you’ve established that concept, aim for flexibility; be open to adapting!

That’s the key to business survival. Yes, tradition can be nostalgic, but showing your willingness toward modernity will ultimately inspire confidence in your audience. Be warm but professional in your social media presence and those friendly e-mails with your clients, both the potential and present.

It will all work together to establish your brand as approachable but knowledgeable—true and transparent.

Learn more about Cheale Villa, CEO of Visual Caffeine, at VisualCaffeine.com.

Set Your Course

By Jeremy Turner Well over 90 percent of the small businesses and nonprofits with which I interact have no business plan in place, whether it’s a full-blown strategic plan or a napkin with random thoughts scribbled upon it.

That’s tantamount to setting out on a long sea voyage without having set a specific course and without having any method by which to navigate and course correct!

The only shortcut is to do things right the first time around. As such, I highly encourage business owners and nonprofit leaders to spend the time to craft a well-laid business plan early and then to revisit the plan often.

Tons of great free and low-cost resources are available to help with the planning process, so don’t let cost, fear of the unknown, or anxiety over the oft-intimidating business planning process keep you from plotting your course for success and achieving your goals and dreams.

Learn more about Jeremy Turner of JET Solutions, LLC, at IntentionalBusinessSuccess.com.

b2bTRIBE.com 19

the tribe

Emma Cromedy 32

Deborah Peterson 33

Steve Thomson

Jaime Cardenas 34

31

Miguel Barrientos

Pacino Mancillas

The TRIBE

42

Lydia Stern

35

Chuck Eaton

Being an employee at a large corporation has its benefits: a steady paycheck, a solid chain of command for buck passing, readily available resources, and more. But for many entrepreneurs, the benefits will never outweigh the call to create. These entrepreneurs embraced change and took leaps of faith from cushy corporate jobs to small business ownership.

41

Tony Proctor 40

Matthew Bradbury 39

30 b2bTRIBE.com

36

Nikita Devereaux 37

Sharon LachowBlumberg 38

Steve Thomson was heading up Maersk’s operations in Guatemala in 2008 when the recession hit.

The company started streamlining operations, and in 2009 Steve was offered a choice: return to the United States to work domestically in a new area or accept a severance package. “After my son was born, I’d grown more and more interested in running my own company and providing jobs at a time when jobs were becoming scarce,” said Thomson. “So why waste a perfectly good recession?

My decision was easy.”

He moved to Matthews, North Carolina, to provide a good environment for his growing family and launched Sweetwater Logistics, an e-commerce order fulfillment company that stores, picks, packs, and ships its customers’ products as their orders come in. He says that eleven years at Maersk, the largest international shipping company in the world, certainly gave him some great experience in the shipping industry.

But more than that, his corporate experience taught him some great lessons about leadership: “I was privy to some of the best leaders possible and unfortunately some of the worst. This allows me to tailor my leadership to the situation in a more compelling manner. Admittedly, I don’t always get it right, but I can never use the excuse that I haven’t seen it done better.”

Like many entrepreneurs coming from a cushy corporate background, the uncertainty of a regular paycheck was the biggest adjustment. ”There is really no stronger addiction than the addiction to direct deposit. But that security is a mirage. It’s more satisfying to know that my efforts and steadfastness can provide not only for my own family but for others as well.”

– story by Melisa K. L. Graham image by Sofi Preslar

Steve Thomson

Perfectly Picked and Packed sweetwaterlogistics.com

b2bTRIBE.com 31

Emma Cromedy A Sweet Hobby

southerncakequeen.com

Baby Beelllloa... says h pcake l cu Mommie’s li

In 2003, Emma Cromedy was a few years into a banking and finance career when she took a cake decorating class at Michael’s to expand her baking hobby. Five years later, she launched SouthernCakeQueen, Charlotte’s first mobile bakery.

It offers cupcakes, brownies, and custom desserts. At first, she ran the business part-time while working full-time for a large corporation. She made the leap and took her business full-time in May 2012, which she believes is the best decision she ever made besides marrying her husband.

The Pink Lady, as the SouthernCakeQueen dessert truck is known, can be found every week at South End’s Food Truck Friday and at other food truck rallies and private events around town. Pinky, the dessert cart, can be found at the Matthews Food Truck Rally every Friday and at the corner of Tryon Street and 1st Street in uptown Charlotte on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

For Cromedy, the hardest thing about making the leap into business ownership was the uncertainty of not knowing how much money she would make. She relied on her spiritual faith to get her through that uncertainty and found ways to introduce alternate income streams, such as special events, catering, and cupcake decorating parties.

While there is no correlation between her corporate career and her current business, Cromedy learned some valuable lessons about lean processes from the finance industry: “The lean process helps with work flow and production. It makes your life so much better. Some people think goals help run a business, but I believe putting the necessary systems in place will make your business better. It helps make production better, which eventually leads to saving money.”

– story by Melisa K. L. Graham image by Sofi Preslar

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If you enjoyed AMC’s awardwinning series Mad Men, you will love Deborah Peterson’s story.

It has all the period drama and vintage clothing you’re missing, and it picks up in 1976 soon after Mad Men leaves off.

As a 25-year-old wife of a small business owner and mother of three boys, she applied for a job listed in the newspaper—“no experience necessary and light typing.” She had no college degree and no work experience but became gainfully employed as an assistant at a Syracuse, New York, stock brokerage. She learned on the job and quickly outgrew the role.

In 1980, one of the firm’s largest bank clients created a role for her in its investment department and paid her $200 per week, a hefty sum at the time for a woman in a male-dominated industry. She was put in charge of installing the bank’s first computer system and later its first local area network, wide area network, email system, and so forth. After a series of mergers, she became the head of trust operations and technology at a large regional bank in upstate New York.

“Because I was able to create such a technical career without traditional training and also because I was a woman in a man’s world, I attracted a lot of attention—both positive and negative,” said Peterson. “Many men thought I was trying to take their jobs away from them.”

After more than 20 years working for large financial institutions, she decided to create a business that was more centered on individuals and their unique wants and needs. Peterson launched Money Counts in 2002 with the mission of providing financial education to individuals and families.

Deborah Peterson Mad Money Men

moneycounts.biz

– story by Melisa K. L. Graham image by Deborah Triplett Photography

b2bTRIBE.com 33

feel

sweet tooth?

How do you satisfy your

The b2bTRIBE® staff was gathered discussing the layout for this issue right before lunch one day. The publisher, Fabi Preslar, said the content was “meaty, maybe a little too meaty.” She felt it needed a little extra flavor, so we sent out a last-minute request to our email subscribers: what satisfies your sweet tooth, and where is your favorite place to get it? The responses rolled in. The TRIBE, it seems, is very passionate about dessert.

“Brownies and ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery.”

– Anthony J. Brown, Anthony J. Brown Agency / Allstate, Allstate Insurance Company

“Can’t beat warm pecan pie with vanilla ice cream.

Best place in Charlotte is Midwood Smokehouse Restaurant.”

– Danny Fischer, FranNet Carolina, frannet.com/dfischer

“Dairy Queen peanut buster parfait. Perfect blend of sweet and salty, creamy and crunchy. Even though I could easily enjoy one each week, I limit myself to one per calendar year.”

– Barb Swartz, Design One, barbswartz.com

“I am totally ‘addicted’ to dark chocolate covered pomegranate.

I tell myself they’re healthy because they’re dark chocolate and pomegranate. But seriously! You can’t taste that good AND be healthy.”

– Lee Bierer, College Admissions Strategies, collegeadmissions strategies.com

“Roasted pecan cherry chocolate bark with sea salt from The Secret Chocolatier.”

– Adam Holden-Bache, author of How to Win at B2B Email Marketing, b2bemailmarketingbook.com

“Homemade hot cocoa, made in my kitchen!”

– Julie Bee, BeeSmart Social Media, beesmartsocialmedia.com

“A piece of chocolate from The Secret Chocolatier. (Full disclosure: they are a client, but all bias aside, they make the best chocolates!)”

– Jenni Walker, Walker PR Group, walkerprgroup.com

“Any kind of cake: chocolate, red velvet, carrot, coconut, yellow, rum—you name it.

My favorite place in Charlotte to get my cake fix is Crave Dessert Bar.”

– Michelle Salater, Sumèr, LLC, SumerCopywriting.com

“Chocolate satisfies my sweet tooth: chocolate brownies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, and chocolate ice cream. My favorite place to get my sweet treat is Red Lobster. I love their chocolate brownie that’s warm, drizzled in fudge and caramel, and with vanilla ice cream on the side.”

– Charleszetta Ford, Better Bodies 4 Us, L.L.C., betterbodies4us.com

“Amelie’s gluten-free brownies.”

– Pacino Mancillas, AC&M Group, acmconnect.com

“Snickers cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory.”

– Yvonne Young, Nfinity Services LLC, nfinityservices.1wp.com

b2bTRIBE.com 51

Be the

Change You’ve heard it at least a thousand times: be the change you want to see in the world. A growing class of business owners is not only living that mantra but also profiting from it. b2bTRIBE® interviewed Charles Thomas, executive director of Queen City Forward, about Charlotte’s tribe of conscious capitalists, also known as social entrepreneurs and social innovators.

b2bTRIBE: What is Queen

City Forward?

Charles Thomas, Queen City Forward

52 b2bTRIBE.com

Thomas: Queen City Forward is an incubator that works with entrepreneurs who are socially conscious about building businesses that have a triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit. So the entrepreneurs that we work to find, train, and grow are building companies that follow practices that ensure we have a healthy planet, that people are taken care of, while also doing it in a way that is sustainable for

their businesses. Some examples of socially conscious businesses or conscious capitalists that most people are aware of include TOMS (for every shoe you buy, one is given away) and Ben & Jerry’s (ice cream with a heavy focus on where ingredients come from and how employees are treated).

b2bTRIBE: What are the current trends you see in social innovation?

Thomas: Companies are

becoming more conscious about