Dana and Elizabeth discuss headlines and happenings with special guests Tom Creely and Jennifer Schwartz.
Jennifer Schwartz talks about her Crusade for Collecting, (which involves driving a 1977 VW bus around the country selling photography and encouraging people to support art and artists) and how you can “Walk Away With Art” www.jenniferschwartzgallery.com/walk
Tom Creely, Ph.D. CEO, EthixFirma, LLC shares about the complexity of ethical decision making today and how a sound moral framework and the right advisors is helping companies navigate important issues of today.
So many people have had to redefine their careers and look for other income streams to make it through the recession, now is a good time to explore a passion business that can help you feel and be more successful.
Joining us in the studio today, Celest Turner, an expert who facilitates authentic and sustainable success through personal coaching, writing, and training. She has been featured on NBC Philadelphia, GalTime TV Orlando, Examiner.com, and The Daily Buzz national morning show. She is also a columnist for Headdrama.com.
When it comes to growth and success strategies, Celest is definitely a renaissance practitioner. She has worked with aspiring entrepreneurs, ambitious individuals, and businesses to help them refine their vision and design a path to achieve success.
International powerhouse Lisa Nichols of The Secret and Chicken Soup for the African American Woman’s Soul calls Celest one of her “ambassadors of fortitude†and has featured her story of overcoming bullying and shyness in the book Unbreakable Spirit.
Celtic Testing Experts helps boost GA economy by opening an onshore test center in Kennesaw, GA. President, Kelly Kierans stopped by the studio to talk about how she’s grown the company in a down economy, where they are headed and what it’s like sitting in the C-Suite.
Celtic Testing Experts, Inc. provides Quality Assurance, Assurance Management expertise combined with a proprietary forecasting dashboard, called Foresight.
Hear how the company got started, how they’ve doubled in size and are poised to do so again, about their new facility, they’re processes and employees. Kelly shares about industry trends and why many companies are rethinking offshoring and bringing their testing back to the US and seeing the value and savings in doing so.
Celtic Testing Experts, Inc. core competency is Test Management, Test Process Assessment, Improvement and Implementation. Find out more at www.celtictestingexperts.com
Tired of all the time you are spending on Social Media? Wondering how to get results? Through proper branding, focus, communication and consistency – the sky can be the limit! Why not be a social media sweetheart today?
Beth Hermes (The Network Goddess and CCO of eIRIS Marketing) and Carol Reinlie (The Social Girl and CCO of Hot Biscuit Marketing) are on a mission to help you make the most of social media for your life and business. They joined me in the studio on Monday to answer the questions everyone is asking today about social media marketing.
How do you get people to read your posts?
What separates the social media winners from everyone else?
How does Google+ factor into the social media equation?
How are companies using social media to get customers and grow revenue?
How to keep social media posts timely & relevant?
Who uses Pinterest and why?
Where and when to post business and personal items on Facebook? (isn’t not as obvious as you think)
And lots more…
Yes – social media can be fun. There are just some key points you need to consider.  Carol and Beth shared strategies and examples of how to achieve your marketing goals, make friends, become known as an influencer, an expert and the go-to person for advice in your industry.
Dana Barrett hosted our monthly women’s business group roundtable show, with 4 fabulous guests from PROWin (Professional Women’s Information Network), a nationally recognized membership organization that provides resources for professional women and is valued above all for its commitment to their professional, personal, and economic empowerment.
Barbara Betti of At Your Service Atlanta
Barb Stengard of Mom Talent
Nichelle Jones of Jones Health and Benefits
and Patricia Harris of The Edge Connection joined Dana in the downtown studio to talk business.
Barbara Betti talked about how and why more people are turning to a professional concierge to help them do it all. Busy professional rely on Barbara’s team to help accomplish more and enjoy life: www.atyourserviceatlanta.com
Barb Stengard talked about how her company helps those with a business need for highly skilled and trained professionals in accounting? Mom Talent can identify your needs, design, organize and staff your accounting department with experienced part time professionals.www.mom–talent.com
Anyone whose ever been overwhelmed by the research and choices in finding a benefits provider can appreciate the value Nichelle’s business provides. Â Nichelle Jones talked about how Jones Health and Benefits help employers and self-employed individual find the best rates and the best plans to suit their insurance needs http://www.joneshealthandbenefits.com/
Patricia Harris talked about The Edge Connection, Inc. a nationally recognized, multifaceted SBA Women’s Business Center that primarily targets low-to moderate-income women, in addition to minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities desiring to launch, sustain, or grow a microenterprise or small business. http://theedgeconnection.com
Barbara, Barb, Nichelle and Patricia each work in different fields and come from different backgrounds, but they share a common philosophy of building through building relationships.
For more information about PROWin and its members, go to http://prowin.com/
Rahim Charania joined us in the studio to talk about his leadership experience as the CEO of American Fueling Systems. Mr. Charania has in depth knowledge of business management, strategic planning, finance, and sales and has used this knowledge to raise over $120 million dollars for new ventures throughout his career.
His extensive knowledge of the fueling industry comes from his investments in a number of fueling stations along with his many advisory roles to fuel delivery servicers. He has managed large executive teams and worked alongside multiple stakeholders including, investors, large clients and vendors in order to align the global vision behind the venture.
Over the past 6 years Mr. Charania has been President of CGC Global, an investment and advisory group which advised on and participated in the acquisition, development or sale of over $12 million in fueling stations along with other asset classes. Before that he helped raise revenues and increase investor returns at BCIR and Millennium Group of Partners by delivering efficient operations and requiring a strong focus on shareholder value by his entire organization.
He has proven results in the fields of private equity investments, business advisory, and real estate. Through his investments and business networks in the fuel sales industry, Mr. Charania saw a glaring need for cheaper and cleaner fuel in transportation; with that in mind he organized and formed American Fueling Systems.
In this interview Rahim talks in-depth about his experience in creating and managing ventures which produce profitable returns for investors and customers, and the company’s plan to set aside $1,000,000 to fund a Cooperative Agreement (CA) with Fleet Companies to provide fleet owners with a detailed alternative fuel feasibility study specific to their fleet operations so that they can get those questions answered with a detailed plan on how to make the transition.
Laurie Bassi, business advocate, economist, and author, will be discussing “the worthiness era†and how local companies and business owners can mold their companies to fit into the worthiness era and how they can be successful in 2012 and beyond.
Laurie Bassi is the CEO and a co-founder of McBassi & Company, www.mcbassi.com. She is also Chair of the Board at Bassi Investments, Inc.
Laurie is one of the world’s leading authorities on the emerging “decision-science†of human capital management—the processes and practices within an organization that align the management and development of employees with its business results. She loves working with clients to help them improve organizational performance through targeted, effective strategies for managing and developing their people.
She has overseen the development of the McBassi People Index®, a powerful tool for pinpointing and improving the unique people-related drivers of an organization’s business results.
Prior to launching McBassi & Company, Laurie served as the director of research for Saba Software and as vice president at the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). While at ASTD, she created internationally recognized standards for measuring and valuing firms’ investments in education and training, and a core set of quantitative indicators for measuring the effectiveness of knowledge management initiatives. She has also served as the director of several U.S. government commissions, and as a co-chair of the Board on Testing and Assessment at the National Academy of Sciences. The early years of Laurie’s career were spent as a tenured professor of economics and public policy at Georgetown University.
Laurie has authored over 80 published papers and books, and is a sought-after speaker both domestically and internationally.
She holds a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University, a M.S. in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University, and a B.S. in mathematics from Illinois State University.
In this interview Laurie talks about her book, Good Company, and shares with us why people are choosing the companies in their lives in the same way they choose the guests they invite into their homes, how Atlanta’s top companies score on the index and why the worthiness era is at its tipping point.
Thinking about an Exit Strategy for your Family owned Business?…Stuart J. Brady joined Elizabeth Gordon in the studio at 200 Peachtree to discuss the process involved in strategically selling your company.
Stuart is a Senior Business Analyst with the Business House, INC., a boutique mergers and acquisitions (M&A) firm in the southeast. Mr. Brady specializes in developing and facilitating exit plans for the business owners that are fast approaching retirement. In this interview we discuss developing an exit plan to help you sell your business.
Stuart shared with us that there are 2 major fronts to the Business Brokerage or M&A game … the business owner’s personal agenda, and the viability of the business. When you own a business, at some point in time, you will need to consider your options: Closing the biz, turning it over to family members, selling it to your management or key employees, selling it to a financial buyer, a strategic buyer, or a private equity group.
Stuart recommends business owners looking towards retirement spend 20 minutes a day thinking about their exit. Selling your business is a process. Personal elements to consider include:
Do you an up-to-date well crafted business exit plan? The sooner you put a plan in place, the more exit options you will have
Do you have a contingency plan for death or disability.
Can you visualize what you will be do after the sale of your business? starting another venture?
It is a very personal having built a business over years and in many cases over decades. However, most business owners today approaching retirement do not have an exit strategy. The Business House Inc takes the emotion out of the business transfer by guiding the owners through a structured process, including a competitive bidding process. You must have a competitive bidding process in order to maximize your business value.
Second, how will your business be valued in the marketplace?
To a buyer, Profitability and Scalability are the most important factors
Management team (second in command and head of sales are crucial) and of course customer relationships
recurring revenue
small market share to potential customers
low customer concentration
minimize dependency on suppliers
Have you developed a proprietary product or service that is scalable and transferable?
“With over 10,000 folks in the United States turning 65 every day, there are many successful business owners who do not have a well-defined exit plan.” Mr. Brady continues, “We take the emotion out of the selling process. My goal is to help the business owner maximize their single largest asset and reap the benefits of having built a successful enterprise, so that they may now enjoy the next chapter in their lives.”
For the last 15 years, Mr. Brady has also owned and operated Kirkwood Car Wash, a self-service car wash located in Atlanta’s historic Kirkwood neighborhood. For more information visit: www.thebusinesshouseinc.com
TUNE IN to Chic Perspectives, February 14, 2012 at 10am ET to hear Laurie Bassi, the CEO of McBassi & Company and Chair of the Board at Bassi Investments, Inc.
Laurie is one of the world’s leading authorities on the emerging “decision-science†of human capital management—the processes and practices within an organization that align the management and development of employees with its business results. She loves working with clients to help them improve organizational performance through targeted, effective strategies for managing and developing their people.
She has overseen the development of the McBassi People Index®, a powerful tool for pinpointing and improving the unique people-related drivers of an organization’s business results.
Prior to launching McBassi & Company, Laurie served as the director of research for Saba Software and as vice president at the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). While at ASTD, she created internationally recognized standards for measuring and valuing firms’ investments in education and training, and a core set of quantitative indicators for measuring the effectiveness of knowledge management initiatives. She has also served as the director of several U.S. government commissions, and as a co-chair of the Board on Testing and Assessment at the National Academy of Sciences. The early years of Laurie’s career were spent as a tenured professor of economics and public policy at Georgetown University.
Laurie has authored over 80 published papers and books, and is a sought-after speaker both domestically and internationally.
She holds a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University, a M.S. in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University, and a B.S. in mathematics from Illinois State University.
Laurie will be joining us live in our 200 Peachtree studio to discuss “the worthiness era†and how local companies and business owners can mold their companies to fit into the worthiness era and how they can be successful in 2012 and beyond.