BizStratBlog2

Entrepreneurs Abound in Rochester

Rochester is a city buzzing with activity. We have a lot going for us and one of the major areas we excel is in entrepreneurship.

Out in Henrietta there's HTR - High Technology of Rochester, an incubator that works with new companies to help them become all that they can be. A quick perusal of their website shows their commitment to success.

We also have the Simon Graduate School of Business which if forward thinking and focused on leadership. Their motto is: Where Thinkers Become Leaders. It's to their credit that they have two public facing blogs created to interact not only with the current students, but with media and the public. One is for the Office of Marketing and Communications and one is for Admissions (which has a great post on Anne Mulcahy this week).

One of the most famous entrepreneurs in the country is from Rochester. That would be Tom Golisano. He started Paychex with little cash and not a whole lot of business experience (from what I've heard) and built it into the outstanding success it is today. He'll be speaking at the Convention Center later this month on how the Sabres jumpstarted their brand. Promises to be an great event - and there is still sponsorship opportunities available, so I hear.

All in all, Rochester is a great place to do business, have fun, and create a world of opportunity. Come join us and see for yourself.

Rochester Rocks: Networking is Alive and Well Here

Life in Rochester is never dull. If you aren't experiencing the excitement, the interactivity, the good food and good connections, then you aren't paying attention. Rochester has so much going for it, it's amazing that anyone can whine about "nothing to do."

For businesses, we have a proponderance of good networking groups and events, on a weekly basis. SCORE always has something important and useful going on - including how to market yourself on the Internet. A worthy seminar, if ever there was one.

Plus, each town has its own Chamber of Commerce and as such, offers monthly programs to help local small businesses be uber successful. If you do nothing else, please look into the Chamber of Commerce in your area. You will find like-minded people eager to connect and learn more about you.

NAWBO, the National Association of Women Business Owners, has a local chapter and its leader this year is the dynamic Jonna Martin of Advance Me Associates. We heard her speak at AWC, yet another women's chapter of a national org, the Association of Women in Communication. She was not only informative and approachable, she was a lot of fun.

Rochester is also home to RAMA, the local chapter of the American Marketing Association.  This well-rounded group of marketing professionals contributes to the local business focus by providing monthly events that rival anything you might attend in bigger cities. Case in point, Monday, October 29th, one of our own, Howie Jacobson, (part of RAMA's super hero marketing series) will be talking on branding and Tavern on the Green. The event is at the Pittsford restaurant, Tastings, and sure to be a memorable one (good food always makes an event more memorable).

And, of course, there's the ever-present and very useful group of small business consultants who meet every Friday, RPCN. RPCN, the Rochester Professional Consultants Network, is focused on small businesses, and has programs that cover financing, marketing, sales, setting up and office, and more. Anyone even thinking about starting their own business as a consultant should join this group. (they also rent out their projector, if your group is in need of one)

This is just the tip of the iceberg that is the Rochester business center. We have technology covered, we have publishing covered, we have women's groups covered, and we have business in general covered. Networking to find new business, to meet new professsionals in your field of business, or to introduce a friend around, is alive and well in Rochester. Just ask anyone involved in the groups listed here - they will likely introduce you to other groups that can help you make your business a success.

Welcome to Web 2.0

The Internet has truly invaded all of our lives. Even those who are not connected, are affected by this technology. It's pervasive and if you try to ignore it - well, you will come up short, no doubt.

Because of the World Wide Web, and the Internet, and all of the new social media and social networking going on, the concept of User Generated Content is all the rage. However, USG is just another label being put on the activity surrounding what's happening online, with business connections as well as personal connections. The reality is that user generated content, in the form of blogs like this one, are overtaking media, and creating a voice that may be authentic, but is often just loud, without substance.

The question making the rounds is, "Who cares about all this 'stuff'?" As the blog post linked here says, "We need more, not fewer, authoritative sources. Nobody is currently better at filling this gap than the existing media."

When it comes to authority, traditional media still rules, as it should. Some smart, intelligent bloggers are coming along, but the reality is that people are still mistrustful of blogs and bloggers. They want leaders they can trust. And, depend on. It's all well and good to build communities of like-minded people, but within each of those communities, there are certain members looked up to, certain members who influence the others... and those are the leaders.

Lee Thayer, leadership expert and author of Leadership: Thinking, Being, Doing, is blogging... but, he doesn't let that deter him from maintaining his offline connections, or from writing more books. The goal isn't to rule the world, it's merely to help executives build world-class organizations. That may mean a lot of web 2.0 (user generated content and social media) but it also means face-to-face meetings, where real people talk to other real people. In person.

So, where are today's leaders? Are they buried in the blog communities - hiding behind their broadband connection? Or, are they out front, championing causes? Who do you prefer to follow... a faceless, soundless voice on the Internet, or a flesh and blood person?

Maybe, the answer is: both. Because the flesh and blood person can reach more people via a blog. And because a blog can represent leadership, if it's open, authentic, and true to its purpose.

Welcome to Web 2.0.

Social Media Tutorial

We're hearing a lot about "social media" these days. The phrase has become a catch-all for anything Web 2.0. -- which is another catch-all. Within the marketing realm, these two phrases are bandied about as easily as "email" and "internet"... both phrases that took their time becoming accepted use concepts.

Naturally, when new tools and opportunities create new ways to reach and interact with customers, they spawn a list of new terms. Each term is a way to identify what's new and different about that particular approach. Unfortunately, these new terms get in the way, sometimes, of actually helping small business owners understand the value of participating in the new format of marketing.

Some of the small business owners I talk to actually get a bit testy when I say, "Web 2.0" or "social media." They're most annoyed by the whole "blogging" phenomena, although I do notice that they're less so, as time goes on. What seems to be happening, here in Rochester, as well as throughout the rest of the U.S. (and elsewhere - remember, the Internet is global), is that business owners have enough to do to run their businesses successfully. They bristle at the thought that we techies want to drop something new - and complicated - on their desks.

Leadership: A Tricky Role in Today's "My, my, my" World

We're preparing for a visit from our favorite leadership strategist, Lee Thayer, over at WME Books, and it seemed like a good time to visit the leadership question, here.

I find Lee Thayer inspiring and thought-provoking, but some people might consider him annoying, opinionated, and downright rude. What all that means is that he doesn't pull punches. He tells it like it is, he gives his honest feedback (when asked) and, he calls up his decades of experience working with successful (and not so successful) CEOs. I don't know that I will ever meet anyone else who brings his level of expertise to the table - although I have met a number of outstanding mentors who also inspire me.

Lee has an outlook on leadership that is contrary to today's thinking. He takes the viewpoint that being a leader is something you're called to do - not something you're programmed to do, or taught to do, or decide you want to do. You can't be a true leader if all you think about is - you. Or, the bottom line. Or, whether or not you're giving your employees everything they want.

Top Ten Reasons I Live in Rochester

I'm a big fan of HGTV - the cable channel that does all the home makeovers and house hunting shows. Somewhere in that jumbled mix of how to create the perfect kitchen or bathroom, or how to buy the perfect house, is my dream home.

And, it's located right here in Rochester.

Why? Well, let's take a particular show that was on last night called "National Open House" all about getting the most bang for your buck. The question was - where in the U.S. can you get the most house for $250,000, all the way up to $1 million?

I can only tell you that the examples were outstanding and impressive - but no better than homes right here in my hometown. For the low price of $250,000 you can get 1800 square feet in Minnesota, or 1000 square feet in Princeton. OR - which they didn't show, of course, 2500 square feet here, in Rochester. (square footage is estimated, from memory - but, I bet I'm pretty close to accurate)

(Read on for the top ten reasons)

Business Strategies to Grow On

It's the end of a grueling week at WME Books. Tom and I were put to our paces at a leadership group headed by Lee Thayer. Lee's a strict task-master, an author, and an all-around serious curmudgeon. Of which he is very proud.

This isn't to talk about Lee - although he is definitely worth talking about. There is enough about Lee in this month's issue of Business Strategies magazine. Check it out...

What I do want to talk about is leadership, and the interesting group of people who attended the two-day training with Tom and me. We had 10 people, all local business professionals or CEOs, including Bruce Peters, the facilitator and Derek VanDerlind, his side-kick. It's interesting to me how many outstanding businesses we have in Rochester. The group at this event were in telecom, coaching, the University system, and more. There were men and women. And all of us were there to learn how to become better leaders.

What is it about becoming a leader that's so hard? Certainly, if you're an entrepreneur - like many of the folks at last week's SOHO event, you have to be prepared to 'lead.' If you have a great idea to help people improve their lives somehow, and you have a product or service to do so, you will end up being a leader. And, if you're chosen (or you volunteer) to lead a team or a committee in your current job, you are a leader.

As I continue to attend these leadership summits and conferences, with their innovative ideas and thought-provoking dialogue, I become more convinced that leaders are made, not born. Even a shy, timid person can become a leader, if he or she wants to. All it takes is dedication, persistence, practice, understanding, and a tough skin.

• You have to be dedicated to your cause.
• You have to be persistent in your approach.
• You have to work at it - practice the right things over and over, and let the wrong things drop away.
• You have to understand the human condition - that everyone is different, no matter how alike they seem. And that each person's perceptions of life will impact how your day goes, or your meeting, or your product launch.
• And, in the end, you have to have a tough skin and a tough ego.

Cause, you'll get knocked down and stomped on from time to time. People will point fingers at you and call you names... right or wrong, it will happen.

If you can't get back up, brush yourself off, and keep moving forward with determination, you might make it. The never give up part is key.

Remain, as Lee would say, in the learning mode. It will serve you well.

Citizen Marketers

One might believe, if one is actively engaged in marketing in today's digital world, that consumer generated content rules. This week Rochester will have the opportunity to hear an expert speak on the subject, at Mario's Via Abruzzi, one of our best restaurants.

Jackie Huba, of Church of the Customer, will be discussing citizen journalism - of which this blog is part. Her new book, Citizen Marketers: When People are the Message, will be offered as a free give away at the luncheon.

But, is that really where the world of marketing and advertising is going?

Is the highly regarded profession of journalism and reporting going the way of the ball-point pen? (I mean, who uses a ball-point pen these days? Few people, I'm guessing.) Are newspapers and magazines in danger of being shredded into oblivion?

Not likely. While it's true that blogs and wikis and user-generated content seem to be consuming the net, there is no danger of losing our print publications. The print version of Business Strategies magazine offers a great deal to the reader - as much if not more than they get here, on this blog. More in content, value, and focus. The print publication has its place - on CEO's desks, executive's desks, on the table in the lobby where visitors can read it, and in briefcases going to the airport, or on a bus traveling to work, not to mention, in the library. This blog is always here, to be accessed at will - as long as you have an Internet connection.

We need to be aware of all of our options - using the Internet, reading books, subscribing to blogs and  magazines. The citizens of the world need to express themselves - online and in print; on TV and on the radio; in whatever form is best suited to their message. Most often - it's many forms. It's a variety of platforms.

I hope many of you get to see Jackie Huba. She has a message that should not be ignored. Just don't think she (or I, or anyone else) is predicting the end of print. Some things are just too good to let go of. Print publications are among those.

Business Strategies, anyone?

It Isn't Britney or Christina or Anna Nicole

It's you and me and the things we're interested in.

What is 'it'? IT is communication. The new tools used to share and convey thoughts, ideas, research, and more. It revolves around digital and the Internet (I know, some folks have stopped capitalizing Internet, but...it's still a proper noun to me).

Last year I was asked to be a judge for Ad:Tech, an interactive advertising and technology conference "dedicated to connecting all sides of today's brand marketing landscape." The conferences are held on both coasts...and overseas. Currently, AdTech is in Paris - ah! the romance, the food, the memories! (in my dreams! I've never been to Paris.)

The next event will be in San Francisco at ConnectLive, where the awards for this year's submissions will be announced. It's pretty exciting to be a part of that - by being a judge.

As I go through the submissions - from some fairly big ad agencies and brand name companies - I'm struck by how many of them are focused on being interactive. Social media has finally hit the tipping point, I think. Many of the ads I'm reviewing move and shout and engage the reader, in wonderful, exciting ways, that they make me laugh and giggle and whisper, "wow."

They aren't static "look at me, buy me, here's what I can do for you" types of ads. They're more, "hey, click here and watch this - then write about it," or, "have some fun with this - join in and participate." They recognize the emerging market of young people...as evidenced by the image, here.

I would love to see Rochester get in on this. I would love to see some of our Top 100 jump onto the social media trampoline and start a party with their customers or clients - online. You can try it here - on this blog - if you like. Just email me and we'll talk. I would also advise you to attend next month's marketing event sponsored by our local chapter of the AMA. Jackie Huba will be here. She's an expert in social media. As evidenced by this chart on her blog, Church of the Customer.

Otherwise, well... Rochester will continue to be left behind. We can continue to tout our strengths and expertise - and say we're with it, embracing social networking and technology but the truth will out. Because the rest of the world will be at YouTube... watching Kodak's outstanding venture into social media.

Rochester, NY A Great Place to Put Down Roots

Rochester, for all its reputation for cold weather and snow, is really a great place to live. We have outstanding parks and recreational facilities - all around us. We have an outstanding museum and science center with a planetarium that is out of this world (pun intended). Our Lilac Festival attracts visitors from around the globe, and if you're in the 'mood' for some really good wine, we have Casa Larga and Contellation Wine, also known as Centerra Wine.

We have the award winning Simon School of Graduate Studies (they have a blog!)

We have the picture perfect Kodak, in process of re-inventing itself, so its seems. (they have a blog, too!) 

And, we're home of a number of great print publications, not the least of which is the magazine that supports this blog.

Come on over (down, around, up, whatever) to Rochester and see what we're all about. You'll find warm, friendly people here. And entrepreneurs galore (like Kitty Van Bortel - Founder of Van Bortel Subaru and Van Bortel Ford, shown here from the "Experience Talks" article over at Biz Strat, the magazine)!

What's not to like about that?