By Gina Blitstein

A simple fact of business is that you can’t operate without funding. Whether it’s at start up or when expanding your operations down the road - or both - there will come a time when an influx of capital is necessary to get and keep the ball rolling.

Traditional loans are all well and good but the fact is, lending institutions are tight with the money these days. Alternative financing may be more worth your time and effort to investigate than you might think. Finding investors and venture capitalists interested in financing your enterprise may just the ticket to get the money you need to build your business.

Where can potential investors be located? The answer is provided in the wisdom and experience of those who have successfully navigated the terrain.

Healy Jones is head of marketing for OfficeDrop, a digital filing system and document scanning service, and is also a former venture capitalist. Healy says, “We raised equity capital about a year ago. I have some pretty strong opinions on what works when trying to finance a small business, since Ive been on both sides of the table.”

Healy provided some tips for businesses looking to raise venture capital:

• Build relationships before you need funding. Get to know the lay of the land in your area. Early stage investing tends to be quite geographically local business, so networking can really help you a) figure out what types of financing are available and b) get into the right networks so that you can get warm introductions to investors.

• Venture capitalists really, really prefer introductions to new companies from people they trust - much more than the "cold" business plan submitted via the web. The best introductions to investors come from successful entrepreneurs (especially ones that have worked with the VC before).

• Understand the "metrics" side of your business - what you measure and what it means. Having a great instinctive feel for your business is not enough. Venture capitalists will pick apart everything - projections, operations, sales strategy and vision. VCs are financiers and you will need to be able to speak their language. The ability to talk about your operations, growth, etc using numbers is critical to impressing venture professionals.
  

Lowell Bike who launched myautotips.com earlier this year applied some valuable advice while creating his business plan for possible investors:

• Do not overpromise. This applies to not only the return investors can expect, but when they can expect it.

• Let them dip their toes in the water. To turn a smaller investor into a larger investor you can show her all the projections you want, but until she sees actual results to back up the projections she will not be comfortable making a larger investment.

• Do not give up any of your decision-making ability. The investor might have a stake in the company, but the person who runs the small business is the expert on what it takes to make money. Do not sacrifice any control of day-to-day activities to secure investors.

It isn’t surprising that cultivating relationships with potential investors is a crucial element of obtaining financing from them. Forging those relationships early on before approaching with your hand out will establish you as a reputable businessperson from the get-go. As opposed to a lending “institution” an investor is a person whose trust you need to secure before they will be interested in funding your enterprise. That trust can be further enhanced by providing solid information, golden references from mutual acquaintances, reliable data and realistic expectations about your business. All those factors figure into the total package in which the investor is staking his or her money.

Once your track record is established, your investors may be persuaded to increase their investment in your business. The more they know about you, your business and its success, the more easily they’ll be convinced that you are a safe and beneficial investment.

Investors and venture capitalists are looking for novel and profitable ways to put their money to work. You can reap the benefits of what they offer by following the advice of those who have successfully secured such investments for their businesses.

Who do you know who would invest in your business?

By Gina Blitstein

So your business wants to contract with the government on some projects. You’re certified as an International Women’s Business Enterprise (IWBE) - that’s a great first step. That certification will assure those agencies with set-asides designated for small businesses and woman/minority-owned businesses that you are a company that will help them fulfill their requirements.

Where can those agencies with contracting opportunities be found? Here’s how one newly- IWBE-certified company is going about it: Lynda Barckert, president of Chicago graphic design agency, Studiosatellite, says, “We have begun to check the Fedbizopps.gov website for current bid opportunities. The best way to use this government site is to first identify the NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes most appropriate to the goods/services your firm has to offer.” “Often,” Lynda says, “more than one of these code numbers will fit a particular company,” so there’s a lot of opportunities available to match Studiosatellite’s complete array of offerings.

Lynda goes on to say, “The Fedbizopps website offers other search options as well, including locating opportunities that offer set-asides for minority companies, economically disadvantaged companies, etc. Once we identify a bid opportunity that matches-up well with Studiosatellite’s services, we will prepare and submit the bid application. Then we will cross our fingers and wait, while continuing to search the site for new postings.”

How will Studiosatellite choose those opportunities it wishes to pursue? Lynda says her company has four criteria in mind for matching opportunities with her company’s offerings. These questions will guide their actions:

1. Do the services described in the contract match well to our business? Some contracts ask for a broad range of services. If we don’t offer all of these services, can we partner up with another company that specializes in those areas?
2. Do we have sufficient staff to service the contract efficiently?
3. Can we realistically meet the deadlines?
4. How can we monitor the contract to make sure we are in compliance at all times?

What resources are available for a company new to the world of government procurement? Lynda explains that the process is at first daunting and time-consuming until you find some resources that are helpful - and affordable. She is currently in the process of scouring the Internet for the most useful websites to equip her company with the knowledge they need to untangle the process.

While she is aware that there are consultants who specialize in helping companies navigate the labyrinth that is the procurement process, Lynda is currently employing a more do-it-yourself approach. She says, “it seems that a whole industry has popped up, centered around offering to either help companies pursue government contracts, or do it for them. Some of these consultants are very expensive, some less so. As the president of a small business, I need to be very careful about making cost-effective decisions, so I am holding off on this resource for the time-being. Lynda is looking forward to networking with those who have successfully won government contracts and learn from their experiences. Those first-hand accounts from the trenches should prove invaluable, helping Studiosatellite gain insight and perspective on government procurement.

The overall consensus appears to be not to fear the red tape: to get out there and give it your best shot. Should one opportunity fall through, another will come along and you will bring more experience to the table with each subsequent attempt at securing a contract. Lynda shares a suggestion she received from a procurement representative, who advised new contract seekers to get their feet wet by choosing a contract to bid on and filling out the bid proposal paperwork, even if they didn’t actually submit it. Lynda says, “I think this was good advice, because it is the best way to see what is really involved, and if this revenue stream is a good fit for our company.”

Thorough research, a solid, personalized plan and the conviction to persevere make up the recipe for a successful government procurement strategy. Studiosatellite seems well on their way to exploring this whole new revenue stream.

What factors do you think are most important to consider when embarking on a government procurement course?

By Gina Blitstein

Advertising your business can be challenging and fraught with uncertainties. What to say and where and how to say it are vital decisions to the success of your advertising campaign. Not to mention, there is generally a high price tag attached to any type of advertising, whether it be print, electronic media or a clown handing out balloons. Once you go to the effort of choosing the type of advertising and writing a hefty check, how can you be certain that the publicity you get is worth the expense?

Unfortunately, that’s only the first in a myriad of factors to consider when advertising. Some others include the issue of your message: What exactly is the advertising saying about your business? Is it establishing a relationship with potential customers? Is it agile and timely, able to respond immediately to inquiries about your offerings?

The newest thinking on advertising is that it is most effective when it reaches out to customers utilizing a personal approach, creating a two-way dialog, as opposed to a one-way broadcast. How can that be accomplished in our increasingly “arm’s length” world? Technology provides a solution that’s as close and easy as your access to the Internet. As a bonus, it only costs what you are willing to put into it in terms of your time and money.

Social media is the term for sites that support conversations between people. Facebook is the perfect example of social media in action. One person makes a statement, others comment and voila! - a conversation is born. Social media can be used to create relationships, maintain friendships or just keep in touch with acquaintances. In the same way that Facebook connects people with people, it can connect businesses with people - and vice-versa.

Any business can establish its own Facebook page. You may already have “liked” companies and corporations on Facebook. This is their way of using the power of social media to have a more personal relationship with those who are interested in their products and/or services. They offer coupons, hold contests, ask questions and employ various techniques to engage their audience and win a greater “fan base.”

You can create a Facebook page for your business in very much the same way you set up your personal one. Maintaining a company Facebook page provides you the opportunity to craft your individual message and implement a more hands-on approach to your business’ advertising. According to Christelle Lachapelle, a Connecticut-based web designer, “A major benefit to having a Facebook page is that it gives you the ability to connect with your customers, share your latest news, respond to customer feedback and questions. Facebook has a fun, conversational vibe that lets you interact with your customers on a more personal level. Over 400 Million people actively use Facebook so it a great place to gather information about your customers and community.”

An advantage to using Facebook to promote your business is that you can pull in all your other online profiles into the one place to offer your customers a well-rounded overview of your business and its unique appeal. Your business’ Facebook page can be customized to make it more personalized, useful and distinctive. Christelle says, “There are a huge number of applications available within Facebook that you can add to your page to help promote your business. I would suggest the Networked Blogs application for bringing your company blog feed into your Facebook page. There are also apps that can add your Linked In information, your Twitter feed, Slide Share presentations, You Tube videos, and many more social media applications.” As you can see, your business’ Facebook page can be a informational resource for your visitors as well as a place for conversation and connection.

What else can your company’s Facebook page provide in terms of enticing your customers? It may be time to consult with a designer like Christelle who knows what is possible and how to implement it. It’s reassuring that there are professionals who can help us negotiate using Facebook to promote our business. As far as introducing more advanced functionality or integrations, Christelle explains, “I can provide custom branded landing pages, integrated newsletter sign-ups or custom graphics. I can install any Facebook applications that a client might not have the time or comfort level to tackle themselves. I also offer monitoring and updating services.” To gain an appreciation for what can be done with a Facebook page, take a look at Christelle’s own Web Design Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/hellochristelle.

Advertising using technology and the Internet is the way to really connect and create relationships with your customers. Whether you do it all yourself or enlist the knowledgeable assistance of a professional, you will enjoy the benefits of having a unique degree of control over your company’s message in a way that even the cutest clown couldn’t.

Are you taking full advantage of what a Facebook page could do for your business?

By Gina Blitstein

Financing of any kind is hard to come by these days as we slowly rebound from a significant economic downturn. No one is bending over backwards to loan money to anyone but the economy needs to keep forging ahead and that means, among other things, new business development. What are some avenues to explore to get your small start-up business the financing it needs to hit the ground running?

According to John Reddish of Advent Management International, Ltd., who provides financial consulting, coaching/mentoring, speaking, capital formation, and training, “Most small start-ups don’t hold much interest for venture capitalists, angel investors or, frankly, most banks - who will steer you to a home equity loan or often offer their low-end personal loan option which is usually limited to $10K.” John provided some suggestions for traditional financing options (and a few exotic ones) which include:

1. The usual suspects - The most obvious places you may have money available to you without jumping through a lot of hoops:

• Your savings
• Your home equity
• 401k and retirement funds
• Your credit cards (Beware of high interest rates and "sin" fees if you go over your credit limit. Even if the bank reduces your credit limit arbitrarily this can be expensive money.)
• Your relatives and friends (Be certain to keep the relationship on a professional level - execute loan documents that detail how much interest will be earned and when they get paid, just like any other lender would receive.)

With the exception of the 401k and the home equity, the other resources are relatively easy and fast to obtain.

2. Local and regional micro-loan funds - These are available to stimulate local business formation. Some women-directed funds exist and amounts for loans usually range from $35K to as much as $50K. An Internet search will identify many such sources.

3. Customer funding - This is a form of pre-selling. If you have a key customer (or non-competing customers) targeted and a really unique, one-of-a-kind business, you can often negotiate with the customer to "float" part of their initial and ongoing purchase price as an advance (or series of advances/deposits). That may be enough to get you up and running.

If you are starting a service business, a long-term contract from a customer can be enough to get you started if you can set your bare-bones budget within the limits of the contract. The potential danger is if the customer sees a decline in sales and cuts your contract back - or cancels it - you are without income. While not always possible in actual practice, John recommends as the safest arrangement that no client represent more than your gross profit margin.

4. Licensing - John suggests the following when your product/idea is at least at the "prototype" stage where you can identify customers/markets: Identify a supplier who makes similar products and instead of approaching them as your manufacturing source, propose a licensing arrangement. If they are already marketing similar products, they have both manufacturing and distribution. If you have pre-sales or targeted customers, (see #2 above) so much the better. A royalty with only ongoing administrative costs costs less to operate than a full-blown business - and you can get on to your next product. Bear in mind, however, with royalty rates ranging from 3% to 15% on most products, you have to make sure there is enough potential for both you and the supplier to make it worth while.

5. State and Local government, SBDCs and private foundations - Often there is money available as grants and/or loans available from a variety of governmental or NGO sources for start-ups. These could include SBIR (Small Business Innovation & Research) grants tied to State Funds or policy initiatives that will make money available for training, operations and other costs. Small business incubators and some Enterprise Zone funding are tied to these sources. This is a fertile source of funding and definitely worth investigating.

In these times when financing is tight, you may have to look outside the box to find the capital you need to get your business off the ground. It’s out there - it’s just a matter of doing the necessary legwork to secure it. Research, resourcefulness and creativity will serve you well as you seek the money you need to set your start-up off on a strong financial footing.

What are your best suggestions for financing a start-up in the current economic climate?

By Gina Blitstein

Starting you own business is an enormous undertaking, which takes and enormous amount of time, effort - and money. One of the most crucial elements to setting sail on your own enterprise is getting your start-up funded. Your ship won’t sail far without the capital it needs to purchase equipment, market itself, open the doors and get established.

But you’re an expert in your business - not necessarily at funding your business. How do you go about securing the money you need to get your business afloat? Securing funding for your operation is your first order of business.

According to Nathan Heerdt, CEO at Go Big Network, LLC, "Raising capital is very much like finding a new job. He suggests you approach the search for start-up monies in the same way you would approach a job search. Here are the key points to Nathan’s start-up funding strategy:

Your resume is your business plan. Take your time, think through your business idea and clearly communicate your thoughts. If you don't have a good business plan (much like a good resume), you're fighting uphill from the start. You need something an investor can review and understand. It helps you get in the door.

Pinpoint your funding opportunities. If you blindly apply to every job you find on a job board you're not going to have much luck in getting a response. However, if you take your time and connect with job openings that are a match to your background, your response rate will be better. Fundraising is the same way. All investors are not alike. Some invest only in technology, some only in manufacturing, some with established companies only, some with pure start-ups. It's up to you to find and pinpoint the right type of investor for your idea/start-up.

Networking to find the right contact. Again, if you simply apply to a job posting and sit back and wait, you're likely to be waiting for that reply for a good long time. Instead, when you find the right fit for your funding needs, begin researching your network to find a contact that is somehow, some way connected to the investor. Reach out to that person to help make the introduction. If you don't have anyone in your network to help you make the introduction, use websites that are geared for this type of communication.

Have realistic aspirations for your job search...I mean your funding efforts. They say it normally takes 6-12 months to find a job in good job market. Well, I can promise you it can take just as long to find the right investors for your start-up as well. Take the approach that you will be looking for investors for 6+ months and settle in for a sustained effort.

Looking at the raising of capital like a job search is an effective way to approach this arduous challenge. By taking it on as a serious endeavor - like a job search - which will take drive, focus, research, determination and abundant patience, you will remain aware that funding your business is indeed a job in itself. This way of thinking about fundraising also helps keep the process in perspective - you have to “sell” your business idea to potential investors in the same way you have to “sell” yourself to potential employers. Like in a job interview, maintain the mindset that this is your first opportunity to present your company. Once you land the “job “ of getting the funding from your investors, you’ll be rewarded with many more opportunities to present your company to your customers.

On raising capital for your start-up, Nathan says, “It's tough but rewarding. Good luck!”

What approach to financing your business did you take?

By Gina Blitstein

Government agencies offer a myriad of contracting opportunities. Whatever your field, you can be certain there’s a need for your goods or services somewhere, at some level, within the government. While any business can pursue the government’s business, there are often steps you can take proactively that will align your business for serious consideration.

Studiosatellite, an image creation and pre-press studio in Chicago, IL has recently received its International Women-owned Business Enterprise (IWBE) Certification. This certification means that the company completed the United States Women's Chamber of Commerce certification process and is now officially recognized as a women-owned business.

What does this mean for Studiosatellite? This certification is a pre-requisite for the process of competing for government contracts as a certified women-owned enterprise, which is considered a minority. The government has quotas to fulfill with regard to minorities and now its IWBE certification makes Studiosatellite eligible to compete against other certified women-owned businesses for government contracts.

According to Lynda Barckert, female majority owner and President of Studiosatellite, “We recognize that government on all levels has mandated that agencies and corporations alike hire women-and minority-owned companies for a percentage of contracts. We feel that our IWBE certification puts us in a position to pursue these opportunities.”

Based upon its owners and their ultimate mission, Studiosatellite proved to be a natural candidate for IWBE certification. Lynda explains, “Studiosatellite is unique in that we are currently the only certified woman-owned commercial retouching studio in Chicago. Most studios have about a 4:1 ratio of male to female employees. With retouchers, it is even less. Yet, I feel this is an industry women can excel in, if made aware of the skills and training necessary. Part of our vision involves hiring other women and helping them break into this industry or continuing to work at ever-higher levels within it. We believe that receiving our IWBE certification shows the industry, and those women hoping to break into it, our commitment to this vision."

Studiosatellite is poised, prepared and eager to pursue their first government contracting opportunities. Says Lynda, “We understand that it can be an arduous process, but in our industry, as in many others, it has become increasingly necessary to pursue other revenue streams. We are hopeful that our pricing structure—which eliminates out-of-date extra fees still charged by most studios—will attract contracts from government agencies that are also feeling the financial pinch of a challenging economy. We also stress the idea of Service, meaning we are very attentive in that arena throughout each project. This approach should work well in dealing with the many important details involved in fulfilling government contracts promptly and accurately.”

Lynda and her team are making the best possible use of the government’s contracting policies which are designed to provide opportunities for minority groups, such as women in the business world. One important key to successful government contracting is finding what unique qualities your business can offer and leveraging them to your advantage in the marketplace.

Creating opportunities for women within their industry and gaining more business - those are the goals behind Studiosatellite’s decision to pursue their IWBE certification - and ultimately government contracts. Those goals combined with smart business practices and a strong commitment to customer service will make Studiosatellite a strong contender for the contracts they go after. While IWBE certification offers no guarantees that government contracts will be awarded Studiosatellite, it represents their commitment and their first crucial step toward doing business with the government.

What factors make your business uniquely equipped to contract with the government?

By Gina Blitstein

To the age-old question as to how to combine the role of mother and businesswoman, Rachael Smith, inventor and owner of Mrs Smith's Bags provides her own unique answer. Rachael's product is the new face of diaper bags - fashionable, practical and intelligently designed. After all, moms and dads are people too. As long as they have to lug around bottles and diapers, why not be able to carry a cell phone and an umbrella in the bag as well - and look stylish doing it? It seems that the underlying philosophy behind Rachael's products is to integrate life and parenthood.

Is Rachael able to do that in her own life? How does she integrate her business life into her personal life? She explains, "My office is in the kids’ playroom. They come home from pre-school and kindergarten and play in the room while I work. In the afternoon I take a break and we go to the park and walk the dog. Then they have rest time which allows me to get more work done. When my husband comes home I make dinner and then put the kids to bed. I then work for the rest of the evening, often going to our warehouse to ship bags. Thank goodness for my Bluetooth. I have held many a meeting while serving my children chicken nuggets, carrot sticks and apple slices. All accompanied by ketchup, of course."

"When it comes to balancing my family with my business," Rachael continues, "I want to make sure that everything I do is tip top but if I have to choose between volunteering at one of my kid’s schools or working on my Facebook page, I will choose my children. My kids come first. It’s great for the kids, but doesn’t always close a sale. My customers can relate to my situation and understand why it’s important to "make the day about the day" and not about the details.”

Rachael sums up her work/life balance strategy like this, "When you hear about my typical day, you can see why my company’s slogan is “Keep it all together” because sometimes it’s a struggle!"

Although balancing life and career may sometimes be a struggle, there are unique lessons to be learned by the children of an entrepreneur. Rachael says, "By necessity, they learn to be flexible. When I need to take a call they have learned to be quiet and entertain themselves. If I have bags that need to be shipped immediately they are happy to ride in the minivan and watch a movie as we drive to FedEx Kinkos, and when we get there they are excellent door holders."

Rachael proudly recounts, "Yesterday it was career day at my son’s school and I spoke about Mrs Smith’s Bags. My son was so proud and kept chiming in with “and we sell this type of bag too.” It is a great thing to be able to work from your kids’ playroom as you get to be a part of their adventure while you have one of your own."

It's not only her children who have learned valuable lessons since Rachael has become an entrepreneur. She recounts, "I learned that I am tougher than I thought I was. Business can sometimes be unpredictable and rough, yet I have found the courage and strength to keep moving forward."

Entrepreneurs are a brave and hardy lot. We can learn much from their challenges and successes. The significant challenge - and its solution is exactly what Rachael says, "Keeping it all together."

How do you "keep it all together" when the demands of work and life challenge you?

By Gina Blitstein

Social media is taking the internet by storm. It provides a way for people to communicate efficiently, spreading a message to as few or as many people as they wish. The practice of utilizing social media channels for business communication and marketing can be highly effective. Indeed, a goal of marketing is to reach as many eyes and ears as possible; social media can help you do that in a very targeted way.

Among the social media channels you can use to interact with customers and those in your industry alike is Twitter. Twitter is a great place for personal and business networking. It also is a great place to participate in targeted chats about your interests and/or profession. Twitter chats are discussions that take place on Twitter on a specific topic at a designated time. Participants "meet" at an appointed time to take part in an online "conversation" about a particular topic.

A Twitter Chat is established and moderated by the party who developed the chat. The process of developing a Twitter Chat simply entails deciding upon a topic, naming it and letting people know about it. Naming it is necessary so that people can find it. Twitter Chats are identified by a hashtag (#) followed by the name of the chat. For example, a Twitter chat could be, "#biztalk." Twitter uses the hashtag to identify content, so a user can filter tweets so that all messages with a particular hashtag will appear in his or her Twitter stream. At the appointed date and time of the chat, the moderator will welcome the participants, run down the rules and begin the chat by asking the first question. All participants add the chat's name to each of their tweets for its duration so their comments will be identified as part of that chat.

Why would a small business consider beginning a Twitter Chat of its own? According to Shonali Burke, ABC (accredited business communicator), Principal, Shonali Burke Consulting and one of TopRank's 25 Women That Rock Social Media, you should first determine your goals: "What are your goals in introducing the chat? What do you want to achieve from it? Begin with the desired outcome, and work backwards from there. Do your research and see if there are other Twitter chats that already function as a conversation platform for the topic you want to discuss. If you've done your homework and believe your chat will fulfill a conversational gap about your area of expertise, begin pulling together the outline for your chat."

Shonali continues, "Twitter chat is something you should consider doing if your research has shown that's where you can reach and engage with your audience. Nowadays it's difficult to find a company that does not have a Twitter presence, but far too often I think they use the medium only to push out information. If you've found Twitter effective for not just disseminating your information but actually interacting with your customers and influencers, a Twitter chat could be a smart move in increasing that engagement as well as establishing your thought leadership in your field."

Then, of course, you must find the right person within your company to act as moderator. Shonali suggests, "Content expertise should be one of the primary factors in deciding who is going to moderate the chat. Another should be the person's level of familiarity and ease with Twitter itself; if you choose someone who's a content expert but feels uncomfortable engaging on Twitter, they're probably not going to be very successful. So look around the company and ask, among those you believe possess the relevant expertise, who would be interested in doing this. You might find folks from several different practice areas interested, and having more than one moderator could be a great way to stave off "chat fatigue."

How tech savvy would those running the chat need to be? Shonali assures us, "If you know how to get online, you can run a chat... which is pretty much anyone, these days. What becomes important, as I've mentioned before, is how good they are at engaging, understanding the questions and responding to them with the requisite level of expertise. Twitter chats themselves are very easy to participate in via a platform such as Tweetgrid, Tweetchat, or even a dedicated search in your Twitter desktop platform of choice (Hootsuite, TweetDeck, etc.). None of these require you to be significantly tech-savvy; again, the savvy needs to be in the area of expertise, relevance and conversation.

How does moderating a Twitter Chat look? Shonali says, "I usually start my chats by welcoming everyone, asking everyone to introduce themselves and then welcoming the "guest" (if there's a particular person serving as the guest for that particular chat). Prior to the chat, I let the guest know what the questions I'll be asking will be (or ask them if there are questions they'd particularly like to discuss), as well as invite participants to email or direct message questions to me. Then I start the Q&A by labeling the questions as Q1, Q2 and so on. This gives both the guest as well as participants an anchor for their tweets, so that everyone doesn't get confused about what's being discussed." From there, participants chime into the chat with their responses to the questions posed by the moderator and other participants' replies.

How much additional time investment would be necessary on a regular and continuing basis? "This depends on how often you plan to host the chat, so you should factor that into your planning," says Shonali. There will, of course, be the time taken by the chat itself; whether or not you plan to post recaps/updates from the chat, and how often, how much time you spend in promoting the chat and recruiting participants, and so on. So this could range from as little as 20-30 minutes the weeks you're *not* hosting the chat to much more... all dependent on the factors I've outlined above.

Hosting a Twitter Chat may serve your business well if you have something to offer participants and have someone willing to moderate. As Shonali says, Twitter Chats are as much about listening as about broadcasting, so you could both give and receive value from hosting a Twitter Chat of your own.

Does your business have something worthwhile to offer in a Twitter Chat?

By Gina Blitstein

No one can build a successful, fulfilling career completely on her own. It takes the experience of those who have navigated the seas of success to guide us along the way. There will no doubt come a time in your career when you need to take the next step - or a brand new step - and you won't want to do it without some guidance from someone who has been in that situation before. You will need a mentor.

In what areas could mentors benefit your career? Kathy Korman Frey, Entrepreneur in Residence at The George Washington University School of Business, CFEE, provides some insight and advice for women who may experience difficulty envisioning the areas where mentors could help. Kathy says, "At the Hot Mommas Project and in my Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Class I tell women to think of mentors as sitting around a table. I call them “a personal board of advisors.” If you are struggling with work-life balance, you may have a seat for a woman you know who works a lot, but also seems to have a happy family life, and doesn’t seem frazzled all the time. It could be as simple as that. You may want to start your own business, or grow your business. You need an “entrepreneur” seat at the table. Let’s say you have a particular area where you want to make connections and learn: Fundraising, tech, health care. That is a seat at your table. If you are not high on the “self-insight” category, you might want to sit down with a friend and talk this through to help figure out what the seats at your table should be. I recommend between three and eight seats at the table."

Once she is satisfied that there are areas where mentoring could be beneficial to her career and life, how can a woman identify suitable mentors for herself? Kathy suggests the following strategy:

• Identify the seats at your Personal Board of Advisors (PBA) “table.”

• Keep your ear to the ground for those people as you’re living your life (at work, in the community, at events). If you want to be an over-achiever about it, start Googling people for each seat, and asking friends about referrals.

• Try to meet these people at some point. If they are well-known and or/uber-busy, attend talks where they are speaking. If they are “normal” people, call and email them. Say you want to ask them about their career path, or that you’re going through the Hot Mommas Project mentoring checklist and would love to ask them a couple of questions.

• Do you like the person? Would you like to talk to them again? Did they express an interest in you? If so, you have a good candidate for a mentor.

Now that you've determined those areas of your career and life in which mentoring can help you and you've identified likely mentors, how do you actually embark on a mentoring relationship? Kathy explains, "It’s important to note that this is all about relationship management. I get a surprising amount of questions about basic social skills and relationship management. For instance, “Here is someone I would like to be my mentor. How should I approach them?” In my class and outside of class, with professionals already in the workforce, the questions in this area is on the rise. I speculate there might be a loss of skills around face-to-face and phone interactions in the wake of email, Twitter and Facebook (all of which I’m on, and addicted to, so I’m not judging here). There is a lot of anxiety around how to approach people, and what to say. My message is “Try it!” When you have a positive experience, you’ll be fueled to keep filling your table over time. Also, keep your social skills honed. Use email, Twitter and Facebook as an “and” along WITH verbal interpersonal communication, not as an “or” in place of verbal and face-to-face communication. I predict a type of Darwinian social skills shake-out where, at some point, people who have employed the “and” strategy will triumph markedly over those who have employed the “or” strategy."

Here we've broken down the process into three "hows" in relation to mentoring: How to decide what you need, how to decide who you need and how to begin a mentoring relationship. Kathy assures us that it's not such a foreign concept to seek out those who can help us find our way to greater success and fulfillment in work and life. It's important to keep our minds open to the possibility that there are potential mentors and mentoring opportunities all around us and take advantage of them when we can.

How could you benefit from a mentor? Where could you find him or her? How can you begin that relationship?

By Gina Blitstein

Sometimes the urge to strike out into an entrepreneurial venture is undeniable - a person feels born to it. Other times the entrepreneurial bug bites when we least expect. Such was the case for Rachael Smith.

Rachael was a first grade teacher when an "accessory malfunction" inspired her to consider a new career path. She explains, "It all started with a dripping wet diaper bag at Tucson International Airport. My son was crying and I was trying to find his favorite toy in my generic diaper bag. It was so unorganized that all I succeed in doing was spilling milk on everything in the bag." That incident provided the spark that set Rachael on her way to starting her own business.

"I searched the marketplace for a bag that would help me stay organized to better care for the needs of my children, but was unsuccessful. So I designed and manufactured my own." That's how Rachael's business, Mrs Smith's Bags, was born. Mrs Smith's makes diaper bags that are fashionable as well as practical and intelligently designed, taking into consideration the needs of the parent as well as the child.

"The idea first came to me in December of 2005. In the summer of 2006, I designed my first diaper bag using a cardboard box and tape, and with kids in tow visited a local manufacturer who made my first prototype."

A fantastic idea is one thing, but how was Rachael emotionally able to make the leap from the steady paycheck of a teaching job to the dicey proposition of manufacturing her own products? "My family was very supportive," Rachael declaares. "My grandmother told me constantly that I could do anything I put my mind to. After hearing of my plans she wrote me a card that says “Go Get’em Tiger” on the outside. On the inside she wrote, “There is not one doubt in my mind that you will succeed in anything you set out to do! You need to pursue this with great passion!” I keep the card in my desk drawer."

It wasn't unanimous support for her new venture from the outset, however. "On the other hand," Rachael says, "My husband was fairly unsupportive. He is not a risk taker and worries about money a lot. I remember one cold evening I went down to his office and sat there crying. I said, “I want to quit, this is too hard,” and all he said was, “Ok.” That just made me angry, so I pressed forward even harder. So in a strange way I have to thank him for getting me to keep moving forward."

My friends were intrigued, to say the least. It was a foreign concept to them. We were all mothers who would attend playgroups with our children where we would talk about which kids were walking, not about what product we were inventing. Now that my diaper bags are on the market, however, they are quite thankful as they all use Mrs. Smith’s Bags now.

The most rewarding part of being an entrepreneur mom for Rachael is that she now has the opprtunity to serve as an inspriation to other women who may also be "unintentional entrepreneurs." She offers them following advice based upon her own experiences:

• Be brave
• Talk about yourself
• Ask lots of questions
• Listen
• Be forthright
• Stay the course
• Most importantly, take one day at a time

Rachael may not have had a lifelong ambition to be an entrepreneur but when she identified a need and a solution, she seized the opportunity, despite the well-meaning concerns of her husband. Rachael defied the odds and made a success because of her determination to make a product that solved a problem and filled a need in the marketplace. Her success is now, "In the bag."

Would you have the wherewithal to strike out as an "unintentional entrepreneur" like Rachael?

By Gina Blitstein

It is a well-substantiated fact that mentorship helps careers grow and flourish. The support and guidance of an experienced mentor can prove to be a huge boon to your success and satisfaction in your profession. No matter your gender, mentoring can help you expand your professional horizons. In the careers of women, however, mentoring can have a particularly profound effect.

Why is mentoring particularly important for women? According to Kathy Korman Frey, Entrepreneur in Residence at The George Washington University School of Business, CFEE, there are two major reasons:

1. Women and girls are more likely than men to limit their career choices due to lack of confidence.

Kathy considers this s a travesty on two levels:

On a personal level - "How sad is it that our friends, wives, daughters, and moms limit their choices in life because they lack self confidence. We know exposure to mentors and role models can help, so, we should provide them with mentorship opportunities. Mentoring works, we know it, so today, get out there and ask how you can support a woman’s goals."

On an economic level - "The economies of nations where women are supported in their career choices will flourish over those who do not provide such opportunities for women and girls. We’ve seen this over and over again in companies, in villages and cities, and in entire countries."

Kathy cites the following facts to demonstrate the truth in this:

Corporations benefit from women's success. Much research has been done correlating the profitability of companies with strong programs promoting women. It’s been proven over and over again. Companies that promote women are more profitable.

The US benefits from women's successes. Susan Wilson Solovic’s book, The Girls Guide to Building a Million Dollar Business, does a great job of highlighting the alarmingly significant role that women play in the growth of our GDP in the US. The Kauffman Foundation also recently released a study on this topic as well. It’s time we start listening.

The world benefits from women’s successes. Thanks to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, we now know the economic benefits associated with investing in women. Many emerging markets are literally investing in women as a part of their nation’s economic strategy because of the associated benefits both locally and nationally. The simple version of what is happening in these economies around the world is: Women share. Oprah talks about teaching a girl, and that girl will teach the entire village. This same principle also applies to supporting girls and women in starting a business. Girls and women will share their knowledge, and wealth, with their families and communities thus creating an exponential benefit.

2. Women are less likely than their male counterparts to promote their achievements at work.

This no doubt results in being overlooked for such career advancements as raises and promotions. Women need to be encouraged and supported to toot their own horn in the workplace in order to be equally noticed and compensated for their accomplishments.

Despite these two potentially hindering issues, Kathy assures us there is a simple solution: There is hope for women and their careers because when exposed to a mentor or role model, self efficacy increases. Mentor = more self efficacy. No mentor = less self efficacy.

Kathy issues the following challenge: "Don’t we want our daughters, sisters, nieces, friends, moms and wives to feel good, do well and have every opportunity? If we have female employees, don’t we want to provide an environment where they can excel? If we are a legislator, don’t we want women participating in the economy to be as successful as possible and increase our GDP? Everywhere you look, there are reasons why we should all have a vested interest in supporting women."

Putting her money where here mouth is, Kathy has founded the Hot Mommas Project. According their website, The Hot Mommas Project is "An award-winning women’s leadership program housed at the George Washington University School of Business. The research initiative started in 2002 to fill a gap in the education system: Scalable access to role models, particularly female ones. Thus, our mission is to increase self-efficacy of women and girls across the globe through exposure to role models. To that end, we've built the world’s largest women’s case study library to produce not just vignettes, but credible academic tools that can be utilized in a classroom environment."

It's clear that empowering women through mentorship is a necessity for their personal development and the betterment of our world at large.

What can you do to empower women in their careers? What inspiration could you offer to a woman in need of mentorship?

By Gina Blitstein

The nature of a successful businessperson - especially an entrepreneur - is to be a self-motivated, self-reliant sort, forging your own path through the challenges on your way to success. In order to feel successful, must you do it alone or is it acceptable to gain some support and insight along the way from those who inspire you? Could your career path and personal life benefit from mentorship?

Why is mentoring important to a career? In short, Entrepreneur in Residence at The George Washington University School of Business, CFEE, Kathy Korman Frey, says she has discovered that, "People with mentors feel more successful." Kathy's Hot Mommas Project encourages women to provide accounts of their experiences in business to be utilized as case studies for the purpose of mentoring others. Research conducted through this project asked a group of 269 working women about their professional mentor and perceptions of success. She reports that the women with more professional mentors felt “just as successful” or “more successful” than their colleagues. Conversely, women who felt “less successful” had 20% fewer professional mentors.

Furthermore, Kathy cites a study by Gerhard Blickle, Alexander Witzkia and Paula B. Schneidera which found that individuals who sought out a mentor had higher pay and higher hierarchical status. Why is this so? "First," Kathy explains, "The act of seeking out a mentor is a proxy for self-starting or entrepreneurial behavior. These are literally “go getters.” Kathy continues, "Second, a mentor can point out what to do, and not to do, in specific career situations. For instance, a woman who worked for a large government agency in the Washington, DC area had a mentor explain to her how a specific promotion process worked, and the timing of that process. Without that information, the young woman would not have understood the process. The young woman got the promotion. It was one of the best jobs of her career. The mentor helped her navigate that process."

What does mentoring look like? How formal or casual is the process? Where, when and how can mentoring occur? Kathy responds, "There is a continuum of mentoring that I teach my students. At the very left, you’ve got the email check-ins. In the middle, you’ve got the occasional coffee or lunch. And at the right, you’ve got formal meetings or check-ins at certain intervals. This could even be through a company or university alumni mentoring program, or a relationship you start on your own. It is okay to start small. Many elevate mentoring in their minds as some watered-down version of getting married and then get lost in the details and intimidated. It is enough that you have a group of people in mind, to whom you can turn for advice, and they know you think of them that way, and you keep up contact with them."

How long is the mentoring process? Is it a finite relationship or an ongoing one? "It can range from one phone call or meeting, to a multi-year relationship," Kathy explains. "For example, a woman who was writing a book had a book-writing expert as one of her advisors. She consulted with the coach around key deadlines. When the book was done, do you know what happened? The book writing expert needed the author’s help on some business items. The roles reversed, and now the two have quarterly coffees to discuss the book-writing expert’s business."

Are there measurable personal and/or professional benefits to being mentored? "Yes," reports Kathy. "There are many studies showing measurable benefits to self-confidence, career level, and pay. The economic and policy implications of this could be quite far-reaching if we can get our acts together and recognize that this is an internally-fueled engine we are sitting on, and it needs some gas. Let’s do our own part to fuel this engine by making a call, or sending an email, and asking what you can do to support a girl or woman’s goals. It is good practice for then going out and finding your own mentor, once you realize how rewarding it is."

Kathy concludes her advice on mentoring with these inspirational words: "When you MENTOR, it also builds your self-confidence because it reinforces your abilities. You’re impacting someone’s life or career, just by saying, “I’m here for you.” That is true power. It’s what I call “The New Sisterhood.” Women who are nominated to share their story on www.HotMommasProject.org feel this benefit when they impart their lessons and challenges in writing their story. It’s powerful stuff. It’s bigger than we think. It’s the power of connection, and community, and what we can do together."

What could mentoring do for you and your career? What could being a mentor do for you and your career?

By Gina  Blitstein

Twitter is a social networking website that enables people to chat with each other in 140-character messages. When you sign up to use Twitter, you complete a profile in which you describe your fields of interest. You can highlight whatever you want in your profile, including your passions and hobbies, family and personal information, career/business or some or all of those components. Other users do the same; this information is the means by which people find others to follow and chat with on Twitter. This process creates your Twitter network which includes those who follow you and those whom you follow. Those who follow you on Twitter will receive your messages in their Twitter stream, enabling them to read the messages you submit - you will receive the messages of those you follow in yours.

As a Twitter user, you chat with your followers, posting updates about those areas of your life that you wish to discuss and your followers will Tweet back to you. Some use Twitter as a way to communicate with friends and family. Others use Twitter to network with people in their industry and potential clients. While Twitter is a great means to keep in touch with both these groups, let's explore using Twitter to your business' advantage.

Twitter offers networking opportunities over and above single-person interactions. It can help you discover and access b entire groups of people with whom to discuss your business and offerings. In addition to one-on-one Tweeting, Twitter offers a feature called a "Twitter Chat" which is a specialized functionality enabling a group to come together at a specified time to Tweet with each other on a specific topic. What is a Twitter Chat? According to Shonali Burke, ABC (accredited business communicator), Principal, Shonali Burke Consulting and one of TopRank's 25 Women That Rock Social Media, explains, "Twitter chats are simply that: chats or conversations that use Twitter as the medium." Don't think that because Twitter utilized an electronic medium that everyone is talking about technology. There are hundreds of Twitter Chats available on a wide variety of subjects. There are lists available on the Internet of the various chats, however, the best way to find one of interest to you is to keep your eyes pealed for mentions of these chats among those you follow. You can tell a chat by the way that it is referenced: Chats are abbreviated and are always preceeded with a hashtag (#). For example, a chat may look like this: "#biztalk" on Twitter.

How do you participate in a Twitter Chat? From your Twitter dashboard, you can create a search for the chat you want to join. This search will filter only messages which include the chat's hashtag, so your Twitter stream will include all participants who are using that hashtag. You simply join in by adding the hashtag to your questions or responses. There are also specialized websites, such as, TweetChat.com, which make Twitter Chats particularly easy to participate in by providing a "chatroom" exclusively for the specific Twitter Chat you are following. Participants of a chat all add the chat's hashtag to each of their Tweets. When you participate in a Twitter Chat using a service such as TweetChat, you sign in to that chat, so your hashtag is automatically added to your Tweets.

Twitter Chats are moderated by the person or persons who first implemented them, or their invited guests. Usually they are experts in the field upon which the chat is based and are therefore taking full advantage of the medium to share and gain knowledge with an interested community. Chats have a leader who introduces the subject of the chat, explains the ground rules and leads the group through the chat, usually by contributing questions on which the group comments. Twitter Chats generally last an hour, or maybe two; they usually are scheduled once or twice monthly.

Shonali says that she has learned a lot from the chat she herself started. She reports, "I've found #measurePR a great way to continue to educate myself about PR measurement, an area I'm fascinated by - and that helps me impart learnings and best practices to my clients. There are a ton of smart people who participate in the chat, and I love being able to learn something new from them. The chat has also started leading to new business inquiries and speaking opportunities around the field of measurement; the benefit of the former is clear, and the latter has been a great business development tool for me as well." She adds, "I'd hope my followers would say that our chat brings them into contact with new thoughts and people that enrich their professional development and exposes them to a wider range of thought leaders than they might otherwise be exposed to."

Twitter Chats are an effective use of chat technology to get you and your business noticed by a group of interested people. They provide you with the opportunity to brand yourself as an expert in your field, which is a powerful way to make an impact and promote your business. Twitter Chats can lead to contacts within your industry and increase your business' exposure to an interested audience.

Is there a Twitter Chat that can benefit you and your business?

By Gina Blitstein

The Internet allows us to connect not only with friends and family but with virtual strangers who share our interests. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter span the miles between people, allowing us to be in live contact with people around the globe. Such chats make it convenient for us to easily communicate any time of the day, from virtually anywhere. It's fun to keep in touch with people on these sites but are you aware that social networking sites are also frequently used to promote business? Is there value for your business to be found on these social networking sites? Let's explore how Twitter in particular may help you forge valuable relationships and market your business right from your computer.

Why is Twitter a good medium for interactions? Shonali Burke, ABC (accredited business communicator), Principal, Shonali Burke Consulting and one of TopRank's 25 Women That Rock Social Media, says, "I think Twitter's a great medium for chatting for the same reason it's taken the world by storm; it's easy, instant and with a single click you can be exposed to an amazing breadth of people and opinions. You don't have to be a geek to "get" Twitter, nor do you have to be anti-social; in fact, the people I enjoy interacting with the most are those who are extremely social and sociable. They know how to converse with people offline as well as online, and Twitter is the perfect platform for quickie conversations."

The best marketing is based on concise communication; that's what makes Twitter an ideal tool for the job. Twitter works by establishing yourself as a member of the community, which means first choosing an unique name (or handle) for yourself. Once you have chosen your handle, that will become your moniker on Twitter, preceded by the @ sign. So your Twitter name would look like this: @myhandle. Every time that name is Tweeted, it will be in reference only to you. The next step is to complete a profile describing yourself, your interests and your business. After letting others know about you in your profile, choose people to follow based upon their profile information. You can search for keywords that will help you identify people with similar interests or who are in your industry. Those people you follow are added to your Twitter stream and you can see their comments or, "Tweets," on your Twitter dashboard. Others will find you based upon your member profile and follow you - thus they become your followers and will see your comments in their Twitter stream.

Choosing whom to follow on Twitter depends upon your reason for joining and how you want to spend your Twitter time. Personal Twitter users utilize the medium as a form of personal communication. Some business users use Twitter strictly as a means to discuss and receive feedback on the products and/or services they offer. Still others combine both personas, Tweeting a mix of personal and business information. The style you choose will depend upon your goals and how much "personality" you wish to incorporate into your message. Communication on Twitter takes place within the specialized community you created which includes you, those you follow and those who follow you, centered around a shared interest in you, your business or both.

You use Twitter by typing a short, 140-character message into a status box in response to the question, "What's Happening?" When using Twitter for the purpose of promoting your business, send frequent messages to your followers, updating them on your progress on a project, launch of a new offering or status of a related issue. Share your successes and challenges. A popular practice is posting links to web content that you believe will be of interest to your readers. The point of Twitter is to be a resource for your followers, and they for you. What constitutes frequent updates? It is up to you to find a frequency that keeps you involved with and active among your followers without becoming a nuisance. As a general guideline, 3-5 quality Tweets per day will suffice.

In response to a Tweet, the reader can choose to read and move on. If you are truly inspired by another person's Tweet, however, you can "retweet" it, which is to say that you can re-post the tweet yourself, which is attributed to the original Tweeter. This is a way to share a helpful Tweet with those who follow your Twitter stream. Another way to respond to a specific Tweet is to reply to it. This will send a Tweet from you into the Twitter stream of the person who originally sent it. Replying to a Tweet creates a two-way conversation which is more satisfying than simply broadcasting your message.

Twitter users have developed a specialized "language" which serves as shorthand for commonly used words and phrases. With only 140 characters in a Tweet, you can surely understand why this would help people to say more with less. When you first jump into the Twitter stream, don't let the jargon intimidate you. It's a friendly community and folks will explain if you ask. You will also pick up the nuances yourself with experience. One of the greatest things about Twitter is that you really can't do it wrong - be genuine and say things in your own voice. People respond to sincerity and passion.

Twitter is an effective way to leverage the power and scope of social media to promote your business, products and/or services to a worldwide, interested community. It represents a new way to spread the word about your business, in your own words, on your own schedule and in your individual way. It's free, marketing-friendly technology waiting for your participation.

Do you use Twitter to market your business and expand your client base?

By Gina Blitstein

At the end of a long day at work, many people head home to what they hope is a happy relationship. Our marriages are the loving, nurturing escapes from the "real world." We want our spouse to be a trusted friend, confidante and advocate. We want to share our life, our hopes and successes with them. But should sharing our life include sharing the details of our work?

According to her 24-year study, The Early Years of Marriage," the longest-running study of married couples ever conducted, Terri Orbuch, PhD, has discovered a positive correlation between happiness at work and a happy marriage. As project director of this research, funded by the National Institute of Health, Dr. Orbuch has studied what makes marriages happy - and what breaks them apart - since 1986. Dr Orbuch says it's advisable for couples to discuss their work (as well as other subjects of interest) in order to achieve a sense of "togetherness." Couples who bond with each other to this degree are simply happier.

Depending upon your personality and work philosophy, though, bringing the job home may not come naturally. What about couples who find it difficult to discuss their work with their spouse? Dr. Orbuch encourages these couples to open those channels of communication, lest their relationships suffer serious consequences. She explains, "My study found that the happiest marriages were ones where partners felt their spouse regularly disclosed information about his or her life, and did not keep secrets—even details from work that might be deemed “boring.” My study also showed that interdependence in a relationship--which includes sharing workplace burdens and concerns--gives spouses more incentive to stay together. Also, self-disclosure from one spouse generally leads to self-disclosure from the other. Psychologists call this the "norm of reciprocity in relationships." Translation: if you don't share your work life, it creates more distance between spouses, less happiness, and more opportunities for secrets to flourish."

Why do couples avoid talking about work? Dr. Orbuch concludes, "People think their work life is boring, too complex to explain, or perhaps even catty, when the topic involves workplace relationships gone sour. Also, there is a common myth out there, that work and family/marriage should stay separate: “What happens at work, should stay at work and not spill over into your marriage/family life.” This myth needs to be dispelled."

"It's so important to let your spouse understand what those 8 hours a day you spend away from him or her are like for you," says Dr. Orbuch. "I know of one couple in which the husband felt his work as the CEO and CFO of an investment management firm would be uninteresting or too technical for his wife. What he learned, however, is that when he shared his daily worries, small triumphs, and even arcane financial analyses with her, he discovered that she was fascinated, really "got" what he did, wanted to find out more, and even had offbeat insights that made him think about his work life in a fresh way. Now they talk work regularly, and she offers him smart perspectives that make him feel as if he's not alone in an ivory tower. Also, because she has background, he doesn't have to give her the whole history behind new developments about employee issues and policies when they arise."

How can you overcome feelings of discomfort if it is not your habit to discuss work issues at home? Dr. Orbuch suggests these strategies:

Get personal. Talk about someone at work, rather than the work itself. If you're having a conflict with a coworker, or perhaps you admire your new boss, make this the topic of conversation with your spouse.

Ask for advice. A good way to talk about work is to ask your spouse to help you with a particular problem you're having--how to tell your boss the project deadline is unreasonable, or how to master a new software program that's causing you grief.

First, ask about his or her work. If you want to talk about your work, ask about your spouse's work first. Ask specific questions that begin with what, how, or why. This way, you get out of the old "How was work today?" trap that invites a one-word answer. After he or she has shared and you've listened, you can share your own workplace story in response.

Thanks to Dr. Orbuch and her years of research, there are practical, tried-and-true methods for bringing up work issues in your marital relationship. It's all about integrating the many aspects of your life into your most significant relationship, helping to create a more seamless balance between work and your life. Doing so will make you happier - and by association, you'll enjoy a happier marriage.

Do you find it difficult to share your work life with your spouse?

By Gina Blitstein

Any company can acknowledge the benefits of repeat business. The advantages to you are that once you are a known entity to your customer, you needn't go through the effort of selling yourself again. When you've created a satisfied customer, it is far more likely that they will prefer doing business with you again in the future. An added bonus of repeat business is that you don't need to go to the effort and expense to acquire new business - it's already done. As long as you keep up the quality of your offerings, you may well have a customer for life.

Is this always true, no matter your client? When your customer is the government, do these same customer-retention benefits hold true? Once you've done business with the government, it is more likely they will contract with you again in the future. According to Mary Scott Nabers, President/CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc., a 15 year old business development and research firm specializing in public sector marketplaces. "Government decision makers throughout the country talk to each other," she says. "Good performance on a public sector contract (as well as a reference account) can result in numerous similar opportunities throughout the U.S."

Once you have gone through the process of obtaining a contract to provide goods or services to the government, you are acutely aware of the process, which can be complex and lengthy but well worth it in the long run. When you've done business with the government in the past, you know that they pay competitively and reliably. That is a strong feature in their favor - the truth is, the government makes a good client. They also offer very large, high-profile contracts which will not only favorably increase your bank account but your portfolio.

There are differences, however, between gaining repeat business in the private sector as opposed to the public sector. While past favorable performance on a government contract can give you the confidence, stamina and good reputation to pursue future contracting opportunities, it is wise to refrain from becoming complacent. The government is a great customer to have but be aware that there can be significantly different requirements you'll need to fulfill in order to continue doing business with them.

Jeswald W. Salacuse, author of, Seven Secrets for Negotiating with Government -- How to Deal with Local, State, National or Foreign Government and Come Out Ahead, provides the following tips to help you stay competitive and insure repeat business with governments:

1. Stay aware of political developments in the community, state or country where you do business. Politics at all levels drives government purchasing decisions at all levels. Economic tells only part of the story.
2. Build relationships with support staff in the offices of agencies that make purchasing decisions and pay occasional visits to them to stay in touch. The decision makers in those offices come and go, but the support staff is usually is more stable and they generally know more about what is going on.
3. Keep abreast of the rules on procurement. Government procurement is a rule-driven process. The rules you mastered to sell your product last year may not be the same rules you will have to satisfy to make a contract this year. The rules are constantly changing. In understanding and meeting those rules, remember that one of their primary purposes is not just to secure a good product at a fair price but also -- and particularly -- to protect the government office or agency from criticism by others of its procurement decisions.

A key difference, then, in dealing with government agencies is that there is more for a government to consider than just business when determining with whom to contract for their goods and services. Governments are in the uniquely strategic position of needing to satisfy many diverse desires and opinions in the granting of their contracts. It may serve you well to cultivate relationships with those who work "in the trenches" who can really be your allies in keeping up with and navigating the contracting process.

So while it easier to get repeat business from your previously satisfied customers, it is not necessarily a given when dealing with the government. Consider those things that make the government a unique client when pursuing repeat business from them. You'll be repeatedly glad that you did.

Have you contracted with the government on numerous occasions? How did you incorporate their special requirements into your procurement strategy?

By Gina Blitstein

The Internet is the current repository for information - information of all kinds. Whatever we need to find, learn or retrieve, it's undoubtedly on the Internet. But how do we sift through it all to find the specific information we need to perform our jobs and stay competitive in the workplace? More importantly, how do we find it quickly and efficiently? Most likely the answer is a search engine and most likely that search engine is Google.

It's no secret in business that information is power and those who can gain the information they need work more effectively. You may need to research the competition, a new product or client or get up to speed on the latest industry trends. Those who possess, good search skills can save your business huge amounts of time in seeking out this vital information. Anyone who has tried to search the Internet for specific, targeted information is well aware of how a seemingly simple search can run into blind alleys and dead ends or completely off on a tangent before the actual sought-after information is found. Is it the fault of the search engine or the user? While search engine technology is constantly evolving, the search skills of Internet users is usually stagnant. The solution to retrieving the information we need is to hone our search skills using the tools available to us - and there are more tools available to us than we are probably aware.

How can one's search skills be improved? Jeff Alhadeff, VP of Product explains that his company, Boost eLearning, provides Google search training. Jeff says, "We are the first to provide an enterprise-class training solution that teaches users to effectively use Google Search." According to the Boost eLearning web site, "Our training empowers knowledge workers with the skills to fully leverage Google's unparalleled search technology, allowing them to easily discover business critical information, creating a significant competitive advantage to our clients."

How was the need for Google training first identified? According to Jeff, "It started when Boost eLearning executives realized Google's unparalleled search technology. Company founders had a background in corporate software application training, and knew that this full functionality would be a tremendous aid in enabling knowledge workers to find business critical information."

How does the training work? Jeff says that while there are other individuals who provide personal classes and training sessions on Google Search, Boost eLearning is the first to provide a professional eLearning offering that can be hosted on an organization’s learning management system (LMS). Specifically, the training focuses on three major components:

1. Learning to use the powerful search tools and filters that Google already has integrated within it.
2. Learning to use those tools and filters which allow you to search by date, region or even file type to put a fine point on your search. These filters even allow you to exclude certain unnecessary information from your search or search for images only.
3. Learning to put this information into a relevant and usable report.

How can you get access to this training program for your organization? Jeff says, "Boost eLearning hosts webinars demonstrating the benefits of Google's full functionality. The attendees see a benefit and want to see the same skills taught to their organization. We also conduct various PR activities: media relations, news announcements, etc."

Jeff sees two important benefits of Boost eLearning to companies and their employees:

1. Gain a competitive advantage by having better information.
2. Spend more time analyzing information, less time finding it.

Obtaining the business critical information you require need not be a time-wasting exercise in futility. Once employees master Google Search, high value information is at their fingertips. Jeff is pleased to offer this about the Boost eLearning training: "It is so easy to use. Once a person understands how to apply the filters and operators, finding information becomes fun. A person's natural sense of creativity or curiosity combine to make "finding business critical information" not a chore, but enjoyable."

It's empowering to know that with some in-depth, practical training on a ubiquitous product, your information gathering can be streamlined and efficient. You can embrace and leverage the power of knowledge!

Do you search for the information you need efficiently? Could your business benefit from Boost eLearning's trainings?

By Gina Blitstein

Who are your clients? Sometimes you don't have the luxury of choosing with whom you work. You hope you can count on your clients to be easy to work with, pay you in a timely fashion, appreciate your efforts and offer repeat business. In many cases, however, you take on work without a lot of guarantees as to the amount of respect with which you'll be treated.

The way your clients treat you has a lot to do with the corporate culture of their company. You may assume that the larger a company is, the less considerate it would be toward the "little people" who provide them their goods and services. But what about THE biggest corporation...The United States government? As an enormous consumer of goods and services, chances are the government needs what your business sells. How is the government as a client? Perhaps surprisingly, the U.S government makes an ideal client, should you be willing and able to do the work involved to position yourself for their consideration as a vendor.

Mary Scott Nabers, President/CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc., a 15 year old business development and research firm specializing in public sector marketplaces says, "We help companies find and capture government contracts." In her capacity as a facilitator who assists companies seeking government contracts, Mary says, "The government is a great client because you know there is never any doubt about whether or not you'll get paid. And, if firms perform well on a government contract there is always follow-on work. Government decision makers throughout the country talk to each other. Good performance on a public sector contract (as well as a reference account) can result in numerous similar opportunities throughout the U.S."

Mary suggests the following guidelines when pursuing government contracts:

• Sell a solution. If you have a product or service, tie it to a problem the governmental entity needs to solve.

• Do your homework. Know as much about the public entity as possible. It is especially important to know the governing structure. In other words, who has budget control and is there an elected official who will be the ultimate sign off on all contracts.

• Always leave a meeting with a plan for "next steps."

• Ask the government entity how they like to make purchases. Many prefer cooperative purchasing programs so they don't have to go through a formal bid process. If that is the case, it is imperative to try to get involved with the appropriate program.

• Have patience. Government does not move quickly but the contracts are large and usually last for years.

Should you consider seeking out government contracts for your business? Dana Marlowe, Principal Partner and President of Accessibility Partners, a small, woman-owned IT consulting services company in the Washington, DC metro region suggests that indeed you should. According to Dana, the government is a very desirable client to have. Dana explains, "Our core focus is to assist Federal Agencies and Fortune 500 corporations in making their information technology accessible to people with disabilities."

Dana sees these four benefits to having a federal agency as her client:

1. Esteemed and credible client
2. Pay on time, thereby expectancy aids with cash flow in a small business
3. Friendly federal employees committed to their position
4. Once you have a contract, future procurement with that agency is sometimes easier

Accessibility Partners isn't the only company who is aware of the benefits of government contracts. Lisa Bell, President of Macell Incorporated says, "Our company did a computer system for our state's crime lab. The process was lenthly but we did get paid fairly quickly. They don't complain at all; in fact they are happy with the improvement and it is good to have that to use a reference."

These sources all agree that the U.S. government offers many qualities, including prestige, reliability and recognition of achievement that make it a desirable customer with which to conduct business. Follow the suggested guidelines to maximize your chances of winning the contract. When you fulfill your obligations and establish a good reputation with them, you'll enjoy the benefits of an appreciative, influential and responsive customer. What more can you ask of any client?

How do you define a great client? How could your business benefit from contracting with the government?

By Gina Blitstein

You're ready to take the entrepreneurial leap: You have a solid business plan, a laptop and a disdain for business suits. While at first it may sound appealing to work in your pajamas as an entrepreneur or freelancer, the novelty soon wears off. The fact is, it is difficult to become and remain motivated day after day when you work in your home, isolated and without all the amenities of an actual work space.

"What amenities?" you ask. Amenities like a hellish commute, an overbearing employer, gossiping coworkers and a filthy lunchroom?

While there is nothing to miss in that scenario, there are elements to a more traditional workspace that are very conducive to productivity, success and satisfaction. What elements are often missing when you're not working in the traditional business environment?

Workspace
You may have a spare room or a corner of your basement. It's true that the space is free of charge but is it free of distractions?

Business equipment
You have a laptop, but what about a heavy-duty printer, fax machine, dedicated business phone line?

Meeting space
Where can you meet with clients? Is your space professional or cluttered with toys and, well, clutter?

Networking opportunities
How much business are you going to do with the postal carrier? That's most likely the only person with whom you'll have contact working from home.

The key to being a successful freelancer or entrepreneur is to have space to conduct your work that is not only affordable but that affords you the amenities you need to be productive. Coworking is a way to have the best of both worlds: freelancer and fully-equipped professional.

Coworking - the Concept

By way of definition, coworking is a concept of bringing solo-workers together so that they can pool resources to enhance their work experience. Coworking can take place anywhere a group can congregate. This is often at a coffee shop or restaurant where workers can gather and either collaborate and network or work alone and simply enjoy the benefits of being in proximity of others.

As to the benefits of coworking, Lorenz Lammens, Marketing Director for Online Design Bureau, suggests that coworking allows workers to, "Get a second brain and think outside of the box." He goes on to say, "Many ideas are born out of conversation. You're stuck, can't quite figure out how to move on, so you take a break and discuss your ideas with others who have different skill sets. The combination of different experiences, approaches and temperament often spur on new ideas that you simply couldn't have come up with on your own."

The point is to fend off isolation. Whether you feel pangs of loneliness or not, it is important to remain in contact with the world outside your four walls. Lorenz makes the point that, "You don't always have to leave your home office to cowork. With modern technology such as Skype, Twitter and Facebook you can still co-work when you are not physically present at your co-working station. When at home, we simply connect with partners who also work from home that day via Skype, and get to experience the feel of a virtual office."

Coworking - a Physical Location

A coworking facility is a shared office environment where freelancers and entrepreneurs can share workspace, equipment and other resources along with the pleasure of each other's company. The amenities provided at a coworking facility can include furnishings, meeting/conference rooms, office equipment, internet access, cleaning service and utilities. The cost is far lower than providing the same in an office for just one individual because expenses are shared. Coworking facilities can be used as frequently - or infrequently - as needed. Often those who use a coworking facility discover networking opportunities within the facility itself, providing the added value of customer acquisition.

According to Jonathan Hilley, co-founder of a workspaces concept called, KUBIK Office, coworking facilities can assist workers in the following ways:

• reduced capital in fixed assets, which can then be better used in personnel, research, marketing, or other investments
• providing offices, equipment, and support for meetings, classes, and presentations
• projecting a professional presence to clients and prospects
• enabling workers and teams to meet and function at sites close to home and clients
• provides familiar and reliable offices and services while on business travel

Is the concept of coworking for everyone? Most likely. Even those who prefer to work in quiet conditions must, in their own best interest, have some social interaction. Is a coworking facility for every solo entrepreneur or freelancer? It depends.

Take these factors into consideration when deciding if a coworking facility is the right choice for you:

• Is the nature of your job portable enough?
• Is the facility conveniently located for you and your clients?
• Can you abide by the fact that you won't have control of ambient noise, temperature, fellow workers' temperament?
• Is the facility populated with professionals with similar working requirements as yourself?

Coworking can be a solution to the isolation of being a solo-worker by giving you the resources, networking opportunities and reason to get dressed in the morning that you may lack by working at home.

Do you cowork? How does coworking help your productivity?

By Gina  Blitstein

Mentoring provides a plethora of benefits for businesspeople. It can help them to grow within their position, tackle obstacles and recognize and capitalize on their strengths. You can find effective mentors in the workplace, through local business organizations and even independently. Regardless of where your mentor comes from, he or she will become a trusted adviser, privy to some personal information about you, your values and your style of doing business.

Have you ever wondered what this intimate relationship of mentoring looks like in practice?

When CEO of Chic Galleria Publications and Editor in Chief of Chic Galleria.com, Beth Anderson realized that her business was on the fast-track for growth, she turned to Business Coach, Christie Crowder for advice. Beth recounts, "Our staff had grown to over 30 writers, editors and assistants and I needed her thoughts on how to make our group cohesive even though they spanned the United States, Canada, England, Australia and Malaysia. Christie was able to show me exactly how to set up a system of communication where I divided the writers into groups and addressed each according to the section for which they wrote. She instructed me on how to deliver specific information, goals, objectives and responsibilities to the writers via email. As our staff continues to grow, Christie is there to help me stay with this system."

Several months later, Beth spoke with Christie concerning the day to day operations of Chic Galleria.com. "I felt overwhelmed with the amount of work I was doing and the pressure I was putting on myself. The magazine was growing its readership at a rapid speed and it was taking its toll on me emotionally and physically."

The first thing Christie did was help Beth realize that it was acceptable to ask for help. Christie advised Beth to:

• Hire a personal assistant who could help her be more organized as a whole
• Speak to the staff and offer managerial positions to those who were interested in becoming more that just contributing writers
• Set up a well-functioning system using current staff members

"Our magazine now has three Deputy Editors, four Senor Editors, a Test Kitchen Director, Promotional Director, Regional Event Correspondents and a Graphic Designer," declares Beth. "All these people now have responsibilities that I had originally been doing myself."

Summing up her professional relationship with Christie, Beth says, "Most of all, Christie has shown me how to take responsibility for my position within the company. I am the CEO of Chic Galleria Publications and Editor in Chief of Chic Galleria.com. She has taught me to embrace my roles within my own business. Christie advised me to move out from behind the Chic Galleria logo and have professional press photos taken. She showed me the importance of allowing Chic Galleria.com readers to connect the magazine with me personally, putting my face with my business."

Beth and Christie's relationship is long-ranging as well: "Christie and I keep in touch on a regular basis," says Beth. "We are now in the process of getting ready to launch our new web design. I find comfort in knowing that Christie is there for me when I need her opinion on this rebuild. With each day there are new challenges concerning the site design, layout, graphics and esthetics. Christie has been there to keep me focused on asking for exactly what I want and staying true to my dream. Having a business coach and mentor has been by far the best decision I made this year."

So that's what a mentoring relationship can look like: supportive, educational and empowering. Effective mentors bring out the best of their mentees' talents and abilities, clearing the road for their success.

How would your ideal mentoring situation look?