small business Archives - Page 2 of 2

Trial lawyers are storytellers as well!

I was having a great conversation with a friend and client the other day about storytelling; Andy Arnold of W. Andrew Arnold Law Firm. He was talking about his past and how he almost went to seminary, but ultimately chose to become a lawyer. The more we chatted the more he explained how trial lawyers are storytellers, guiding the jury through an “argument.” This argument is made up of layers of micro-stories, all connected with an overarching mission to prove a case.

We are all storytellers; so I thought I would share an impromptu interview with Andy Arnold who practices employment law and nursing home litigation. Take a few minutes to listen to our conversation wrapped around the idea that lawyers are telling stories, especially when trying a case in a court of law.

Check out Andy Arnold’s website: http://aalawfirm.com
Check out Andy Arnold’s blog called Blogger At Law: http://www.aalawfirm.com/bloggeratlaw/
Follow Andy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AndyArnold

All it takes is a cup of coffee…

When you are walking to your office, or walking to grab lunch, through a crowd of people…do you realize that you are surrounded by some smart people? Everyday we probably come in close contact with more than 250-300 people, as we walk from one place to the next. If you live in New York City, Chicago, LA, or other large metropolitan areas…we probably walk pass thousands of people a day. Imagine if you took the time everyday to find one person, one that you have not met and introduced yourself..then bought them a cup of coffee?

Imagine being a student again on college campus, getting up every morning to go to class. It is 8:45am and you are on your way to you 9am class. If you attended a large university with over 15,000 students, you probably pass close to 1000 to 2000 students on your way everyday. Imagine if you left a bit early and picked one person a day and bought them a cup of coffee. You might start a conversation with the next President of the United States, the next GM of Ford Motor Corp, the next religious leader of our time, the next Defense Secretary, etc. What if that person turns out to be a business partner, your lawyer, your minister, your accountant, someone you might do business with one day. College campuses have the greatest potential for human capital and also the greatest potential for building long term relationships.

Now if you take that same principal and place it into your everyday work routine. Imagine taking just a few minutes everyday and meeting someone new. The cup of coffee is just a pathway to a conversation…it is a connection point. So is thaa game of golf or other relationship building tool…just a connection mechanism. But do we really foster those relationships?

Some people are coining this economic situation as one of the worst in decades. Many people are looking for work, struggling to find jobs, resorting to paying people to write resumes or lots of money on technologies like LinkedIn. But do we really get jobs or forge business deals solely on a piece of paper that holds our credentials? People that excel in tough economic times are those who have forged relationships and can pick up the phone to call for help or a favor. They have been building their human network for years and years. All it takes is a cup of coffee.

So each semester, I take one day and make my students follow me to the coffee shop on Clemson’s campus. Today was that day. It was a day to forget about proposals, projects, and grades…it was a day to talk about what it means to leverage those relationships and the greatest potential that walks by them each day during class change.

Are we building our tribe? Are we building our network? What are we passionate about? Everybody has a story to tell…even over a cup of coffee.

“A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For millions of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.”
~Seth Godin

Thanks Firestone for Great Customer Service

There is something to be said for true customer service, something I can learn from my experience this morning at Firestone. So I am small business owner, I have to seriously watch my budget when it comes to expenditures. Well, my little bimmer needed some new rubber…it was long overdue! Four tires all around was in my search yesterday. My CFO (my wife) gave me a $400.00 budget for tires…so I stopped by Firestone yesterday on my way home from the Anderson Area Chamber’s Annual Luncheon.

I walked in and told the fine gentleman at the desk my budget. I also let him know that it would be good to get it done this weekend, some traveling I will be happening next week. Here is the catch, my little bimmer has an odd size tire requirement….14″ rims (195/65/14). They did their little search and noticed they had nothing in stock and they would have to get the Bridgestone Tires shipped in from another warehouse. Then the great peeps went into problem solving mode…three phones, a little bribery, and some sweeting talking; the manager convinced someone to make a trip to deliver the tires this weekend morning. So they asked me to be back in the morning to have all the work done.

So I show up this morning, and the place was packed. Tons of cars in the parking lot ready for service and the waiting room was packed. But when I walked in the door, the same two gentlemen greeted me from across the room with a smile. One of them stopped what they were doing, and walked out back to roll in the tires for me to inspect. The other had my paper ready to go, took my keys and said thanks for doing business with them.

Now, you know about 10 years ago, gas stations used to be full service centers. When you would pull up to the tank, you could choose the gas price based on full service or pump yourself. A friendly smile would greet you with the option of having that nice person check under the hood, tire pressure, and even shake your hand when you pull out. I miss that little conversation which has turned into merely sliding your card and pumping yourself.

Well…Firestone in Anderson may not pump your gas, but they sure want to make sure you come back to do more business with them. It is the little things, a friendly smile, great customer service, even letting you inspect the tire that goes on your car. Thanks Firestone…you too should check them out!

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What is right for Anderson?

“There’s a lot of people who talk about doing good, and a lot of people who argue about what’s good and what’s not good, (but there were also some other folks who) just put their lives on the line for what is right.”
– mother of Ruby Bridges (first black child to integrate New Orleans schools) in Robert Coles, The Moral Life of Children

What are you passionate about? Where does your passion lie in this ever changing world of business and culture? I am passionate about telling stories…stories are the foundation for how I do business. I tell stories for my clients, the students I teach, the causes I represent…but does this help the greater good beyond just creating revenue?

I want the community I live in…here is Anderson, SC to be successful. A community that supports entrepreneurship and innovative business…they type of growing innovation that provides local support to big businesses like the AnMed’s, Bosch’s, Michelin’s, and Walgreen’s of Anderson County. It is their best interest that innovation and entrepreneurship live right here in Anderson County, and eco-system of the knowledge wealth that promotes innovation and a prosperous educational, knowledge economy.

Isn’t it in the best interest of the Anderson County School Districts to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, a conversation that resonates at the dinner table every night between families. How about Tri-County Technical College and Anderson University, creating entrepreneurial education for the working class along with the innovative education for the high-school graduate who might want to be a nurse or a teacher, who might have an idea one day that turns into a high-impact business. One that stays local and grows as big as the organizations it supports.

Where are the stories of individuals who have been raised, educated, and become successful right here in Anderson County. The ones that have transformed the way that we view Anderson merely by being leaders right in their own classroom, their emergency room, their business…and have gained that knowledge to become successful right here in Anderson.

It is time to start finding those stories..right here, right now.

The next wave of entrepreneurs

Take a look…here are the next wave of entrepreneurs, just look below. This is our future…here they are. Have you taken time out of your day to seek them out? Have you taken a few moments to identify them…taken them to grab some coffee. They are all around you.

These people are young, insightful, and most importantly hungry. They are embarking on the dream of tomorrow and it is our responsibility to ensure that they are successful. They will be the ones that will become our policy makers, our leaders, our nurses, our lawyers, and our providers. Somewhere in that bunch of active minds you will find our next president, the next CEO of Ford Motor Company, the next FDA Spokesperson, our family practitioner, our next Rhoades Scholar, etc…

They will decide to make a home right here in South Carolina, the upstate, and maybe even in Anderson…what are we doing to make sure we give them what they need to be successful. How will they help us raise the average per capita income from $29,084 here in Anderson County to exceed the national average of $38,615? How will we insure that the density of the Anderson County population (179,964) that contains these successful entrepreneurs/innovators increases the strength of this innovative conversation.

I want the people in this picture, students at Clemson University in my Business Writing Class, to become successful, help me become successful and take us into tomorrow’s knowledge economy.

Imagine this Anderson, SC

Imagine…imagine a place in Anderson, SC where people of like minds could go and congregate, to share common goals and a common vision…a place where new ideas are born, dreams are created, vision is put to paper, and the economic synergy creates an economic surplus for innovation.

Imagine an Anderson, a place where people make it a destination, one that is home for families, home for businesses, and a place that the new wave of innovators want to thrive to create the next creative class in this human economy that leads to economic vision.

Imagine an Anderson where big box organizations, educational institutions, small businesses, and the creative class of entrepreneurs paint the fresco of a thriving community that does not compete but sets the standards for tomorrow’s economic community.

Imagine leadership creating synergistic dialogue that brings all diverse populations under one community roof where all classes of peoples can thrive, setting the national standard above the average per capita income.

What will it take to create that creative class of individuals, leaders, entrepreneurs, visionaries to take that status-quo and turn into reality base vision…one that promotes quality education and community driven innovation that insures that all can not only afford a comfortable living but quality healthcare.

Where are those visionaries…where are those entrepreneurs…those innovators…those buildings…that house that innovative thought is under one roof…to push and push to make Anderson a bigger and brighter place to live.

It is here…yes here…in Anderson! Where are you hiding? You want more that just the regular membership to the next networking club…the next meet and greet…you want more. You want to innovate…create…thrive…empower…and join together so that Anderson keeps those innovators right here…in Anderson.

Are you willing to drive to other cities everyday to find other innovators…other entrepreneurs…or would you like to bring those innovators right here to Anderson. Build that community of innovation, of economic vision here…so we can be the thought leaders.

It all boils down to this…it takes a few to create a movement…a synergy….a vision.

Imagine if there was one building where today’s class of innovators (here in Anderson) could all work under one roof. A place where we could be successful doing business and feeding off other entrepreneur’s energy. Imagine a place, where we could share ideas, congregate, hold seminars, and paint the picture of tomorrow’s Innovative Anderson…today.

I would want to have my business there…because I could thrive off of the innovation that naturally is created under that roof with other visionary businesses. We could help solve each other’s problems and solve the problems of others around…and allow innovation to take it’s natural course…create a more Innovative Anderson. A place where Economic Impact is directly attributed to the Anderson Innovation.

Imagine that Anderson…a thought leader in a global economy.

The Big Leap – Entrepreneurship

So you have taken the big leap to entrepreneurship. Whether you have had enough of the corporate world, found a good product or service to create or provide, been laid off and want to take control of your life, or just all of the above; you have taken the big step. Here are some thoughts about that big step…a few thoughts for success. These are not concrete, but have helped me in my journey!

1) Surrounded yourself with individuals that have the same passion and willingness to succeed!
2) Find a business mentor, that one person that has been successful and you can look to for guidance. (Success is not measured by how many companies they have created and made tons of money, but by the way they grew their business).
3) READ A LOT! Take time to find books that challenge you everyday; to inspire and motivate your ass to get up in the morning!
4) Set goals – create a set of goals for both short term and long term. This will give you something to work towards.
5) Engage with the community. Find groups that you can network with and share business. Not just networking groups, but places you can serve the greater good. I take time to engage with the Anderson Area Chamber and Clemson Business School Student Organizations. I donate my time and find this as a useful tool to keep myself in-touch with the community I am trying to serve.

Business in 2010

Well the new year has kicked off with a big ole bang and I am ready to hit it full force. Lots of changes in my world, leaving a partnership and venturing out on my own. So it is going to be the purpose of this bog to follow this path of business for the next year. It is going to be a path of doing business entrepreneurial style, defining for the community at-large (and myself) what BobbyRettew,llc is all about. But the conversation is going to center around my life doing business for myself and my family, building a solid customer base, building a community around vision, life as a college instructor at Clemson, and how Anderson, SC can build a bigger and brighter entrepreneurial community.

In December of 2009, I formed BobbyRettew,llc as a company to do a few things:

Tell lots of stories for my clients
Produce lots of videos that wrap around those stories
Help companies evaluate and build new media strategies
Dissect social media and the relevant business application
Build a community of conversation around new media and entrepreneurship in Anderson, SC
Provide for my family a comfortable living with a flexible schedule

Is that too much to ask for? 2009 was wrapped around public perception and spin that there was and still is an economic downturn in this ever changing economy. It is my goal to make 2010 (I am saying it Twenty-Ten) to put the word “Innovation” back in the spin. Anderson, Greenville, and Clemson are lively, vibrant areas with lots of Innovation and Thought Leadership and there is a true buzz of entrepreneurship in this community. I want to be a part of that conversation. It is time to take to “Potential” and turn into “Kinetic”.

As I sit looking out my window, the largest employer in Anderson County is a stone throw away: AnMed. Don’t you think they have a vested interest to ensure that the small business community is successful and the human growth potential in entrepreneurship brings value to the tables of every household in this county. I would think so, they wrote off $77 Million Dollars last year. It is in their best interest for entrepreneurship to be alive and the small business community is successful; that turns into paid health care. So if the largest employer in Anderson County finds value in the small business community…that tells me there is a tremendous opportunity for success. So how many other AnMed’s are out there that have a vested self interest to ensure that small business community is successful?

After walking away from the a Business Advancement Committee meeting this morning at the Anderson Area Chamber, I thought to myself…it is time to surround myself around entrepreneurs and small business owners that want the same things. I want to make the next 360 days of this year to be centered around tapping that potential, building good business, find entrepreneurs who have that same drive, and building strong relationships that lead to long term business.

Here’s to Twenty-Ten!

Using Online Video To Promote Your Business

Ever thought about using online video to promote, raise awareness, or distribute a message that is important to a target audience? Well, the experts think you should embrace online video as a professional means to spread your targeted message to your targeted audience.

Video Sharing Market
The market is huge and continually growing. 14.3 billion videos were viewed online in December, 2008 and increased by 13% in February 2009.

“For both startups and Fortune 100 companies, getting on board with online and mobile video is increasingly key to attracting and engaging a fickle audience. The next generation of big-time consumers (those under 18) are already more likely to be watching video on a computer or mobile phone than they are on a traditional television set.”

“Deliver content consistently. There should be a predictable pattern to retain and grow your audience. Sign up for long-term deals, so your audience doesn’t find that you dropped their favorite video content from your site.”

Know, engage, and interact with your audience. Understanding exactly who you are targeting with your video content and what their needs are in terms of information or entertainment will help you make a compelling proposition to potential advertisers and ultimately sell ads, especially if you cover a niche topic.

Record year for video content consumption
“How could it not?! Video consumption continues to grow at an astonishing rate. As of October 2008, 13.5 billion videos were watched online. That is a 45% rise on the number watched in October 2007. The availability of super high speed broadband along with more HD video content will drive more people to consume more video online.”

Video monetization becomes reality
“Professionally-produced content, targeted to specific audiences, will see a burst of excitement as advertisers will see this as a safe bet to put their money on. In response to the influx of advertising dollars, video publishers will need scalable platforms with a wide range of performance metrics.”

“The good news is top notch content should eventually stand out from the marginal stuff. And the vast majority of Web content would probably fall into the marginal category, if that. So it’s important to put some extra time and effort into consistently creating good stuff — the kind of content that will turn heads, lead to conversations, and eventually build long lasting relationships. And that’s really not so bad after all, now that I think about it.”

Sources: Mashable.com, Clemson University’s Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurship, and Inc.com Technology