DECEMBER 2016
WWW.COSE.ORG
Mind Your Business TIPS, TRENDS, IDEAS AND INSIGHTS FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS
LIFTING THE CURTAIN ON
2017 What’s waiting for your business in the new year? Let’s find out …
SOCIAL STRATEGY
Fresh Squeezed Minds provides your social media blueprint. [5]
HR HURDLES
Our experts show you how to get past two potential stumbling blocks in the new year. [14]
RELIVING BIZCONCLE
We cover this year’s BizConCLE in pictures. [20]
FINAL PRINT ISSUE
This is the final print issue of Mind Your Business, but we’re not going away. [10]
Every Great Business Starts with Great Employees A competitive benefits package that includes a high-quality health insurance plan can help you find the best employees for your small business team. As the oldest and largest health insurer in Ohio, we partner with COSE to offer benefit plans that work for small businesses. So, whether you’re hiring your first employee or growing your business, we have a solution. To find out more about Medical Mutual plans offered through COSE, please contact your broker or the COSE Benefits Team at Medical Mutual at (440) 878-5930.
2 | COSE Mind Your Business | DECEMBER 2016
contents
4 MEMO
5
SQUEEZE ROI FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
Believe it or not, there is a ROI to be had from your company’s social media exploits. Ted Moss of Fresh Squeezed Minds explains what you need to know when setting your business’s course on social media.
12 EXPERT’S EDIT
Data security and sales growth are two issues that seem to always be on an entrepreneur’s mind. So, that’s why we turned to two of our COSE Expert Network members for their advice on how to tackle these two tricky issues.
14
VIEW FROM THE TOP
We get some high-level thinking in this issue’s View from the Top on workplace wellness strategies and we get a follow-up lesson in social media 101 from Fresh Squeezed Minds.
18 BOLD ENERGY LESSON
Saving money on your energy costs should be on your to-do list for 2017. Learn how solar panels can help you cross that to-do off your list.
20
ON THE SCENE
Miss out on the inaugural BizConCLE convention in October? We have you covered (in pictures).
DECEMBER 2016 | COSE Mind Your Business | 3
MEMO
A big digital step for COSE…
A
s we move along to the end of 2016, it’s only natural to start peeking ahead at what might be awaiting your business in 2017. Sales growth? Hiring more staff? Maybe you’ll think about looking for a new way to engage these new employees in 2017? (we’ve got a lot to
say on that last point, just turn to our View from the Top section. We can’t help but be caught looking ahead ourselves. As you might already know (and you should because we have been promoting the heck out of it), Mind your Business (MYB) will be taking on a new form for 2017 and moving to a digital platform at www.cose.org/myb. It’s a big step that we’ve been considering for a few years, but weren’t sure we (or you) were ready. But based on what we’ve learned about when and how you want to consume information, we think it’s the right step and the right time. How so? First and most importantly, the new platform will allow us to continue to provide the same useful business insight and strategies in areas such as marketing and branding, sales, human resources, technology, etc., that you have come to expect from us. We will continue to keep your unique needs in mind with every story, infographic, video and podcast we make. And, the new digital platform will allow us to directly link you to related ideas, information
Mind Your Business A PUBLICATION OF THE COUNCIL OF SMALLER ENTERPRISES COUNCIL OF SMALLER ENTERPRISES STEVE MILLARD Executive Director smillard@cose.org MEGAN KIM Managing Vice President, Membership Development & Marketing mkim@cose.org SHAWN A. TURNER Content Director sturner@cose.org DAN ROMAN Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations droman@cose.org CONTRIBUTORS ALLISON HALCO MCKINLEY WILEY
and resources. In addition to being housed on the new site, we will also be pushing information
STACI BUCK Art Director
out via our weekly Small Business Resource e-newsletter that is delivered every Thursday. Not
COSE.ORG
receiving this? Go to www.cose.org/subscribe to sign up. It’s important that we have your email so we can get the newsletter and notifications of new content on the new digital MYB. The new platform will also allow us to touch base with you much more frequently and more immediately. The online MYB site will be regularly updated each week with fresh, new content. And, as I mentioned previously, we will be emailing the MYB articles directly to your inbox. This will allow us to react much more quickly to changes in the marketplace, and how those changes might impact your business, than the print timelines that drive magazine production. Finally, we believe that the digital platform for MYB will be a better use of your resources. With shifts in advertising support to digital and the variety of content already online, we don’t want to invest your money unnecessarily in the cost of printing and distributing the magazine. We do think some “best of’s” or on-demand print publications will be in the plans in 2017, but believe we can deliver as much or more to you at less cost via digital MYB. Our first digital issue will appear in January and we will be sending out messaging with even more details as we get closer to its debut. As with all things COSE, I invite you to reach out with any questions or comments you might have about this change, your feedback and ideas are always helpful. Beyond what we are doing, I’m also interested in big changes in your business in 2017 – especially if its something with which we can be helpful. See you online in 2017!
STEVE MILLARD Executive Director, COSE
smillard@cose.org | 216.592.2436 4 | COSE Mind Your Business | DECEMBER 2016
CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS, INC. Design and Production Services
FRESH SQUEEZED
SOCIAL STRATEGIES Everyone wants in on the social media marketing game, but not everyone is doing it the right way. That’s why we visited recently with social media guru Ted Moss of Fresh Squeezed Minds, who laid out a path small businesses can follow to social media success. BY SHAWN A. TURNER
PRESENTED BY FRESH SQUEEZED MINDS
D
ecades ago, businesses had but a few channels upon which they could market their services. Direct mail, phone, billboards and the like. Effective in spots, yet also limited and not at all agile to a company’s rapidly changing marketing requirements. Fast forward to today, and times have certainly changed, according to HootSuite statistics. An estimated 6,000 tweets are sent every second. Facebook tallies 8 billion average daily video views. Instagram users like 3.5 billion photos every day. With Contently estimating that consumers spend an average of an hour and 43 minutes each day on social media, businesses are vying for a piece of this attention. You should be, too, says Ted Moss of Cleveland-based digital marketing agency Fresh Squeezed Minds. Internet and social media have been game-changers for small businesses, allowing them to easily extend their reach beyond their own local markets. “It seems Moss complex, but for your strategy to work amidst all the noise you have to create a plan and stick with it,” Moss says. Mind Your Business had the opportunity to sit down with Moss who laid out a four-point plan to adopting a social media strategy. What are those four points? We’re glad you asked. …
POINT 1: KNOW YOUR PLATFORM We established above that there are plenty of social media channels for your business to play on. LinkedIn. Facebook. Instagram. Where do you start? With your demographics, that’s where. For instance, consider the following:
Instagram: If you have a following that’s mostly female and younger, then this is your platform, Moss says. It’s also a good platform if most of your customers live in urban areas. n Facebook: Have an audience that’s as old as or older than Generation X? You should have a presence on Facebook, Moss says. n Twitter: Are your customers brainy (or at least have the college credentials to fake it?), then Twitter should be on your radar. According to Pew Research statistics, most of the people using Twitter (and it’s a lot, nearly a quarter of online adults) are college-educated. n LinkedIn: Have a customer base fully entrenched in their “working years” or 30-64? LinkedIn should be a focal point n
of your strategy, as people in that age range are 50% more likely to be active on the site than those 18-29, according to Pew Research. Facebook, and its 1.6 billion users worldwide, should be the keystone of your social media program, Moss says. Per Pew Research, 71% of all adult American Internet users are consistent Facebook users, which is more than three times those who are consistent users of other platforms, such as Twitter at 23%. And those Facebook users are good news for businesses, as nearly one out of three users of the social network (32%) engage with brands on a regular basis.
POINT 2: GETTING THE LEADS
Speaking of engagement, it’s crucial for entrepreneurs to understand and see the ROI of their social media strategy. Ultimately, your work on social media needs to generate qualified leads. After all, there are a finite number of hours in the day, and small businesses in particular need to make sure they are making the most out of every second. At the end of the day, lead generation is
the Holy Grail of what businesses are after. But to get there, Moss says, small business owners need to understand which of the content they’re pushing out on social is attracting the most attention. But to get leads, you’re going to need to know what’s popular on the site. And to understand what’s popular, you’ll need to know what people are clicking on. He suggests using good old Google Analytics, which provides an easy-to-understand snapshot of just how your content is performing. Pay attention to click throughs, as that will show you what’s most popular. But don’t spend ALL of your time stressing out over the numbers. What you SHOULD be stressing out over is creating useful content that is useful, valuable and (gasp!) fun for your audience and potential customers. If you do that (and measure
and adjust your content mix frequently) you’ll give your customers what they want and you’ll end up getting the ROI you so desperately seek.
POINT 3: GET ENGAGED
In their never-ending quest for social media numbers, Moss has seen many a small business owner push out content solely to get “likes” and posting just to post something. “If you want followers and likes, then posting pictures of kittens and puppies will get you there,” Moss says. “But converting followers into customers or sales requires a strategy.” One way to convert eyeballs into leads could be to leverage contests and/ or requests for useful content to engage customers in ways that drive them to look at you as a source of information, to subscribe to your newsletter, or — most
DECEMBER 2016 | COSE Mind Your Business | 7
importantly — buy your product or service, Moss continues. Most people will visit your site on average five times before they make a buying decision, he says. This means your business needs to have a mechanism to invite them back and funnel them into that decision through social media advertising, drip marketing, content or other offers. “Ultimately, creating content that drives customers to return and opt in to your email alerts or push notifications is a key to the whole thing,” he says. “Converting a look at your content to a way to collect a long-term audience and customer contact information is one of the principle goals of social media and Internet marketing,
allowing you to reach out to those users who have visited your website through your social presence and then convert them.”
POINT 4: LOVE YOUR CRITICS
OK, almost done! Moss points out another area as it relates to social media marketing that business owners tend to fumble: They get overly freaked out by negative comments people make about them. While an entrepreneur’s natural reaction to a negative content might very well be to hide or ignore such comments, that’s the wrong approach to take, Moss says. Indeed, a Contently report found that 71% of consumers who receive a quick response from a company on social media are likely to recommend that business to others. “Don’t be afraid of negative comments,” Moss advises. “Don’t delete ‘em. Engage
COSE extends a warm welcome to the following new members: 9375 Brookpark Rd LLC A & C Welding ABC Fire, Inc. ABC Rental Center Advanced RV Ameri-Line, Inc. Bay-West Electric Co., Inc. Bedrock Security BirdCrete Hauling & Recycling LLC Bruno and Sons Contractors, Inc. Buckeye-Shaker Square Development Corporation Buckley King LPA Calhoun Beauty Salon, Inc. Carl Lishing & Associates, Inc. Check Cleveland Homes, LLC Cleveland Home Improvement Council Cleveland Leadership Center Dean’s Truck Body Inc. Decks & Effects EBB Eaton LLC Emerald Cities Collaborative (Cleveland) Euclid Refinishing Co., Inc. Fenton Manufacturing Inc.
8 | COSE Mind Your Business | DECEMBER 2016
ForTec Litho LLC Francis P. Gallagher & Associates Freeburg Law Firm LPA Friends of the Cleveland Public Library Futuri Media, LLC Green Lawn Memory Gardens Group Benefit Consultants Harvey Industries Inc. Hudak Machine & Tool Co. ILF Transportation, LLC J&A Diversified Incorporated Jeannie’s Pooch Parlor, Inc. JMC Cleveland, LLC Krammer Comfort Services LLC L.H.I. Litchfield Heating, Inc. Lee Meier Interiors M&M Safety Solutions MA Workwear Marsha L Heinke, CPA Master Precision Machining Inc. Mindy Covington Agency Mojonnier USA, LLC N E O Automotive Care Inc. NetServe 365
Northeast Ohio Medical Services, LLC Opticomm Otero Signature Homes Pace Engineering Pancho and Petey Incorporated Party Animal Inc Peter Andrew Designs Inc. PK Financial Group Inc. Plan-e-tech Industries Inc. Powder Coating Research Group, LLC Renner, Otto, Boiselle & Sklar, LLP Robert J. Gorse, Inc. Sacha Enterprises, LLC Sarita A Restaurant Inc Sugar Bush, Inc The Construction Green Team The Van Roy Coffee Co. Ticknors Holdings Corp. Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates Trucks Unlimited, Inc. Ursuline College Vielhaber’s Garage West End Lumber Co. Wilson Kirk’s Rod Shop Inc.
NEXT STEPS Looking to dig a little deeper into these topics. We’re happy to help! ‘em. You can turn disgruntled customers into raving fans.” By starting a conversation with your online haters, other customers will see that your business is trying to work through the problem and that you are going out of your way to make them happy. “People expect you to be genuine,” he says. And, don’t forget to also engage those that provide praise as well. A sincere note of gratitude will reinforce that you are listening to your customers and are appreciative of their business.
Discover how social media can play a big role in the growth of your business by visiting COSE’s Social Hub that houses a variety of social media tips and takeaways at www.cose.org/social.
DECEMBER 2016 | COSE Mind Your Business | 9
10 | COSE Mind Your Business | DECEMBER 2016
DECEMBER 2016 | COSE Mind Your Business | 11
EXPERT’S EDIT
Double Dose of Dubious Plans By SHAWN TURNER
As we close the book on 2016, we thought we’d provide you readers with a bonus holiday gift: An extra dose of Expert’s Edit (don’t say we never gave you anything!) What you’ll find on these two pages are two of the issues that seem to flummox small business owners the most: data security and sales growth. So, let us turn to our resident COSE Expert Network members to see what they have to say about these two issues.
Not a good idea. The service provider should give you an administrator-level account so you stay in control of your own network. —Fanger
MEET THE EXPERT:
Security Snafus My business has recently engaged an outside service provider to oversee our backend IT department (servers and other vital systems). They’ve asked that we hand over our passwords for those systems, which considering how much time they’re going to be spending working with us, seemed OK to us. This vendor asked us to put some employee training in place, as well. We value our employees, though, and trust them.
Patty Zinn
MICRO SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT
On the domain side, I think we’re OK but I am not 100% sure where our domain is registered. It’s been so long since we registered I can’t say with any confidence that I’d be able to get us logged back in, but I don’t see how that could lead to any problems. Ken Fanger
Frankly, I see this as being much ado about nothing. We’re just a small business! There’s nothing here that a crook would want!
ON TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS
We make sure our clients ha ve at least one administrat or level account th ey ha ve direct access to so in ca se things go sour in th e relationsh ip, th e client is no t at th e mercy of th e se rvic provid er. —Fa ng er e
to get into your Not being able sult in th e Web domain coul d re ow ning th e hosting compa ny d, th erefore, domain name an ss is not th e smal l busine anges and able to make ch so fa ces th e compa ny al one losing control of of th eir m ost ts. important asse —Fa ng er
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So, do you leave home with all your doors and windows unlocked, too? Do you put signs in your window that read “Thieves welcome”? Lock those doors and windows by putting complex passwords in place to guard your systems, make sure your antivirus software is upto-date and check your backups and actually perform a test backup restore. —Zinn
This kind of can become When was th you perform access test checked to s your employ going online? be surprised you find! —Z
You need to w here th e d is registere that you ca control of i w orld w e li to o many c let th eir W get th eir
No one is to o smal l to be ha cked.
—Zinn
Kee of y Som can cou if th to r aba
EXPERT’S EDIT
training Wit hout formal em and a sales sy st re in pl ace, al l you’ paid un is g real ly doin k. or consulting w —Strauss
Superstar Sales I’m already very happy with the performance of my sales team. I don’t see the need for any kind of formal training for our sales staff. We don’t need a system for how we go to market. We haven’t formalized our sales process and I don’t see us doing so. As I mentioned above, the team is already doing what they need to do. There’s no need for interference on my end. It’s not like you can systemize sales.
complacency a problem. he last time med a simple t? Or see where yees are ? You might d by what
Sales meetings need to be frequent and include a specific preparation and practice topic that will help the salesperson sharpen their selling skills and technique. —Montgomery
Zinn
know domain ed so an keep prop er et it. In th e Intern en se ve ive in, I ha just at compa nies th ny pa m Web hosting co domain. —Fa ng er
ep diligent records your login information. me domain registrations last 10 years and you ld run into problems he email you used register has been ndoned or lost. —Fanger
You mig ht cons id er giving your sales team w hat I call a “Formul a for Success.” This is a one-sh eet pl an that details th e goal th ey are trying to m ake for th e year. It ’s a num bers game after al l, and th ey need to know th e num be rs th ey ha ve to achieve. —M ontg om er y
wise you You ca n! Oth er th e are reacting to are a customer. Here u ca n coup le things yo les sy stem add to your sa ove a to help things m thly. First, lit tl e m ore sm oo er th e as certain w heth talking customer you’re et for to ha s th e budg ng. lli w hat you’re se ow A nd second, kn on si ci w ho th e de d an makers are get in front . of th ose peop le
Everyone needs a system. Just like a HVAC repairman has a system for diagnosing and repairing equipment, you need to have a system for your sales team. This should include active listening to the customer and learning what their problem is, how you can help (if you can), and making sure your customer understands your core techniques and what sets you apart. —Strauss MEET THE EXPERT:
Marvin Montgomery
AUTHOR, MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER, SALES TRAINER
— St ra us s
Keith Strauss SANDLER TRAINING
NEXT STEPS We know you want to hear more from our experts, but we also know you are pressed for time. That’s why we launched a video series with members of the COSE Expert Network we like to call “3(ish) Minutes.” In it, our COSE Experts talk for three(ish) minutes (hence the name) on a particular subject that’s near and dear to their heart. Check it out at www.cose.org/myb/3minutes
DECEMBER 2016 | COSE Mind Your Business | 13
VIEW FROM THE TOP
OVERCOMING
YOUR 2017 OBSTACLES There’s a good chance you’re going to have some HR issues on your plate in 2017. But HR isn’t just hiring and firing. There’re also HR elements you probably haven’t given much thought to, such as keeping your staff happy and in line on social media. Well, just because you haven’t given them much thought doesn’t mean our experts haven’t either. So, here’s some high-level advice on these topics from Ted Moss of Fresh Squeezed Minds as well as Sunny Lurie, one of our COSE Expert Network members and CEO of Advanced Performance, Inc. By SHAWN TURNER
14 | COSE Mind Your Business | DECEMBER 2016
VIEW FROM THE TOP
HEALTHY WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT Sunny Lurie Advanced Per formance, Inc. COSE Expert Network
A
recent study found that 69% of employees are unengaged at work. This means in your business, it’s possible that more than two out of three of your employees are unengaged, unmotivated, and, likely, unhappy. One way to perk up your people could be to introduce a workplace wellness program. According to the Institute for Healthcare Consumerism, nearly three in 10 workers said they would feel more satisfied and more loyal to their employer if the employer had options in place that could improve the employees’ health and lifestyle. So, what steps can you take to improve the environment and the interest of your employees? The good news is it’s more affordable and easier than you might imagine. Sunny Lurie, the CEO of Advanced Performance, Inc., and a member of COSE’s Expert Network, walks us through some ideas.
good work? n Question 3: At work, do you believe your opinions seem to count?
SIMPLE STEPS
Creating an environment in which employees feel more engaged does not have to be complicated. Employees do better when they are working at the things they are good at. Consider investing in letting them assess their strengths. The resulting assessment and tips on how to focus on doing more of what they are best at could create a great conversation between your team members and their immediate supervisors (in many cases, you!). One of the best tools is the Clifton StrengthsFinder by Tom Rath. The book and an access code to allow an employee to assess their strengths will cost you less than $20. There are a variety of ways to improve praise of good work. n Create an index card for each employee and keep the pile closeby. When someone
does something worth noting, jot it on their card. Once a week walk around and say thank you for those specific efforts. n Offer a monthly gift card for recognition. Have employees drop an email to fellow employees to say thanks for work well done and copy you. Once a month draw a name from the submissions you receive and award the gift card and read the email of thanks. People love to win things and be recognized – it’s a double win! Be clear that you care about what employees think. When you get suggestions be appreciative – even if you disagree. Just being heard is enough for many employees. And, you often will get a good idea that can be tweaked to benefit the business. The key is to model and communicate your interest in your team’s ideas. A simple shoebox for suggestions might be a great visual reinforcement of your openness to ideas. Focusing on strengths, creating an environment that recognizes work well done and is open to the ideas of the entire team will increase the engagement and satisfaction of your team. It will cost you very little and might help a lot in taking your business and its culture to the next level.
SURVEY YOUR EMPLOYEES
The first place you should start is to take an honest look at your workplace culture. Do you think people are engaged and productive? Or could engagement and productivity be strengthened? “If you think it might be time to discuss new ways to reenergize employees and help them thrive, you might want to consider doing a brief employee engagement survey,” Lurie says. A few questions you should consider asking include: Question 1: At work, do you feel you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day? n Question 2: In the last week, have you received recognition or praise for doing n
DECEMBER 2016 | COSE Mind Your Business | 15
VIEW FROM THE TOP
HOW NOT TO MESS UP A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY Aaron Rock
Fresh Squeezed Minds
media guidelines to hit on a couple of areas, Rock says.
W
hy should you have a social media policy in place for your employees? Small companies are prone to falling victim to social media pitfalls such as damaging the company’s brand or even dropping the company straight into a legal quagmire, Fresh Squeezed Mind’s Aaron Rock says. Here are three things to consider when crafting your own workplace policy.
THE GROUND RULES
You’re going to want your general social
How employees are using their own personal accounts. n How they are using work-related accounts. n
Focus on whatever your highest priorities happen to be. For instance, you likely will want to define roles. Who is responsible for what, and what, exactly, are these responsibilities? “Be clear on what this entails,” Rock
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VIEW FROM THE TOP
stresses. “Who’s approving these posts? What kind of tone are you trying to set? You’re also going to want to make sure whoever is designated to handle social media is aware of potential legal issues.”
ABOUT THOSE LEGAL ISSUES …
So, what legal issues should you be thinking about? For starters, Rock says you’ll want to ensure you are properly citing the work of others if you’re reposting content. Emphasize also that your employees aren’t playing too fast and loose with the company’s (or customer’s) confidential information.
DEALING WITH TROLLS
Rock detailed earlier about how you should respond to social media and Internet criticism of your company. But what about trolls? We’re talking people who are being mean for mean’s sake. There are five ways
to deal with these trolls, he suggests: Ferret out if there is any fair criticism and correct any mistakes you might be making. n Respond calmly with facts. n Respond calmly, perhaps with a humorous touch. n Block or ban these social media users
if you can. n Just plain ignore them.
n
Your social media marketing activities should emphasize the more fun side of your business while raising awareness of your brand. Folding the above into your strategy will help you achieve those goals — and keep you out of any social media hot water.
NEXT STEPS Looking to dig a little deeper into these topics. We’re happy to help! Learn more about engaging employees and workplace wellness and its benefits by visiting www.cose.org/myb/wellness. Also, discover how social media can play a big role in the growth of your business by visiting COSE’s Social Hub that houses a variety of social media tips and takeaways at www.cose.org/social.
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DECEMBER 2016 | COSE Mind Your Business | 17
SUPER SOLAR: Presented by Bold Alternatives Learn how the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is harnessing the power of the sun to help it save on operating costs.
I
n this part of the country, solar panels on a 100,000-square-foot-roof can produce about 1 million kwh, or $90,000, in electricity. Factor in rising utility rates because of inflation and deregulation, and solar power is becoming an increasingly popular choice among Northeast Ohio businesses. One recent example is an installation that took place on the Circle of Life Carousel at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Rob Martens of Bold Alternatives, the company that handled the installation, says the panels that were installed on the 10-sided carousel to maximize solar production as the sun moves across the sky. “Aesthetics play a big role in our design approach so we planned for as much symmetry as the structure allows,” Martens says. The sleek look of solar isn’t the only reason you should be considering an installation in 2017. A solar project can produce power for 20 to 30 years or longer with minimal maintenance. The cost is known from the start and once paid for, the power is essentially free. Want to know more about how solar can help you reduce energy costs? Visit www.boldalternatives.com or get in touch with the COSE Energy Team at 216-592-2205 or via email at energy@cose.org.
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PHOTO COURTESY BOLD ALTERNATIVES
A photo of the microinverters and finished modules on the Circle of Life Carousel at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Bold Alternatives utilizes microinverters to allow for maximum solar production as the sun travel across the sky, powering each face of the array throughout the day.
With You At Each Step Because You Have a Business to Run From selecting a contractor to researching rebates to securing gas and electric contracts for your business, achieving energy efficiency can be time-consuming. But with COSE/GCP’s Energy Team as your partner, you’ll have more time to focus on the important things: like running your business. Contact us at 216-592-2205 or energy@cose.org and let’s talk about how COSE/GCP Energy can help your business.
ON THE SCENE
In addition to the convention’s programming, attendees had the opportunity to meet with sponsors on the exhibit hall floor and also mix and mingle with each other during networking events.
BizConCLE 2016
S
everal hundred business executives and entrepreneurs descended on Cleveland Public Auditorium October 13 and 14
for BizConCLE, the coming together of the Greater Cleveland Partnership’s Middle Market Forum and the Council of Smaller Enterprise’s Small Business Convention. The event featured an array of plenary sessions, keynotes from nationally known speakers, breakout workshops and more. Here’s a look at some of our favorite highlights! 20 | COSE Mind Your Business | DECEMBER 2016
Gary Schoeniger of The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative said during his keynote that entrepreneurs languish because they too often don’t think like entrepreneurs.
ON THE SCENE
MBAs Across America’s Casey Gerald told the BizConCLE audience that everyone has the potential to be extraordinary — they just need to find the right sources to fill in their own personal knowledge gaps.
Mel Robbins, creator of the “5-Second Rule”, stressed that counting down from five and taking action when you hit zero is the easiest way to get yourself to do something you might not want to do.
Panelists discussed how to keep economic development rolling in Northeast Ohio during the plenary session “A Region on the Rise.”
Lubrizol Chairman and CEO James L. Hambrick (left) provided his perspective on offered his take on strategies for business growth, millennials in the workplace, the benefit of internship programs, community involvement, and more during a sitdown interview the Greater Cleveland Partnership’s Joe Roman.
Members of the COSE Expert Network held a series of roundtables during BizConCLE that covered a range of subjects, including how to “power up” your company’s performance. DECEMBER 2016 | COSE Mind Your Business | 21
Goldman Sachs provides scholarships to small business owners to grow their business.
Are you looking to grow your small business but don’t have the resources you need? Do you want practical knowledge and one-onone advice to take your business to the next level? The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program is making a $500-million investment in small businesses just like yours. And, if you are selected, participation is at no cost to you.
Through a unique partnership with COSE and Cuyahoga Community College, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is offering you access to a practical business education program. Tri-C is one of only 13 sites nationally to offer this best-in-class program designed by Babson College, the nation’s leading Entrepreneurial school. Through this program, you’ll obtain an invaluable tool kit that will help grow not only your business, but also create economic opportunity for our community and the countr y. Within the Cleveland market alone, we’ve graduated more than 450 small business professionals in addition to producing various success stories nationwide. You can be next. Learn more at www.tri-c. edu/10ksb or go to the next page for testimonials from the alumni of the program. The deadline for application is February 23, 2017.
February 23, 2017
22 | COSE Mind Your Business | DECEMBER 2016
NEAL GROSSMAN Grossman Inc. The biggest thing I learned was how to put together a business plan that worked for me and could also work for the banks. Using what I learned from 10,000 Small Businesses, I put a plan together and got three loan offers.
MONICA GREEN So Curly, So Kinky, So Straight, The Salon I learned adding a new salon isn’t the only way to grow. I obtained the Beauty and Barber Empowerment Center, which will have cosemetology, barbering and advance training programming. This will help me train others who can help me expand my business.
ELISABETH SAPELL All City Candy Sometimes it’s best to take a step back and look at things from a new perspective. Collaborating with other small business owners has helped me to gain unique perspectives on the challenges facing my business and to find the solutions for those challenges.
Learn more about how the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program can take your business to the next level by visiting www.tri-c.edu/10ksb/. DECEMBER 2016 | COSE Mind Your Business | 23