Morning Brew: A publication by R.I.S.E. September 2020

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N O R T H

A L A B A M A ' S

P R E M I E R E

MORNING A Publication of

N E T W O R K I N G

G R O U P

BREW

R.I.S.E.

SEPTEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 13 / VOLUME 2

THIS ISSUE

BUSINESS INSIGHTS

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE SHIFT?

START UP STORIES

FEATURING COLE RICKLES, CHECKLE

7 TIPS FOR BUSINESS WEBSITE SEO


CONTENTS NEWS

05 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 07 EVENTS & INFO 09

RISE SPEAKER SERIES

FEATURES

STARTUP STORIES

FEATURING COLE RICKLES, CHECKLE

13

START UP STORIES

20

7 TIPS: BOOST YOUR WEBSITE SEO

BUSINESS INSIGHTS ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE SHIFT? 6

24 DESIGN THE WEB 29 32 35

THE PITCH: FEATURING COLE RICKLES BUSINESS INSIGHTS PHOTOGRAPHY: HOW IS YOUR 7 TIPS YOU BUSINESS UTILIZING THIS TOOL NEED WEBSITE SEO

A LEGACY OF HEALTH

40 & WEALTH

WWW.THERISEGROUPHSV.COM

A LEGACY OF HEALTH & WELATH PART 8 - STRESS MANAGEMENT


Contributors

Regional Innovators Sustaining the Ecosystem

Dr. Kreslyn Kelley-Ellis Certified Human Capital & Leadership Coach Dr.

Vicki Morris

Kreslyn

grew

up

in

Huntsville,

AL,

receiving a B.B.A from Faulkner Christian University.

She

went

on

to

receive

her

Master’s Degree in Special Education from Alabama A&M University and a Doctorate in Education Administration & Supervision from Tennessee State University.

Demetria Horton Cole Rickle

Cole RIckle Maike DeMaria

Checkle Cole grew up in Huntsville and launched Checkle in November of 2019. He met his

Demetria Horton Dr. Kreslyn Kelley-Ellis Andrea Brandon

wife,

Amber,

received

his

at

UAH

where

undergrad

and

he

also

masters

business degree. Outside of working on Checkle, you'll find Cole doing all kinds of

random

things

with

his

wife,

dogs,

family and friends

Rick Makrowski Mike Moorer

Mike Moorer

Photographer Capturing

stunning

images

that

help professionals and their brand

Face To Face Marketing, LLC

stand out on social media is my passion.

I

am

dedicated

to

producing content that allows their message to be heard.

Morning Brew is a publication of R.I.S.E. by Face To Face Marketing, LLC. We are located at 515 Sparkman Drive, HSV, AL 35816

Maike DeMaria Capabilitix Maike DeMaria has attained multiple degrees and certificates in many

We publish this magazine every month. We are always accepting ads for the next month's magazine, and content submissions. Email us for more information at Hello@FaceToFace-Marketing.com

Morning Brew Magazine

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disciplines including: Business, Healthcare, Management, Training, and Human Resources Management. During her 35-year international professional career, she worked in large corporations, non-profit organizations, and small businesses.

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SUSTAINING SUPPORTERS EVENT MANAGEMENT BY This event is brought to the North Alabama Entrepreneurial community by the team at Face To Face Marketing, led by Vicki Morris, president and founder. A Public Relations and Project Management firm. Want to connect with them, click the logo for a link to their website.

VENUE & ACCOMODATIONS

Invention to Innovation Center at UAH

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology

Accommodations for several morning events have been graciously provided by the brand new I2C Center at UAH and the wonderful team at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. Click the images for a direct link to their websites.

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A MESSAGE FROM Vicki Morris

the Publisher As our area is continuing to deal with covid-19 precautions, many small business owners are deciding

to

revamp

their

digital

footprint.

Websites are a huge part of every business's digital communication strategy. This is a huge undertaking for a business. Sometimes, it’s the first impression people have about you, your business and the quality of the product or service you offer. It’s very important to get this aspect of your branding message right. There are many tools on the market to assist you in developing and designing a great site for your business. Whether you build your site yourself, or hire a professional team to design your custom site, this is something every business owner should take seriously. Everything that you do that communicates your brand message needs to have continuity with all other elements you use to communicate to your audience. When you are deciding to develop your

"Think of your website as an employee of your company."

website there are several things you need to

Make sure you have taken the time to carefully

consider. One of the first things you need to

plan out each section, each page and the

decide about that website, is what is the

information on each page of your website. This

assignment of the site? You should have a well-

is one of the first impressions people will have

defined call to action and it should be easily

before they decide to do business with your

visible within seconds of finding your site online. Another element to consider when designing your website is the overall feel, theme, and mood of the site. This is easily determined by the color scheme that you choose to use. The last thing that I'll share with you in this note about websites is that your website should be very easy to navigate. Only put the things on the main menu bar for the side that are the most important points you want your visitors to know about your company.

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company. This month we are focussing on websites. Websites are a fundamental tool for every small business. Think of the website as an employee of your company. You want that employee to promote

your

services,

engage

potential

customers, and provide relevant information that makes your audience smarter. Websites, just

like

advertising,

need

to

be

changed

periodically and updated.

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As new developments and services come about for your small business, your website should be one of the places that highlights these changes. One of the services that we want to make available to our audience is a new webinar series on branding marketing and communication. Our first event will be a MasterClass later in September on clarifying your brand message. We will cover a section on continuity of message that includes website design. This is for dedicated entrepreneurs and small-business owners who want to make effective strides in communicating their message but have a few questions about how to start, what to do, and how to effectively communicate the message to their desired target audience. Stay tuned to social media and email messages for registration, pricing and RISE discounts!!

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EVENTS & INFO Information about networking events, business seminars, and other opportunities to grow your business. Please contact event organizer for more details on tickets, dates, locations, audience.

SBDC - STARTING A BUSINESS IN AL This two-hour workshop will provide participants with a comprehensive overview of the steps required and recommended for starting a small business in the State of Alabama. Sept 16, 2020 Register at https://asbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/8655

R.I.S.E. GOES VIRTUAL Due to the government advisory following the outbreak of COVID-19 R.I.S.E. is now being presented LIVE on Zoom, Facebook, and YouTube.

Catch us Friday Sept 4th and Sept 18th at 9am!!

SCORE HAS COME TO HUNTSVILLE Join us for Virtual SCORE presentations THURSDAYS at 10am! SCORE is proud to have the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors. They help thousands of entrepreneurs start and grow their small businesses every year. Our volunteers give back to their communities and pass on their knowledge to the next generation of entrepreneurs. Morning Brew Magazine

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Photos courtesy of J. Andrew Harriman


RISE GOES VIRTUAL All RISE Events will be brought to you virtually! Tune in on our Facebook & YouTube Platforms September 4 September 18 October 2 October 16

Be sure to like our Facebook and LinkedIn pages, and stay up to date on all RISE news and events.

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Cathy Miller is a passionate lady who has worked with and for the Madison County community since her arrival in Alabama in 2004. She joined United Way as a consultant in 2010 and has worked in various capacities since then (2014 she was promoted to Community Impact Director). While working full time at United Way, she also continues to provide expert consulting in the area of children’s literacy, with a focus on giving back. After joining United Way, her expertise as an author, trainer, keynote speaker, researcher, and literacy consultant, (known as The LiteracyAmbassador ®) was quickly put to work with a local emphasis. Mrs. Miller brings enthusiasm and ability to build networks and partnerships to Madison County. Cathy’s word of the year for 2019 is “intentional” and she applies strategic thinking when implementing any sort of venture.

Cathy is a forever learner, enjoys meeting new people (those alike and different), and sharing her journey from rural North Carolina to the Rocket City. She is a graduate of the Master 2 Leadership of Greater Huntsville class and the 2015 United Way Leadership Social Services class. Cathy is the recipient of the coveted 2003 National Silver Award for investigative educational reporting from Parenting Publications of America and her book for preschool and kindergarten educators was awarded the 2010 Distinguished Achievement competition (staff development segment) from the Association of Educational Publishers. She was awarded the 2014 Richard Morrison award from AL A&M University in recognition of her civic engagement, community service and dedication to education and the 2016 Community Service Award from Oakwood University. She is the author of three books, serves actively in leadership and support roles in multiple community committees, and advocates actively for teamwork, and collaboration in the nonprofit and the for-profit arenas.

cathy.miller@uwhsv.org


Mary Ellen Judah is the Executive Director of Neighborhood Concepts, Inc., a Huntsvillebased non-profit committed to strengthening neighborhoods through the development of affordable housing and the advancement of economic opportunities within those communities. NCI develops affordable housing throughout the Southeast and also manages the North Alabama Revolving Loan Fund, a U.S. Treasury certified Community Development Financial Institution or CDFI. Mary Ellen has over 30 years of experience in her chosen field working both in the nonprofit and for- profit sectors and is well-versed in non-profit administration, affordable housing and community development. A Huntsville resident for 32 years, she serves on the boards of the Low Income Housing Coalition of Alabama, Building Alabama Reinvestment, and the Community Advisory Boards of BBVA and Cadence banks. as well as various local boards and committees aligned with both her profession and her interests. She is a 2017 OFN Opportunity Fellow, a national leadership program for the CDFI industry and a member of the Leadership Alabama Class of XXVIII.

mjudah@neighborhoodconcepts.org


MORNING BREW

BE OUR NEXT FEATURE Place your Ad or Article in the next issue of Morning Brew Magazine

TODAY


Each month we feature a new local professional and allow them to tell their inside story of the hows , whys, and what for's of starting a business.

Creater & Owner

Cole Rickles Cole grew up in Huntsville and launched Checkle in November of 2019. He met his wife, Amber, at UAH where he also received his undergrad and masters

business

degree.

Outside

of

working

on

Checkle, you'll find Cole doing all kinds of random things with his wife, dogs, family and friends.

We were able to ask Cole a few key questions about his journey of starting his company. We are positvie his responses will be as helpful and insightful to you as they were to our stafff. 1. How did you come up with the name for your company?

We wanted to combine ‘checking for deals’ and ‘chuckling with friends’, so Checkle was a fit, and

it

was

easy

to

trademark

since

it

is

not

a

real

word.

However,

the

domain

for

“Checkle.com” was $3,000 and the domain for ‘Chekle.com’ was $6, so we originally went with just the “k” spelling because we were trying to save money however we could. In doing this, we quickly realized that everyone who spelt the word “Checkle” was using the “ck” version of it, which meant we had to change the name of the company and buy that expensive domain afterall.

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2. What problem did you encounter that led to the need for this solution?

During college, my friends and I were all broke, but still enjoyed going out together. We had found a really good deal at a restaurant in Huntsville—half burger Tuesday—but after repeating that same deal every

Tuesday

for

several

months

we

decided

to

change up our ritual.It was at this point that we ran into a problem: we didn’t know what other deals were going on, and we didn’t know of an easy way to find them. 3. How many iterations of the company did you go through

before

you

add

new

settled

on

this

version

of

your

concept?

We

a

feature

or

enhancement

almost

weekly, but the core goal has remained consistent from the get go: making it easier for venues to share their specials with consumers. We try to follow the Lean Startup Method as much as possible.

4. Who are your top tier clients?

We’re happy when anyone uses Checkle, but we do have a target demographic for each of our apps:

on

the

Checkle

consumer

side,

we

are

aiming for millennials that are social, and on the Checkle for Business side, we are aiming for restaurants and bars that are not large 5. How do you handle rejection?

We try to look at it as an opportunity to learn and not get any personal feelings involved. Sometimes rejection happens because someone has found a problem with Checkle; this is something that we can rectify to make the product better.

Do you have a mentor? I have several mentors I seek advice from that I consider wise and/or that have experience in handling similar situations to my own.

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6. How did you fiance this startup?

We raised a seed round of funding from a local angel investor. Raising money is like being on a really well protected

plank.

Having

a

runway

lets

us

focus

on

building the product instead of how to pay for our next meal, but for a finite time. The end of the plank comes when the money we raised runs out. We’ve got to have something figured out before we get to the end of the plank (i.e. bank account is empty), or Checkle fails.

Being in this situation feels quite different to having a day job, where you assume that as long as you do your job, you’ll be rewarded with a salary every year.

What made you believe you could do this? Growing up, my parents told me that I could do anything I wanted. My wife has been unbelievably supportive throughout all of this, and most of my close friends have been extremely encouraging.

7. What unexpected challenges have you run into?

Checkle’s together

purpose in

Huntsville,

person. we

metropolitan support...

the

is

encouraging After

were

successfully

aiming

areas. Nashville day

before

groups

for was

we

launched

go

out

launching

high our

to

in

population

next

area

there,

to

every

restaurant and bar in Nashville shut down to combat the spread

of

coronavirus.

All

348

specials

that

we

were

planning on launching there became irrelevant. Going out together in groups became borderline illegal in Checkle’s high

population

target

areas.

No

one

was

allowed

to

physically enter restaurants and bars, so they resorted to carryout and delivery-only solutions.

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8. What unexpected opportunities have you encountered?

With these unprecedented times, restaurants and bars need help getting the word out about themselves . We have the skillset on our team to build something that can help them thrive again, and its members have

put

those

skills

to

work

introducing

new

features on the Checkle for Business side, which are designed

to

give

restaurants

that

extra

marketing

boost they need.

9. How many other business ventures have you started and sustained?

One. I started up a vendor service on Amazon.

"

Failures are chances for me to learn and make the next project better

10. How many other business ventures have you started that have not succeeded?

Many more, but they were all great chances for me to learn and make the next project better.

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11. Are you an entrepreneur / innovator at heart, or simply so frustrated with the lack of a solution that you just had to create the solution?

I had known for a long time that I wanted to run my own business, but I wanted to get some experience working for someone else first. It was during this time that I stumbled upon Checkle’s idea, because as a socially active person in a mid-sized city like Huntsville, finding specials and fun events had long been a problem for me.

9/10

days I leave the office really excited to come back the next day.

12. How does this work make you feel at the end of the day?

Nine out of ten days, I leave the office really excited to come back the next day, that success is inevitable. One out of those ten days, I leave the office feeling like I have absolutely no idea what the heck I am doing and failure is possible. But even when I come home feeling like that, I’ve never felt like this isn’t what I am supposed to be doing. One of the biggest things that happened when I started Checkle is accepting 100% responsibility for its outcome. One day in the future, I will reflect on what happened with Checkle and tell the story to someone else. There are two ways the story will end: “Checkle failed because of X,Y, and Z,” or “Checkle succeeded in spite of X,Y, and Z.” The thought of having to tell the story about Checkle’s failure instead of its success to my wife, family, and friends…. That is the biggest incentive I have to keep going, no matter what feelings I have or unexpected circumstances that are less than ideal.

13. What is the biggest obstacle you faced that made you think about quitting?

Since the day I left my full time job, quitting hasn’t crossed my mind once. The marquee in my head reads: “Plan A: Do what it takes to make Checkle succeed”. There is no Plan B. In a small startup like Checkle, the “how” for making Plan A happen has to be extremely amenable. We’ve got to constantly learn, improve and change our plan of action to make sure that we are doing everything we can to make Plan A happen.

THE OWNER BEHIND THE STORY

Cole Rickles CEO of Checkle

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WE ARE LOOKING FOR A STAR

Passion HR Consulting 2608 Newby Road Suite 200, Huntsville AL (888) HR - SERVE \\ info@passionhr.net www.passionhr.net

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LET YOUR

Joy Journey

BE IN YOUR

-- NOT IN SOME DISTANT GOAL

TIM COOK


HOME

S SERVICE ABOUTÂ

T CONTAC

sing. be confu n a c s e Websit help! 7 Tips to e v a h e W ORE LEARN M

7 Tips

BOOST YOUR WEBSITE SEO

SEO IS NOT ONLY ABOUT SEARCH ENGINES BUT GOOD SEO PRACTICES IMPROVE THE USER EXPERIENCE AND USABILITY OF A WEB SITE. USERS TRUST SEARCH ENGINES AND HAVING A PRESENCE IN THE TOP POSITIONS FOR THE KEYWORDS THE USER IS SEARCHING, INCREASES THE WEB SITE'S TRUST.

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7 Tips

BOOST YOUR WEBSITE SEO

KNOW YOUR CURRENT RANKING AND KEYWORDS

1

To get to where you want to be, it is important to know where you’re currently ranked and how people are currently finding you in Google's search results. By understanding this information, you'll be able to see where you need to improve and provide yourself with a solid base from which to work.

CREATE A KEYWORD LIST

2

If you target the right keywords for each page of your website based on what you're trying to sell, the message you're trying to communicate and where you expect to meet the customer on their buying journey, you'll see a vast improvement in your organic search rankings.

3

CREATE A BUYER PERSONA

By using a buyer persona and creating your content with a human being in mind, rather than a search engine, you'll stand a far greater chance of your content being consumed and shared, creating backlinks which will increase your search rankings.

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7 Tips

4 5

BOOST YOUR WEBSITE SEO

OPTIMIZE PAGE TITLES The title of your page serves as a concise description of your page’s content and no two title tags should ever be the same (Google doesn't like duplication). Optimized title tags aimed to boost your page's organic search ranking should be kept under 70 characters with the most relevant or primary keywords near the start. You should also try to include brand keywords (the keyword used to search for your company name or a variation on this) if you’re trying to boost your brand authority.

HAVE A CORNERSTONE OR “CATCH-ALL” PAGE

A website should have one cornerstone or “Catch-all” page consisting of relevant content from all your website’s other pages. The chances are high that your website has multiple pages loosely based around the same subject or keyword, by having this page you'll create a rich, informative and authoritative master resource for search engine bots to gather from.

6

URL NAMES MATTER

Be short and concise when naming website pages. Although Google and Bing can process longer URLs without any real issues, studies show that shorter URLs tend to perform better in natural search. Generally, a URL containing less than 100 characters is good, and one consisting of 50 - 60 characters is even better.

IMAGE OPTIMIZATION

7

Images on your site not only make it more user friendly but also can help boost search engine optimization. Using Alt Text to describe the image can add significant boosts to your SEO. When describing images, use keywords in image filenames (separated with dashes). Avoid using filenames like image1.jpg or person1.jpg. Instead, use meaningful names with dashes. For example woman-workingout.jpg

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Class Begins Sept. 2020

VISIT

www.facetoface-marketing.com

256-489-0135 Hello@FacetoFace-Marketing.com 515 Sparkman Drive HSV 35816

Skill Training Courses to give your Business an Edge! Face to Face Marketing is offering skills training courses designed to set you up for professional success. This 5 course program will cover both technical and soft skills needed to give your interns & employees the skills to produce results.


FACE

TO

FACE

MARKETING

TEAM

PRESENTS

CASTING Your Web CREATING AN ONLINE PRESENCE THAT CAPTURES BY

ANDREA

C.

BRANDON

I have always loathed spiders. All of them. From the tiny ones that are responsible for the cobwebs that plague homes daily, to the ones that live in distant lands and have such complicated

names

that

aren’t

worth

mentioning to the everyday arachnophobe like myself.

Arachnophobia is known to be one of the top 10 worst phobias in the world; Let's talk Webs! With the

to be accurate, it is the third worst

advent of do-it-yourself

phobia that people around the world

website builders, just about

suffer from. Over 30.5% of the entire

anyone can build a website.

population of the United States suffers

While creating your own site might help you save on the big bucks, it's easy to get entangled in a bad design

from this intense fear. Psychologist believe that one main reason people fear spiders is because of an instilled fear

from

influences)

others or,

(parents, secondarily,

friends, a

other

negative

experience with them personally. For me, it

that works against your main

was both. I grew up watching movies like

goal - collect leads and

Arachnophobia and Tarantula on replay and

convert them! Let's see what spiders can teach us about casting a great web presence.

had a first hand seat watching my sister’s horrible experience after being bitten by a brown recluse; all this despite the fact that they have a very specific and pragmatic purpose on earth.


This fear has never subsided, and truth be told, if ever encountered, they send me racing to the cupboard to find ALL of the bug sprays and eucalyptus I can find. I’m sure some of you can attest to this on some level. Raise your hand if you are in that infamous number! As a child my mother would always remind me to never allow my fears to overtake me and to always seek to create a positive spin on

FUN FACT

everything. insert "big-eyed emoji." This was

The only reason you are reading this text is because you are either wondering why there is a spider in an article about websites or the colors drew your attention. Am I right?

greatest pest regulator. And there it is. That’s

Did it grab your attention even though it was very simple? Aha! Aha!

easier said than done when it comes to nature's right, despite the bad wrap these little critters get, spiders capture and rid our lives of those other nasty bugs that we abhor just as much. So there. There’s the silver-lining which didn’t come to light for me until well into adulthood.

Why in the world are we talking about spiders; isn't this article about web design? Well, yes,, but although you might be cringing while reading this article on your computer screen, there are quite a few nuggets we can take from spiders when it comes to creating an online presence that captures your audience (see what I did there?) not just in the art form of your site, but in its full design. Let's take a look at three simple ways spiders can help kickstart the bulding of a more gripping site.

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Otl Aicher

Build the Anchor. Spiders are incredibly strategic in how they build their web. When a spider begins a web, it releases a silk thread. It anchors the thread to some object — a branch, a corner of a room, a door frame — wherever it builds its web. When you build your website there should be four anchors that you build from. Notice that none have anything to do with visual appeal. A Strong Message. This is your brand's "memorable" message to your audience conveying the value and promise of your brand. Strong Representation of your Brand: Do the content and design support the brand message and image? It should. Collaboration and Engagement: How does your website allow you to engage with your customer? How does your site convert visitors? Ease of Use and Navigation: Your site should be built for the customer. Don't over complicate it. Don't over design it. Become Relatable through a Well-Woven story. Contrary to popular belief the key to selling is to stop trying to sell. It may sound counter-intuitive, but businesses that do well master the art of storytelling, not selling products. According to research by Headstream, if people love a brand story, 55% are more likely to buy the product in future, 44% will share the story, and 15% will buy the product immediately. While your website should clearly define the product or service you provide, it should be inundated with your style and personality and your brand story.

The key to selling your product is to stop selling your product. Sell the story.

Refresh your Web Daily. On average, it takes 30 to 60 minutes for a spider to weave a web. Even though spider webs are extremely strong, they don’t always last very long. They are constantly getting damaged by Mother Nature. Some spiders build new webs every day. Other spiders repair their damaged webs. Most spiders aren’t big on wasting their silk material. They often eat the damaged webs so they can recycle it into new webs later on.

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Products are made in the factory; but brands are created in the mind Walter Landor According to Microsoft, the human attention span is 8 seconds. So, in theory, this is how long you have to attract, capture and hold a customer's attention not just once, but continuously, which can be difficult when competing with the rest of the world vying for the same attention. Therefore, your site content (the design and communication style) must be eye catching, unique and consistent. Like spiders and their webs, strong brands understand the need to build good content daily content that grabs the attention of the reader immediately. Good content building includes reviewing past content (site headlines, graphics and blogs) to refresh or recycle it if it is working for you. Attention to creating unique and original content is crucial to engaging your audience to ultimately convert them to paying customers.

Building a website is more than simply pictures and links on a web page. It is the first and lasting impression that your business makes to the 4.54 billion people worldwide who scour the internet looking for businesses just like yours.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR 8 SECONDS?

Remember, this is just the foundation. Start there and build. If you need help with your website and content marketing, contact Face to Face Marketing to get started today.

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BUY A MUG

SHARE PIC ON SOCIAL with you holding the mug, tag RISE and you'll be mentioned in the next magazine!!

WWW.THERISEGROUPHSV.COM


RISE ARTICLE SERIES

THE PITCH The Pitch is an article series dedicated to highlighting the stories of our local and regional entrepreneurs. Check it out each month and get the inside scoop on how, why, and all the cool inside jokes as they share their personal startup journey and tips with you.

Starting my business is a lifelong dream and is far more important to me than just making money. During my years of professional experience, I realized there was a hole in a number business in philanthropies, non-profit, Project Management, and Business Development. These holes are being supported indirectly by internal business practices but not focused on solving or resourcing the issue in its entirety. I conveyed my experience and passions into my own business to fill these gaps with my vast experience. My company name was determined through research, conversations with friends and trusted business

Maike DeMaria

Capabilitix Morning Brew Magazine

29

Serving my community has always been a passion of mine. Over the years I have seen non-profit organizations start out with great passion for the cause and then not succeed due to complacency and loss of vision. Supporting non-profits and encouraging them to function like a for-profit business should be the goal resulting in more resources going to the cause.

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THE PITCH: FEATURING MAIKE DEMARIA

Business Development is important for any organization it is a challenging operation. It can take a while to establish trusted working relationships. Business have to thoroughly evaluate if they are the right match with another organization in order for both to succeed. There are so many opportunities and I enjoy the challenge of networking and matching the right people and businesses. Vetting partners to evaluate how they match, and would increase revenue together – what an awesome opportunity.

What is my experience pitching my business in competition? People react very positive to my ideas. A lot of my connections ask: “Why did you not start this business earlier?” Constituents are very interested in the opportunities and want to know how Capabilitix can best serve their needs and bridge the gap.

My reputation within the community is that I have very high ethical professional standards. They also want to know how they can expand globally. Corporations find my global outreach interesting and are interested to hear more about expansion with my German – Alabama business opportunities as well learning about the professional culture in Germany. I believe it is my passion for my platforms interests potential clients to hear more, because I look at the issues with new eyes and new approaches to solve old problems. Doing things, the same way will only get the same result. If you remain open to new ideas, I can help them change outdated process resulting

in expansion and possibilities they may not have even thought of. Number one, Capabilitix is hear to serve the customer and the community. My goal is to make things better for each customer. Whether its increasing revenue for a Non-profit to better serve those in need or expanding the corporations foot print in the global market. We can do it together, service the community and Ibewas alwaysed asked profitable all at the same time.in expansion and possibilities they may not have even thought of.

We Inspire - You Achieve

Why did you not start this business earlier?

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Join

SCORE

Alabama

Chapters

for

a

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Business Insights By Dr. Kreslyn Kelley-Ellis | Certified Human Capital and Leadership Coach

Over the past century, the United States has become more multicultural in its values, norms, beliefs, and attitudes shared by natives and immigrants; yet, researchers predict an even greater shift in the demography by the year 2050, as they project of an increase in the minority populations to about 48 percent. However, given the current news headlines of protests for human rights, based on race, ethnicity, gender identity, and worldviews, let us pose the following questions, “Are we ready for the shift in the American demography? And what are our leaders doing to prepare for this cross-cultural phenomenon?” In pondering such questions, it may be helpful to review the thoughts of old philosophers and the qualities associated with cross-cultural leadership. Aristotle once shared the importance of leaders having friends, not just someone to compliment them with accolades shared by admirers and followers, but someone who would also speak truth to them

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concerning their shortcomings and wrongdoings. Confucius stressed the need for leaders to cultivate themselves while looking out for the ones they lead. Most are familiar with the golden rule which emphasizes, “to do unto others as you would have them to do unto you”; however, Confucius punctuates the silver rule for leaders and relationships which is, “do not do unto others what you would not have them to do unto you.” Such ancient lessons resonate with Chinese philosophies that center on teaching about ethical leadership. To enhance ethical and effective leadership, not just in China, but across the globe, researchers suggest people should gain a better understanding of cross-cultural similarities and differences and leaders must become more focused on CrossCultural Leadership.

In fact, because globalization and multiculturalism have largely affected the planet, causing massive shrinkage between everyone’s ability to connect with others almost anywhere in the world, Cross-Cultural Leadership comes as a recommendation for business and economic survival in the 21st century. Since organizations make up cross-cultural employees and provide goods and services to a cross-cultural customer base, Cross-Cultural Leadership would likely serve as an effective business strategy.

Cross-Cultural Leadership is the act of leading in a culturally diverse environment where the stakeholders vary by their differences in values, beliefs, laws, traditions, experiences, and national and societal understanding,

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while seeking to comprehend and consider those differences to maximize efficiency and performance. There are many studies that describe what cross- cultural leadership looks like. Some findings show that these cultural intelligent leaders are also emotionally intelligent and possess transformational leadership qualities like excellent communication skills and the ability to spark creativity and innovation in the workplace and instill self-confidence and selfawareness in followers to improve performance.

Considering there are leadership behaviors typically endorsed across cultures, one thoroughly comprehensive study within this arena is the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) project where the cultural dimensions and leadership attributes of over 17,000 managers in 62 societal cultures were recognized. In their study, researchers identified four types of leadership behaviors they found to be important across cultures. These include:

"For, tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today" Simply put, a few minor adjustments in leadership behavior could be essential in preparing for this rapid shift in the American demography where, over the next 30 years, the population will look poles apart from today’s composition. That said, the time is now to the determine as leaders, we will develop forward-thinking leadership behaviors in our organizations. Since thinking differently and globally can seem a daunting task, I want to leave you with a couple quotes, in the spirit of multiple cultures, that may inspire forward motion. “Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small” (Sun Tzu). "For, tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today” (African Proverb).

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Charismatic behavior - inspiring others and developing confidence in one’s teams while establishing lofty goals and expectations. Directive behavior - clarifying performance expectations and assigning tasks to subordinates.

Participative behavior - reflecting more openness to input from followers in the decision-making process.

Supportive leadership behavior - showing concern for the subordinates along with warm, respectful, and trusting activity.

“Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small” theRISEgrouphsv.com


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However, we know just as with all great fairy tales, social media itself comes with a built-in monster.

FEATURED ARTICLE

PHOTOGRAPHY BRANDING: THE BUILT IN MONSTER B y

M I K E

M O O R E R

A personal brand can be defined in many ways. Some would say that your brand is who you are and what you stand for. It is what you believe and how you walk out your beliefs in your everyday life and career.

Personal branding is a marketing strategy where you market yourself as the product. Your skills, your values and your personality are all part of one’s personal brand. It is often hard for people to relate to a huge company. They need to see the face behind the brand. “The future of branding is personal.” – Dr. Talaya Waller Ellen DeGeneres, who has been branded as the Queen of Nice, is in the news for allegedly being the opposite of her personal brand. One of the major components of her personal brand has been kindness. Actors and former staffers in Hollywood are coming forward and saying that Ellen is a cold person who created a toxic work environment on her production set. Only time will uncover her true identity. However, we can use this story to learn a critical lesson. We must always build our personal brand on the truth of who we are. Let’s turn our focus towards personal branding photography (PBP). It is the art of capturing your personal brand in a visual form. It includes many different elements.

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PBP is best described as a series of images that captures your: Brand Message Personality Story Mission Values The genius of PBP is that it allows your brand to be visible to your followers after you have left the room. Your brand is visible in the form of highquality images that showcase your personality. Your images can be displayed on your websites, your social media channels, your printed marketing materials and much more. PBP is much more than just capturing amazing images and posting them all over social media. There is a strategy that goes into it. This is where I see some photographers missing it. It’s possible to create

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professional quality images that are great to look at but still do not tell your story. PBP goes beyond the headshot. A headshot by itself does not tell your full story. Although PBP incorporates headshot images, it allows you to push the boundaries of creativity to create story-based images. It's all about creating captivating images that tell your personal brand story and connect with your audience. Social media has opened a new world of opportunities.In many ways, the possibilities that social media provides business owners can be seen as a fairytale. However, we know just as with all great fairytales, social media itself comes with a built-in monster.

It has been well said that, “Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.�- Jeff Bezos

Any business owner on social media has realized the insatiable monster like nature

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of it. The more images you post on a consistent basis, the more visible you become. However, when your consistency drops, your visibility vanishes. When the monster is not satisfied, it casts you from the fairytale. It does this by taking from you what you need most to reach new customers, your visibility.

The more images you post on a consistent basis the more visible you become. Social media is constantly demanding more images from us. PBP is a tool that creates content that allows you to feed the social media monster on a consistent basis. PBP works with your personal brand to capture you in an authentic way that builds connection, trust and authority with your audience. It is important that your images speak to your audiences’ pain points. One of the key benefits of social media is that it gives business owners a visual 24/7 online presence. People in your target audience are looking for someone to address their pain points. Your online presence can address their problems at any time, day or night. I remember years ago I was suffering after going rock climbing. I woke up in the middle of the night and the pain in my back was excruciating. The first thing I did was to begin looking on the Internet for answers. I began to read articles of people who had experienced the same injury. This one article led me to the social media account of this health coach. Even in terrible pain, I could recognize excellent personal branding photography. This person had clearly hired a photographer to capture his brand story. The quality of his images set his channel apart from other people in his industry. Each image had a caption underneath that provided value. The images were of him doing stretches that alleviated the pain from specific injuries.

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PHOTOGRAPHY

"A brand is a voice and a product is a souvenir.” – Lisa Gansky

He had other images of himself drinking smoothies and hanging out with friends. He also included, what I call, transformation images. The transformation image was of him rock climbing after recovery. This kind of image shows the possibility of transformation to those who follow his program.

start my healing process. This is a perfect example of how PBP can elevate your brand and increase your authority in the minds of your target audience.

This image tells a story of how his program allowed him to recover and get back to an adventurous life. I begin to follow this guy and I direct messaged him regarding my situation. He responded with encouragement and information to

He hired a photographer to create PBP images for his business These images created a visual 24/7 presence for people in need He created engaging images with value-based captions His images in stretch positions went beyond the headshot He incorporated relatable images of him hanging out with friends He included transformation images to cause people to take action. As he engaged with me it further built his credibility

Let’s look at what this health coach did and see if we can incorporate some of his ideas:

Ultimately your branding images are going to work in combination with your personal brand and the value you can provide. The PBP images are going to capture people’s attention and tell your story. I encourage you to continue the journey of developing your personal brand. Make sure you are intentional about visually capturing your journey, using the powerful tool of personal branding photography. As you do this on a consistent basis, you just might find the secret of slaying the social media monster.

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A legacy of Health & Wealth A

R.I.S.E.

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SERIES

WELLNESS THE NATURAL WAY WELLNESS THE NATURAL WAY – PART 7 BY RICK MAKOWSKI

This is the eighth in a series on Wellness, the Natural Way and continues with an aspect of STRESS that manifests itself as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Before we focus on the "S” and the “D”, let’s first address the YOU – “The Inevitable You”. There is a system created by my West Point ’78 classmate, Bill Sumner, with a book titled - “The Inevitable You – Live Life by Design”. It’s more of a “hands on” approach to the way we look at ourselves and the world around us. How is our mind’s “software” configured, and is it in a state to provide us with life’s success or holding us back from achieving it? That mind state is also a big part of our Wellness equation allowing us to achieve the quality or state of being healthy as a result of a deliberate action. Wellness is a mindset and approach to healthcare that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life as opposed to just treating diseases. The previous article noted that some stress is good, however when life gets complicated with our many time constraints and the stress consistently elevates beyond the body’s threshold (chronic stress), it becomes),

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destructive. A specific event or situation over time can cause even greater long-term distress that is often characterized as PTSD. One can manage the “stress” with the right help; however, the label of “disorder” is extremely limiting to eventual success. Hence, characterizing the term PTSG where the “G” is Growth, to free oneself of the label of being “damaged goods” and allow oneself to grow better and stronger from the challenge. The power of a label can be life-changing: Bill provides an example of the “nocebo” (vs placebo”) effect of when the AIDS epidemic was scaring the world in the ‘80s. Extensive testing was done and configured to ensure it identified those who were exposed. About 10 years later as medical testing improved, they retested the samples and learned there were thousands of false positives. So, they thought it would be good to inform those people of the good news and learned that over 90% of the people had already died and even more troubling, their cause of death was listed as AIDS. These people never had AIDS; the negative effect of the label was life changing!

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So, how does one turn the “D” label into the “G”? - by “reconfiguring one’s software” and reframing the stressful or traumatic event(s) causing the “disorder” and turning it into positive “growth”. An example Bill uses is a Veteran who would experience anxiety, irritability, and negative reactions to the sounds of books slamming on the desk, bringing back the destructive memories of gunshots. Showing the person how to process the sounds into something positive, like the popping sounds of the American Flag flapping in the wind, provides the transformation to rise above the challenges of one’s life experiences. Now, how can Mother Nature’s Toolkit complement our efforts to improve mind, body, and spirit, and more specifically, help with managing Stress and PTSG? The August issue highlighted some EOs and EO Blends which are a good start to helping one cope with the challenges of stress. There are numerous other combinations of EOs and blends for addressing specific moods and feelings (uplifting and energizing through calming and relaxing), however set aside for another time. More specifically to address anxiety and PTSG, is an EO Blend consisting of: Wild Orange, Lavender, Copaiba, Spearmint, Magnolia, Rosemary, Neroli, and Sweetgum which provides calming effects, soothes and uplifts mood. The scent of Lavender has been found to contribute to an environment conducive to performing tasks requiring sustained attention. Lavender, Magnolia, Neroli, and Sweetgum provide stressrelieving effects while the combination of Wild Orange and Spearmint energize and uplift. Copaiba and Rosemary soothe anxious feelings to round out the calming blend.

It has a sweet, citrusy and floral scent and can be used in a diffuser, smell directly out of the bottle, or for topical use. It can be used in a relaxing Epsom Salt bath by adding 3-4 drops to bath water or mix a few drops with Fractionated Coconut Oil (carrier oil) for a soothing massage. Note, this EO is not for internal consumption.

There is also a blend in capsule form designed to be taken internally with mood-boosting and tensionreducing effects with a blend of essential oils: Lavender, Coriander, Wild Orange, and Fennel along with Sceletium, GABA, and Ahiflower®. A unique phytochemical ingredient found in Sceletium Extract, brings a feeling of “alert serenity.” The extract supports healthy emotional responses to everyday stressors and promotes feelings of happiness and well-being. It balances healthy levels of moodstabilizing hormones and improves cognitive function while combating occasional nervousness. GABA has a natural comforting effect and helps reduce feelings of apprehension and fear by decreasing neuronal excitability.

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There is a significant amount of science and chemistry behind these blends and they do work. If they work instead of, or reducing the dosage of the heavy-duty pharmaceuticals, then it might be worth a try; of course, under the direction of a doctor. Combined with Bill’s methods (or whatever works for you), you can find or enhance “The Inevitable You” while improving your Wellness..

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This article is intended for your personal use and informational purposes only. You should consult with a physician before beginning any exercise, fitness, diet, or nutrition routine, especially if pregnant or have pre-existing health conditions. Nothing contained in this article should be considered as medical advice or diagnosis.

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R.I.S.E. THANKS OUR COMMUNITY SPONSOR

Don Daniel, founder and creator of The P.I.L.L. Method International, has written a top-rated financial book and it is available now on Amazon. Mr. Daniel is a resident of Huntsville and has been in business with The PILL Method for many years. He has traveled all over the world teaching people this better way of thinking about debt cancellation.

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