Gil Lantini | From The FOUNDER
Now that it’s 2013, it’s time to start the year with all of those New Year’s resolutions that will last anywhere from 7-21 days. Maybe your gym membership will get 5 uses this year, up from the 3 after last year’s resolution. How about trying something new this year? Why not make your New Year’s resolution about your business? Here are a few of my favorites that should help us all start the year off on the right foot.
from the founder
Talk less and listen more. So anyone that knows me, knows I like to talk - a lot. When it comes to dealing with clients and staff however, listening is key. Understanding your clients business and what their goals are is an important part of setting the foundation of a successful relationship. Understanding what your staff needs to be more motivated, more productive and feel more included is vital to their satisfaction and performance. By asking a lot of questions and actually listening to the responses, you’ll learn a lot. Set goals and revisit them often. How often have you set goals and forgotten what they actually were? How often do you include key staff in your goal setting? This resolution will keep that from happening again. Once your goals are set, you need to revisit them often and include staff in the progress of reaching those goals. As a leader, you must help people keep the company goals in mind and remind them that you are trying to reach those goals as a team. Be a leader. This seems to be obvious, but all too often we get caught up in the day-to-day of running our business and can forget that we are the leader of our team. Your staff is looking for you to set the tone of the organization and provide guidance. The way you act around them directly affects the behaviors they will exhibit. How is your staff interpreting your attitude, work ethic, and customer service? Looking at the behaviors of your team is often a direct reflection of your own behavior. Strong leadership in any organization goes a long way. So what will your New Year’s resolution be? Whether it’s one of mine or something entirely different, be conscious of it. Ignoring our business resolutions can be much more costly than that $10/ month gym membership and the results can far exceed those of 30 minutes on the treadmill. I hope you enjoy our first issue of the year and wish everyone success in 2013.
Table Contents
of
47
48
SeCreTary oF STaTe 04
Companies Must File Annual Reports
SMALL BUSINESS 16
Shut Up and Listen
34
Goal Setting for 2013
18
Nest4Less.com
36
Social, Visual, Mobile, Virtual
16
07
STARTUPS
20
The State of Digital
38
Registered Agents
08
Mind Your Own Brand
21
Are You Turning Green At Work?
40
5 Technology Trends for 2013
11
Focus on Positive Impact
22
Business is Too Boring to Blog?
42
SEED RI
12
SBA
23
Nine Business Review Sites To Use
44
Tapping your Technology Resource for Growth
Spotlight on Startups
24
Rock Networking
46
Sleeping Your Way To Success!
26
Attraction Through Fresh Communication
47
The Networking Disconnect
28
After Hours Business Networking
EVENTS 14
Networking and Workshops
2
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
56 30
FEATURED STORY
FeaTUreD NoNProFIT 48
Capital Good Fund
CaPITaL CITy 52
GoLoCaL
Tools to Grow Your Bottom Line
CommerCIaL reaL eSTaTe 60
WomeN IN BUSINeSS
50
RI Economy ‘Shifting Into High Gear’
53
Mental Clutter
51
The New Year Means New Benefit Decisions
54
Positive Business
55
Does My Butt Look Too Big In This?
21
RI Commercial & Appraisal Board Of Realtors®
community corner 64
All The Services You Are Looking For
FEATURED CHAMBER 56
North Kingstown Chamber
57
Chamber Chat
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
3
Secretary of StatE | Ralph Mollis
30,000
RI Companies Must File Annual Reports This January
make it easier for companies to do business in Rhode Island.” Corporations can still file by mail or in person at the Secretary of State’s Business Services Division, 148 West River St., Providence, during normal business hours. Failure to file an annual report can result in the revocation of a corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation or Certificate of Authority. At other times of the year, non-profit corporations and limited liability companies are also required to file with the Secretary of State. “State law makes my office responsible for corporate record-keeping. We work hard to give the public access to quick and accurate access to information. The business community
Secretary Of State Ralph Mollis
The beginning of the new year means tens
deserves credit for being partners in this
of thousands of companies doing business
endeavor,” said Mollis.
in Rhode Island must file annual reports with Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis.
corporations that file annual reports demonstrate a commitment to openness, and that can make people thinking of doing business with them more confident
Mollis posts the reports on his website. The public can search the database by the corporation’s name, location and type of business among other criteria. There is even contact information for every company’s primary official. “This transparency is consumer-friendly and ensures that the public has a place to turn for information about businesses,” said Mollis. “Corporations that file annual reports demonstrate a commitment to openness, and that can make people thinking of doing business
State law requires for-profit corporations to
with them more confident.”
submit annual reports beginning Jan. 1. About 30,000 companies ranging from car dealers to
The Secretary of State’s office works with every
mortgage lenders to restaurants are subject to
corporate entity registered to do business in
the requirement.
Rhode Island – 60,000 in all. The office also oversees recording commercial liens and
To file on-line, visit www.sos.ri.gov and click
protecting corporate trademarks and provides
on the “File Annual Reports” link. Every
advice to start-up businesses.
company has been assigned its own unique Customer Identification Number and Personal
Secretary of State Mollis is committed to making
Identification Number order to ensure security.
it easier for Rhode Islanders to vote, making it easier to do business in Rhode Island and
“Our customers have really embraced the
4
making government more open and accessible.
upgrades we made a few years ago. About half
For more information about the programs and
the annual reports filed in 2012 came via the
services the Secretary of State offers Rhode
Internet,” said Mollis. “Improvements like this
Islanders, visit sos.ri.gov.
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
MOVING BUSINESSES Gil Lantini President, Founder Ralph Coppolino Vice President, Operations
The “Go To” Mover of Choice.... in the Southern New England Area.
& Business Development Danny Angeli Account Executive James Pardee Jr Creative Director and Design Editor Mike Casale Graphic Designer Aaron Cadieux Video Production Manager Contributing Writers Richard Austin Lisa Buben Diane Fournaris Peter George Adam Harvey Mark S. Hayward Paul Herman Chris Johnson Robert F. Johnson Dave Lubelczyk
SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
Kristin Carcieri-MacRae Donna Mac Dave Marcello Ray Mathieu Ivan Misner Secretary Of State Ralph Mollis Nick Pereira Chris Poe Patricia Raskin Yemi Sekoni Dr. Ronald G. Shapiro Chris Sheehy Lisa Shorr
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & A FREE ESTIMATE VISIT
GentryMoving.com
RI: (401) 233-2786 MA: (508) 656-2786 CT: (860) 821-2150
Tim Sullivan Mayor Angel Taveras Bob Wittstein
www.facebook.com/risbj twitter.com/risbj 401 831 7779 info@risbj.com www.risbj.com ©MMXIII Rhode Island Small Business Journal
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
5
6
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Mind Your Own Brand | Startups
do you appreciate your elves? by Dave Lubelczyk
In the story, The Elves and the Shoemaker,
curtain and as the clock strikes twelve, two
to close the gap between your current
situation and your long term vision, the
the shoemaker runs a small shoe business
naked elves hop onto the bench and begin
and he is very overwhelmed. He works long
to make the shoes. In no time, the shoes are
important question to ask yourself is “am I
hours and unfortunately, no matter how hard
finished and the elves, pleased with their
creating interactions that inspire customers,
he works, he can never earn enough money
job, dance around the shoes on the bench
employees and everyone involved with my
to pay the bills.
and leave.
organization to be passionately dedicated
Exhausted and with nothing left in the store
The shoemaker asks himself,
my success?” More importantly, you need to
to my company and actively contribute to except a scrap of leather, he falls asleep.
“How do I thank those who have made me
ask “how can I show them that I appreciate the vital role they play in my company’s
The next morning he wakes up early and
happy and prosperous?
goes downstairs to make his last pair of
how can I show them that I appreciate the vital role they play in my company’s success?
shoes. Much to his surprise his workbench has a pair of magnificent shoes. That day a customer enters his shop and loves the shoes so much that she gives him double the price! Now the shoemaker is able to buy leather for two pairs. The shoemaker is so happy; each morning he has enough money to buy more leather and each night the elves
I know; I shall make them some clothes and
success?” If you do show your gratitude
make more and more shoes. Before long,
shoes” That night, the shoemaker lays out
your passionate advocates will stick with you,
everyone is talking about his shop and word
the clothes instead of leather. The elves
unlike the elves, and continue to help you
spreads throughout the land.
come in, put on the clothes, dance for joy
gain prosperity and fame.
It goes on like this until the shoemaker is
given the shoemaker so much prosperity and
prosperous, however he is not satisfied. So
fame that he is now able to help himself.
and leave, never to return. But they have
much has been done for him yet he does not know to whom he should extend his
Like the shoemaker, you are working hard
gratitude. So one night he hides behind a
building your company. As you’re looking
Dave Lubelczyk Image Identity imageidentity.com
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
7
Startups | Focus on Positive Impact
businesses should focus on positive impact and fill “jobs_gap” by solving human needs
by Paul Herman
Organizations in the impact sector have
the public sector workforce. Instead of
come up with compelling solutions to
hiring more workers to boost growth and
society’s needs, but they often lack scale.
reduce unemployment, local and state
Even though the impact sector job growth is
governments have been laying off workers
impressive, it still employs far fewer people
during this recovery.” The shrinking public
than the business sector as a whole.
sector cannot be relied upon exclusively to fund positive impact solutions, including
A recent policy note written by Pavlina
those in education, where state and local
Tcherneva at the Levy Institute of Bard
governments are cutting jobs faster than the
Businesses have the widest access to
College advocates for full employment
overall government average.
capital markets, and can allocate it to
through a partnership between the
untapped opportunities with remarkable
government and social entrepreneurs.
speed. In addition, businesses that partner
The government would give grants to
with impact-sector organizations or pursue
nonprofit organizations, which would then
projects with the potential for positive impact
use the money to fund social entrepreneurs
can realize the value that directly flows from
who would apply market principles to solve
being able to effectively meet the pressing
social, cultural, and environmental problems.
needs of consumers.
Tcherneva argues that the “objective of these social entrepreneurial ventures would
For example, Michigan Energy, Michigan
be to put those individuals whom the
Jobs, a bipartisan coalition of businesses,
private sector has declined to employ into
labor organizations, and health care
socially useful projects that fill some unmet
The most viable -- and inspiring -- option
advocates, is supporting an initiative to
public need.”
for job growth is spurring private industry to
expand Michigan’s renewable energy
focus on creating positive impact through
production from the current rate of 3.6
their businesses. Solving human, social and
percent to 25 percent by 2025. Studies
This is a well-intentioned proposal. However, the government sector has been shedding
environmental problems is much needed,
suggest that “increasing [Michigan’s] use
jobs and reducing state and local funding
and also compelling for employees. More
of renewable energy will create thousands
since the beginning of the “Great Recession.”
than nine of 10 new graduates want to work
of jobs for Michigan workers and attract
As Jonathan Cohen points out, “one obvious
for a company that “does good” in their daily
$10 billion in new investments.” Forward-
distinction between this recovery and
operations. Even during the “boom years” of
thinking investments like this have begun
that from the most previous recessions
2002-2007, the impact sector outpaced the
to provide a state that was hit especially
is the sudden and sharp downsizing of
business sector in job creation.
hard by the recent economic downturn
8
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Focus on Positive Impact | Startups
with viable solutions that have the potential
if that growth is accelerated, applying the
-- can be embraced by business leaders,
to make a large impact. Almost 30 local
impact sector’s annualized job growth rate
CEOs and Board members today to make a
companies have entered the Michigan
(approximately 2 percent), then the U.S.
difference. If businesses focus on creating
market to produce solar panels and wind
could reach full employment by 2015. On the
positive-impact products, solutions and
turbines. According to the American Wind
other hand, if private sector jobs only grow at
ventures to solve pressing human needs,
Energy Association April 2012 report, the
the rate that they did during the most recent
they have a greater chance of growing their
top ten wind energy states employ between
expansion (2002-2007), then the U.S. could
revenue, attracting the best employees --
42,000 to 52,000 workers. Approximately, 10
continue to stagnate and may delay full
and stimulating job growth at the accelerated
percent of these wind energy jobs can be
employment even more -- the annual growth
rate of the impact sector.
found in Michigan.
rate would barely be enough to keep up with the expansion of the labor force.
Business Solving Society’s Problems: The Potential Path to Full Employment
Going Forward: An Impact Economy that Can “Do Good,” Create Jobs and Grow GDP
Estimating the change in the national unemployment rate is difficult, because it
Every business person, policy maker, and
is affected by so many factors. However,
politician dreams of strategies that will
HIP Investor’s initial analysis suggests that
strengthen the U.S. economy and create
if the private sector job growth continues at
employment opportunities. Solving society’s
its long-term historical rate (approximately
problems -- either adopting a sustainability-
1.25 percent), the U.S. economy will not
oriented business strategy; or partnering with
In the next parts of this series, we will
reach full employment until 2020. However,
social-sector or government organizations
highlight business strategies, new products
Instead of hiring more workers to boost growth and reduce unemployment, local and state governments have been laying off workers during this recovery Libations Restaurant
Lounge
S M A L L P L AT E S • B I G F L AVO R • G R E AT VA L U E
and services, and corporate ventures that both “do good” and “make money” at the same time. This approach to job creation can enable a U.S. led resurgence of the global economy, drop unemployment, and potentially recreate the export-led economy of previous generations. Paul Herman CEO and Founder HIP Investor Inc
Our clients know we’re here for them year-round, not just at year-end.
JAMES J. PRESCOTT PETER L. CHATELLIER DAVID A. FONTAINE JAMES D. WILKINSON DEBRA A. MITCHELL
AT BRAVER, IT’S THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS.
ROBERT J. CIVETTI
155 South Main Street Providence, RI 02903 401 421 2710 www.thebravergroup.com
Libations Restaurant & Lounge at the RADISSON HOTEL PROVIDENCE AIRPORT
2081 Post Road • Warwick, RI 02886 401.598.2121 • www.radisson.com/warwickri
NEWTON
BOSTON
TA U N T O N
PROVIDENCE
C O NC O R D
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
9
THE
RESCUE
eat drink & bid your tails off a special evening to benefit animals in need!
mangia
savor tasty bites from some of RI’s best culinary establishments as they compete to be “Top Dog”!
sip
enjoy
Saturday, February 9th
bid
online auction until February 4th silent & live auctions at the event
tOP dOG cULINARY cOMPETITION JUDGES! The foodie half of the Paul & Al radio show at 94HJY!
The Rescue 2013 Sponsors!
10
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
D. Carlo Trattoria Dave’s Marketplace Gracie’s Poco Loco Millonzi’s Bar & Grille Vanity The Bradford Whole Foods Market
enjoy some swanky spirits
this memorable evening is dedicated to helping homeless animals in need
aL MATTHEWS
wHO’S cOMPETING?...
MICHAELA JOHNSON Delightful Co-host of The Rhode Show on WPRI Channel 12!
Johnson & Wales Culinary Museum 315 Harborside Blvd., Providence VIP 6-7PM | Main Event 7-10PM to benefit the
401.421.1399|www.parl.org
New SBA Government Contracting Online Courses | SBA
New SBA Government Contracting Online Courses— by Mark S. Hayward
Government contracting provides the
course and provides an overview of the 8(a)
leg-up small businesses need to meet their
program. The second, called Introduction to
bottom line and become sustainable. At the
Federal Contracting, is a 40-minute course
U.S. Small Business Administration we see
that outlines SBA resources that can help
government contracting as a win-win. The
more small firms win contracts.
federal government gets to work with some of the most innovative, forward-thinking
Small business contracting is a top priority at
companies. And small firms get tapped into
the SBA and across the federal government
—helping small businesses succeed is critical to our economy, our communities and our society the supply chain of one of the largest buyers
and the SBA is building on that progress to
in the world.
increase participation and eliminate barriers for small disadvantaged businesses.
The 8(a) Business Development program is one of the best tools the government has
Helping small businesses succeed is critical
to ensure that more small disadvantaged
to our economy, our communities and our
businesses can compete and win contracts in
society. And here at the SBA we’re committed
featured courses Pre-8(a) Business Development Program Training Multi-Part Training Series
Government Contracting 101 •
Overview of contracting basics & certification programs
•
How the Government Buys
•
How to Sell to the Government
HUBZone Program
How to qualify and apply to the HUBZone Program
WOSB Advantage
A Guide to the Women Owned Small Business Program
A Guide for Contracting Officers How to use the WOSB Program
Non-Manufacturer Rule Primer
federal, state and local procurement markets
to ensuring that more small business owners
The focus of the program is to provide
have the access and opportunity they need to
A Guide for Contracting Officers
business development support including:
grow, build their operations and do what they do best—create jobs.
Market Research
mentoring, procurement assistance, business counseling, training, financial assistance, surety bonding and other management and
For more information
technical assistance.
on SBA programs and services, please contact the Rhode Island District
Another tool is a new training series for
Office by calling (401) 528-4561 or by e-mail
potential 8(a) firms. The four-part training
to providence.ri@sba.gov.
program aims to inform, educate and
A Guide for Contracting Officers
A Veterans’ Guide
How to Win Federal Contracts
Price Evaluation Preference HUBZone Program A Guide for Contracting Officers
Business Opportunities
A Guide to Winning Federal Contracts
engage qualified small contractors in the 8(a) program. The first two courses are available at SBA’s Government Contracting Classroom at www.sba.gov/gcclassroom. The first, called Setting Expectations, sets the tone for the
Mark S. Hayward District Director U.S. Small Business Administration
more details
www.sba.gov/gcclassroom
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
11
sp
tlight startups on
Treasures in a Basket I’ve worked for companies and organizations
opened : February 2012
in my lifetime. Some experiences were good,
number of employees : 1
some not. There has always been this burning ache in my soul to work for myself. I had
www.treasuresinabasket.com
the entrepreneurial spirit that my maternal
@TreasuresBasket
grandmother had. An Italian immigrant, she and
facebook.com/treasuresinabasket
my grandfather bought a two family home with a little storefront. She sold groceries and in the
biggest challenge : I believe the biggest
summertime she made frozen lemonade and
challenge has been learning the various aspects
orangeade. Now I’m proud to say that finally, I’m
needed to operate a small business. It’s not only
following in Nonna Nunzi’s footsteps. May you find
knowing your chosen skill, but how to market,
a Treasure in each day.
advertise and grow your business.
Founded by Kris M. Bradner and Arthur J. Eddy, Birchwood Design
opened : June 2011
Group provides creative, viable and sustainable landscape design
number of employees : 4
solutions and whose founders believe in the growth and achievement of its employees.
46 Dike Street Providence, RI
We specialize on commercial, institutional and public projects throughout Rhode Island and Southeastern New England. Commercial
www.birchwooddesigngroup.com
project types include hospitality and residential/office/commercial
facebook.com/pages/Birchwood-
complexes. Institutional projects include private and public schools,
Design-Group/153134088093776
universities and libraries. Public work includes streetscapes, transportation corridors, public housing and municipal master planning.
biggest challenge : The biggest challenge seems to be time. When
12
The company’s strength lies in its team approach to projects by
Kris and I started our business
collaborating with clients and consultants on a given project to
I knew that it would take a fair
understand the project goals and to inspire implementation. Birchwood
amount of time to build a company
Design Group is a leader in problem solving and building consensus
but, the reality is that it takes 3x’s
through stakeholder meetings as well as public workshops.
as much time.
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
sp
tlight startups on
Spotlight on Startups |
opened : December 2011
number of employees : 1
570 Putnam Pike Smithfield RI 02828
www.decadentdesignsbyjean.com @decadentdesigns3
biggest challenge : My biggest challenge was trying to get my facts straight. When opening a food establishment there are many licenses, regulations and requirements. There is no one place to find them. Even when you find them you do not know if they are correct.
A family owned small batch bakery that specializes in custom cakes and cupcakes. Culmination of a life long passion for baking and business ownership. Lost my 26 year corporate career which led me to take the plunge. I have recently hired my first employee. I went from unemployed to an employer. We use family recipes and local ingredients to make our fantastic products.
I guess you could say I’m a communicator from birth. I created this social media accessory line because I love talking to people and connecting people, whether it’s online or in person, and Haute Tags celebrates these connections. Social media has opened so many doors for me and Haute Tags is the perfect vessel to express who you are online in real life. opened : September 2011 number of employees : 1
20 Weeden Avenue Rumford, RI 02916
www.hautetags.net @Becky_DiStefano @HauteTags facebook.com/becky.k.distefano
biggest challenge : I think the biggest challenge was, naturally, funding. But when you have a dream, you make it work somehow and you find resources in places you never thought possible.
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
13
Events | Networking and Workshops Color Key:
networking
workshops
East Greenwich Chamber Annual
NetworkingRI Business Networking
Meeting and Business Expo
February 4th
January 31st
5:00 pm until 7:30 pm
5:30 pm until 8:00 pm
Radisson Airport Hotel
Quidnesset Country Club
2801 Post Road
950 N Quidnessett Rd
Warwick
North Kingstown Women’s Winter Series First Friday Coffee
Putting Yourself at the Top
Southern RI Chamber
of Your Own List
February 1st
East Bay RI Chamber
8:00 am until 9:00 am
February 5th
Denali
12:00 pm
160 Old Tower Hill Road
East Bay Chamber Community Room
Wakefield
16 Cutler Street, Suite 102 Warren
2nd Annual Go Red For Women Luncheon
Out Of The Box
Narragansett RI Chamber
Networking Social
February 1st
February 5th
12:00 pm
5:00 pm until 7:30 pm
Haversham Inn
Shela Lara
336 Post Road
21-B Reservoir Road
Westerly
Coventry, RI
Our Guarantee...
New England Credit Card Systems Merchant Services will provide you with six months of free statement fees if we are not able to save your company money on your existing charge card services.
Call Us Today For Your No-Obligation, Cost Savings Rate Analysis.
Toll Free:
1-877-585-0033 Email: info@newenglandccs.com
www.newenglandccs.com
14
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Networking and Workshops | Events
Young Professionals
Business After Hours
Networking Lunch Connections
North Central Chamber
Central Chamber
February 21st
February 8th
5:00 until 7:00 pm
12:00 pm until 1:30 pm
Lepre Physical Therapy
Salve Regina University
1525 Smith St Ste 5
144 Metro Center Blvd
North Providence
Warwick Northern RI Chamber Business After Hours
Networking at Night
Central Chamber
February 6th
February 20th
5:00 pm until 7:00 pm
4:30 pm until 7:30 pm
Foolproof Brewing Company
Pocasset Bay Retirement Living
241 Grotto Avenue
12 Old Pocasset Lane
Building D, Unit 1
Johnston
Pawtucket
Lipsitck Luncheon “Passion!”
Northern RI Chamber
North Central Chamber
“Speed Networking”
February 12th
February 7th
11:30 am until 01:30 am
8:00 am until 9:30 am
Pocasset Bay
MacColl Field YMCA
12 Old Pocasset Lane
32 Breakneck Hill Road
Johnston
Lincoln
Cress & Company
facebook.com/agentemilio
Emilio DiSpirito IV, Realtor®
4,275,272 | WEICHERT.COM
3,110,415 | C21.COM
2,115,139 COLDWELLBANKER.COM
1,823,865 KW.COM
307,061
emiliodiv@gmail.com 401-359-2338
ERAONLINE.COM
Total Monthly Visits:
When Selling Your Home, You Want Exposure! Weichert.com Is The #1 Searched Real Estate Site By Home Buyers & Sellers!
3,992,436 | REMAX.COM
Call Me To See How My Weichert Buyers Program Provides You With Instant Information 24/7 For All RI Listed Properties!
We Buy and Sell Anything Valued Over $1,000 Cars | Bikes | RV’s | Real Estate | Equipment Get It Sold and Get Your Cash Fast!
www.soldin30.co Like Us On Facebook www.facebook.com/ soldin30
START YOUR SEARCH HERE
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
15
Small Business | Shut Up and Listen
by Richard Austin
You’ve just finished your sales pitch. You have told the potential client everything that your product or service can do; every way it can benefit them. It’s a no-brainer. They’re not interested. They have to talk it over with their partner. Their budget is empty or they have to wait until the next budget cycle. The liturgy of excuses is almost endless. So, you have to ask yourself, what went wrong? Did I not explain it correctly? Did they not understand it? There’s a good chance that the problem isn’t with them, but with you. The question you should ask is, “Did I listen
16
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Shut Up and Listen | Small Business
to them?” Don’t confuse hearing with listening. Hearing is essentially a physiological process. We simply receive the sound, it then registers with our brain, and the brain makes auditory associations (we perceive as words). But these are just mechanics. Even if we have great hearing, it doesn’t mean we are great listeners. In fact, as anyone with teenagers will attest, hearing is not listening. No one can tune you out better then your fourteen year old. So, before you rehearse your presentation or your sales pitch yet again, stop and ask yourself, “Am I the problem”? The answer could be yes, but not in the way you think. You could simply not be listening correctly. Robert Fripp, guitarist for King Crimson said, “I’d say that what we hear is the quality of our listening.” Granted, he was talking about music, but I think he hit the nail on the head in more ways then one.
If we focus on what we want to tell our prospective client, we lose focus on the most critical component of any sale. What does the client need? We could have the best product or service since sliced bread, but all the client really cares about is how we can solve their problem; and we can’t know this unless we listen. The American Communication Association (ACA) recently published an E-Textbook entitled “Public Speaking – The ACA Open Knowledge Online Guide”, with one section devoted specifically to listening. Makes sense if you think about it – how important is listening to communication? In their guide, the ACA provides 12 characteristics of a competent
out of the box thinking lending
listener. If you approach your next sales pitch with this listening attitude, you will find out exactly what it is your client wants.
12 Components of a Competent Listener: 1.
Uses eye contact appropriately
2.
Is attentive and alert to a speaker’s verbal & nonverbal behavior
3.
Is patient and does not interrupt, waiting for the speaker to finish
4.
Is responsive, using verbal and nonverbal expressions
5.
Asks questions in a nonthreatening tone
6.
Paraphrases, restates or summarizes what the speaker says
7.
Provides constructive verbal and nonverbal feedback
8.
Is empathic, makes an effort to understand the speaker
9.
Demonstrates interest in the speaker as a person
10. Demonstrates a caring attitude and is willing to listen 11. Does not criticize, is non-judgmental 12. Is open-minded Richard Austin President The Learning Curve LLC
Capital for all the right reasons THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COMPANY www.bdcri.com
401 351 3036
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
17
Small Business | Nest4Less.com
by Ray Mathieu
Buying a home can be a long and arduous process. Homebuyers
Nest4Less users trust these businesses because referrals are
often feel a sense of relief at the closing table, as they cross the finish
provided by their own Realtors and friends. Successful Realtors
line having made one of the most important investments they’ll ever
build trust not only with their clients but also with local businesses.
make. Saving for a down payment and moving costs, budgeting
Nest4Less is a new and innovative way Realtors can harness
for mortgage, utility and property tax payments and putting a little
those relationships to provide sustainable value to their clients and
something aside for minor repairs and projects can put a strain on
the community.
anyone’s pocketbook. But closing the deal on a dream home is just the beginning. Buying, owning and eventually selling a home is a marathon, not a sprint. As any homeowner will tell you, there are a number of unforeseen costs associated with buying and maintaining any home: legal services, landscaping, pest control, plumbing, appliances and furniture, just to name a few. As new questions and concerns reveal themselves during the course of home ownership, finding the right vendors—at the right price— represents a new challenge, especially for first-time homeowners. Even for those who planned responsibly to expect the unexpected, a lack of familiarity with a new neighborhood, city or state can make a marketplace look more like a maze.
Nest4Less is a free social networking platform where homebuyers, homeowners and home sellers can find discounts on the products and services they need Homebuyers, homeowners and home sellers can visit Nest4Less.com, sign up for free and instantly view promotions and select valuable
In 2011, having observed this familiar pattern of challenges frequently
coupons. Subscribers can also sign up to receive weekly discounts,
during his eight years as a nationally ranked, top producing mortgage
often appropriately suited to the season or month of the year.
advisor, Providence-based Jesse Kenner started up a solution and named it Nest4Less. Currently the only service of its kind in
Homebuyers will find numerous significant discounts, including lender
the country, Nest4Less is a free social networking platform where
credits that can add up to $1,200 in savings on closing costs. Add
homebuyers, homeowners and home sellers can find discounts on
the lender credits to discounts on settlement fees, home inspection,
the products and services they need to make the buying and “nesting”
moving, appliances and furniture and a homebuyer can save
process easier and less expensive.
thousands on necessary expenses. These promotions are not those
18
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Nest4Less.com | Small Business
unnecessary extras—massages, makeovers and manicures—often associated with the big group buying websites. Subscribers can invite friends to join and post discount information on
LocaLPassing.com
Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest but Nest4Less never shares subscriber information with vendors or spams subscribers’ social circles. Realtors invite their favorite local businesses—contractors, painters, landscapers, hardware stores and more—to offer promotions and discount coupons on Nest4Less. Then, Realtors invite their current and previous clients, friends and family members to view the deals. “We’ve found that vendors offer better deals on Nest4Less than with conventional TV, print and radio advertising,” said Nest4Less Founder & CEO Jesse Kenner. “Nest4Less provides businesses an opportunity to reach customers who are already interested in home related goods and services.”
LocaLPassing.com
Kenner added, “Plus they can offer discounts in a timely manner, when specific products and services are actually needed.” Kenner designed Nest4Less as a “win-win-win situation,” an opportunity for consumers to save money, for Realtors to forge and maintain relationships with clients and preferred vendors and for
The most comprehensive and timely
Death Notice Listing in the greater Providence area
participating businesses to collaborate with a strong and enduring referral partner. “As a Rhode Island native,” Kenner added, “I’m proud to have founded and headquartered Nest4Less right here in my home state.” Against the backdrop of a struggling Rhode Island economy, Kenner and his team developed Nest4Less as a way to support local businesses by exposing them to new customers who enjoy “one-stopshopping” for deep discounts. Realtors, who already rely on referrals to maintain and grow their businesses, get a free opportunity to grow their referral networks. In terms of the site’s longevity and potential for growth nationally, recent partnerships with Keller Williams and the Massachusetts Association of Realtors bolster Kenner’s bullish optimism. “We’re expanding,” Kenner continued. “Nest4Less Realtor networks are up and running in Boston, Portland, New York City and Los Angeles—over 200 markets nationwide and Canada. Our small startup has attracted big strategic partners from across the country.” Partnerships include The Massachusetts Association or Realtors, The Rhode Island Association of Realtors and RiLiving.com. Ray Mathieu CFO, Director Nest4Less
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
19
Small Business | The State of Digital
the state of digital
in retailers’ success. Additionally, responsive web design – building your website so that it changes appropriately for each device it is viewed on – is of the utmost importance for optimal user experience. FACT: People continue to spend more time on social networks than any other category of sites – 20% on PCs and 30% on mobile. IMPLICATION: Social sites are a hotbed for community engagement, but don’t start blasting sale promotion announcements all over your Facebook page just yet. Nearly 70% of people say they “hate” when a company targets them through social media and 60%
Several crucial industry reports have been released over the last few
labeled social media marketing as “invasive”. That doesn’t mean you
weeks, each of which has a significant impact on the online and social
should avoid Twitter, it just requires establishing trust and relevance
marketing world. The advent of digital engagement has been a huge
with your audience. Provide useful information, engage in real
disruption for traditional communication methods between brands and
conversation, and entertain your fans to take advantage of social’s
consumers, and it has only just begun. Staying on top of trends and
great benefits.
patterns is a vital step to success in this ever-changing environment. There is little doubt that the digital landscape is evolving right Following are four of the most relevant facts from the reports along
before our eyes, with mobile content consumption and multi-device
with key implications for small business marketers:
experiences at the forefront. Keeping track of trends and data regarding digital usage, particularly when it’s specific to your target
FACT: In 2011, personal computer (PC) growth stalled, smartphone
market, is a great way to stay ahead of the competition.
sales blew past PC sales, and tablet growth overtook that of PCs. IMPLICATION: We live in a four-screen world: TV, smartphone, tablet, and PC/laptop. Furthermore, consumers are using several at
Dave Marcello Chief Disruptor DISRUPTIVE
the same time, completely changing the dynamics of their experience with your brand. Over 60% of smartphone owners use their phones while watching TV multiple times a week. Shopping and social networking are the top two reasons why TV viewers look at their tablets and smartphones while on the couch. Now imagine the impact of connecting a TV ad with an online ad, all in real-time... FACT: Pay TV subscriptions are trending down and other video sources such as Hulu and Netflix are growing rapidly. IMPLICATION: Digital advertising is on the rise, a $30 billion industry at last count. Cost per thousand impressions (CPMs) are drastically lower than TV advertising, $.75 to $3.50, respectively. That being said, the industry is still in its infancy and has some hurdles to clear. A study in the U.K. showed that 88% of respondents ignore ads in mobile apps. As smartphone use grows, so does annoyance with mobile ads. There is a lot of room to grow to move from intrusive to welcomed and engaging. FACT: 13% of all Internet traffic is mobile and the mobile web audience has increased 82% from July 2011 to July 2012. IMPLICATION: It should come as no surprise that mobile is the hottest topic for brand marketers. And beyond just overall use, it’s important to note how and when mobile is being utilized. 20% of consumers call or text friends and family about a product while inside the actual store. Even more take pictures of products while in-store and do real-time price comparison shopping on their smartphones. Understanding this and facilitating such activity will be a major factor
20
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
llo Marce Dave
Are You Turning GREEN at Work? Are You Turning Green At Work? | Small Business
If Not, You Should Be! by Chris Johnson
chemical sensitivities, less severe allergies
recycling achieves 35% less water pollution
and decreased headaches and nausea when
and 74% less air pollution!
cleaning contractors use green cleaning products. This also leads to higher employee
So whether we are a business owner, a
Everyday new products are being created in
morale, reduced absenteeism, and higher
manager, a president, CEO or simply an
order to promote the green movement. We
efficiency. Healthier employees are happier
employee we owe it to ourselves, our fellow
recycle at home and we take reusable bags
employees and productivity increases.
workmates, our neighbors, our country
with us to the grocery store. But what are we doing at our business? Many business owners and organizations get their blue and green recycle bins for the staff to use and maybe even get a large barrel for bottles and cans only. Unfortunately though it seems many business owners are doing this out of a sense of obligation rather than out of concern.
recycling paper uses about 65% less energy than the process of cutting down new trees and manufacturing them into paper pulp and our planet to do our part in creating a
Going green needs to be more of a priority
Using recycled paper products in your
for all of us. In addition to recycling, by using
restrooms also has a tremendous impact on
safe and healthy environment now for our
environmentally friendly cleaning products
the environment. Did you know that recycling
own well being and for the well being of
you are make your work environment
paper uses about 65% less energy than
generations to come.
healthier for your cleaning staff and building
the process of cutting down new trees and
occupants. Studies have shown that
manufacturing them into paper pulp?
building occupants, visitors and janitorial
Did you know that the paper industry is
staff experience a lot fewer incidents of skin,
one of the largest water and air polluters in
eye and respiratory irritation, fewer multiple
the world? The EPA has found that
Chris Johnson Account Manager TJ Russell Supply
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
21
Small Business | Do You Think Your Business is Too Boring to Blog?
do you think your business is too boring to blog? by Lisa Buben
weather fluctuations for that area. Another topic for several posts could be picking out the best furniture to furnish that new home. Another one would be can you afford to buy this home? And continue with mortgage rates and helpful information for the new buyer. You could offer numerous tips for sellers on how to prepare that home for sale. Some may think an accountant is boring, sorry if you are one, (no offense). You could blog tips about how people can save money, how to spend money wisely and maybe on
So do you think your business is too boring to blog about week after week? If it really is that
the new math your children are now learning
boring should you just close the doors? You have to get a little creative. Here are some tips so
in school. You could offer advice for small
you can generate that unique content for your business blog.
businesses on how they can track their taxes for the year and not wait until April 15
Answer Questions. Use subjects related
different and what it can provide to your
to do them. You could offer advice to small
to questions that come up from customers.
customers. Make it interesting, light and do
businesses so they can make more money
If one customer has a question about a
not embellish it.
have the same question. As questions come up during the week, write them down and think about blogging about them.
Take some examples of some not so easy
taxes and small businesses. I’m sure that list
to blog about businesses like widgets.
will be endless in the coming years ahead.
How much can one write about a widget you may wonder?
Solve a problem. Did a problem recently occur to a customer? Can you help others by
A widget maker could blog about what the
providing a solution to that type of problem?
widget is used for and about the products
That would add value to your blog and keep
it is used in. If a widget is used for furniture
them coming back to you for answers.
you could blog about new furniture designs,
Provide News. Is there recent news about
You could tell the story of what your widget
your industry or line of business? Inform your
does for that furniture and why it is important.
where to buy furniture that has your widget.
customers and readers about it and become the expert in the field on it.
with their business. You could even offer some information on new laws that pertain to
particular matter there may be more that
Maybe your widget is used in air conditioners. You could blog about them.
Run a Contest. People love to enter
You could blog about the weather and how
simple contests. Don’t make it complicated.
an air conditioner is needed and the health
as questions come up during the week, write them down and think about blogging about them
It could be as simple as to collect their email
benefits of it. You could go on about that
So if you think your business may be too
addresses and then give away a small gift
topic for some time. In the winter it could be
boring to blog about, Think again. Don’t let
certificate or a free e-Book.
how to close the a/c down and how to restart
it be boring! Go outside the limits of your
when the weather gets warm.
business and write about the topics on the
Use Holidays. Write about holidays or a day of the year. The other day was World
edge of your business. Then tie it back in to How about a realtor? I’ve seen some blogs
your business. Provide helpful information and you’ll see people coming back to read
Diabetes Day, can it relate to your customers
by realtors that have many topics from types
or business? Find an angle. Look online
of home, home furnishings to yard work and
your blog again and again. You might just
for special days of the year and pick those
weather. The list could really be endless. You
gain a new customer along the way too.
related to your business to write about.
could write about the areas surrounding the homes you sell. What the school system is
Tell a story. Tell a story about your
like in a given neighborhood. You could write
company’s history, why your company is
about the average daily temperature and
22
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Lisa Buben Fancy Scrubs www.fancyscrubs.com
Nine Business Review Sites To Use - Instead Of Yelp | Small Business
Nine Business Review Sites To Use
Instead Of Yelp by Chris Sheehy
Ok, it’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of Yelp – but
only), but unlike Yelp, Citysearch shares out to 13
my disdain is not without reason or merit. It’s just that
other review sites – thus spreading your good news
most of the small businesses I know have all been hit
(and branding, and all that goes with it) across the
by the dreaded “Yelp filtered review”. This filter is how
web and around the world (or at least your small
Yelp hides reviews suspect of being fake, self-written,
local part of it).
or otherwise artificially influenced. Sounds great on the surface and on their carefully crafted website,
Citysearch isn’t the only review service beating Yelp!
but these filters are also well documented for hiding
Judysbook (#2) and insiderpages(#3) each shares
legit reviews.
out to 7 other services, and yp.com (#4), mojopages (#5) match Yelp in terms of sharing out.
I’ve ranted about the filter before so I’ll spare you the details, but instead I want to show you how your
As for review aggregators, Yellowbot.com(#20) is the
online business reviews can still get some great
best by far; importing business reviews from 16 other
online traction without any help from Yelp.
sites with city.com(#10), openlist(#11), andBing(#21) following with 4 inbound referral sites feeding each of
In looking at the landscape of online review/
their platforms.
testimonial websites that have the greatest share factor, would it surprise you to hear that Yelp isn’t at the top of the food chain!
So if Yelp is sticking it to you – give the favor back by switching your attention to these other services and watch your online reviews populate
Analyzing the import/export shareability of 22 online
across the web without them. As for Yelp –
review platforms recently (below image), I was thrilled
just filter them out.
to see that Citysearch.com steamrolls Yelp – besting it by a large distance in online review share volume… Like Yelp (#6), Citysearch.com (#1) doesn’t import
Chris Sheehy Sidewalk Branding Co. www.sidewalkbranding.co
outside reviews into its platform (original content www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
23
Small Business | Rock Networking
Rock Networking Events in six Easy
Steps
you can gain valuable insight into what their values are. You can also get an idea of what it would be like to work with them. Be interesting When people ask you what you do, don’t bother with your elevator speech right up front. Tell them something else about yourself that they’re more likely to remember. Say that you’re an avid cyclist training for a triathlon or that you’re absolutely passionate about teaching your Chihuahua how to do a headstand. You’re far more likely to make a connection by sharing a personal tidbit first. This is not to say that your elevator speech doesn’t have a place in this conversation, but maybe break the ice with something light and get to the nitty gritty a bit later. Make yourself a little cheat sheet After attending networking events, jot down the names of the people you talked to, what they do and what you talked about. Next time you meet them, you’re more likely to remember them. You’ll be able to recall important things about your last
by Adam Harvey
conversation, but more importantly, you’ll look like a person who’s really on the ball—
Networking isn’t just for social butterflies. It’s
little homework. See if you can find out who’s
for business owners just like you who want
going to be there and then do some good
to make connections and discover great
old-fashioned Internet spying. See if they
Nurture the relationships you
opportunities in all kinds of unexpected
have a LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook page
already have
places. It can be intimidating to start
you can check out. Find out what kinds of
Even if you only have one or two networking
networking at first, but hopefully with this list
things people are interested in so that when
partners, take good care of them. Take the
of ways to rock it out, you’ll have all the tools
you meet them, you’ll already know what
time to think of them and reach out. Would
you need to be a networking powerhouse, or
they’re passionate about. It’s much easier
one of your contacts benefit from reading
because you are!
possibly even a networking ninja if you really
to introduce yourself to someone when you
that great news article you came across
apply yourself.
already know what you’re going to talk about.
recently? Send it to them! Do you have a
If you come across someone you’ve already
contact you think they should meet? Set up a
Be social! Go to networking events
met, make sure you check in to see what
lunch or a coffee date. Do whatever you can
It goes without saying that the first step is
he or she is currently working on or
to stay in the habit of being proactive about
to find a way to get yourself in the game.
struggling with.
nurturing your business relationships.
Attending networking events is a perfect way to meet like-minded people who are in your
Get people talking about their
There’s an app for that!
field or fields closely related to yours. You’ll
favorite topic…themselves!
There are some great apps out there that
probably also bump into your competitors
Chances are that if you can make the other
help you find contacts or keep track of the
and get to know them better as well.
person feel special or interesting, they’re
ones you already have.
going to like you and want to work with you. Do your homework, spy on people
So, do whatever you can to get people to
(in a non-creepy way, of course)
talk about themselves. But remember to pay
Before you go to that networking event, do a
careful attention to what they say because
24
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Adam Harvey GLAD WORKS www.gladworks.com
Rock Networking | Small Business
•
If you’re the super adventurous type, you can try the free app for LinkedIn users called LunchMeet. With it, you can broadcast your lunch availability times and wait for someone within LinkedIn (who is also in the same city) to make a date to meet you for lunch. It’s a little scary, but it could lead to some very interesting lunches!
•
WorldCard Mobile is neat because it scans in business cards and translates the information on them into a digital contact. It even recognizes the difference between phone and fax numbers—even if they’re in shorthand.
•
INTRO is an amazing app because it helps you connect with people nearby who have the skills you’re looking for. Using information from your current networks like LinkedIn, Twitter,
It’s much easier to introduce yourself to someone when you already know what you’re going to talk about
Facebook and Foursquare, you can create a customized list of the most relevant business people near you. Then you can choose whom you’d like to connect with. While all of these things are very important, perhaps the biggest thing you can do is to be consistent and persistent. Building a strong network takes time and effort, so with a little patience, you can become that networking powerhouse (or maybe even a networking ninja). www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
25
Small Business | Attraction Through Fresh Communication
Attraction Through Fresh Communication by Donna Mac
Never has there been a time in history when we’ve had fewer
Once this man got out of the rut of saying “no problem” after being
opportunities to communicate face to face with the people we live and
thanked we took him a step further. He now often answers words of
work with everyday. I hear stories all the time of colleagues e-mailing
gratitude with the response, “My pleasure”. That small change has
each other even though their offices are just steps away. Or the
had a huge impact to him personally and professionally. Think of
conferences that have been cancelled and now relegated to reams of
it like this. As you groom yourself for success, you’re well aware of
electronic literature and perhaps a webinar or two.
how you dress. So it also must be true that as you blaze the trails towards growing your business,
Considering we’re becoming a society that prefers texting to calling, it’s more important now than ever to make sure how we communicate is well worth our listener’s time if we do get the opportunity to engage them. When that time arises, the question is, “Does what you say sound like it’s coming from who you really
a simple “thank you” or “I appreciate your time” can ensure that there’s no miscommunication
are as well as how you wish to be
polished speaking skills are just as important (if not more) as the right shoes! Superior communication will get you noticed and often make the difference between staying piquing someone’s interest in you or not. Your Writing We’ve all opened e-mails from our colleagues and customers and questioned the energy behind the writing. Because of time constraints,
perceived?” And, “Do you take the time to choose your words as
we often write in haste, disregarding salutations and failing to read
carefully as you would when constructing a letter?”
through what we wrote before we hit “send”.
As you assess your current communication skills, focus on three
But clearly, a little extra time to construct and assess an e-mail prior to
specific areas.
sending can be the difference between sending words that motivate vs. sending words that leave lingering, often uncomfortable concerns.
Your Speaking Here’s a story of a very educated young man who was clearly on the
Here’s the story of a woman who was recently seeking work. Her
fast track to success. However, he used what we call “crutches” when
credentials and experience helps her get some initial meetings. But
speaking. When people thanked him for his work, he automatically
it is her follow-up correspondence that helps her really shine. Out of
replied with the words “no problem”. While this is an acceptable
sheer respect, and to make herself stand out from the crowd, she
response, he learned very quickly what a difference it makes to simply
always begins her follow-up e-mails with the greeting, “Dear”. While
say, the words “you’re welcome” instead. By delivering the later reply,
this was once the most common salutation, it’s now typically replaced
he confidently acknowledged his own efforts.
with the word, “Hi”. That greeting is acceptable, but it’s is a written
26
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Attraction Through Fresh Communication | Small Business
communications rut we have the opportunity to avoid, especially when addressing a brand new prospect. In the office, many colleagues tell me that they often receive e-mails that sound more like barking orders rather than requests for assistance and collaboration. While it’s necessary to state your case while writing an e-mail, before you send, take a minute and ask yourself if your correspondence is thorough enough. A simple “thank you” or “I appreciate your time” can ensure that there’s no miscommunication, which can result in hard feelings and a decrease in motivation. If someone’s work was truly helpful try the statement, “You made a big difference,” and know that your words, if genuine, will greatly elevate the energy of the conversation! Your Presence The average person in business gets plenty of computer, phone and media time, but when it comes to human interaction, this time is more limited than ever before. So when you have the opportunity to share your physical energy with the people you encounter during your workday, make it count. I once knew a man whose boss never made eye contact with him when he came in to discuss an issue. Several minutes would go by during their conversation and never once did his boss look away from his computer screen. This would make this man furious, feeling like his boss didn’t value his ideas, strategy and recommendations. Remember, when two people have different ideas on how a project should proceed, all opinions should be respected regardless of which direction is taken. Otherwise, if a worker begins to feel like what they think doesn’t matter, they’ll begin to slow their contributions! Face to face communication can be enhanced in a few other simple ways. Try to say “good morning” to everyone you see when you get to work. Or take time, if appropriate, to actually touch someone’s arm after an important conversation. These gracious steps are an indicator that you and others are working “together” towards common goals as opposed to being separate entities who just happen to share space. It’s more challenging now than ever to focus on those in which we’re communicating. But if you spend just a little extra time making sure you are present to the conversation and the person in the room, it gives you an opportunity to connect deeply, sans the barriers of phones, computers or other electronics. And that will be the difference between making a colleague feel as though they’re heard and making sure they know that they matter. Once that happens, watch relationships and productivity flow! Donna Mac Owner DMacVoice & Media
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
27
Small Business | Have You Tried After Hours Business Networking Recently?
Have You Tried After Hours Business Networking Recently?
to speak with you. Expect to be asked what do you do? You might also ask the other networkers what they do. If you are speaking with a more experienced networker they will probably also ask you how they can be of help to you and/or what you would like to accomplish from the event. The more experienced networkers will also be more than willing to introduce you to other people with interests similar to yours. For example, if you are: •
A painter looking to build business relationships, you might be introduced to real estate brokers, electricians and disaster recovery specialists.
•
Looking for a new position you might be introduced to people who help job candidates with their job searches
•
Looking to sell or market a new product you might be introduced to people who offer sales and marketing consulting services.
While all of us attending networking events have the objective of ultimately selling our products and/or services, we do this by offering by Dr. Ronald G. Shapiro
effective recommendations to try to help each other, not by trying to pressure others into buying our products.
drinkers like myself, there is water available at no cost.
we do this by offering effective recommendations to try to help each other, not by trying to pressure others into buying our products
What to expect: When you arrive you will complete a nametag
Some networking events are packed full of people. Others have
Each month there are numerous opportunities to build business relationships, exchange ideas and sample featured foods in a variety of restaurants. Typically these networking events begin at about 5:00 PM or 5:30 PM and conclude by 8:00 PM. There are no dues, membership fees or long term commitments. The cost to attend most of these events is minimal (most are $10.00 or less). There are no speeches, though there may be brief comments and introductions. The primary focus at all of these events is the opportunity to interact with a friendly group of people while snacking on featured foods. There is also a cash bar at most of these events, but there is no obligation to purchase drinks. Indeed, for water
(if you do not bring your own), drop your business card in a bowl to
fewer attendees. There are advantages to attending both, as you’ll
potentially win prizes, and pay the nominal registration fee. Once
meet more people at bigger events, but you will have more in depth
you are registered you simply talk with people who will be pleased
conversations at smaller events.
28
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Have You Tried After Hours Business Networking Recently? | IRS Tip
What to avoid: First, avoid trying to meet everyone at a big event. Instead, focus on speaking to fewer people and getting to know them. After attending a few events you’ll get to know a lot of people well. Second, avoid trying to pressure people into buying your
infant • toddler • preschool ages 6 weeks to 5 years old
product. Provide useful information. Share business cards. Follow up with a note to people who you would like to get to know better, just don’t be too eager to sell. Unless you are offering a unique service, chances are the networkers you will meet already have established relationships. Think of yourself as being there to work yourself into their “inner circle.” Third, don’t be a business card dispenser. Offer cards to people after you have had a meaningful conversation. Fourth, don’t come just a few times and say I’ve done it all. Relationships take a while to build and need to be maintained. How to start. There are networking events sponsored by individuals, businesses and chambers of commerce. You may find out about some of these by: •
Reviewing the calendar in this journal.
•
Subscribing to Uncle Jay’s Weekly Newsletter (subscribe by
learning center YOUR TRUSTED CHOICE IN CHILDCARE
sending a note to JayWhiteBiz1@cox.net. Plan to attend the following networking events several times to learn, enjoy, and become acquainted with the networking process. •
401 764 0468 www.lollipoplearningcenterllc.com
Uncle Jay’s Networking. Events normally occur on Monday one or two times per month. See Jay’s newsletter.
•
Out of the Box. Events typically occur the first Tuesday of the month, for people interested in business, entertainment, and the arts. See OutOfTheBoxNetworking.com.
•
New England Networking & Networked Events. Events typically fourth Monday of the month in nearby Massachusetts. Email info@networkedevents.com.
Please join us, meet nice people, learn, expand your network, enjoy featured foods and have fun. Dr. Ronald G. Shapiro Independent Consultant in Human Factors Learning and Human Resources
QUALIFIED TEACHERS NURSE ON SITE DAILY DCYF CERTIFIED DHS ACCEPTED A CLEAN & SAFE ENVIRONMENT
NOW ENROLLING CALL TODAY! www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
29
F E AT U R E D S T O R Y: ounded in 2000 by first-time entrepreneur and Brown University student Charlie Kroll, Andera was started with the original intent of building and designing websites. As the turn of the century saw the burst of the dot com bubble, Kroll quickly realized that the timing just wasn’t right to launch a web development company. Instead of giving up and pursuing other opportunities, Kroll stayed true to his entrepreneurial spirit. “Being a first-time entrepreneur, the stakes seemed really high. A serial entrepreneur on his fifth company might have thrown in the towel. It was my first company, my first time with employees and benefits to pay for.�
30
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
31
FEATURED STORY | Andera
The product was so popular that Andera started adapting the online platform for other small banks looking to gain a technological edge. “We thought there was a problem we could fix,” Kroll explains. “So we transitioned out of the web design business into the software business.” By 2004, Andera found its niche as a Software as a Service (SAAS) company servicing banks and credit unions nationwide. They believed that good design and the right technology can improve peoples’ lives and fundamentally change the way financial institutions interact with their customers and members. With the development of their proprietary software oFlows, consumers can originate accounts and loans online, in branches, over the phone, and out in the field with a single platform that’s optimized for Macs/ PCs, smartphones, and iPad®/tablet devices. oFlows supports the application, identity verification, decisioning, and funding processes with the most integrations with core process providers and third-party data So Kroll and his team worked on building
services on the market today. Currently,
Andera as a web development firm until
hundreds of banks and credit unions across
an opportunity came along. “We bounced
the country are using Andera’s technology
along the bottom for a couple years,” Kroll
to originate deposit accounts and loans
says. “But we ended up building a software
online, in the branch, over the phone, and in
product for one of our clients that ended up
the field.
becoming a product to allow us to get out.” “IPads and tablets are transforming the Kroll and his team developed an online
branch experience and driving delivery in a
platform to open up a checking account
multichannel environment. They use native
without having to fill out traditional
mobile capabilities to capture signatures and
paperwork. The service was originally
image documents. This is bringing about
intended for Bank Rhode Island, which
the consolidation of a previously fragmented
wanted an easier way for students to open
ecosystem of niche systems and peripherals.
checking accounts.
We think that trend is going to accelerate in 2013, and Andera is gearing up to be there,”
Andera recognized that applying for a
said Kroll.
deposit account or a loan is one of the most important interactions a customer
32
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
“This year will be all about our users. We will
and members will have with their financial
shortly be releasing our Branch 2.0 platform,
institution, however the experience was
which is currently in beta and going very
often filled with complications that make
well. It will bring a number of important new
applicants frustrated, employees inefficient,
capabilities to our clients’ frontline staffs
and cross-selling difficult.
and will have a variety of user-experience
Andera | FEATURED STORY
enhancements like upgrades to document
convenience that they experience when
upload and to the electronic signature,”
buying goods and services in stores
continued Kroll.
and on line. Technology bridges the gap between these consumer expectations and
Now servicing over 560 banks and credit
financial institutions’ ability to meet those
unions, Andera saw a 63% increase in sales
expectations. We’re projecting that 2013
bookings in 2012, and signed five times
will be a year when hundreds of institutions
as many oFlows customers than in 2011.
decide to build those bridges,
Andera has grown to over 100 employees
and Andera is poised to help them make
and will be seeking to hire about 24 more
that happen.”
over the coming year. As Andera continues to grow, Rhode Island will continue to benefit. Originally from New York, Kroll committed early in his career to Providence. He always felt as though it was the perfect place to start a business which is why he never returned to his hometown after graduating from Brown University. Its close proximity to world-class institutions helps growing companies like Andera recruit top talent and its strong network of
Originally from New York, Kroll committed early in his career to Providence. He always felt as though it was the perfect place to start a business which is why he never returned to his hometown after graduating from Brown University
entrepreneurial companies and leaders allows start-ups to learn from and support each other. Kroll helps to strengthen this community by staying actively involved in the entrepreneurial scene in Providence as a board member for Venture for America, a mentor at Betaspring, and a presenter and regular attendee at the Providence Geeks events. As for 2013, Andera is ramping up its marketing efforts. The company will be exhibiting at 18 industry conferences this year. First-time appearances are slated for national shows including the Credit Union National Association’s America’s Credit Union Conference, June 30-July 3 in New York and Bank Administration Institute’s Retail Delivery, November 5-7 in Denver. The company will also expand its menu of webinars on topics such as servicing the under-banked client and best practices in online marketing. Kroll added, “Consumers are demanding that their banking and credit union relationships have the same ease and www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
33
Small Business | Goal Setting for 2013
Goal Setting for 2013 Using the SMART Method
by Diane Fournaris
“make more money” is not a specific
Did you make any New Year’s resolutions
and Timely) method are concrete designs,
for 2013? Vow to lose 20 pounds? Stop
not fuzzy desires.
goal; “increase revenue by 10 percent
At the Rhode Island Small Business
by 10 percent in 2013 by launching
What about your business? Did you
Development Center (RISBDC) at Johnson
previously planned new product by
in 2013” is better. “Increase revenue
procrastinating? Exercise more often?
promise to increase sales, reduce expenses,
and Wales University, we encourage
the end of May” is best. Include all the
expand into new markets, introduce new
business owners to use the SMART Model
what’s, why’s and how’s of your goal
products or services?
or similar, specific goal setting strategies, to
here. What are you planning to do?
These are all noble goals, worthy of effort and attention. But the problem with most New Year’s resolutions is that they more often fall into the category of wishful thinking than realizable goals. This is because we
did you promise to increase sales, reduce expenses, expand into new markets, introduce new products or services?
fail to develop a specific, measurable, action plan that maps out the steps required
move their operations forward. So sit down
Why are you planning to do it? How are
to reach the desired result. This is true for
at your computer or with a pen and paper
you going to accomplish it? This is your
both personal goals and those that we set for
and jot down the business goals you want
action plan. If you don’t know where you
our businesses.
to reach in 2013. Look at each goal and
are going, how are you going to know if
make sure it meets the following criteria for a
you get there?
The SMART Model for goal setting can help
SMART goal: 2.
turn random thoughts, ideas and wishes into concrete strategies for success. Goals
1.
Is the goal SPECIFIC? You need to be
Is the goal MEASURABLE? If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. How
created using the SMART (which stands for
as detailed and definitive as possible
will you know when or if you reach
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic,
when developing goals. For example,
your goal if you can’t measure your
34
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Goal Setting for 2013 | Small Business
progress? Create goals that enable you to chart your progress along the way. This will encourage you to keep going or allow you to change course if needed. If you want to increase revenue by 10 percent by the end of 2013, you will need to chart this regularly over the year to determine whether or not your actions are moving you in the right direction. If not, you will have sufficient
PERFECT HARMONY
time to change your strategy and still meet the goal. 3.
Is the goal ATTAINABLE? While strong goals help us to reach and stretch, they should be realistic. Most of us will not fully commit to “pie in the sky” goals
BroadSign added this FREE GOGOMOBILE DEAL OR AD from
Any of their 30,000 screen
from 6 August 12:01 AM to 6 Oct 11:59 PM Advertise on or own a BroadSign and/or a GoGo-Screen? Well, for the next 90 days you can get a deal or an ad placed in GoGo Cast’s New Rewardingly Addictive App, GoGoDeals ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!!
that cannot possibly be attainted within a specific time period, no matter how desirable they may be. But when we select goals that are within the realm of possibility, we begin to see new opportunities and figure out ways to reach them. 4.
Is the goal REALISTIC? Choose goals that are “do-able” with some work
INTRODUCING AMERICA’S #1 ADVERTISING DUO,
and effort, not impossible given your particular circumstances. This is not to say they should be easy, but rather that the information, skills and knowledge needed to achieve them are available. 5.
Is the goal TIMELY? Setting a time frame for achieving your goal is critical and will give you an end point to work towards. Most of us work more effectively with deadlines, which lend a sense of urgency to our efforts. Without a deadline (and shorter-term milestones along the way), procrastination is likely to take over because we feel we can
ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!! in GoGo Cast’s New Rewardingly Addictive App, GoGoDeals Well, for the next 90 days you can get a deal or an ad placed Advertise on or own a BroadSign and/or a GoGo-Screen?
AND
SCREENS
from 6 August 12:01 AM to 6 Oct 11:59 PM from
Any of their 30,000 screen
FREE GOGOMOBILE DEAL OR AD
The Rhode Island Business Journal is excited to introduce our newest media partner, GoGo Cast. This Rhode Island based organiation is a leading on-demand, location based digital media company providing real-time HD digital news, information and advertising displays in hundreds of high traffic retail locations across the state. (GoGo Screens) In addition, RISBJ and GoGo Cast are proud to present GoGo Cast’s newest rewardingly addictive mobile platform, GoGo Mobile. GoGo Mobile provides business with a unique promotionl solution that delivers real-time highly relevant information directly to ther consumer when they want through a mobile BroadSign added this
application. GoGo Mobile complements GoGo Screens marketing solution by providing them with the ability to extend their reach from within the store, directly to the consumer. Businesses can easily create ads and deals on both the app and the screens, easily supply them to a market audience and/or target locations, and redeem all the benefits from advertising on these two advertising powerhouses. This partnership will provide RISBJ with additional reach in the digial media market statewide.
start any time. Time limits help us hold ourselves accountable. POWERED BY
Setting goals is essential to achieving success in both our professional and personal lives. By creating goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely, we can greatly improve our
SEE YOUR PRODUCTS IN:
chances for an outstanding 2013. www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
35
Small Business | Social, Visual, Mobile, Virtual
Ready or Not, These Four Mega Trends Will Affect Your Business
Part One: Social
by Chris Poe
Social, Visual, Mobile, and Virtual: I refer to these as Mega Trends
Let’s begin with the Social Mega Trend.
because they are (1) happening on a grand scale, (2) affecting
This is about more than just Facebook, even if there are more Facebook
business owners and executives whether they choose to do anything
users than there are people in North and South America combined.
about them or not, and (3) they are changing the world as we know
This is about the ways in which we interact and share. More and
it. Moreover, while these Mega Trends are enabled by technology,
more people leverage easily accessible tools as modalities for social
they are more representative of the grander transformation that is
collaboration. We can share ideas and knowledge, create things
happening as a result.
collaboratively, even experience things together no matter where we are physically in relation to one another. And while this is becoming more
Each of these Mega Trends is significant on their own,
multi-generational, the younger generation in particular is predisposed
but they are also intertwined. And while the tremendous technology
for this kind of social interaction. In fact, they’ve never known what it’s
underpinnings require your IT folks to practice due diligence, these
like to NOT be connected. And this social ability is of high priority to
trends are fundamentally all about PEOPLE…the customers we serve,
them. Small business owners and employers today must take note: ten
the employees who enable our organizations, and the partners
years ago, potential employees considered the geographic location
we work with.
of their job to be a priority. This has changed. Geographic boundaries
Ready or not, these Mega Trends are here; as a small business
and the Millenials). In fact, in a survey conducted by Cisco of young
owner, what are you doing in the face of them? This article series will
professionals and college students about to enter the workforce, 33%
focus on the four Mega Trends in more detail, and discuss the options
(or 1 out of 3) would accept a lower pay grade for social and device
available to small business owners and professionals building a
freedom at work. This is something we all need to be aware of as we
career alongside them.
look to bring in bright new talent.
mean little to those coming entering the workforce now (Generation Y
36
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Social, Visual, Mobile, Virtual | Small Business
This Mega Trend is about so much more than the technologies and tools available to connect us. It is fundamentally about the human race moving forward and driving progress. Every step in our progress as a species builds upon the knowledge and experiences of those who came before us. Consider one of Sir Isaac Newton’s famous quotes: “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Even a brilliant person like Newton made sure to acknowledge the role of the great thinkers before him; the work of Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo were foundational to Newton’s mathematical insights and accomplishments. In turn, Newton’s work influenced Einstein’s. Sharing knowledge and experience can have an incredible impact. You know that old saying “Necessity is the mother of invention”? Well I believe that “Sharing is the Grandfather of Progress.” I heard it said recently that before the 1900s, human knowledge doubled every 100 years or so. Now human knowledge doubles every 2-3 years. This Mega Trend is enabling us to share and gain access to the previous experiences and knowledge of anyone in the world, rapidly accelerating our growth. So what does this mean for us? Why should we care? It comes down to the most basic element of business… people. People are our customers. People are our employees. People are our partners. It’s about how much more open we are to sharing as a result of how easy it now is to do so. Consider how 750,000 people share 11,000
As more and more people on the planet transform the ways in which they interact and share, we will find our businesses in need of transformation to maintain relevance
cars using Zipcar. Or
ONE RESOURCE for all your voice & data needs.
Business Telephone & Voicemail Systems Security Cameras & Access Control Structured Cabling Computer Network/Servers
how any business can share in a global virtual workforce leveraging online services like Gigwalk.com. As more and more people on the planet transform the ways in which they interact and share, we will find our businesses in need of transformation to maintain relevance. In fact, if we want to have access to the emerging pool of talented future leaders, we have no choice but to reckon with the fact that this is the way in which they operate. If we don’t, our competitors will. I predict that most if not all organizations will be leveraging a social platform (be it public or private) of some kind for business (and not just a
With over 25 years of experience, CTI has successfully become the one technology resource for hundreds of businesses. We are a one-stop one-resource technology provider. This makes your life easier to manage your IT budget and support costs. Experienced professionals that work together for you.
Are you Moving… Expanding… Upgrading? Call today for a free quote. Mention this ad and get 10% off.
Facebook page from marketing) within the next five years.
401.737.5300 / www.computertelephone.biz Chris Poe Chief Technology Officer Atrion
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
37
Small Business | Registered Agents
Registered Agents by Nick Pereira
In addition, your Registered Agent should be available over the course of a normal business day in order to provide a stable, predictable way for you to manage and anticipate the information coming through them. An independent agent is responsible for receiving legal documents on behalf of the business. If your business is sued, the other side will serve notice on the registered agent. Legal papers are obviously
Every small business should have a
identities, and the protections they provide,
serious and demand an accurate, timely
registered agent other than the owner or
are creatures of statute.
response. You may want a professional to handle such matters.
primary operator. If you own a business you’re probably familiar with the concept
Corporate identities are certainly beneficial
of the Registered Agent. Likely, when you
to the business owner and to society. They
Finally, each year the state requires a yearly
incorporated, you simply listed yourself as
nonetheless create a dichotomy between the
filing from the business. An independent
the registered agent.
interests of the business owner, and a public
registered agent can process that paperwork
that needs access to the people responsible
and perform the filing. Where your business
If you’re a small business owner, you’re
for the business. This is where the
is a corporation, the yearly filing will involve a
probably familiar with the concept that your
Registered Agent makes their appearance
descent amount of paperwork.
business exists as a separate entity from
as the individual designated by the business
yourself. However, this beneficial legal
to connect the business with the public.
Ultimately, the ideal Registered Agent for your business would be an attorney that
separation between you and your business only exists if you register your business
The primary reason you should consider an
works in Business and Corporate Law. An
as a corporate entity because corporate
independent Registered Agent is to protect
attorney with the appropriate knowledge can
provide a stable, predictable way for you to manage and anticipate the information coming through yourself and your personal information.
assist in avoiding the legal pitfalls inherent in
By law and necessity, every registered
doing business. She can guide you through
entity, in this state and most others, is
the complex maze of corporate & business
required to provide the name and address
laws and ensure that your required corporate
of an identifiable individual responsible for
paperwork is met because that’s her job.
receiving information for business. Having an independent Registered Agent This contact information is public record and
frees the business owner from focusing their
is obtainable by anyone. If you are acting as
energies on matters they may not be familiar
your own registered agent but your business
with or appreciate the significance of. They
doesn’t have a physical location or you run
are then able to concentrate on the operation
your business out of your home, you need to
of the business they love, while knowing that
consider what address to provide.
these matters are well handled.
If it’s your home, you don’t want your home address available to every upset customer or competitor.
38
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Nick Pereira Attorney Harmony Law Group
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
39
Small Business | 5 Technology Trends for 2013
Five Technology Trends Every Small Business Owner Needs to Know for Twenty Thirteen by Lisa Shorr
Here we are…mid December, just before Christmas and ringing in the New Year! Our minds are on gift-wrap and popping champagne corks! For the office, we are pulling together year-end numbers and fine-tuning our strategic plans for 2013. Have you incorporated technology into your upcoming strategy? Technology has evolved to become an integral tool to help our businesses run more efficiently and thrive. Our mindset has shifted from allowing time for a question to be answered to requiring instant information. Often the person asking the question will follow up with a second question: How will you get back to me? Thanks to mobility, you can be anywhere around the globe and still respond! For the small business, this new demand for information and network up time can prove to be either a boon or hindrance to corporate growth. One thing is for certain, to stay competitive; the small-tomedium size business must understand technology trends and use them to their advantage. To follow are 5 technology trends every business owner should be aware of when strategizing for 2013:
01
The Saturation of Cloud Computing – The “cloud”
is a metaphor for the Internet. Cloud computing means: accessing
and processing files, spreadsheets and data via the Internet from any mobile device. No longer does data have to reside on a local hard drive, which can only be accessed via a finite location. Our flexibility as an organization will help extend our corporate footprint beyond our office walls to walls within our own home or even local coffee shop! Great examples of cloud based file-sharing programs include “Dropbox” or “Google Docs.” Salesforce.com is another cloud application that allows your employees to store and access client information. On a job site and want to add a quick note to your client’s account – no problem! Just login and add your information. How is that for productive!
02
Pull Out your Mobile Wallet - Mobile Pay (POS) Point
of Sale – You know that in a small business “cash is king!” Collections
are often the trickiest and most challenging component to running a business. Chasing after a client to pay or even paying high credit card fees can lead to a company’s undoing. Adding a “mobile POS system,” also known as a “mobile wallet,” such as Intuit or Square, a small business can be on an even playing field with larger organizations, paying the same fees while collecting payment on site. Resolve to turn collections around for 2013. Realize the gain while alleviating the pain with this cloud solution.
03
Always on Mobile Workforce – In my recent article, “Is
BYOD right for your business?” I explored the benefits and risks of
the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend. I asserted that allowing employees to use their own preferred device at the office improves
40
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
5 Technology Trends for 2013 | Small Business
productivity as well as morale. Yes there are security risks but the demands of our clients and their need for instant information outweigh those risks. The notion of “away from the office” is virtually extinct. As a small business owner, you must embrace BYOD and incorporate a Mobile Device Management policy into your handbook. What files are acceptable to access and which are not? What and when can the employee use social media during the workday?
04
Outsource Your IT – As a business owner or manager,
you only have so much time in your day. Instead of spending billable time fixing computer problems, you should be servicing a client or
closing a sale. 2013 should be the year where you look at all of your IT programs and determine if you can sub out any processes that either you don’t want to or can’t afford to handle any longer. IT service providers offer a solution called: Managed Services. This means the IT Company will monitor and maintain various aspects of your network remotely, proactively catching issues before they arise and effectively alleviating the headache from you!
one thing is for certain, to stay competitive; the smallto-medium size business must understand technology trends and use them to their advantage As mentioned above, our clients need us to be always present and providing answers in a moment’s notice. You cannot afford any downtime. Managed service offerings include: network monitoring, data backup & recovery, email security and more.
05
Data zipping through the Internet at the speed
of 4G LTE! – High-speed mobile wireless being deployed by carriers such as Verizon Wireless, Sprint and AT&T are ready to deliver your
data through the wireless Internet faster than ever before! 4G is up to 10 times faster than its predecessor 3G. What does this mean for the SMB? You won’t need to pay a premium price tag and the connection is available everywhere allowing you to work at the speed of light! The most important trend in technology for 2013 is that it is always evolving. Whether it is a new cloud application, mobile payment option or increased Internet speed, we must have a plan for technology in 2013 – otherwise, you will be left hanging in the cloud… Lisa Shorr PC Troubleshooters www.pctrouble.com
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
41
Small Business | SEED RI
is repayment ability.
As a U.S. Small Business Administration
finance $150,000, and a bank is willing
(SBA) designated intermediary lender, South
to lend $100,000, SEED can provide a
Eastern Economic Development Corporation
$50,000 micro loan, thus filling the gap and
(SEED) is the leading micro lender in
completing the financing package for the
terms and collateral, and is willing to take
Southern New England. In fact, SEED has
borrower,” added Bacon.
a second or third lien position on the small
“SEED can be flexible with repayment
business owner’s home,” stated Bacon.
made 26 micro loans in Rhode Island since 2009, totaling $758,000 and creating 64 jobs.
In 2012, SEED financed the following
The SBA Micro Loan Program encourages
Loan Program:
Rhode Island businesses under the Micro Yoga Antara, Providence
The application process for loans up to $200,000 includes completing SEED’s application form, and providing federal
loans up to $50,000 for start-up and existing
•
small businesses, including home-based
•
Hair, Heart & Soul, Bristol
income tax returns for three years for the
businesses.
•
Zingg Music Lab, Barrington
small business and the owners. The list of
•
Marathon Industries, Warwick
other documentation required can be found
•
Castle Awards, East Providence
in the application form which is available on
small businesses in Rhode Island to start-up,
•
Bluemoonstone Creations, Providence
SEED’s website www.seedcorp.com. The
grow and create jobs,” stated Maria Gooch-
•
JM Painting, Cranston
approval process takes approximately two
Smith, SEED’s executive director. “As a non-
•
Stock Culinary Market, Providence
weeks if the small business provides all the
bank community lender, SEED can make
•
WSI Internet Consulting & Education,
necessary information.
“We are very pleased to be able to assist
small business loans, which a bank might
Narragansett For more information about the SBA Micro
not be able to make, such as loans to startup businesses and those with tight cash flow and limited collateral,” added Gooch-Smith. According to Tamarah Bacon, SEED’s business development & assistance manager, loan funds
SEED is also a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), under the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and
call 508-822-1020 or visit SEED at www.
can make loans to Rhode Island
seedcorp.com.
borrowers up to $200,000, for working capital and real estate projects.
are flexible and can be used for:
The term on the loans is up
•
working capital
to ten years. If necessary,
•
inventory
longer repayment periods are
•
furniture and fixtures
available. Interest rates range
•
machinery and equipment
from five to six percent fixed.
The maximum term on the loans is six years
Small business owners need to
and the current rate is six percent fixed with
have at least a 600 credit score.
no pre-payment penalty.
SEED focuses on the past two years to see how debt has
“A micro loan can be a portion of the total
been handled, and also reviews
financing needed by a small business,”
the small business owner’s
explained Bacon. “If a borrower needs to
household income to see if there
42
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Loan Program, or other SEED loan programs, and free entrepreneurial workshops, please
Ecologic Spray Foam Insulation | Small Business
Is it impossible to think, in this
and includes Rhode Island, Massachusetts
economy, that a small business
and Connecticut.
cannot succeed and expand? Absolutely not! At least not in the case
ESFI has been featured in multiple nationally
of Ecologic Spray Foam Insulation
syndicated trade magazines (Spray Foam
(ESFI), that is. Co-owners John Peters
Magazine), construction-related television
and Tom Kelly are a perfect example
programs (A&E’s Flipping Boston), various
of small business owners, who not
local periodicals and also was the recipient of
only have managed to survive in a
SEED Corporation’s ‘2010 Start-Up Business
recession, but thrive. ESFI started their
of the Year’ award. All-in-all, wonderful
spray foam insulation business in 2007,
accolades for a small business that started
with the help of Coastway Community
right before the economic downturn and yet
Bank (formerly Coastway Credit Union)
continued to increase revenue, create jobs
Ecologic
Spray Foam Insulation
and become property owners! Co-owner John Peters is an active duty military veteran, serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He graduated from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University with a B.S. in Aeronautics and went on to earn an M.B.A. with a concentration in Environmental Management from Salve Regina University. Prior to starting ESFI, John worked as a
through an $80,000 SBA Patriot Express
product manager and applications engineer
Loan and a $15,000 micro loan from SEED
for a Providence-based manufacturing
(South Eastern Economic Development)
company. He
Corporation. This financing package
currently lives in
allowed the small business to lease shared
Bristol, RI with his
warehouse space in North Kingstown, RI
wife Alicia and
and begin operations. As ESFI has grown over the past
dog Eli. After graduating
five years, Peters and Kelly made
Magna Cum
the decision to expand. To that
Laude from the
end, in 2012, again with the help
University of
of Coastway Community Bank and
Rhode Island
SEED Corporation, they purchased a mixed-use property and relocated their
with a B.S. in Accounting, co-
business to 11 Hurst Lane in Tiverton, RI.
owner Tom (TJ) Kelly worked for a Fortune
This acquisition allows ESFI to operate more
100 company reviewing and implementing
efficiently and be their own landlord.
financial and operational control procedures.
ESFI’s focus is to improve the thermal
successfully completed all four parts of the
efficiency of new and existing residential
Uniform CPA Examination. TJ currently lives
During his accounting career, he
and commercial buildings by installing
in Portsmouth, RI with his wife Erin, son Shea
Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) insulation,
and dog Mason.
fiberglass batt insulation and spray applied intumescent fire suppressant coatings. ESFI also offers thermal energy efficiency
Angela Knight Marketing & Business Assistance SEED Corp.
consultations. Their coverage area is wide www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
43
Small Business | Have it? Use it! Tapping your Technology Resource for Growth
Have It? Use It! Tapping Your Technology Resource for Growth by Robert F. Johnson and Bob Wittstein
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
making decisions more slowly, having fewer
Imagine you’re a roofing contractor with
If you are like most executives, you’ve
several committed and potential roofing jobs
cut your IT budgets to lower operating
touch points with clients and key constituents,
to complete in the next several months. If
expenses; but, was that the right thing to do?
etc.). We all depend on technology to be
you want to handle more jobs and grow your
According to Dr. Howard Rubin, president
more productive.So again, how else can technology accelerate your business?
business faster than your competition,
and CEO of Rubin Worldwide, a Gartner
you must invest in at least one pneumatic
Senior Advisor and a noted technology
nail gun.
expert, each $1 of new investment in IT
We live in a connected world in and out
between 2003 and 2005 helped drive $1.47
of the office. Ignoring the confluence of
As a CEO, divisional president or other
of gross profit in 2006. With such a multiplier
social networking, web 2.0, and mobile
senior executive, what’s the technology
effect, why not look for other ways IT can
technology is paramount to going back
equivalent of the “pneumatic nail gun” for
help your business grow and prosper faster
and living in caves! How are you using
your business? For Amazon, it is clearly their
than your competition?
these technologies to strengthen customer relationships and increase wallet share?
e-commerce website. Perhaps for you, it is your customer relationship management
Technology has entered every aspect of our
(CRM) or ERP system. Certainly, your
lives and there is no going back. No longer
We believe that ignoring the value of
is the data center the heart of technology
intelligent, targeted and clever technology
revenue, managing working capital and
within an organization; but rather, just a
deployments will put you behind your
reducing expenses in your business. Are you
component of the overall landscape. Think
competition and frustrate your investors.
and your CIO actively seeking other ways
about the Blackberry you depend on to stay
“pneumatic nail gun” is critical to growing
technology can accelerate growth? If not,
in touch. What would you do without it? You
You may be saying, “Hey, I can be as
why not?
would probably be much less effective (e.g.
formidable as Apple, Amazon or Google;
44
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Have it? Use it! Tapping your Technology Resource for Growth | Small Business
but I produce, market and sell products that are increasingly being commoditized by overseas competitors. How can I use technology to improve revenue, reduce working capital and cut expenses?” A fair question. Let us share an example from Sappi Fine Paper, North America (SFPNA), a multinational manufacturing company in the forest products industry pulling in $1.3 billion dollars in revenue. SFPNA faces strong commoditization pressure from international imports. Starting up front with marketing, SFPNA examined their messaging and realized that their website spoke to investors and not to customers. Sales personnel lacked visibility into factors that eroded margin, and customers were forced to order products over the phone, or through EDI or fax. So the Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain, and IT departments partnered on several technology projects. The
You don’t need to know everything. Car owners don’t need to know the difference between a valve and a piston. You rely on a trusted mechanic to help maintain your vehicle. Business owners don’t need to be tech savvy. We can be your trusted advisor, helping you make smart business decisions when it comes to technology. Let RCC help you:
website changed to educate customers about
• Avoid the “Break-Fix” technology model
product attributes and usage, to assist in finding
• Maximize productivity and reduce downtime
local distributors and to provide real time order
• Protect your business against security risks
status. Mobile tools delivered to the sales force provided order margin. In addition, an entirely new ecommerce strategy enabled a quantum process improvement in the order-to-pay cycle.
• Know when to let go of aging equipment • Choose effective options for upgrades and new technology purchases
SFPNA distinguished itself as the easiest amongst its competition for customers to do business with, and consequently lowered customer service costs and increased customer loyalty! SFPNA used technology to analyze total
Q1 Q2
procurement costs across the entire organization. They found multiple contracts at different price points with the same supplier and higher than
market spending on several commodities. Armed with this research, SFPNA renegotiated better payment terms and executed commodity procurement strategies. This action reduced costs by $100 million. Here are two final points. First, we have not mentioned “worker productivity improvements” since it is difficult to measure and budget. We believe worker productivity will improve as a natural consequence of new integrated technologies; however, it is not central to your technology investment business case. Second, none of the benefits discussed can happen without a high degree of trust and partnership between business savvy IT professionals and technology openminded business folks. It is time to fuse IT with your business by partnering with your technology folks and find other “pneumatic nail gun” technology
RCC
Brilliant solutions for smart technology
equivalents for your business to accelerate growth. If not, don’t be surprised if your company’s roof starts leaking.
Visit us online at www.RCC-pcSupport.com 40 Nashua Street, Providence, RI 02904
Bob Wittstein Technology Officer Harvard University
Robert F. Johnson Senior Director of Strategic Intelligence Atrion Networking Corporation
401 272 9262 p 401 351 4002 f
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
45
Small Business | Sleeping Your Way To Success!
Sleeping Your Way
to success! by Tim Sullivan
There are three stages of learning as defined by Dr. Robert Stickgold from the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School: Acquisition, Consolidation, and Recall.
“Early to bed Early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise!” Benjamin Franklin, 1735
•
Acquisition - is when a person initially starts learning a new skill or technique, where the brain is storing the information about this learned activity in its neurons.
Sleep and proper rest are two underappreciated aspects of wellness today. The fact that people increasingly try to fit more things into their day has led to decreased time devoted to sleep, an essential part of a
•
Consolidation - occurs over the subsequent hours or even days, when the brain reorganizes itself around the new activity
healthy lifestyle. The ideal amount of sleep an adult person should get per night is between 7 and 8 hours. Less than 7 and more than 8 have
to best integrate the new activity into memory so that the activity
negative results on your health.
can be best duplicated.
Insufficient sleep creates a vicious cycle of diminishing wellness. A lack of sleep contributes to overeating, and has been shown
•
Recall - is when the learned activity is called upon from inside the brain and acted upon to perform the learned activity
to contribute to weight gain and obesity. Obesity contributes to fragmentation of sleep quality and conditions like sleep apnea. A
Sleep is an important part of the Consolidation phase. During sleep,
cycle of poor sleep quality and increasing obesity is a recipe for poor
the brain strengthens and stabilizes what we learned, and integrates
attitude and performance both at work and in family life.
it with older information previously learned. This is the step where learned information goes from being memorized, to being part of your
“The solution [to weight loss] is not as simple as eat less, move more,
personality; relevant to you and your experience.
sleep more, however, an accumulating body of evidence suggests that sleeping habits should not be overlooked when prescribing a
For every hour that we are awake, it takes about a half hour to process
weight-reduction program to a patient with obesity. Sleep should be
the information from that hour. Without proper sleep to complete the
included as part of the lifestyle package that traditionally has focused
consolidation phase, it takes longer to learn things, which affects
on diet and physical activity.” Drs. Jean-Phillippe Chaput, Children’s
students and workers alike!
Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario and Angelo Tremblay, Laval University, Québec, Quebec. Not only does a lack of sleep contribute to poor attitude and attention at work, it affects a person’s ability to learn and master new skills.
46
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Tim Sullivan Life-Panel www.well-track.com
Network Dis ing connect
the
The Networking Disconnect | Small Business
by Ivan Misner & Peter George
No. 2: Become a good interviewer. When you meet people for the
first time, learn how to ask questions that get people to talk about To some people, ‘networking’ is a dirty word. They cringe when
their business. Be flexible, don’t just use a script but start with some
thinking about going to a networking event. The reason for that is that
questions in mind and go with the flow. Ask them about their target
most people do it wrong.
market, what they like most about what they do, what’s new in their industry, what are some of their challenges in that business, what got
If you are going to networking events, such as the monthly
them in that profession and what they like most about the business.
NetworkingRI event, hoping to sell something, you’re dreaming. Don’t confuse direct selling with networking. Effective networking is about
No. 3: Diversity is an important key to building a power personal
developing relationships. Sure . . . there’s always someone out there
network. Seek out people from diverse backgrounds. You never know
who says, “But, I’ve made a sale by attending a networking event!”
who people know. Take, for instance, the referral that came from a
OK . . . no one is saying that it doesn’t ever happen; it does. I’m just
cosmetics consultant who referred a client’s husband to a commercial
happens about as often as a solar eclipse. Face it, even a blind
graphic design company. The referral was worth hundreds of
squirrel can find a nut. Any businessperson can stumble on some
thousands of dollars. The irony was that neither the husband nor
business at a networking meeting from time to time. However, when
the graphic design company thought that the cosmetic’s consultant
you have most of the people at an event trying to sell and virtually no
had the kind of contacts that would put them together. They happily
one there to buy, you’re crazy if you think the odds are in your favor to
discovered the error of their ways.
“sell” at a networking event. No. 4: When you meet people at networking events that you want So why go? You go because networking is more about farming than
to get to know better. Set up a time to do a one-to-one with them
it is about hunting. It’s about developing relationships with other
later. Remember – this should not be used as an opportunity to ‘sell’
business professionals. Sometimes you go to a networking event
to them. It should be used as an opportunity to start a business
to increase your visibility, sometimes you go to establish further
relationship. When you ask for the one-to-one, do so by telling them
credibility with people you know, and sometimes you may even go to
that you want to learn more about what they do and how you might
meet a long-time referral partner and do some business and move
be able to help them. Of course, you want them to help you – that’s
to profitability. In any case, the true master networkers know that
important. However, the best way to build a relationship with someone
networking events are about moving through the Visibility-Credibility-
is to find ways to help the other person first. It’s counterintuitive – but
Profitability Process and not about closing deals.
it works.
The question then is – how do you avoid getting into the “networking
People who have had bad experiences with networking are generally
disconnect” trap when attending networking events? Here are four
victims of the “networking disconnect.” This “disconnect” is what
things you can do to avoid that mistake:
gives the word “networking” a bad name. But it doesn’t have to be a bad experience. It can be positive if the networking is about the
No. 1: Networking is not about a transaction, it’s about a relationship. It works best when you’re striving to make connections that lead to professional contacts. It doesn’t work well when you’re attending a meeting just to make a sale. The root word of ‘relationship’ is – ‘relate.’ So, relate to them. Start to establish a connection whenever possible.
relationship and not about the transaction. Ivan Misner Founder and Chairman of BNI Peter George Director for BNI Rhode Island
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
47
Featured NonProfit | Capital Good Fund
Capital Good Fund •
Gretchen, who went from the verge
Capital Good Fund’s (CGF) mission is to
the tools to meet their needs, plan for
provide equitable financial services that
the future and move towards their goals
of homelessness to running a
Free tax preparation
successful business with over
create pathways out of poverty. Founded
•
$2,000/month in profit
in 2009, we are driven to address growing inequality America. Our approach is
At a time when Rhode Island’s poverty rate
•
Magda, who saved $9,600 in one year of financial coaching and was able
founded on the proverbial ‘Teach a man
is approaching 15% and payday lenders
[or woman] to fish’ philosophy, which sets
disbursed 180,000 loans in 2011 alone, CGF
to cover three emergencies with her
our clients on a path to true self-sufficiency.
is the only viable, affordable alternative for
savings—and not with a payday loan
Specifically, we help lower-income
those in need. We offer consumer loans for
Americans avoid the need for payday loans
a range of purposes—paying off a payday
coaching and used a loan to purchase
and other usurious financial services, as
loan, purchasing a computer, applying
a vehicle so as to drive to a new job and
well as empower our clients to take charge
for US Citizenship, etc—of up to $2,000.
pick up her daughter from school
of their own lives. Every day we see people
Additionally, we provide loans for any income-
who—because of a financial hardship, health
generating activity. We have seen some of
These are just a few of the dozens of lives
issue or family emergency—are forced to
our successful microentrepreneurs go on to
we have changed. In fact, through our free
turn to for-profit companies charging interest
start catering, cleaning, landscaping, soap
tax preparation, we have 230 returns that
rates in excess of 200% to meet their needs;
making and carpentry businesses.
put $275,000 into the pockets of Rhode
profits off the backs of the poor ($70 billion
Thanks to the products and services we
disbursed over $270,000 hard-working
•
Princess, who completed CGF’s financial
Islanders. Through our lending, we have
these unscrupulous companies reap huge in 2011 alone). As a non-profit, certified
provide, as well as the relationships we build
individuals and families. Finally, we have
Community Development Financial Institution
with our clients, we are able to truly change
graduated 180 people through financial
(CDFI), CGF serves its clients by providing:
lives. Some examples include:
coaching, with tremendous social impact.
• •
Loans with affordable interest rates for
We are here to help Rhode Islanders better their lives. Whether it is teaching someone
consumers and small business owners
how to manage their debt, providing an alternative to a payday loan, or issuing the capital
Intensive, one-on-one financial coaching, through which clients gain
48
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
to get someone’s dream business off the ground—we take great pride in what we do and firmly believe that this is the path to a stronger Rhode Island.
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
49
GoLocalProv.com is the “go to” local Web experience that breaks the biggest local stories, sports, high school sports, weather, news, politics, arts, entertainment — and allows users to go as deep as they wish. Branded, credible, and respected contributors from RI create the stories and content. Information is delivered through multimedia, written, and video platforms. All at GoLocalProv.com.
CCI Report Shows RI Economy ‘Shifting Into High Gear’ that has generated increased economic momentum. It thus
the state saw an increase in its labor force during the period.
appears that Rhode Island’s economy has now shifted into a higher gear.”
Compared to last year, retail sales in the state grew 6 percent, increasing for the 11th time in 13 months.
The Current Conditions Index is meant to be viewed as an indicator of an economy’s current
“Benefit Exhaustions, reflective of longer-term unemployment, also fell at a double-digit
Rhode Island’s economy has continued its
momentum. Its values, Lardaro said, “reflect
rate (-12.3%), sustaining its downward
recovery with a strong showing in the month
how broadly based economic activity is …
(improvement) trend,” he said.
of November.
and the resulting underlying momentum.” Other positive markers included new home
According to University of Rhode Island
While November’s report is encouraging
economist Dr. Leonard Lardaro, who
from a recovery standpoint, Lardaro was
releases a monthly report titled the Current Conditions Index (CCI),
quick to caution that the report says nothing about current levels, and
the Ocean State posted an
the state is not out of the woods
official labor data score of
quite yet.
75 and a CCI score of 83 for November. This is identical to how the state
construction which, based on single-unit permits, rose by 3 percent during the month, and a 1.8 percent increase in manufacturing hours. The only negative, Lardaro noted, was in the category of layoffs as new claims
“This is where things get a bit
for unemployment insurance rose by 1.6
discouraging: while Rhode Island’s
percent.
economy is improving, the levels of key
performed in October, the best month
variables like payroll employment remain
Rhode Island had seen since the
far below the values they attained at the
beginning of 2011.
height of the last recovery,” he said, noting
in the pace of economic activity here,”
that RI’s employment peak occurred in
Lardaro said, noting he believes the state
“This back-to-back strength provides a
December of 2006. “We still remain about
is improving faster than official labor data
critical piece of evidence supporting
six percent below our employment peak.”
indicate. “This is certainly welcome news.”
performance was not a ‘one month
The CCI analyzes the state’s economy
Lardaro says the results should provide
wonder,’” Lardaro said. “What we
based on 12 vital indicators, nine of which
Rhode Island some “margin for error in
appear to be witnessing is a trend of
improved in November. In fact, for only
dealing with whatever Washington sends our
more broadly based economic activity
the second time since the end of 2010,
way in 2013.”
“The Current Conditions Index has shown what appears to be a substantial uptick
the hypothesis that October’s strong
50
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Providence | golocal
Smart Benefits: The New Year Means New Benefit Decisions The New Year will bring with it many new decisions regarding
Or Less?
healthcare benefits for Rhode Island companies – and the choices will impact costs for many New Years to come.
If the employer offers coverage that doesn’t meet essential benefits and is not affordable, employees may jump off the plan and opt for the
Small Employers: To Offer or Not to Offer
exchange plan instead. What happens if too many employees leave
Small employers will have to decide whether to continue to offer
group and negatively change the rates, increasing employer costs.
the plan? The remaining population may alter the demographics of the coverage since they are not subject to the employer mandate. According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study, 16 percent
To avoid employees switching to the exchange plan, employers may
of employers with between 10 and 499 employees said they will
want to add additional plan offerings that provide minimum levels of
terminate their coverage.
benefits that are affordable.
To help employees understand their new choices, employers need to start educating them now
Education is Key No matter what employers decide, they will need to notify employees of the exchange opportunity in March of 2013, with enrollment following in October for coverage start dates of January 1, 2014. To help employees understand their new choices, employers need to start educating them now. While not all the information about the exchanges will be available until the latter part of 2013, it’s not too early to start preparing for the next New Year: 2014.
What does that mean for the employees? They’ll be subject to the individual mandate and have to either purchase through a state exchange or pay a fine at tax time. Since employees are used to employers choosing their health plans for them and handling enrollment, this change will mean a lot more responsibility on the consumers. Will Large Employers Face Larger Numbers of Enrollees? According to the Kaiser study, large employers are more likely to continue to offer employee health benefits, with only 6 percent of respondents saying they will cancel coverage once the state exchanges are fully operational. But they’ll likely have more employees on their plans – instead of off – because of the new fulltime status rules. Employers will now need to consider employees as full-time if they work an average of 30 hours a week, which may increase the number of benefit-eligible employees, particularly for employers in
From Rhode Islanders and for Rhode Islanders: See it. Read it. Share it.
seasonal industries.
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
51
Capital City | Tools to Grow Your Bottom Line
Tools to Grow by Mayor Angel Taveras
and we expect to repeat that workshop later in the year. Even if you are not able to attend but want information from those workshops,
In this New Year, the Mayor’s Office is pleased to partner with the
reach out to the Mayor’s Economic Development Office and the U.S.
U.S. Small Business Administration again, in hosting free workshops
Small Business Administration, and we can help.
to strengthen your business and your bottom line. Beginning in late January, we launched the first of five monthly workshops, rotating
Our upcoming series includes:
them around the city, and between mornings and afternoons – to make it easier for business owners to attend.
Loan Programs – Financing a Small Business Wednesday, February 20, 8 am – 10 am, 444 Westminster St.
We started this unique partnership out of the recognition that
Have a dream and want to grow? Discover our many financial &
information about technical and financial resources is one of the most-
technical resources
critical tools to success. This partnership has helped us bring the experts you need to grow your business out into the field, including
Doing Business with Government/ Government Contracts
the U.S. SBA’s partner agencies – the Center for Women & Enterprise
Wednesday, March 20, 4 pm – 6 pm, 444 Westminster St.
and the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center. Together,
Each year government awards billions of dollars to small businesses;
we have brought information about our loan programs, business
why not yours?
planning, contract opportunities and more, to in excess of 200 business owners and entrepreneurs.
Writing a Business Plan Wednesday, April 24, 4 pm – 6 pm
In those workshops we covered everything from preparing your
RI Small Business Development Center at Johnson & Wales
business for disaster before it strikes, to getting federal/state/local
The first step to a successful company is a writing a winning business
contracts with government, to finding low-interest loans for working
plan. Learn how to create one.
this partnership has helped us bring the experts you need to grow your business out into the field
Business Continuity Planning Thursday, May 30, 4 pm – 6 pm, 444 Westminster St. Recovery starts before disaster strikes. Learn how you can protect your business & employees. For more information, contact the Mayor’s Office of Economic
capital and equipment and construction, to building a successful
Development at 401.680.8401, or the U.S. Small Business
social media presence. This year, based upon need and success,
Administration at 401.528. 4561. To register for workshop, space is
we will be holding these workshops monthly. Our first workshop, in
limited: pre-registration required.
January was on Business Licenses, Permits and Legal Requirements,
Email providenceri@sba.gov or call 401.528.4561.
Your Bottom Line 52
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Mental Clutter | Women in Business
Point of Sale Solutions
how it depletes your energy & productivity by Kristin Carcieri-MacRae
clients. Get yourself organized mentally and physically and watch your business flourish.
Mental and physical clutter causes
Find time to declutter. Make a plan to
distraction, anxiety, anxiousness and stress.
declutter on your off time. Weekends would
All of these feelings will weigh on you
be better. If you decide to do it after work,
mentally and will deplete you of your energy
you may be too tired and stressed from the
and decrease your productivity. Don’t we
day and the last thing you want to do is tear
have enough stress at work already? Here
apart your office. Plan to do it during a time
are some tips to help you with mental clutter.
when you have little to no distractions.
Save time looking for things. Have a home
Clear the mental clutter before you go to bed.
for everything in your office. Know where
Are you thinking about work before you go
everything is and be able to find it quickly
to bed? Are you waking up in the middle of
without too much thinking involved.
the night thinking of things you need to get
We Install and Service Point of Sale Systems for any Restaurant or Retail Business. Credit Card Services Available
done the next day? Write it down before you Reduce paper piles. How does it make
go to bed. Keep paper and pen by your bed.
you feel when you walk into somebody’s
If you wake up in the middle of the night, jot
office and see piles of paper everywhere? If
down your thoughts to have a restful sleep.
you are disorganized, think about the vibe you are sending out about how you work.
We have enough going on in our personal
Looking at the piles throughout the day will
lives. When we try to remember work
cause stress and anxiety.
happenings and things to do, if we don’t write them down or keep track of them
Plan, prepare and write things down. Get all
we tend to forget. When you try to keep
your thoughts about what you have to do,
everything in your mind without writing them
where you have to be and what you have to
down it causes mental clutter and weighs
schedule out of your mind and onto paper/
on us heavily even if you don’t realize it.
electronics. This will greatly reduce your
Organize your thoughts.
mental clutter.
Call 401-255-6522 for more information or visit www.POSinetPOS.com
Also remember to eat healthy and exercise Have you missed important client
which will help with mental clutter.
appointments or missed out on potential
Organize!! Energize!!
clients because you couldn’t locate a phone number or couldn’t remember when you were supposed to attend a meeting? Think
Kristin Carcieri-MacRae Owner Organizing In RI, LLC
about how you are viewed by potential www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
53
Women in Business |
Motivating Employees / Team Members by Patricia Raskin
Before you hire a new employee or team
that the greatest motivators are not external
member, it’s important to find out why he or
but instead internal motivators. Among the
•
Offer training, workshops and courses to employees to help them
she wants the job. The answer may seem
greatest internal motivators are recognition
increase their product knowledge and
obvious, but sometimes the real reason is not
and acceptance. Getting recognition is not
develop new ideas to the opportunity to
spoken. If money is the major motive, you
a one time occurrence. It’s a process that
network in these meetings with people
will most likely have an employee who cares
needs to be continually reinforced.
of like minds.
most about the bottom line, not the job itself. The following is a list of ways that you can Although it’s important to hire people more
motivate your employees on a daily basis:
only motivation is a paycheck. Studies show
Give your employees a reason to want a career in your industry by sharing trade magazines and statistical
excited about your business, you may be facing someone in the job right now was
•
•
Keep track of the positive. contributions
information about growth trends and
employees/team members make to
stability in your field
your business Examples are handling a difficult customer affectively, working extra hours, helping you solve a problem, coming up with a Interesting idea for your business, and anything else that shows you did desire to help your business grow. •
Reward the contributions by giving your employees positive feedback
about their work. Show your gratitude by doing something that you know they will enjoy and appreciate. •
Have periodic meetings with your
employees to get their suggestions
Among the greatest internal motivators are recognition and acceptance. Getting recognition is not a one time occurrence. It’s a process that needs to be continually reinforced. Promote from within. Take care of your own people. Instead of being in expert from afar
and ideas about new products and
help your employees become the expert.
service and ways to handle customers
Let your people grow with you. One of
more effectively. Be sure to act on
your greatest advantages is having people
their suggestions and give them the
besides yourself you know the insight details
individual credit for the idea.
of your business.
Patricia Raskin Raskin Resources Productions www.patriciaraskin.com Patricia Raskin, President of Raskin Resources Productions, Inc., is a radio talk show host, award-winning producer, media coach and speaker. She is the host of “Positive Business” on AM790 on Fridays from 3-5PM, “Patricia Raskin Positive Living” on WPRO -630AM & 99.7FM on Saturdays from 3-5PM and “The Patricia Raskin Show” on WSAR – 1480AM on Fridays from 10-noon. www.patriciaraskin.com
54
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Does My Butt The LookAspiration Too Big InProject This? | Women in Business
Does My Butt Look Too
Big In This? Aah, the age-old question. Timeless yet relevant
3.
by Yemi Sekoni
High heels will also work wonders because it
and, in spite of all the Beyonce, J-Lo and
defines your posture, making your walk taller
Kardashian hype, a question that many still
and stand straighter, by pushing the butt
dread being asked. Most would rather have a
out instead of tucking it in.
brick dropped on their foot than answer, and they often lack the vocabulary to respond with
If, on the other hand, you are of the
enough grace, to escape the pained, tortured
more-endowed variety, the rest of this
look that could ensue.
article is for you.
Ladies, put your hand in the air if you are with
1.
The color of your clothing is a great place to start. As we all
me on this one - we put on an outfit – any outfit
know, light colors enhance,
– and the first (or second) thing we do is turn
darker colors diminish, so
sideways to see how we look from behind. And
go darker on the lower half
where does the eye fall? Oh, yeah. There! 2.
Wearing clothing that is too tight is never a good
If your significant other is unfortunate enough to be the one you ask this question, they’re
idea at the office. You can
probably wishing they’d excused themselves a
certainly wear a close
few minutes prior. Even your girl pals might lie
fitting top, but make sure
to you and as a business professional who must
it is long enough to sit mid butt, and not at the waist.
always look sharp, you are not likely to find any sympathy at the office either.
3.
Layer with a smart jacket that sits a-top the curve of your butt, about an inch shorter than
As a smaller figured woman, please know this:
whatever you are wearing underneath.
I am not ‘hating’ on my fuller figured sisters. I’ll be the first to agree that the female rear end has
4.
not too baggy; opt for a straight cut or a slight flair.
time in history (I am no historian, so don’t quote me on that one) and a well-formed derriere is
Stay away from highwaisted pants, and go for a low-rise waist-band. Make sure your pants are
garnered more attention now than at any other 5.
A straight-cut skirt will look fab on you, but watch for length. A hem line just at the top
a thing of beauty. Show off what your momma
of the knee will look sharp and chic.
gave ya!! 6.
Pointy-toed, slim heeled pumps will look too dainty
But - not at the office. Drawing the wrong type of
and make your butt look bigger; opt instead for a
attention to the wrong parts of your body is never
more solidly bulit shoe, with a wider heel and a
the best way to go, so let’s get to the point. Today
rounder toe.
we are talking butts. That’s right. Butts. So there you have it, girls; If you are slight of frame like me, you want to
a few smart wardrobe picks, and you can walk tall, proud
add more layers, to give the illusion that there is
and confident - no matter your size.
a little more to you than meets the eye. 1.
Pencil skirts are the ultimate illusion creator.
2.
Belts make your waist look smaller, if you
Yemi Sekoni Director Donahue Models
have a very boyish/athletic build. www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
55
F E AT U R E D
CHAMBER North Kingstown Martha A. Pughe, Executive Director 8045 Post Road, North Kingstown, RI 401 295 5566 | www.northkingstown.com
The North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce
The North Kingstown Chamber provides
was founded in 1929 by several area
many benefits to its members and
business owners. The Chamber was
welcomes non-members to participate,
originally created to meet the needs of
but membership has its privileges.
the community, and to serve not only its’
Understanding that most members want
members, but also the community at large.
exposure for their business we promote a
For instance, after the devastating hurricane
member in our “Business Spotlight” feature
of 1938 the Chamber played a key role in
in our twice monthly Standard Times page.
restoring the Town of North Kingstown.
For any member holding an event we will
As with all organizations the North Kingstown
e-newsletter as well as on our website.
Chamber has transformed and adapted
Special notices are also featured in our
place that event on our Constant Contact
over its 80 years, both to fulfill the needs of the community and as its leadership has changed. The leadership is shared between an executive director and
North East Independent insert on a quarterly basis. Each member is welcome to utilize a complimentary webpage on our website. For new members and new businesses
a 14 – 18 member active board of
we place a picture of the new member or
directors. Today our mission states
ribbon cutting in our Standard Times page
that the North Kingstown Chamber
and in the North East Independent insert. All
of Commerce is a diverse group of
of our members are listed in our Chamber
business, professional, civic, and
Resource Guide and Business Directory
educational leaders who act on the
that are given out to residents, Chamber
needs and interests of the business
visitors, area businesses, non-profits, civic
community to make the area a better place to live and work. We fulfill
groups and people interested in moving to North Kingstown. Referrals are given to the numerous people calling and stopping
this message by
by looking for assistance. We also offer job
creating innovative
opportunity listings and commercial space
programs that meet the needs of our members.
listing on our website to all members. These are all services a business receives free with a membership. The many talents of our Board of Directors are utilized by asking for their participation on our ten committees as well as attending functions such as our Businesses After Hours and our Breakfast Before Business events. Chamber members are welcome to join the Membership committee, the Program of Work committee, Government Affairs committee, Facilities committee and the Events committee.
56
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
North Kingstown Chamber | Featured Chamber
Recently the Board of Directors has
Central Chamber
East Bay Chamber
asked the Chamber to take a more
Lauren E.I. Slocum, President/CEO
Mark G. DeVine, CPA, Chairman
active role in the business community
3288 Post Road, Warwick, RI
16 Cutler Street, Suite 102, Warren, RI
and we have stepped up to the
401 732 1100 | www.centralrichamber.com
401 245 0750 | eastbaychamberri.org
challenge. The Chamber took the Networking – Support –
lead role in educating business
Advocacy. The Central Rhode
owners about the new sewer
As the 2013 Chairman of the East Bay Chamber of Commerce, I would love to hear
lines that have been laid on Post
Island Chamber of Commerce
Road. The Executive Director
serves as a key partner with
Chamber better, improve our services and
represented business in a
many businesses. We work
assistance you as a business, make the
with our members as part
visioning group for the Routes 2
of a tight-knit community in
and 102 area of North Kingstown.
order to promote their economic
The Chamber is also represented
from you. I welcome any ideas to make the
Chamber more relevant to the business community or any other suggestions
on the NK Economic Development
prosperity. The cohesive relationships within
you may have. I also
Advisory Board by its executive
our community allow members to receive
welcome you to
director. The North Kingstown Chamber
numerous benefits and rewards. From
get involved in the
strives to be the collective voice for
networking events to legislative advocacy,
Chamber, by joining
businesses in NK. We have taken
we sincerely seek to further their goals. It
one of our committees
a survey of our members and are
is of paramount importance to stay up to
or becoming a Chamber
responding to their needs by creating a
date on today’s changing technology. In
Ambassador. You can contact
Business Educating Business speaker
order to consistently support our members,
me directly at 401.254.0151 or mark.devine@
series which will kick off in February.
the Central RI Chamber intends to release
devineaccounting.com.. If you are interested
As our original mission stated, we
an efficient, mobile friendly website around
in joining the East Bay Chamber, we would
Memorial Day.
love the opportunity to meet with you and go over all that the Chamber has to offer.
are here to meet the needs of the community as well as the businesses.
New Members
We continue to achieve this today
Affordable Weddings in Rhode Island
New Members
through our Visitors’ Center and through
Art Flair
BayCoast Bank
our 501(c) 3 organization, The NK
Avis Budget Group
Newport County Computers:
Chamber Charitable Foundation. The
BCI Computers
Savon Shoes
Foundation held the outstanding and
BLU on the Water
Spa Yadira
successful family oriented Harbour Fest
CareWell Urgent Care
Tinker’s Nest
in September at our newly renovated
Clear Channel Media
town beach. Through funds raised
Cowesett Home Care
at this event, grants were given to
Emanuel Lutheran Church
Cranston Chamber
organizations and two scholarships will
Emcor/New England Mechanical
Stephen C. Boyle, President
be awarded to two North Kingstown
Entertainment Under the Stars
150 Midway Road, #178, Cranston, RI
students. Plans are currently being
Evergreen Plumbing & Heating
401 785 3780I | www.cranstonchamber.com
made for future events that the
Frank Galasso
Foundation will sponsor. Community
H&R Block
The Cranston Chamber of
members as well as businesses are
J.C. Electric
encouraged to take part in the Chamber
La Quinta Inn & Suites
a Kick starter campaign
Charitable Foundation.
Massart Photography & Framing
otherwise known as
Commerce recently completed
Meyer Electric
crowdfunding for the Tom
The North Kingstown Chamber is
Mishnock Barn
Lanigan Band. The goal was
committed to helping business in NK to
Oceanstate Insurance Group
grow and prosper. As a former NKHS
Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt
$6500 but we were able to raise over $7,000 for the project.
Principal was famous for saying…
Subway
We Are…NK. Students, community
Telecom Consultants
was to learn how to do a campaign since
members and the Chamber carry this
The Office Kitchen & Bar
in 2013 crowdfunding is estimated to reach
mantra forward.
Wildbirds Unlimited
The point of actually doing the project
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
57
Chamber Chat | What’s New
$500 billion in funding and in this coming
update us on the progress made with Make
aimed specifically at Young Professionals
year donors will be able to take an equity
It Happen Rhode Island and the forum held
last year. The Group was such as success
position in companies looking to raise
at the Rhode Island Convention Center in
that the Chamber with the help of our
capital. It is estimated that crowdfunding
September. Please be sure to register for
sponsors People’s Credit Union will be
will lead to a major influx of capital for small
this great event of networking, fabulous food,
continuing the program in 2013.Our focus is
business development and expansion.
and an informative speaker.
to bring together younger members of the
recently testified at the Health Insurance
The EG Chamber is part of the Rhode Island
development and networking opportunities in a peer-based environment.
Chamber President, Stephen C. Boyle
business community to provide professional
Commissioners” hearing on a Blue Cross
Chamber Coalition and we will continue to
proposal to increase health care premium
be a voice for East Greenwich’s business
rates significantly. Boyle called the process
community in 2013. Please visit www.
Our first networking meeting of 2013 will
“ Healthcare Groundhog Day” where the
RhodeIslandBusinessVotes.com during the
take place at The Hotel Viking on Tuesday,
business community gets double digit
legislative season to keep informed and to
January 22 from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30. Our
increases and then we must cut the plans,
be heard on what is happening during the
feedback on this new group has been
pass more on to the employees, increase
legislative season.
very positive and we are looking forward to
where the business eventually drops it
One of the highlights of 2012 was seeing the
upcoming meetings.
entirely. Boyle called on all the carriers to
vision of the re-opening of the Greenwich
deductibles and co pays and in most cases
accelerate their reform efforts.
future events. Visit our website to watch for
Odeum come to fruition. A gala re-opening
New Members
event was held on December 1 and will
Coastal Angler Magazine
New Members
be followed by a January 26 celebration
Rooted in Radiant Health
Legatus
featuring some great local performers.
Aspire Dermatology
LIberty Mutual
East Greenwich Stephen Lombardi, Executive Director
Following that event will be a February 9
Batchelor Frechette McCrory Michael and
concert featuring Greg Abate and multi
Co.
Grammy Award winner Phil Woods.
Serenity Deliver On Site Therapeutic
For event and ticket information visit
Massage
www.theodeum.org.
580 Main Street | East Greenwich, RI 401 885 0020 | www.eastgreenwichchamber.com
The year 2012 was a year of growth and
New Members
Northern RI
Chamber Discoveries
John C. Gregory, President/CEO
Peoples Credit Union
6 Blackstone Valley, Suite 301, Lincoln, RI 02865
Rok Bar N Grill
401 334 1000 | www.nrichamber.com
change for the East
Hill and Harbour Veterinary
Greenwich Chamber
Budget Blinds
Happy New Year
of Commerce.
Inskip Warwick Automall
from the Northern
Despite economic challenges, we added 76 new members, had our first East Greenwich
RI Chamber of Commerce; the NRI
Newport
Chamber launched a
Jody Sullivan, Executive Director
FREE Prescription Drug
Restaurant Week in September, and forged
35 Valley Road, Middletown, RI
Card program where
a new and productive relationship with the
401 847 1608 | www.NewportChamber.com
cardholders simply need to
Merchants on Main Street.
print the free card and receive prescription RI Department of Labor and
We plan on building on last yeawr’s
Training Director, Charles
savings of up to 75% off at over 56,000 pharmacies across the country. Although the
success as we start out with our
Fogarty to Speak at State
average savings is around 30%, the card
Annual Meeting and Business
of the State Economic
is especially helpful if you are uninsured or
Expo, Thursday, January 31 at
Luncheon
underinsured. However, even if you have
Quidnessett Country Club. Our special guest speaker is Neil Steinberg, President and CEO of Rhode Island Foundation. Mr. Steinberg will
58
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
insurance, you can still use the card to get The Newport County Chamber of Commerce launched a networking group
a discount on non-covered drugs. For more information, contact the NRI Chamber at 401-334-1000 or info@NRIChamber.com
What’s New | Chamber Chat
New Members
MBA for A Day
The Southern Rhode Island Chamber of
AARP-Rhode Island State Office
Miller’s Truck Sales & Repair Inc.
Commerce supports and enhances the
Allaire Fitness
Mr. Aram P. Jarret Jr.
business community of Southern Rhode
B & M Printing & Trophies
Napa Auto Parts
Island and promotes opportunities for the
Barden Family Orchard
Navigant Credit Union
growth and development of its member
Bernier’s Auto Body
NEBCO
businesses. We hold 2 networking events
Blackstone Valley Office Systems
New England Enrollment Strategies
each month. Our First Friday Coffee, the
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council
Providence Braid Co.
first Friday of the month, and Business
CAL Promotional Products Inc.
R. Falco Iron Works, Inc.
After Hours, usually the third Wednesday of
Chemart Company
RDW Group, Inc.
the month. The events are held a member
Classic Electric Company, Inc.
Rhode Island Monthly Communications, Inc.
businesses and it is a great way to meet
Cox Business
S & S Electric
other professionals and get involved in the
d. carlo trattoria
Scentsy Wickless Candles
community. Our networking events
Dasco Interactive, Inc.
- Mary Kayata
are open to everyone. We list all of our
DATACORP
Shove Insurance, Inc.
events on the Rhode Island Small Business
Design Net Technical Products, Inc.
Spurwink/RI
Journals website, www.risbj.com as well
Dillon Acoustical
Storage America
as our Calendar of events
Diversified Distribution
The Call
at www.srichamber.com.
Donna Dressler Jewelry Gifts & More
The Housing Authority of the City of
Dr. Day Care Family
Pawtucket
New Members
Excellent Coffee Company
Tony’s Wholesalers
The Downtown Group
Fisher Appraisal Services Inc
Town of Lincoln
Puerini Design
G. L. Lapierre & Company, Inc.
Trinity Health & Rehabilitation
Re Made In The USA
Gardiner Whiteley Boardman Insurance
Center
Agency LLC
Vac-Forming Unlimited
Hamel & Newton Adjusters
William Burke Law Office
The Rhode Island Association of Realtors Rhode Island Kingfish Lacrosse Nixon Peabody LLP
Harmony Fire District
bounce:
Jeffrey M. Marwell, CPA
DiStefano Brothers Construction
Landmark Medical Center
Edge Wise - Fine Detailed Painting With
Lefkowitz, Garfinkel, Champi & DeRienzo P.C.
Southern RI
Lia Sophia Jewelry-Karen Martin
Elizabeth Berman, Coordinator
Kettelle Building Movers
Massud & Son’s Floor Covering, Inc.
230 Old Tower Hill Road, Wakefield, RI
Mobile Arts Classroom
Matrix Power Services Inc.
401 783 2818 | www.srichamber.com
Ocean State Waves Baseball
An Edge
be sure to visit risbj.com for all the latest chamber news & events happening this month www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
59
THE RHODE ISLAND
COMMERCIAL & APPRAISAL BOARD OF REALTORS® P RO P E RT Y F O R L E A S E
Several Prime Office Locations:
Providence, Warwick, Johnston, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, and Exeter. Call for details and address Several to choose from, Some For Sale or lease. Financing available. Call for details.
333 Main Street, East Greenwich:
635 Arnold Road, Coventry:
Great location at Exit 7 near Centre of New England. 800’ front retail/office- Rear 1700’ warehouse service area with 14’W x 10’L O.H. door. Fully air conditioned!! Recently TOTALLY RENOVATED!!! RILiving.com MLS #1024237
269 Greenville Avenue, Johnston:
776-782 Main Street, East Greenwich:
Best location on Main Street. Bright and open 2nd floor unit with high ceilings. Parking lot across the street. Great office or studio space! 1,250 sq ft, $12. psf/yr. RILiving.com MLS #1018391
Bright office/retail/general business space with open floor plan- Former tanning salon. PRIME busy corner location; easily accessible. Ample parking. 3 phase electric. $700/per month. Unit C. Former Law/Financial Planning office. 3 phase 200 amp electric. $1400/per month. Unit E. RILiving.com MLS #1010162 and MLS #1010159
Excellent visibility in the Greenwich Shopping Center by the Dunkin Donuts on Main. 825 square feet with full glass and rear entrance. Retail, medical or office. Can be combined for 1,650 Sq Ft. MLS #1018795 (Unit 776) & #1014642 (Unit 782) Ample parking in the rear. RILiving.com MLS #1014635
20 Centerville Road, Warwick:
39 Nooseneck Hill Road, West Greenwich:
74 Nooseneck Hill Road, West Greenwich:
Former school; solid brick construction. Very nice 2nd floor space; owner on 1st floor. Space plan attached. Great Apponaug location! Quick highway access and walk to Apponaug Village amenities! RILiving.com MLS #988739
1755 Smith Street, North Providence:
Former Dunkin Donuts for over 30 years (they bought & moved across the street). Seats 30+. Has a drive-thru. Parking for 20+. GREAT for ANY fast food concept. 4500 sq. ft. $3,200/mo. RILiving.com MLS #1028322
Great Rt.3 location just a mile north of Rt.95 Exit 6. Versatile building. 13,000 sq ft clear span with high ceilings, plus two offices/service areas, 2000 & 4000 sq ft. May divide. Other end of this 40,000 sq ft building is to be shared with Church. From $5,50 psf/yr. RILiving.com MLS #1022330
24 Quaker Lane, Warwick:
1,000 sf street level retail - $900 mo. 1,000 - 3,000’ sf (3 units) 2nd level, bright second floor space from $750 mo. with high ceilings and sky lights. Zoned general business. By Kent County Courthouse & “Miracle Mile” Rt.2/Rt.117. Great highway access & signage. RILiving.com MLS #987502
Butler
Realty Group
Commercial • Investment • Residential
401-886-7800 www.ButlerRealty.us 60
747 Pontiac Avenue, Cranston:
Great location near Rolfe Square. Three floors of office suites from 200 sq. ft. and up. Good income generator or large owner occupied office. Owner keeping several suites clear anticipating a larger use to buy/occupy and have income. $800’s
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Great Route 3 location just ½ mile from Rt 95 exit 6, nicely appointed office or retail suite with several offices and open area,was HQ for Bess Eaton & Tim Hortons. Fresh paint and carpets. 600-3600’, from $10 psf/yr. RILiving.com MLS #990071
6828 Post Road, North Kingstown:
Bright, light open floor plan. Signage on Post Road. Easy highway access, near Quonset Gateway Plaza. Own bath and shower. Great location, value and flexibility. Plenty of parking. Four units from $650-$1250. CHEAP SPACE, CALL NOW! RILiving.com MLS #986669
Many more Commercial Properties @ www.ButlerRealty.us .... or email Jeff Butler at jab@ButlerRealty.us Trusted Real Estate Service Since 1977 Looking to Buy or Lease? Call the Butler!
THE RHODE ISLAND
COMMERCIAL & APPRAISAL BOARD OF REALTORS® P RO P E RT Y F O R S A L E
400 South County Trail, Exeter:
Great location!! Design Award of Excellence. Private baths. Centrally located 6 minutes South of Home Depot in North Kingstown. Easy access at the gateway to South County. Taxes are approximate. Assessment as unfinished. 900-4,000 sq.ft. available. From $124,000 RILiving.com MLS #995461
845 North Main Street, Providence:
Great location. 919 sq ft office condo in a medical building near Miriam Hospital. Easy highway and city access by the corner of Branch Ave and North Main. Waiting room, reception, private bath, 3 exam rooms, office. $50,000 under assessed value. $98,500 RILiving.com MLS # 1029651
440 Drybridge Road 1A, North Kingstown: 2100sf Contractor Condo w/700 sf office &750 sf warehouse (15’x50’)w/14ft overhead door, 20 ft ceiling, 3 phase power including 8ft high 700 sf mezzanine. Office has central air, bath & shower. Also for lease. $179,900
RILiving.com MLS#1025512
111 Hopkins Hill Road, West Greenwich: ½ acre – 16 acres Very fast growing area off Exit 6A near GTech, Amgen & Centrex. Front pad is busy Dunkin Donuts, balance of site permits office, retail, warehouse & light industrial. Traffic count 15,000 and growing! Multitude of possibilities- 6 other avail. lots. From $150,000 RILiving.com MLS #855989
81 West Industrial Drive, Cranston:
132 Meadow Street, Warwick:
Flex space, office/warehouse very convenient off Rt. 295 at Rt. Up to 2,000 sq ft office, 1,000+ sq ft warehouse 14’ OH door, end unit on dead end street offers parking and vehicle flexibility. Great for contractors. $275,000
Great location off Rt.117, 1 mile East of Exit 10. Office/ Mfg Wrhse combo. Great value for user. Nice, clean, bright space! This bldg has been substantially updated & is turn key ready to go. Owner can also modify to suit! Lease option available. $525,000 RILiving.com MLS #1013527
17 Sandy Bottom Road, Coventry:
39 Nooseneck Hill Road, West Greenwich:
Great location and set up for night club, restaurant or other food/entertainment venue. Very close to turnkey as night club. Lease, lease/option or buy. 326 capacity. $595,000 RILiving.com MLS #1022520
111 Airport Road, Warwick:
Very nice 2nd floor office space. Tastefully decorated, good paint & carpet, possible office furnishings (nice stuff!) Three offices, conference, reception, lav., plus large basement storage. $180/month condo fee. $89,000 RILiving.com MLS #1012762
0 - 59-1 Stilson Road Richmond:
Great exposure on Rt95, just north of Exit 3. Owner will divide,build to suit,sell or lease.Fast growing area of Richmond/South County. 9.995 acres, 418’ on Stilson Rd& 274’ on Rt95. An exceptional piece of land, many possibilities w/ proper approvals. $799,000 RILiving.com MLS #1019500
Butler
Realty Group
Commercial • Investment • Residential
401-886-7800 www.ButlerRealty.us
Large multi-use building offers great flexibility, possible multiple tenants. The church would consider a lease-back of 10,000-15,000sq ft. Additional 14 acres adjacent also available. Great Rt.3 location just a mile north of Rt.95, Exit 6. $1,750,000 RILiving.com MLS #1029643
400 South County Trail, Exeter:
Approved Development Zoned Business 17+acres.Current permitted plans for 7 office building for total of 86,000net sf.MANY POTENTIAL USES. Central Rt.2 location minutes from Home Depot/Walmart in N.Kingstown. Easy highway access-strong traffic count! $975,000 RILiving.com MLS #1029590
N CTIO EDU R E HUG
7265 Post Road, North Kingstown:
7.82 acres on US Rt.1. Zoning permits apartments/office/medical/retail. Many possibilities!! Will build to suit, sale or lease, or land only. Great location. Dozens of acres and walking trails behind property. Adjacent 5+- acres also available. Call For Details! RILiving.com MLS #856381
Many more Commercial Properties @ www.ButlerRealty.us .... or email Jeff Butler at jab@ButlerRealty.us Trusted Real Estate Service Since 1977 Looking to Buy or Lease? Call the Butler!
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
61
THE RHODE ISLAND
COMMERCIAL & APPRAISAL BOARD OF REALTORS®
Peter M. Scotti & Associates, Inc.
Inside Cover C January 11 - 17, 2013
Rhode Island
New England Real Estate Journal
Visit the paper online nerej.com
PeterBrokerage/Appraisal/Management M. Scotti & Associates, Inc. BArokerage /appraisal /ManageMent Full Service Real Estate Company A full Service Real Estate Company
RETAIL CENTER FOR SALE 440 STAFFORD RD., FALL RIVER, MA
63,000 SF GROCERY ANCHORED RETAIL SHOPPING CENTER. 95% OCCUPANCY WITH GREAT HISTORIC CASH FLOW. 6 ACRE LAND PARCEL WITH SUBSTANTIAL ON SITE PARKING. PRICE: $6,500,000 JIM MOORE EXT. 14
wATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT SITE PARASCANDOLA wHARF, NEwPORT, RI 57,900 SF LAND SITE, 74,000 SF WATER- 1,000 FEET ON NEWPORT HARBOR WATERFRONT BUS zONE ALLOWS HOTEL, REST, MARINA, MUL FAM, MIX LAST WHARF DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY IN NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND
AUTO DEALERSHIP FOR SALE 296 g. w. HIgHwAY, SMITHFIELD,RI
15,680 S.F. BUILDING WITH SHOWROOM, SERVICE, BODY SHOP, OFFICES 8.25 ACRE SITE WITH 300 CAR PAVED PARKING zONED PLANNED CORP. SELLER WILL CONSIDER OWNER FINANCING, PRICE: $1,975,000.00
FOR SALE, bELLA NAPOLI 96 ATwELLS AVE, PROVIDENCE, RI REDEVELOPMENT SITE LOCATED AT THE GATEWAY TO FEDERAL HILL TWO BUILDINGS, 5,400 S.F. & 2,354 S.F. ON TWO LOTS, 7,000 S.F. OF LAND zONED C-2 ALLOWING BROAD RANGE OF USES, PRICE: $995,000.00
RESTAURANT FOR SALE 248 ACADEMY AVE, PROVIDENCE, RI
3,400 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING CURRENTLY REGIONAL FRANCHISE USER OPERATING TURN KEY FACILITY IN MT PLEASANT AREA WITH DENSE DEMOS, OFF STREET PARKING PRICE: $295,000.00
OFFICE bUILDINgS FOR SALE EAST SIDE OF PROVIDENCE, RI
124 WATERMAN: 7,600 SF VICTORIAN ON COLLEGE HILL NEAR BROWN U. AMPLE OFF STREET PARKING, PREMIER LOCATION, $695,000.00 240 HOPE: 3,000 SF VICTORIAN ACROSS STREET FROM BROWN ATHLETICS FULLY RENOVATED AND MOVE IN READY, $395,000.00 439 BENEFIT: 3,200 SF RENOVATED MIXED USE BUILDING NEAR WICKENDEN STREET, TWO OFFICE SUITES, 1 APT, PRICE: $459,000
MEDICAL OFFICE SUITES FOR LEASE 49 SEEKONK ST., EAST SIDE/PROVIDENCE
2,000 - 9,400 SF SUITES WET EXAM ROOMS, LABS WAYLAND SQUARE LOCATION
AMPLE ON SITE PARKING GROUND LEVEL H/C ACCESSIBLE COMPETITIVE RENTS
Peter M. Scotti & Associates, Inc. • 401-421-8888
Peter246 M.Hope Scotti & Associates, Inc.Island • 401-421-8888 Street, Providence, Rhode 02906 Visit our web page at www.scotticommercial.com 246 Hope Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02906 Visit our web page at www.scotticommercial.com RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Changes Size: full
NE NY Tel: 781-878-4540 REal EstatE JouRNal
New Proof
Proof Approved
Section: rI
crop 2”
62
Proof
Commercial Real Estate
PEA E OF MIND management & real estate
Now carrying a full line of...
Full Service Manager Leasing Screening Real Estate Sales Consulting NOW Serving Quality Landlords in both Northern & Southern RI
call us today
Stacy 401 829 8323 Carrissa 401 749 9420
Chain Saws Leaf Blowers Demo Saws
“so you can sleep at night” Snow Blowers and more... 12 Month No Interest Financing Programs Available
112 Old Pocasset Road Johnston, RI 02919 | Exit 5 off 295
401-942-8857 | www.HartfordMaterials.com
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
63
COMMUNITY
CNR
| All The Services You Are Looking For
community corner
Evaluating your insurance needs and securing the best available pricing for you and your business.
All The Services You Are Looking For In One Location Business. Home. Auto. Life.
At Primary Residential Mortgage we are happy to help you to purchase or refinance a home using an FHA, VA, USDA or a Conventional Mortgage.
Contact us for a quote or advice.
We Have The Loan Product To Match Your Needs. Call Us To Find Out About Our LOW, LOW, RATES!
Call us at 401-351-3280 www.johnstoninsuranceri.com
Contact Ken Cesaro
1343 Hartford Ave. Johnston, RI 02919
Cell: (401) 641-0019 Direct: (401) 490-7123 eFax: (401) 648-0055 | Email: kcesaro@primeres.com Licensed in RI, MA, CT & NH
YOUR EXTERIOR CLEANING SOLUTION Danny P. DeHoney
CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, CRPC®
FINANCIAL ADVISOR CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ PRACTITIONER 175 HILLSIDE ROAD CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND 02920 877 277 0453 DANNY.P.DEHONEY@AMPF.COM CA INSURANCE #OE43144
Been In A Recent Accident? How Do You Want To Be Taken Care Of?
AutoPaint RI
ACCIDENT REPAIR CENTER Call (401) 943-6300 www.autopaintri.com Located at 47 Stamp Farm Road, Cranston RI
64
RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Philip C. DiSano, Jr. RI License# 22598 | Fully Insured
Commercial Pressure Washing:
Removes Mold & Dirt! • Increases value of the location! Saves time and money! • Improves Business Appeal
BE A
BIG FISH IN A LITTLE BANK ...that’s helped build some of Rhode Island’s most successful businesses.
Greenville (401) 949-1600 | Cumberland (401) 333-3666 | East Providence (401) 244-6691 | www.freedomnationalbank.com
www.risbj.com | volume two issue one
65