19 minute read
The Future
Silicon Valley SNUG
The Future
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By: Jesse Lee, Jr., PhD Candidate | Editor-in-Chief | https://smallbusinessconcierge.biz/
There is no better time to think about the future than now. With all the changes taking place in the world, it is important to step back from time-to-time to reflect and contemplate what it all means to your business. Already we see several things that have taken place over the pandemic and are trending into the future.
For instance, (1) the great resignation, (2) hybrid working environments, (3) a booming economy along with inflation that is affecting the cost of goods and services along with its permeating effect on wages, (4) increased use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, and (5) healthcare can cause small business leader’s distress.
At the Small Business Concierge, we get it. We are aware that government regulations, income taxes, tax compliance, not staying passionate, or not diversifying your customer base can also cause trouble. Keeping your eye on these issues is important, too, especially in this time of ambiguity and uncertainty.
Assuming you can focus on one thing that can help you become sustainable in the future, what would it be? I would suggest you think about using technology as much as possible. We realize you cannot automate everything, but if you could change your processes and operations to be less reliable on human-centered touchpoints, which could save time and money and increase efficiency and effectiveness.
There are many ways to succeed, much like there are many ways to get to New York City. No one way or the other is really any better. What will work best for you is in the eye of the beholder. The costs, the methods, the timeline, and the specifics are all open issues until you decide what is best for you.
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Albert Wright: A Community Leader Helping Youth See Themselves in the Semiconductor Industry
By: Lam Research | Employee Profile | Guest Article - Republished Winter 2022
Childhood
Albert Wright was born in Philadelphia in 1962, and raised in Gary, Indiana. As a kid, he was adventurous and curious. He used to climb out of his bedroom window, up the antenna on the side of his house to the roof, where he would watch the clouds in the sky and dream of becoming an astronaut.
In school, Albert was known as the class clown. “Being a class clown is a struggle, because when the teacher is instructing, you are focused on getting the attention of the students in the classroom,” Wright said. “I was able to perform in class and on tests, but rarely turned in my homework. I still have report cards from kindergarten that note, ‘Albert talks too much.’”
Early Career
In 1983, Albert enlisted in the United States Navy and became an Aviation Electronics Technician working on the flight station, navigation systems, security systems, and radars at the Lockheed P-3 Orion in Moffett Field, Calif, where NASA’s Ames Research Center shared the runways with the Navy.
“This was a pivotal time for me as a young airman. Stationed at hangar one, I saw all sorts of aircraft coming in and out of NASA. When I was working on the flight line, I would also regularly see these two men coming in and out of the hangar dressed in civilian clothes. Navy personnel like me were always dressed in uniform, so one day I asked a senior petty officer: ‘Who are these guys and what do they do?’”
The men were tech reps who worked for Motorola, Inc. If something were to go wrong with the radio installed in the flight station during beta testing, they would fix it. “That’s when I knew what I wanted to be when I grow up. I later learned that they were what Lam Research and others in the industry refer to as field service engineers.”
Career in the Silicon Valley
After serving in the US Navy for four years, Albert decided to pursue a career in the technology industry in California’s Silicon Valley, where he ultimately served on an “extensive tour” with several tech companies.
“I think I worked for 14 tech companies. Each one increased my knowledge and my skillset in ultrahigh vacuum systems. It took 17 years before I finally became a field service engineer, servicing scanning electron microscopes (SEM) with Hitachi High-Tech America, Inc.” “When I began with Hitachi, I didn’t know what a SEM was, but I fell in love with the job because it involved taking things apart and putting them back together, troubleshooting and visiting customer sites. The first day on the job, I had a revelation. I said to myself, ‘I’d love to teach youth
about the SEM.’ When I grew up in Gary, Indiana, I had no idea this type of technology existed.”
“The focus of my engineering technician master role at Lam Research is to service SEMs. These microscopes are multi-million-dollar pieces of equipment. Unlike an optical microscope, SEMs are massive in size - some can be the size of a refrigerator, stove, and kitchen table, combined.”
At Lam, Albert and the company’s engineering and technician teams utilize SEM and scanning transmission electron microscopes to examine small silicon wafer samples and determine whether they comply with the features needed by the company’s customers – the world’s leading chipmakers. This process demands a high degree of precision; the sample must remain steady so the image will be accurate and can be used as a measure of quality control.
“For me, the most fulfilling part of my job is the hands-on troubleshooting. And I enjoy working with the PhDs, engineers and technicians that operate Lam’s scanning electron microscopes. When I speak with my team, I ask them about their families, what they do during their time off, where they grew up – one of the best parts of my job are my coworkers and getting to hear their stories.”
Community Outreach
“The first time I heard about the 100 Black Men of Silicon Valley was in 2004 – they were awarding my daughter with the organization’s top scholarship. At the scholarship gala, I was impressed to see all these beautiful African Americans celebrating education. But it wasn’t until 2015, after I joined Lam Research, that a colleague approached me and asked me to consider becoming a member.”
At the first meeting Albert attended he was introduced to the organization’s mentorship program, which followed the principle of “CuBu: If I can see you, then I can be you.”
Albert was inspired to convey this concept to Lam Research and invite students of color from local middle and high schools to take a tour and connect with semiconductor engineering professionals who looked just like them.
Chip structures, such as 3D NAND, can have features a thousand times smaller than a grain of sand. These structures can be imaged using a scanning electron microscope. Image courtesy of the Lam Blog.
In 2016, Albert became a member of the 100 Black Men of Silicon Valley.
“At the time, they were seeking volunteers to restart their mentoring program and I volunteered. My schedule at Lam allowed me to have flexible hours, so I was able to go into local middle schools and mentor students there.”
That same year, Albert organized the first ‘CuBu technology tour’ at Lam, garnering support from his colleagues across the company.
“Afterwards, I gathered up my colleagues who had helped host the tour and asked them to form a club. The initial name was going to be ‘Lash Out’ – we were serious about teaching students about technology.”
The club eventually evolved into a Lam Research employee resource group known as C.L.A.S.S. (Community of Latinos and African Americans for Student Success) Outreach. Their mission is to encourage students in The African American and Latino communities to reach for higher standards of education and promote careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.
Video Caption: Lam’s Employee Resource Group, Community of Latinos & African Americans for Student Success (C.L.A.S.S.) Outreach program, hosted their 7th “CuBu Technology Tour.” The day was filled with tours, hands-on activities, and presentations to encourage local students to explore fields in science, technology, engineering and math.
C.L.A.S.S. Outreach, whose motto is “Impact Through Exposure,” encourages student participants to explore a wide variety of STEM career paths – ultimately helping to unleash the infinite potential of African American and Latino communities.
“To see the looks on these kids’ faces when they’re exposed to technology is incredible.”
Image caption: Albert Wright during Lam Research’s CuBu Tour by the C.L.A.S.S. Outreach Program in 2019.
To date, the C.L.A.S.S. Outreach program has hosted over 1,000 students from more than two dozen middle and high schools and launched 13 tours – including collaborations with leading tech companies including Cisco Systems, NASA Ames Research, Tesla and FB-Oculus. The organization also maintains community partnerships with 100 Black Men of Silicon Valley, Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, Firehouse Ministries and Jubilee Bridge Church.
Today, Albert continues to serve the 100 Black Men of Silicon Valley’s mentoring program as its chairman. In October 2021, he was appointed vice president of the Silicon Valley Black Chamber of Commerce, responsible for digital marketing and encouraging black-owned small businesses to join the chamber, as well as vice president of the Silicon Valley Center for Entrepreneurial Development.
Albert also serves as a volunteer at US Tech, where he recruits students and veterans to join the organization, helping to develop the next generation of STEM leaders through technical training in 3D CAD modeling.
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How Can Small Business Development Centers Help You Grow Your Business?
By : Access SBDC formerly SV SBDC| Republished Winter 2020 Access SVSB Magazine (Excerpt pg.18)
If you are ready to start up or scale up a business in Silicon Valley, working with a certified SBDC business advisor can make a huge difference in the time and resources it takes to reach your goal. For more than 20 years SBDC has been the silent partner to thousands of successful new and growing companies in Santa Clara County and throughout the Bay Area. We’d love to help you grow your vision and work on pressing problems or opportunities like:
• Securing a business loan • Compaliance issues with local, state and national laws, and regulations • Scaling up to meet new demand • Getting through the startup phase • Increasing sales
HOW DO WE WORK?
After signing up for our free services, we provide a one-on-one confidential counseling session where we give you a truthful assessment of whether we can help you with your needs. Together we establish goals to work on and through additional meetings in-person, on the phone, over
coffee, or whatever meets your schedule, we work together to reach those goals. Our advisors will be on your side; they will be targeting the business goals you identified as most important. They are experts in their field and will be focused
on making your company work better, faster, and with greater results.
The Access SBDC covers all of Santa Clara County. Our team is made up of about 50 people who are diversified in both background and experience. That diversity allows us to match you with an advisor who understands and addresses your particular business needs. SBDC business advisors can offer invidividual advising concering the formation, management, financing, and operations for your business. Advising is provided at no charge to be qualified business owners.
ACCESS TO BUSINESS CAPITAL: Getting to Yes.
We can provide you with advising, practical tools, and access to sources of capital to foster your business growth and success. We can help you prepare, review and present required documents if you are a small business owner, so that you can become “bankable” and “lendable.”
The SBDC capital access program is specifically designed to address the financial needs of small businesses and entrepreneurs. For qualified clients, we can:
• Help you get the “yes” for your loan request whether purchasing real estate, equipment, or securing working capital to buy or finance a business; • Guide you in preparing a loan package; • Deepen your relationship with your bank or other lenders; • Evaluate positive cash flow to service debt; • Determine possible collateral sources; and • Discuss alternative financing sources.
Read full article here.
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Preparation for Music Production Grammy Nominated Producer
By: Mark Kenoly | Producer, Song Writer, Musical Artist | http://www.kenolymusic.com
Alot can be said about music production, and truly only qualified people can bring you accurate information about it. With that in mind, let me first tell you what qualifies me to talk about this subject.
I am a 4-time Grammy Nominated record/music producer and a two-time Dove Award winner performer. I have written and played on some of the biggest hit songs in the music business, including hit movie soundtracks (Animal House starring John Belushi and Which Way Is Up starring Richard Pryor). Just one month ago, I had the number 4 hit song on the Apple Music UK charts, to name a few of my accomplishments. The difference between creating music that hits and creating music for your personal pleasure is always your approach to production. Production is simply making creative decisions about your tracks that appeal to your market. Your market is who you want to hear your music. If you create music just because you love to, your market is usually your friends and family. But if you’re going to reach the radio and media masses (internet, television, satellite radio, etc.), you will have to make more complex decisions. Sometimes these decisions may go against your creative convictions. But that’s okay. Reaching the masses means you must compete against what’s already out there. Then you must listen to what your competitors are doing, both creatively and technically. Sometimes you hear a song on the radio and think it sounds awful, but you must accept that the artist found something that appeals to the listening audience and is a way to get his song in the market. That deserves some credit. Question, locate, and identify what they are doing.
Is it the effects? Is it the performance? Is it the mix? Is it the unique sounds? Is it the old-school sound? Is it the tempo of the music? Is it the vocal delivery? These are just a few of the elements that go into music production (there are many more). If you don’t understand these principles, take some time to study to find out what these elements are. There is tremendous competition in the music industry, and not all music will impact the mass audience. You need to know what separates a hit song from something that does okay. There is an audience out there for you, but you must find it. I was a record producer/artist/songwriter on the Whitfield Records label in Los Angeles when I was younger. We had tremendous competition for having a song placed on the label’s major artists. I was blessed enough to learn a massive amount of industry protocols for Kenoly Music Production, from one of the giants in the industry, Norman Whitfield. It was there where I first learned that there is no bad song, just songs that are not right for certain artists. Matching the correct song, production, performance, and energy is a unique skill worth taking the time to study. Find an experienced producer to help you understand your music production project and give your music the best chance possible.
Republished from SBC Winter 2022
Best IT Hiring Practices in a Remote World
By : Derick A. Jackson | SVP of Ops., Cameo Global | https//: cameoglobal.com
Since the beginning of the pandemic, information technology hiring managers have had to optimize the use of IT to enhance interviewing remote workers. Here are some best practices to help you optimize your IT hiring practices in a brave new remote world.
1. If you facilitate an online interview between a new hire candidate and other team members in your company, send the interview invitation to all parties two working days before the interview. At least one day before the interview, confirm in the IT tools you are using that all parties have accepted. If all have not accepted the interview invite, use your organization’s collaboration tool (Webex Teams, MS Teams) to confirm that the missing individual will participate in the interview.
2. Contact the candidate at least one day before reconfirming the participation in the interview. 3. If your candidate is unfamiliar with your collaboration IT tools (MS Teams, Webex, Zoom, etc.), it may be beneficial before the interview to set up a 15-minute call using those tools and assist the candidate in connecting to those tools. This pre-interview meeting with your candidate serves a secondary yet essential purpose. It also allows you to observe your candidate’s internet service reliability as the interview facilitator or hiring manager. It is vitally important if you (or your client) evaluate the candidate to work in a remote job where the home internet reliability is a factor in operations. 4. During your initial conversations with a candidate and on the interview meeting invitation, add additional details that you want the candidate to sign into the interview five minutes before starting the meeting from a quiet location. These five minutes will allow you and the candidate to resolve most connectivity issues before other participants join the call. Your client may view your organization more favorably if interview candidates are always ready to go at the start time of the meeting. It could make the difference between your company winning or losing the business. 5. An essential aspect of interviewing remote candidates is evaluating skills using the tool used for the job. It is especially critical in IT-related fields. One appropriate to better evaluate candidate skills is to develop practical evaluation scenarios using the tool the selected candidate would use every day. Using an online “sandbox” version of the tool could complement the usual technical questions in an interview. For example, suppose your candidate is interviewing for tier 1 software support for an organization. In that case, you could bring up a “sandbox” view of the software’s admin console and evaluate your candidates’ familiarity with using the interview. Many of your favorite software products may have “sandbox” environments that can be accessed and used as a resource in the interview.
Overall, the pandemic and the increase in remote workers have changed how we evaluate talent and knowledge. Employing some of these techniques can help you enhance your interview and lead to the selection of better new IT hires.
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