5 Keys for Staying on Track – February check in
5 Keys to Staying on Track for Success The road to success can be rocky, filled with bumps, potholes, and dead ends. Knowing yourself and the terrain will increase the chances of your achieving your goals. Let’s review 10 keys that will help you stay focused and on track for success. 1. Passion Having a passion for your work is the most important element in finding success. You have to love it and desire to cultivate it. 2. Confidence Your actions and the way you speak about yourself and your company is the greatest selling point to your target audience. 3. Self-Discipline Disciplining yourself will help you accomplish more than you ever dreamed, not to mention be the catalyst for great happiness in life. 4. Be Open to Failure You have to increase the chance of failure and vulnerability to criticism if you want to mature your business. 5. Persistence Never allow failure to dictate your next step in the journey toward success. Rather, seek out what you can learn from it and follow that direction thoughtfully....
read moreAudrey Russo on Coffee With – CBS/KDKA
We welcomed Audrey Russo of the Pittsburgh Technology Council on the Coffee With set. Audrey shares her special knowledge and insight. Join us in watching this exceptional and informative Coffee With video. This video is sponsored by PC NETWORK SERVICES in Pittsburgh. PC Network Services Address: 109 Nicholson Road, Sewickley, PA 15143 Phone:(412) 928-8670 Since 2007, Audrey Russo has served the technology business sector for southwestern Pennsylvania as President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council, the oldest and largest technology trade association in North America. In this role, Russo facilitates strong interaction across all sectors of the regional economy. With a background in information technology, operations and finance, Russo previously worked for large multi-national Fortune 500 companies (Alcoa, Reynolds Metals), as well as at MAYA Design, and an adjunct faculty and project role at Virginia Commonwealth University. Russo is the Board Chair for the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, as well a board member of the Regional Industrial Development Corporation, Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and CityLab, among others. She earned her bachelor’s from Ohio State University and master’s in public administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Public...
read moreBusiness Goals – Immediate Impact
If you haven’t already set your 2015 business goals, here is a quick check list for you. Here are the top 5 you should look at for immediate impact. 1. Set Your Business Goals Set your business goals for the next 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Be specific, and determine what you see as success. Measure results and track everything on a monthly or quarterly basis. 2. Revisit Your Business Plan If it has been a while since you examined your plan, now’s the time to get to it. There are many great free plan sources for online preparation. One to take a look at www.enloop.com to develop one online for free. 3. Consider Your Hiring Needs If your business is getting increasingly too busy for you to run with a small crew, start planning your hiring strategy for 2015. Consider interns, temps, freelancers, virtual assistants, and part-timers as alternatives to full-time employees if your budget is tight. 4. Invest in Technology Take a look at computer or software purchases. Determine a leader in your field and see what technical resources they are using. There are great programs out there. We even found one that uses AI to send emails and do all the follow-up to set appointments saving us tons of time. 5. Reassess Your Online Brand Take a look at online branding and marketing experts. Many offer low cost webinars that may be just the thing for an online re-boot. What worked for you in terms of marketing this year? This is a great time to adjust your online strategy so that you identify the tools that helped your business grow, and cut back on those that...
read moreUsing social Media and MYTOP theory
Once I start getting a #cashflow, how can I continue to grow? Once again, you need a plan. How can you reinvest that cash flow in the best way to get you to next level? It might be in hiring the right people. Every business needs great team to grow. What skills augment yours? Hire someone who brings added value to the biz so U can focus on what you do best. It’s what I call the mytop theory. Mytop stands for multiply yourself through other people. In addition to people need to invest in technology. Technology gives smallbiz a competitive advantage; and it levels the playing field. What are some ways I can get to know my customers better? Customer surveys are an excellent way to understand and connect to your customers to learn what they are thinking. There are survey resources online. Some free, but my favorite is MailChimp. Customer advisory councils also good way to learn what customers think & how you can enhance service even add new products. I think face-to-face contact is important. Lunch, coffee, Make it about building rapport not selling and build a bond. E-newsletters that are informative are a good way to keep connected and once again Social media keeps communication open. Don’t forget customer loyalty programs – reward customers for their...
read more4 Traits you need to succeed as an Entrepreneur
Do you have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur? You don’t need to come from any particular socio-economic background, possess a particular set of experiences, or even have a formal education. What will actually make you successful is having the right combination of personality traits. There are many common characteristics of successful entrepreneurs. Some people are born with them, some people learn to grow them, and some people focus on the ones they excel at, while working with partners that have the traits they’re missing. However you do it, these are four of the most important traits you will need as an entrepreneur. 1) Drive: What makes you get out of bed in the morning? What makes you truly excited to face the day ahead? Entrepreneurs know how to tap into that deep-seated source of energy each and every day…especially on the days when they’d rather not. With no one else standing over you telling you what to do with your day, you have to be the one to keep yourself motivated to work those long, hard, business owner’s hours. 2) Perseverance: There’s no such thing as an overnight success. There’s just people you haven’t heard of before they became successful. If you look into any successful entrepreneur’s history, you’re going to find a lot of long hours, failed attempts, returns to the drawing board, and building blocks, all leading to the “overnight” success. Can you keep going no matter how tough it gets? 3) Flexibility: The road to entrepreneurial success is a long and convoluted one, and you’re not always going to get there in the way you planned to. Markets change, technology changes, customers change, employees change, and you need to change too. What earned you success five years ago, a year ago, or sometimes even yesterday, is not going to earn you success now. Failure is a constant companion on this journey, and you have to be prepared to learn from it, adapt, and bounce back quickly. You need to be flexible enough to manage all these changing conditions and continually supply your customers with something they’ve got to have. 4) Vision: Entrepreneurs are noted for their dedication to a personal vision that not only guides the creation of a product or service, but is so exciting and well-communicated that it inspires others to dedicate themselves to it too. Are you the kind of person who can find a vision like this, share it with others, and stay true to it, in the face of hard work and failed efforts? If so, you might not only have what it takes to keep your company on track, but to inspire your customers to take part in your story, and buy. These are just some of the key traits of successful entrepreneurs. Do you recognize them in yourself? Where can you strengthen them? Can you think of other traits entrepreneurs need? We’d love to hear your...
read moreU can B – Speakers go to Keystone Oaks + schools from across the Region
The Program U can B is an in school program that provides career exposure and awareness in the Pittsburgh region. Part of the Building Bridges program, founded in 2010, the U can B program provides • Proprietary curriculum • Educational Film series Coffee With ™ now on CBS/KDKA digital • In school in person interactive discussions with business and region leaders • Power Trips to locations – Google Pittsburgh, City Hall, Energy Innovation Center and CBS • Virtual Career Coaching Schools and educational entities may either engage their own school faculty or work with Building Bridges to teach 9th – 12th graders on topics of • Career choices • Entrepreneurship • Business • Finance • Politics This program has resulted in students • Learning about career options that were not presented previously. • Having a clearly defined career they want to pursue. • Gaining experience and being exposed to curriculum and opportunities they would not have been exposed to. Curriculum Overview The 2013/2014 school year pilot was launched at Keystone Oaks School. The program is a 24 week program. Classes are taught on a weekly basis. Subject matter includes entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial passion exercise, components of business plans, and ways to create a business. This curriculum was augmented with Coffee With videos and in school in person discussions with experts focused on arts and music, business, and politics. The school year concluded with a Power Trip to City Hall to meet the Mayor of Pittsburgh and two city council members....
read moreSocial Media – The Best way 2 promote your business
Social media is best way 2 promote you and your business – just like traditional networking build relationships. You can become a celebrity in your industry with social media. You must make commitment to social media to succeed. Engage with people. Start and participate in conversations. Don’t use it to sell. People will block you. Build trust. Provide helpful information. Become the go to person for advice in your business via social media. There are many success stories. How do I get on track to become a #milliondollar business? Most small biz fail because think too small. Think big & decide what you want your business to be. What’s your vision ? With vision in mind, think about the building blocks you’ll need to get there. Then start to build. Like a blue print. There is a big difference between a self-employed job with income stream and a business. Business has value without you. Think first about your exit strategy. Start with big vision and build your legacy. How can I position myself as an expert in my marketplace? You can become a celebrity – a 3rd party expert brand. Create a blog, fan page, etc. Also define your value so you stand out from competition. Leverage the media. use http://www.helpareporter.com and respond to reporter queries. Don’t sell – be expert. If you blog, make sure you commit to regular posts. Build your following and people with see you as the expert. And in some cases podcasts and blog talk radio shows can be a good marketing tool too. Watch for another blog with more great...
read more5 Steps to create Business Growth
5 Steps to Create Business Growth Creating business growth takes consistent planning and strategy. This can be achieved through business education, regular professional business development and presentations of business events. Implement the 5 Steps to create Business Growth and make your business thrive! 1. Education For Business Sake Business Education should be accepted as a lifelong opportunity for focusing on business trends and curves. By maintaining an attitude of continuous education, opportunities to seek out the most advantageous additional courses provide the extra edge for business growth. 2. Professional Development Professional business development ranks among the necessary elements for business growth. Professional development requires marketing, sales, management, staffing and executive skills. Achieving the rank of professional isn’t just a matter of title. Development at each phase of business determines the quality of professionalism of the individual. 3. Business Events That Affect Business Growth The business professional seeking optimum business growth employs a give and take attitude toward events that help their businesses. It’s as important to present an event as it is to take part in events. This is the basic structure of networking. Surrounding your business with a beneficial network helps grow business stature. 4. To Grow Your Business Today’s webinars and seminars fill a particular gap that links direct offline events and business presentations with the internet world. For businesses, this is an unparalleled opportunity for growth. The hi-tech world can be a catalyst for advancing business image as well as name recognition, branding and ranking. Creating linked business webinars and seminars produces a well-structured microcosm of vested target markets. The links between webinars and seminars should be seamlessly woven to create an overlapping flow of interest and awareness of the specific business. This is also true for patrons attending webinars and seminars. Thus, the “give and take” attitude becomes the operative for giving patrons a direct link online and off while the business takes in a higher rate of growth. 5. Educate, Develop, Grow Present webinars and seminars with a professional style and content. Contrast this by attending webinars and seminars that focus on educating, developing and growing your business. These may contain new ideas for management structure, creating cohesive team embodiment and financial and economic guidelines as well as current compliance regulations relating to business operations. A tightly knit program of webinars and seminars for patrons and businesses offering them are essential for business growth. Creating business growth takes planning and strategy. By following these 5 Steps to create Business Growth, hopefully you will be well on your way to...
read moreU can B – Teaching 9th – 12 graders expands
Building Bridges for Business would like to take this opportunity to thank Justine Coyne, a reporter with the Pittsburgh Business Times, for writing a story about our U Can B entrepreneur program that is currently in it’s second year. We have had great success with our program and are very excited that additional schools have an interest in it. This article brings further awareness of our program to the community. Thank you, Justine, for your hard work in this endeavor. Below is a copy of the article. Let us know what you think. Building Bridges for Business Expands High School Education Program Following a successful pilot program, Building Bridges for Business is expanding its U Can B education program to serve more students in the Pittsburgh region. The program, which began last year at Keystone Oaks High School, provides students in grades eight through 12 exposure to a variety of careers through classroom curriculum and in-person interactive discussions with business leaders. The 24-week program highlights community leaders in diverse fields, with a focus on entrepreneurship, said Building Bridges For Business CEO Renee DeMichiei Farrow. “This program is really about opening a dialogue and giving students the opportunity to learn about careers and fields they may not otherwise be exposed to,” she said. Participating schools are provided with the group’s proprietary curriculum, as well as access to Building Bridge’s “Coffee With…” educational film series. Students can also participate in “Power Trips,” which are in-person site visits to locations ranging from the City-County Building to Google Pittsburgh’s offices. “Teaching students about entrepreneurship is important, even for students who aren’t interested in running their own business,” said Jim Ellenbogen, Allegheny County Council member for District 12, who represents the Keystone Oaks school district, said in a statement. “Given how the economy has shifted and the uncertainty of the job market, entrepreneurship and evaluating career choices is something we should be teaching at an early age.” Farrow said the organization is working to bring three additional city schools on board this year, with the possibility to take on up to eight additional schools this winter. Founder Linda Handley said they are looking for schools throughout different areas and different socioeconomic backgrounds. “Especially for those students that may not be interested in going to college, it may help them realize there is opportunity to do something else and start a business,” Handley said. “It’s another way to give students a sense of direction.” Schools do pay a fee to participate in the program, but the organization is looking to get support from local foundations to cover or offset the cost, she said. The group is hosting an event Oct. 30 at Keystone Oaks high school for eight schools across the county. More information can be found...
read morePublic Relations – Points for Success
Public Relations – Points for Success Be unique, be first or be exceptional with the products/services you provide, your branding, the audience you serve. Align with celebrities or top newsmakers. BE the expert by providing new information, great solutions, and fresh insights. Create products that solve problems in a new way. Plan them this way when designing them. Here are just a few. 1. How do I earn the trust of my customers & clients? Deliver on promises, be consistent with your message, brand and products. Take responsibility for your actions. Allow people to get to know you and to experience your values in action, through social media posts & live interaction. 2. How can I stimulate consistent business growth? Be consistent with your PR, marketing and sales efforts. You need all three, working together. 3. What are some ways I can get to know my customers better? Survey them, using tools like Survey Monkey. Ask if you can interview some of them by phone. Follow your customers on Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Join forums where they may share info. 4. How can I carve out a niche market? Think like a member of your niche market. Think about the problems you’d want to solve as such. Think about the search terms you would use to find what you’re looking for. Do a Google search with those search terms. You’ll find forums, articles, etc. that will lead you to your audience. Try groups on LinkedIn and FB. 5. How can I tell when to hire someone or to learn how to do something new by myself? Consider how much time you have to take on this new task/role & whether or not your expertise is needed. If you can hire someone else to do it & free yourself up for higher-level business building activities, hire someone. If you’re going to be miserable taking on this new task, hire it out. Don’t drain your energy. Want to know more of the Points for Success in Public Relations? Contact Building Bridges for Business...
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