Sponsored monthly by Robertson, Woodford and Summers, CPAs and The Alternative Board

Tuesday Sept. 21

“Why is Google Important? ”

An Introduction to Online Marketing: email and more

• Developing an keyword list for your business
• Competitor research to improve your website and marketing
• How to get your website to the top of Google search results
• How to set up your business on Google Places
• An introduction to other Internet marketing – Pay per click, social medi

Coryon Redd is a local entrepreneur and Internet educator.  He is the President of batteries4less.com,  a successful ecommerce business that sells cell phone batteries and accessories online.  Coryon brings his energy, experience and expertise to Internet marketing classes taught locally and beyond.

NOTE NEW LOCATION

RSVP by contacting; Ruth Schwartz at 530 288- 0180 or ruth@highperformanceadvocates.com

Lunch is Free.

Noon – 1:30 at Sierra Commons – at the top of The Stonehouse 107 Sacramento St., Suite 300 in Nevada City

We were evacuated by the Sheriffs Department. They don’t have to ask me twice. I’m outta there.

I am not writing this to discuss this stressful situation or even to get too deep into gratitude. I’m writing this to tell you that I took Michael Anderson’s advice (TAB member and owner or IP company Clientworks in Nevada City) when he backed up my data on the cloud. Carbonite to be exact. (Who made the Inc 500 this year, btw.)

So when my husband called me and said,” I’m standing in your office, what do you need? ” I said, “If it doesn’t breathe, don’t take it.” And although he failed to pack a change of clothes, he did pack two dogs, three cats, the fish and the kid. That is plenty enough.

To the consolidated fire teams: USFS, CALfire, and local department- you are amazing. If you have never seen them in action, and I hope you never do, they kick some major booty. Thanks for giving me a home to come back to.

The good part is that many people notified me last week that my website was sick. Either I have really great friends or many site visitors. Hope it is both.

The bad news is that it was REALLY sick.

Here is the story as I understand it. A few months ago someone or something hacked into my site. The best local minds went to work , restored it and told me that it was a weakness with WordPress.

Lesson: Seems you need to do your upgrades regularly.

A month later my site was hacked again. Files everywhere! But this time the verdict was that there many people are finding their hosts at fault.

The lesson: change hosts.

A few weeks later, my host shuts me down because someone tries to hack me.

Lesson: have an advocate that can talk to these guys. (Not my fault!)

Last week I woke to emails telling me that Google had put a big, hairy, scary, red warning across my pages. It seems that a virus had entered my site via the passcode and taken my site to its knees requiring a week’s worth of cleanup to fix.

The lesson: Protect your ridiculously complicated passcodes.

What’s next poor,poor website?

I wish that my site were important or controversial enough to deserve this attention.  But at least I can say that my website is healthy and safe today and I hope you will visit it.  But If this had been my husband, my kid or my dog I would be a wreck right now.

The lesson: Its just a website.

I want to hear from you about YOUR inner weird. Come on I know you have weird!

Embrace Your Inner Weird

This week I am working with a publishing business that is ready to take their business to the next level.   In an effort for them to prioritize all of their opportunities we are brainstorming their strengths and weaknesses. One person claims that a weakness for them is that they are pretty darn weird. I ask, “But isn’t that also a strength?” They look at each other and start nodding. And without missing a beat I say, “In fact, isn’t being weird one of your greatest opportunities?” Which is followed by much laughter and excitement.

I spend 25 years in the music industry. Not only was I pretty darn weird, I embraced a catalog of weird.  When I started selling music, Dead Kennedys and Green Day were weird. Today Lady Gaga is a perfect example of embracing weird. You may be reading this saying, “But I like Hank Williams (weird) and the Beatles.”  (crazy weird) or even  “I listen to Mozart.” (King of weird!)

But here is what Green Day and Lady Gaga know that Hank Williams and Mozart couldn’t have known:  We now have access to the whole world and all the people in it. We don’t have to reply on just the people in our neighborhood.  People all over the world are craving and feeding their inner weird. Weird is not a barrier to success it is a rock through the window of mediocrity.

As I watched this publishing company embrace their weird, I was excited and jealous, because I realized that I am like many business people: terrified to embrace my inner weird.

I was very touched last winter at See Jane Do’s “Passion into Action” conference.  That whole day was about embracing your inner weird and changing the world while you do it. In one workshop the assignment was to turn to our neighbor and speak our passion. I hemmed and hawed and finally admitted that my passion was pretty darn weird and I am terrified that anyone hear it.  Ouch!

Given all the barriers to business success in 2010, can we succeed if we don’t get brave and let it fly? And if that is true for me, and a publishing company, is it not true for you too?  Being weird not only catches attention, it is the biggest opportunity for all of us. I plan to get brave starting today. I will embrace my inner weird and challenge you to embrace yours.

What keeps you awake at night?

What creates excitement all day?
New sales techniques, Internet Marketing, Social Media, Being an employer,  New technology, Creating new products, Managing Your Energy…

Tuesday Aug. 24 – noon to 1:30 PM

Business Executive Learning Lunch – “Business Challenge Round Table ”

Sponsored monthly by Robertson, Woodford and Summers, CPAs and The Alternative Board

Come share your thoughts,  hear what other local business owners are thinking about and doing to create opportunity in a challenging time. Join the first quarterly lunch with local facilitators from The Alternative Board as they lead a powerful discussion with local business leaders about the challenges that exist for many businesses in this interesting climate.   Your expertise and experience are requested.

RSVP by contacting; Ruth Schwartz at 530 288- 0180 or ruth@highperformanceadvocates.com
Lunch is Free. Noon – 1:30 at RWS 140 Litton Dr. # 210 Grass Valley, CA 95945

Do you want to hire but you are afraid of wasting time and money interviewing and hiring the wrong person?
In one hour you will design an automated, repeatable plan designed to weed out those you don’t want and find the people you do want. RSVP by contacting; Ruth Schwartz at 530 288- 0180 or ruth@highperformanceadvocates.com
Lunch is Free. Noon – 1:30 at RWS 140 Litton Dr. # 210 Grass Valley, CA 95945

Ruth is a certified business coach and facilitator of Business Peer Advisory Boards (The Alternative Board )and has held numerous workshops on such topics as Employees- Good to Great, Performance Expectations, Build a High Performing Team, and Employees Under the Age of 30

Tuesday Aug. 17    “Business Challenge Round Table”
What is your greatest business challenge? Come share your thoughts and learn what other local business owners are thinking about.