January 2009 Newsletter

You can download the full version in PDF: nawbonm-news-2009-1.pdf (PDF; 456KB)

The President’s Corner – Barbara Dawson
Luncheon Program – Finding Your Identity
Topic of the Month – How to Survive The Doldrums
Upcoming Newsletter Topics
Platinum Profile – D.J. Heckes
Can People Find You?
Did You Know…
Three NAWBO Satellite Breakfast Meetings
Corporate Sponsors and Platinum Members

The President’s Corner – Barbara Dawson

Hello Fellow NAWBO sisters,

I wish you all a happy and prosperous new year!

Warm Regards,
Barbara

Barbara Dawson
President 2008-20009
Northern New Mexico NAWBO
505-897-3773
email Barbara

Luncheon Program – Finding Your Identity

Experience the excitement as individuals, teams and organizations come to understand the authentic value they possess as professionals, the unique attributes that define their company, and the real benefits that their products and services offer in contributing to the continued success of clients, prospects, business associates and peers.

Joe Merlino is the president and founder of Emergent Educational Services, a New Mexico based education, consulting and training firm that focuses on providing leading edge learning programs in the fields of sales, business development, management effectiveness, personal leadership and professional growth. Joe started his career in 1987 after graduating magna cum laude from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. He subsequently worked in sales, management and executive roles with national manufacturers and resellers in highly competitive technology and software development industries. His principals for success derive from clarity of purpose, adherence to sales process, measurable best practices, an integrated approach to personal skill development, and the transformation of content into practical application for reaching and exceeding individual and team objectives.

Meeting Sponsor

Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico will be our meeting sponsor this month.

Hospitality Sponsor

*We are still looking for Hospitality Sponsors! If you are interested, please email Katree Edmonds.

Spotlight Tables

*Spotlight tables are still open! If you are interested, please email Lisa Obeji.

Advance Reservations Required by 5:00 pm on Friday, January 16. You must make your reservation online or by email.

Please RSVP online. You will then have the option to continue online and pay in advance.
You can also email Elizabeth Lucero and pay at the door with cash, check, MasterCard, Visa or Discover
To cancel a reservation, please email Elizabeth Lucero
Meeting Cost: $32 members – $38 non-members
RSVPs received after the deadline will incur an additional $5 fee.
Cancellations after the deadline and “No Shows” will be invoiced.

Menu Options

Salad: Greens-Pasta-Fruit
Regular Entreé: Herb Roasted Boneless Chicken & Roasted Pork Loin
Vegetarian Entreé: Roasted Veggies & Pasta
Dessert: Assorted

Topic of the Month – How To Survive The Doldrums

Tidbits on Surviving the Doldrums

Andrea Carvey
DrumFire
Email Andrea

So there you are: everything’s going great. The wind is in your sails and your business is cruising along nicely. (Let’s keep with the nautical analogy.) Then, gradually it dawns on you that the wind has died down a bit. “Oh, it’ll pick up soon,” you say. But no: it slackens even more, bit by bit, until the sails are clinging to the mast like wet T.P. on a tree.

Or another scenario: your business is cruising along nicely, when BLAM! You run right into a whole lot of nothin’: no wind, no breeze, not even a puff. It just…stopped.

You’ve hit the doldrums.

Yikes! Just when you were counting on that bit of extra income. For many businesses, the beginning of the year is doldrums season and they can expect a certain decline in revenue. What do you do? (Besides resorting to piracy…Arrgh.)

A few NAWBO-NNM members have some tidbits to share regarding what you can do to prevent the doldrums from sinking your business, and instead turn it into a positive experience.

With just one year in business under her belt but doing what she loves – celebrating personal style – Barbara Neulight of The Art of Redesign has already experienced the doldrums. She suggests that you spend this ‘free’ time wisely: network, network, network.

Cheryl Ryder (Performance Hair Craft in Los Lunas) has found that summer is the doldrums season for hair care. She says that’s the time to get out and meet new people. To do that, you have to get out of your routine and try something new. Take a different path to work or shop at a different store. Go where people are in a positive environment (not a bar) and where they are spending money. Start up conversations; ask questions about anything. The person you talk to may not become a client, but may connect you with a future client. In other words: network, network, network.

Hedy Harwell, real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Legacy, has been challenged not only by the economy, but – more seriously – with her husband’s illness. Her advice is to just keep going and to prioritize your responsibilities. She highly recommends going to the movies! We all send you and your husband strength and prayers, Hedy.

As for myself (Andrea Carvey) I must always learn something on the fly during a project. As a freelance 3D animator/artist, it’s feast or famine. I can have extended periods of time without any projects at all; but they make up for the times when I am juggling three or four projects at once. I try to use those precious empty moments to learn something. It might be a new or updated program, or how to design a website. Now if I could only anticipate what I should be learning for the next project…

There: I hope we have given you an auxiliary motor to power your business out of the doldrums and back into the wind. Or at least a paddle.

Build relationships during a downturn

Amy Zampella
Heartline Wellness Center, Inc
Email Amy

Amy recommends this article she found – Build Relationships during a Downturn

New Year – New Challenges – New Opportunities

Mary Bresnahan
Email Mary

As we begin the new year it is time to assess our businesses and make adjustments. With the current economic climate it is more important than ever to plan what can be done to ensure survival and prosperity until things improve in the marketplace.

As I thought about this in relation to the NAWBO Advisory Board I kept turning to “SWOT.” What a perfect tool for planning and reassessing, for gaining input from perspectives that are outside of your own four walls.

What is a SWOT? The letters stand for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats. When we are a small business or a sole proprietor we don’t often get ideas or input that is “outside of our box.” External input can be very valuable and can stimulate your own creative thinking. Some of you may belong to a Mastermind group and feel it fulfills this need. It may or it may not. You usually have to share your time with the other members; sometimes it does not get into the depth that is needed; some members may not be able to supply the analytical thinking you need.

NAWBO’s Advisory Board is a free service provided to members. You have a 2-hour session with a small group, usually three or four, of fellow business owners with a focus solely on you and your business issue. The session is entirely confidential. All you have to do is notify Mary Bresnahan and complete a short application. Mary will set up an agreed time (the place is usually at your business), clarify expectations, answer any questions and coordinate with members of the Advisory Board.

Wouldn’t you like to take advantage of the opportunity to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that face your business? Now is a time to be bold! It isn’t a time to sit back & do the same old thing. To schedule a session, contact Mary Bresnahan at 505-922-1973 or via email.

Upcoming Newsletter Topics

In February, our topic will be “Using Technology in Marketing”. Unless you’ve spent the last several years hiding in a cave on Neptune (are there caves on Neptune?) you’ve noticed that the marketing industry has embraced technology. And unless you’re content to remain in the 19th Century in marketing your business, technology in marketing is an issue that you need to pay attention to. We know that some of our members use technology in their marketing to great effect. We are sure that some of our members could benefit from using technology in their marketing, and that some could make better use of it. If you have tips or recommendations, or questions or problems, please email Andrea, who will compile next month’s articles on “Using Technology in Marketing”, or Cassandra.

In March, our topic will be “Preparing Yourself and Your Business for Tax Day”. True, by March it’s a bit late to have any effect on your taxes. But we’ll try to compile some advice, techniques, resources (or at least some sympathetic ears) to help you get past April 15 with a whole skin, with mind and soul intact. Again Andrea, our intrepid reporter, will glean NAWBO-NNM members’ wide array of business knowledge and survival wisdom. If you have wisdom to share, please please email Andrea, who will compile March’s articles on “Preparing Yourself and Your Business for Tax Day”, or Cassandra.

Platinum Profile – DJ Heckes, CEO, Exhib-It! Tradeshow Marketing Experts

by Andrea Carvey

Next month, DJ will begin celebrating the 10th anniversary of EXHIB-IT! After many years in the industry, she was fortunate to buy out a part of the company she worked for and opened up her own company based here in Albuquerque. She has worked steadily in this industry, setting herself up to become the expert she is today. DJ has the best of both worlds, being able to enjoy her kids and work in an industry she has so much passion for: marketing and sales. Over ten years, she has grown the business from one employee to ten; and, in the last three years alone, she increased productivity 138%: quite a feat. She attributes that increase – despite the current economic situation – to having developed EMyth Systems and Processes through training modules for the various tasks and procedures, and diversified her business by holding seminars and training sessions. In fact, on the first Tuesday of each month, EXHIB-IT! sponsors a free Marketing Seminar from 9-10:30 am, featuring speakers on various aspects of marketing. In addition, DJ is in demand as a public speaker herself.

DJ considers among her best achievements having built a strong, sustaining business with a good reputation, and employees who like their jobs. The most satisfying aspect of her business is mentoring and developing leaders. In 2007, she was named New Mexico Small Business Person of the Year, and has been a mentor and council member for WBE. She mentors 20 Chapter American Marketing Association Presidents across the USA as part of her volunteer work on the Professional Chapter Council for AMA.

A NAWBO member for several years, DJ loves being a part of Albuquerque’s chapter and considers it one of the better NAWBO organizations in the region. Rather than thinking of her membership as an opportunity to make sales, she values being part of a mastermind group, the integrity, ethics, and availability of NAWBO members, and the people whom she has grown to know, like and trust, as NAWBO’s most beneficial features.

DJ feels that Albuquerque is a good place for business, made even more so because she has been a hot air balloon pilot for many years. Wow! Then there is soccer with a team of 20-something-year-olds! Wow again.

Albuquerque and NAWBO are fortunate to enjoy the support and contributions of such a dynamic and inspiring individual. Thank you, DJ.

Can People Find You?
Have you updated your contact information lately? You’d never let your Yellow Pages ad show incorrect contact information; but how about your information in the NAWBO-NNM member directory?

NAWBO-NNM creates our member directory from the information you enter in the NAWBO national site.

You may have seen an email from NAWBO national about their recent website overhaul. Now would be a good time to check it out, and update your profile information at the same time. Just go to the NAWBO website and complete the Member Login at the top left side of the home screen. If you’ve forgotten your password, there’s a quick link right there and they’ll email it promptly. Your profile will pop up on the screen as soon as you login.

Did You Know…

Did you know…as a NAWBO member you have access to a list of resources on the chapter’s website? Click on the Resources tab in the purple bar to review a list of helpful categories for every stage of business. If your business is slower this time of year, consider some entrepreneurial training, or business development education.
And if you know of any resources that might be of interest to other members, please send ideas to Amy Zampella.

Three NAWBO Satellite Breakfast Meetings

Establish relationships, network, share business building tips in an intimate casual NAWBO group, and experience the added benefit of being part of a powerful group of New Mexico business owners.

NAWBO-NNM NORTHWEST Satellite

Breakfast Meeting
the FIRST Wednesday of every month
Where: WESST Corp Facility in Rio Rancho
For information please contact Lorie Guthrie at 892-1238

NAWBO-NNM UPTOWN Satellite

Breakfast Meeting
the SECOND Wednesday of every month
Where: Le Peep Restaurant
For information please contact Roz Dufour by email or phone 880-0400

NAWBO-NNM SANTA FE Satellite

Breakfast Meeting
The SECOND Tuesday of every month
Where: Zia Diner in Santa Fe
For information please contact Susanne Kennedy by email or call 505-820-6342.

Corporate Sponsors and Platinum Members

We extend special thanks to our chapter Corporate Partners

They look forward to working with our members. Click on a company logo to visit the web site in a new window or click on a name to send an email.

NAWBO-NNM CORPORATE PARTNERS: DIAMOND

Jobing.com exists with one key mission: to connect local employers and local job seekers. It’s that simple. Our company was founded by a human resources professional who believes passionately that HR is the driving force behind the success of every business and that finding and keeping great talent is the key to that success. Randy Richardson, General Manager, 505-440-6351

NAWBO-NNM CORPORATE PARTNER: SILVER

We are a full service regional financial services company with a strong focus on a superior level of customer service. We provide a range of services for commercial banking, retail and business banking, and consumer finance. Bank of the West is big enough to help and small enough to care. Please contact Leslie Quade, 505-271-9770

NAWBO-NNM CORPORATE PARTNERS: COPPER