Office to Office

Business Success

Unlimited Wow – it’s January already. Where

has the time gone? I look back over the

past 365 days and wonder, what did I get

accomplished? But then I realize that I got

a whole lot accomplished. This, our first

newsletter of 2013, is all about SUCCESS:

what we have, what we want, and how to

go further.

First, as I’m sitting here in my new

office building, I look around and see all

the wonderful possibilities that await.

Thanks to the new location, we are going

to be able to start Phase 2 of operations –

the business incubator. SW Michigan is

known for its incubator programs. There is

the research and technology program

through Western Michigan University, the

new retailers incubator in downtown

Kalamazoo, and the food preparation

incubator. But, the largest number of small

businesses in this geographic area don’t

technically fit into any of those categories.

So, starting now, we will be accepting

applications for the BSU small business

incubator. The program will include office

space, use of office equipment and staff as

well as monthly meetings with a CPA, a

business coach, and other business

resources. Financials will be followed and

goals set for monthly review as we watch

the business grow through this hands-on

program. Interested? Call us for more

information.

We have been running a very

successful mastermind program for small

business owners for the last year (this is an

international group, with several members

being from Canada), and each person in

the group can testify to the fact that they

are growing and learning because they

have made contacts, built relationships,

and found new ideas to support their small

businesses. Now, as well, I have become a

Certified Mastermind Facilitator and am

running both online and on-site

mastermind programs. If you’re interested

in this program, call me at 269-221-2220

for more information.

A lot of our business is taking place in

the Michiana area (including South Bend,

Niles, Benton Harbor, etc.) In January we

will be kicking off our Entrepreneurial

Forums in South Bend when we talk about

Marketing on a Shoestring. This is a three

month program that includes networking,

round table discussions, and training

packages. At the end of the three month

program those who have attended all three

sessions receive a certificate of completion

and a badge for their websites, brochures

or wherever they want to put them.

There’s much more going on as well –

check out the calendar and the website for

upcoming events. As we all know, there is

a direct correlation between putting effort

into coming to events, being active on the

website, and moving up the success ladder

of your business. Hopefully, with that in

mind we’ll see you at upcoming events.

Remember, refer your friends and

colleagues – the more active we all are,

the better it is for us all!

Customer Service—How

is Yours?

2

The Dream Keeps

Rolling On

3

Marketing/Events

Internship

4

Tips and Tidbits 4

Are We Ready for

Success?

5

Hidden Opportunities 6

What the Heck is

Coworking?

7

Upcoming Events 8

Inside this issue:

AROUND THE WATERCOOLER

Office to Office

January 2013 Volume 20, No. 1

If you know me, you know

that I’m a stickler for

customer service – both

giving it and getting it. It

drives me crazy when I

walk into a business just

after the customer service

walked out the door. Now,

especially, there are so

many companies out there

that we really need to make

sure we offer the best we

can or our customers will

move on to the next, and

our business will be hurting.

A lot of it is really easy: a

quick “hi” when someone

walks in, “We’ll be right

with you” is good for

starters. Or, if you’re

answering the phone, take a

minute to put a smile on

your face (yes, this really

works), and then answer the

phone with a “good

morning, or good afternoon.

This is X,Y,Z company.

How may we help you

today?” If a person is a

repeat customer, greet them

by their name if at all possible.

Make them know that you care

that they are there.

Another way to make sure that

your customers know you

appreciate them is to send them

mail. When was the last time you

actually received something in the

mail besides bills? Emails are

great to get quick information out

to people, but getting a card –

especially a thank you card – is

something that just doesn’t get

done much any more. There’s a

great new service out there called

Send Out Cards. It’s a super way

to let your customers know you’re

thinking about them. While it is

done on the Internet, it comes (in

your signature) to their mailbox

and even has a real, honest to

goodness stamp attached. Several

of our members work with Send

Out Cards and will be happy to

talk with you about them. Talk to

Gail Turluck (Connective

Marketing and ViSalus – Body By

Vi on Facebook) for more

information about this great way to

connect with your customers.

and in the first few weeks I have

already made important contacts that

have resulted in the type of strategic

relationships that drive successful

businesses!”

Henri Johnson

Account Manager

Business to Business Products, LTD.

Business Success Unlimited provides

the building blocks needed to achieve

long-term profitable relationships. I

personally have received new

business along with acquiring

friendships that have proven to be an

integral part of my professional center

of influence, making membership a

strategic win-win alliance. I learn

something of value at each meeting

CUSTOMER SERVICE – How is yours?

It’s a Win-Win

Testimonials

Office to Office

With good customer service

you’re well on your way to

success and a higher level of

income

With it being the beginning of a

new year, one of the things most of

us do is set goals for the next -- at

least -- few months. But, I’m sure,

if you’re like me, after a few

weeks, our plans seem to fall by

the wayside and we’re right back

into the same old habits we have

been practicing. It is a “fact”

according to the Internet, that in

order to get a new behavior to

become a habit, it takes at least 30

days of practicing that behavior

over and over. Yet, for me, I tend

to get busy, to forget, to then

realize, “oh, darn. I haven’t done

this or that for a couple of days,”

and it starts all over again. So, here

are a few tips and ideas to help you

set your goals.

First of all, carefully think about

what you want to accomplish

during the next year or so, and

then move backwards. Think about

what can be accomplished in say

six months, or a month, or a week,

or daily. And then, WRITE THEM

DOWN. It is much easier to hold

yourself accountable

to these goals, if they

are written and “in

your face.” You need

to set your goals out

as SMART goals: S –

Specific; M –

Measurable; A –

Attainable; R –

Realistic; and T –

Timely. I even

include my daily To-

Do list, looking at

what things are

Important, what things are Urgent

(not necessarily the same as the

previous one), what things are Not

Important, and what things can be

discarded altogether. And, here’s

the most important part – as you

accomplish something, cross it off

the list (if at all possible, do it in

RED ink).

The same type of process needs to

be done with your longer term

goals. As an example, one goal I

have for 2013 is to finish my book,

Dream the Work,

Work the Dream. I

need to have that

completed by the first

of March. So, how do

I do that? I spend at

least 3 hours a day

working on it. The

first thing I need to do

is figure out what to

put into the book, and

how many chapters its

going to take. I need

to write an outline to

include everything that needs to go

into the content. I collect resources

to include; I need to actually write

the various chapters. Get the idea?

By my putting these all down, I

have a guideline to focus on, and a

trail to follow. I love the statement

“If you don’t know where you’re

going, any road will get you

there.” I don’t want to meander

through the woods, I need to

follow the road map, and it needs

to be clearly marked.

social media platform used by

marketers with 84% of social

marketers having some form of

presence there. If you’d like to know

more about how you can use Facebook

in your marketing arsenal, I’ve got

two sources for you: the first is the

Marketing On a Shoestring series of

events being held at National College

in South Bend in January, February

and March. Call Nancy at:

Social Media is the new way to

market your business, but many of us

don’t really understand what is

involved. Does someone really care

whether we had oatmeal for

breakfast? What about providing

information on sales, new products or

services? To me, giving people

something they find valuable is very

important. According to

MarketingSherpa, Facebook is the top

269-651-3555 for more info on that.

The second source is a wonderful

business called Your Business Needs

Fans and is run by Karen Bachert.

She is an expert at Facebook business

pages and will not only help you set

one up, but will provide you with

ideas on what to put on your posts,

how often and where. Karen’s email is

[email protected]

The Dreams Keep Rolling On

Great Marketing Potential!

Reach for the Sky!

Volume 20, No. 1

The chosen person will work with the Director to develop written materials, find venues to hold events, create topics and talk with potential speakers, draft letters, emails and other documents, set up, attendance and clean up on event day, post-event follow up, other duties as required.

Semesters needed: Fall, Spring and Summer

Hours per week: A minimum of 15 hours per week is required; scheduling is flexible.

Credit/Compensation: This is a non-paid internship, but there are many perks such as free parking, use of the cowork space for studying (FREE wi-fi, FREE coffee, and more), attendance at educational and networking events to market Business Success Unlimited, etc.

Desired skills and qualifications:

Major in Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Communications, or other business related areas Familiarity with Microsoft Office software Excellent verbal and written communications skills Ability to work independently

For more information, contact

Nancy Becher at 269-651-3555 or

[email protected]

Marketing/Events Internship

getting information necessary to

run your business. I highly

recommend both sites as well.

I think that reading business

material is also an excellent way to

increase your knowledge about the

newest and latest (as well as some

of the best well-known) ideas and

views. I highly recommend if you

only have time for a little reading,

that you focus on magazines like

INC. and Success. They are filled

with encouragement and the kind

of stories that show you that YOU

can do it too if you have the

perseverance, the passion and the

right circumstances. One book in

particular that I read recently is

called “The Risk Takers: 16 Top

Entrepreneurs Share Their

Strategies for Success”. It’s a

wonderful book about men and

women who have started

businesses such as Kinkos, and

Curves, and Geek Squad. All very

successful businesses that weren’t

always that successful. I think

every business person should look

this one over. In fact, we’re going

to be starting a book club in the

next couple of months – and that is

going to be the first book we read.

I encourage you to find

information out there that is

helpful and share it with others

who could use the knowledge

themselves. The more we share

and give to each other, the better

off we all are.

There are an overwhelming

number of places on the web that

toot their horns saying they’re here

to help with business questions

and concerns. Facebook, Twitter

and LinkedIn are ways of

connecting with other businesses,

Klout is also a similar website that

is worth taking a look at. And then

there are those sites that provide

useful information both from

article publishing and from posting

questions and answers. One of the

sites that I think is great is called

Idea Café

(businessownersideacafe.com).

Here you can find places to get

help on business plan writing,

grants, you can ask questions of

others, answer others’ questions,

and much, much more. It is

definitely, in my opinion, a great

place to hang out. SCORE and

SBA also have good websites for

Tips and Tidbits

Office to Office

Where do you go for resources and

business support?

Wasn’t there a TV show once

upon a time called “The

Comeback Kid”? Google says that

in the 1980s it was a show about a

mediocre ball player that got a new

start on life when he started

coaching high school kids. John

Ritter and Susan Dey (of the

Partridge Family) starred in it. I

don’t remember the show, but the

name seems to resound with many

people. There’s a Canadian band,

called The Comeback Kid, and

you can find many other iterations

of the term. Even a recent issue of

Success Magazine is all about a

comeback for businesses.

So many small business people

have worked so hard to keep their

heads above water (they’ve lost

their jobs, their homes, and are

living on a dream and a prayer

right now), hoping that the

economy is going to turn around in

the near future. Out of necessity or

resilience, people are starting

small businesses

everywhere; we just

need to get them off

the ground and

running. It is good for

them, for the

community and for

the economy.

Melissa Balmain

writes (Success

Magazine) about

bouncing back in her

April 2012 article. As

I sat there reading it, tears

streamed down my face. Even

though I’ve had a rough couple of

years, I have to thank God for all

His blessings. I am nowhere near

facing the situations of some of

these individuals who pulled

themselves together, took control

and moved ahead with their lives

and their businesses.

We all have our challenges in life

and in the business world. And to

us, I know, they are the biggest

and most important

issues – forget those

others. But I’ve

recently been doing a

lot of soul searching

and have found that

the grass really isn’t

all that much better on

the other side, but

when we work

together, we can get

the seeds planted and

the grass growing for

us all.

What are some ways to be more

resilient in your life and business?

Figure out what your core values

are and then set written, attainable

(but not too easily gotten) goals,

keep a journal and check back

with past writings periodically,

talk to your spouse or significant

other (or join a mastermind group)

about issues and decisions you’re

making, post affirmations around

your desk and read them daily.

Know that you can create any

environment/attitude that you want

– why not create a happy one.

Don’t let others bring you down:

smile at others, offer a kind word

to someone, listen when others

share (you don’t know what kind

of a day they’re having, why not

make it a bit better perhaps). And

most of all, thank God for all the

blessings He has bestowed on you

yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Are We Ready for Success?

Volume 20, No. 1

Want to get your name out to hundreds of businesses in the Michiana metropolitan area? Become an event sponsor for Business Success Unlimited. Your organization will be recognized on our website, in the newsletter, and in emails, as well as thanked at the events. You can bring your handouts to the events and have them displayed there, as well.

All this for the donation of $250, which helps cover fees, materials, and refreshments, while keeping the attendance fees low.

If you’d like to become a BSU Event Sponsor, please give us a call at 269-651-3555 or [email protected].

Caption describing picture or

graphic.

This came as a repost from a friend

on Myspace and there was no one's

name attached to give authorship to.

However, I think what it says is worth

reading and taking away ideas

from.... Enjoy. ------------------------------- I cringe when I hear people complain about limited opportunities in business. Opportunities in business and life are plenty when your awareness is high and you're looking in the right places. Where are you looking? How do you find hidden opportunities? Why is it some people seem to uncover the best opportunities and other never do? Answer. Because the ones who do understand if it appears on the surface to be a great opportunity, it's probably not. The best opportunities are the ones that are there the entire time, but not everyone sees them. Have you ever said I wish I had thought of that idea? The website YouTube came about as a result of wanting to satisfy a need. And it sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. How did the creators see that opportunity? If you think they're just "lucky," you're wrong. There's a discipline associated with finding the best opportunities. You need to understand how to discover the unknown and be ready to do the hard work to make it a success. Here are a couple of strategies to help you find hidden opportunities: Having keen awareness. Without looking away from your computer,

name five things that are green where you're sitting. Now, take a quick look around. Chances are you'll find several items that were there the entire time, but you weren't looking for them. Opportunities are no different. If you're not looking, you'll never find them. When you meet people, think about how you can help them. Discover ways to refer business to them. Introduce them to someone you know that can help them in some way. The lesson is simple. When your awareness is about finding ways to help others, opportunities show up. YouTube was created so people could share their home videos in an easy manner. The result was a $1.6 billion sale. They couldn't share their own videos online the way they wanted to and assumed others felt the same way. This awareness of a need uncovered an opportunity that turned into real money. The best part is, they weren't looking to be bought out; they were helping fill a gap on the Internet and the sale was the bonus for uncovering an opportunity that hadn't yet been discovered. Being ready to take action. When you uncover an opportunity you must do something about it. If not, it's a wasted chance. It's like knowing the winning lottery numbers, but being too busy to buy the ticket. An opportunity without action is nothing. When you find a hidden opportunity, will you be prepared to do something with it? You have to believe you can achieve and be willing and ready to take the right actions to make the opportunity a reality. Sometimes people are given a chance to make something happen and do nothing with it. They blow it because they

believe "showing up" is good enough. Take each opportunity you are given as the "chance of a lifetime." When you do, you will find your level of intensity will go up ten fold. That intensity will transfer into passion. And that passion will turn into success. Life is full of opportunities if you're willing take a closer look. Being aware is the first step to unlock those potentials. Everywhere you go you'll find potential customers, life-changing relationships, and opportunities waiting to be found. They could be right in front of you, but if you're not looking they don't exist. Don't worry about how crazy an opportunity may look. If you had been approached to invest your time and money into YouTube before it launched, would you have? Don't waste your time thinking about all of the opportunities you lost or missed. Instead, start focusing on all of the hidden opportunities around you right now. You can have everything you want and everything you deserve if you're willing and eager to find hidden opportunities.

Hidden Opportunities

Office to Office

Wikipedia tells us that “coworking

is a social gathering of a group of

people, who are still working

independently, but who share a

common working area as well as

the synergy that can happen from

working with talented people in

the same space. Coworking

facilities can range from shared

space in formal offices to social

areas such as a coffee shop.”

Coworking spaces are springing up

all over the world: from cities such

as New York and LA, throughout

Japan, the Middle East, and

various countries everywhere.

They are even coming to more

rural communities such as Three

Rivers, MI (just 25 miles south of

Kalamazoo, MI). The people using

these spaces are also widely varied

– often the more creative and/or IT

businesses find their way to these

spaces. But, in fact, anyone can –

and does – utilize cowork centers.

This is a picture of Citizen Space

in San Francisco, CA, one of the

foremost spaces in the US. For

companies such as this, there is

generally a waiting list for people

to become members. However, in

smaller, more rural locations, the

situation is somewhat more

complicated and needs to be

explained in more detail for

potential members to “get on

board”. Especially in the Midwest,

where the economy is still in flux,

people are not willing to step out

of their comfort area and try

something that might be new and/

or more edgy –

something they don’t

understand.

At least that is the

belief for many of

those who are trying

to open this industry

to the rural

communities of the

US. Since this

industry is really only

approximately 10

years old, there has

been little research done; and most

of what has been done, pertains to

the larger groups. However, the

link below does look at how a few

rural centers operate http://

www.deskmag.com/en/rural-way-

of-coworking-small-cities-186.

Coworking in Rural Michigan

Sturgis, MI is located in the

middle of farm country in a

community that knows best the

auto industry where the big

employer is American Axle.

However, with the economic

situation the way it is here, many

people have lost their jobs in the

last few years, and have started

their own entrepreneurial

endeavors in order to pay their

bills. According to records coming

out of Centreville (the county seat

of St. Joseph County) there are

between 15 and 25 businesses on

average each month who file for

DBAs (doing business as licenses).

Many of those businesses are

homebased, meaning that the

owners (the sole employee in

many cases) work out

of their homes (often

at a kitchen desk, in

the bedroom, or the

basement). They are

isolated and alone

with no one to talk to

throughout the day,

and no place to hold

meetings. In many

cases, these homes are

located outside of

town, and have

limited or no high

speed Internet access which makes

it difficult to conduct business.

They focus on the “work” of the

business (whatever it is they are

selling; ie, their particular widget)

and often know little about the

running of the business. They are

the technicians, not the owners.

They don’t have major

connections and they are not aware

of new marketing techniques and

tips. So, they open their doors and

sit and wait for business to come

their way. This would be the

perfect venue for a business owner

to look for support and guidance –

both in terms of business success

knowledge and a place to go to

create energy, productivity,

accountability and, yes, even fun.

If this sounds like something you

might be interested in, check out

Business Success Unlimited,

http://www.success4biz.biz.

What the Heck is Coworking?

This is a picture of Citizen

Space in San Francisco, CA

Volume 20, No. 1

701 Prairie Street

Sturgis, MI 49091

starting a business in this county. It

will be geared for the Hispanic popu-

lation, but if you’re in business al-

ready or thinking of it (but not part of

that community), come on down any-

way – a large number of our custom-

ers are Latino and it’s always good to

understand and network with those

from that community too!

Entrepreneurial Forums:We’re starting our Roundtables again this

January with guest speaker Kelly

Knutson of Launch LLC. She’ll be

talking with us about marketing on a

shoestring, and how important it is –

especially for the very small business-

es – to have a brand identity, and how

to create and maintain that identity.

Bodyguards in training. Actors, mu-sicians, politicians, and others. Want

to be part? Check out http://

www.thebodyguardacademy.com. Our Mentorship Project (members gain support, encouragement, and ad-vice essential to their success as entre-preneurs) will continue on January 2, 2013. The Group serves as an infor-mal Board of Directors or sounding board for your business and it meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month.

Interested in starting a small busi-

ness in St. Joe County, but not sure what you need to do first? We’re go-

ing to be starting a 6 week program

on the ins and outs, dos and don’ts of

The Bodyguard Academy is also host-

ing women’s self defense seminars

where you learn awareness and how

to use the things that you carry with

you on a regular basis. A book, a

magazine, your purse, keys, a water

bottle, etc. Did you know that only 6

pounds of force on the top of

someone’s foot will break the foot,

causing the attacker to stumble and let

you go. This and many more interest-

ing facts will be shared in these 2

hour personal protection programs.

Phone: 269-651-3555

Motivate - Collaborate --

SUCCEED

Upcoming Events

Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/bsuconnector

Our Linkedin connection is: http://www.linkedin.com/

And Twitter is:

Business Success

Unlimited

We’re on the web at:

http://

www.success4biz.biz

Office to Office

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