Members Step Forward

I want to recognize several members of our group who have stepped up and volunteered their expertise and services at no cost to enhance our ability to communicate with each other and enhance our image as leaders in the small business community.

                                                                                                                              

Mike Tolbert of Digerati has agreed to develop and host the Alliance web site. If you have any input to offer on what we want to say about ourselves, post your ideas on this blog or just call Mike.

We plan to film all our guest speakers and post a link to their presentations on the web site. Visitors can see what we’re working on or can catch up on a missed meeting. We also plan to tape a 3 minute video of each member to include information about their business and any thoughts they choose to express. Links to these interviews will also be posted on the website for access by visitors. Shannon Orebaugh of CWC/Digerati has offered to coordinate all video production, including providing necessary equipment. Shannon will also provide other audio visual equipment and expertise as we need it for presentations.

Jim Watson of Color Solutions has offered to provide color copy sheets of Member business cards which will be distributed to Members to be used for their reference or for referral purposes. Bring your business cards to the next meeting.

Also please refer to my video presentation at www.youtube.com/lokercpa where I describe a Holiday gift certificate exchange program that I think would be beneficial to most if not all of us.

Again, thanks for the offers to pitch in and make this adventure worthwhile.

New Meeting Hopefully was a Slam Dunk

We kicked off our new super-charged version of the Valley Small Business Alliance with 20 folks in attendance. After a short invocation, we took advantage of the $9 (tip included) breakfast at the Village Inn in Harrisonburg. The group dispersed itself and sat around 4 tables with 4/5 folks at a table where they worked at getting to know one another. Following the meal, Wayne welcomed the folks and stressed the objectives of the organization:

• Promote Small Business
• Exchange Ideas among Ourselves
• Promote & Support one another & all other small business people
• Be willing to give input and share ideas
• Give input on speakers you want to hear
• Speak out through local media
• Remain Non-political but rather be on one mind in support of small business
• Take a non-partisan stand but always be on the side of and a proponent of small business
• Have a good time doing all of the above


He also explained the duties that both of us would be responsible for:
• Securing Speakers – we will solicit your support
• Maintaining Blog – Dick to Explain
• Maintaining Contact Information and sending out notice


At that point, I pointed out the upcoming known speakers:
• December – Kenny Brooks, head girls basketball coach, JMU
• January – Helen Modly, Executive VP of Focus Wealth Management, Washington, DC, a monthly columnist for Morningstar and HorsesMouth.com as well as writer for WSJ, to talk about social networking
• Future Months – Emmett Hanger – Virginia State Senator
• Future Months—Randy Gilbert, Dr. Proactive, a guy in our back yard of Mt. Jackson who teaches you how you can become the “expert” in your trade or business through the use of the internet

Then in closing I spoke briefly about the blog and if you made it this far, you understood at least something I said. I also explained that our location will at the Village Inn until we outgrew it.

In talking with Wayne, he plans to update you guys on the some great news we have as we move forward. In the mean time, learn how to be interactive on this blog.  If you don't already have a Google profile, set one up.  Please post your thoughts!! Let us know how you think it went and ideas you may want to incorporate. We never intended this organization to be a dictatorship so please, post your comments!!!

Valley Small Business Alliance Kicks off in High Gear

As the interest in the Valley Small Business Allicance continues to grow, we have decided to kick the whole operation into high gear.  If you are presently a business "owner", consider this as a formal invitation to attend the Valley Small Business Alliance group that will meet the 2nd Wednesday of each and every month at 7:00AM. Our very first meeting under the new format will begin at 7:00AM, Wednesday, November 11th at the Village Inn on Route 11 South of Harrisonburg.  At this meeting, we will discuss the objectives of the group as well as introduce you to the web blog as a medium for the exchange of ideas.


This will be a very unique group of people in that they will all be small business owners in the area that will meet once a month, exchange ideas and network among themselves as well as to listen to a speaker that will focus on some area of small business. If you have not already been formally invited, consider this as your invitation.  All we ask is that you send an email to r.halterman@murphybusiness.com by the Monday preceeding that Wednesday's meeting.  By the way, the cost of your breakfast including gratuities will be $9.

At present, we have commitments from Kenny Brooks, JMU head basketball coach to speak about motivation at the December meeting, Helen Modly, a world known financial planner and writer for the Wall Street Journal as well as Forbes, etc. and Emmett Hanger will be joining us as a speaker in April.  We also invite you to turn in names to Wayne and I as possible speakers.


We look forward to seeing you there and feel sure you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.