The South Council Business Blog

5-Minute Networking PWC & South Council March 20th

2008-02-25T16:30:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone! I want you bloggers to have first dibbs on an exclusive event coming up Thursday March 20th.

It's a 5-Minute Networking between 20 members of the PWC and 20 members of the South Council! This will be held at Tidbit's on Hendricks Avenue from 7am to 9am-ish.

Please RSVP to me at kivey@ssav.net or Melanie White at mwhite@landrumprofessional.com. The first 20 people from each council will get the open slots!!!

Best regards,

Katie Ivey
Sight & Sound Productions
Office: (904) 645-7880 x.300
www.ssav.net
Celebrating 20 Years of Audio-Visual Excellence!

Post from Heather Sams

2008-02-13T13:27:00.001-05:00

Attention all South Council members - We have a great opportunity for you to serve your South Council. Register at the next South Council meeting (2/27) to work at our EXPO BOOTH during this year's Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Expo. Slots are filling up fast so don't hesitate. Register today with Chris Kennelly of Kennetic Productions or Heather Sams with Fogle Fine Art. Only South Council members are eligible.

Post From Melanie White

2008-02-13T13:24:00.001-05:00

Chamber Council meetings in general, and South Council meetings especially, are held on a frequent, recurring basis to afford members ample opportunities to build relationships and continuously identify new opportunities over time. South Council members know firsthand how action packed and activity driven the regular meetings are and hate to ever miss them--but it happens from time to time.
South Council has an answer for that! Based largely on member feedback accumulated over time, South Council got serious about creating alternative networking and this became the work of the Social Committee. In 2007 this committee orchestrated many after hours and morning networking events (as well as the Council's board retreat) to supplement the regularly scheduled meetings and there are even more ambitious plans for 2008. These "alternative" events offer some variety for members with different preferences as well as addressing the "lost opportunity" of missing a regular meeting. Currently there are THREE "after hours" events in development to be held in the first half of 2008 and TWO morning events--the first being Power Counciling on March 20th in partnership with the Professional Women's Council--but more on that elsewhere! The other morning event will be hosted by one of our very own board members (details forthcoming also!) and it's important that all members know that as a perk of membership, you too can host a morning event (evening too, actually, but morning is VERY easy to orchestrate and afford!) Visit this website often for up to date details on the fantastic get togethers South Council has in store in the coming months!

Blogging

2008-02-05T16:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!

Activity is picking up on the blog! Let's keep it up!

If there is any post you would like to comment on, please just click "view with comments" at the end of the post, then click "comment". Easy as pie! We are all looking forward to hearing your thoughts on all things South Council and beyond.

Have a great day!

-c

p.s. Thanks to everyone for their support on my nomination for Small Business Leader of the Year. Although I was not victorious, it was an amazing experience and one that leaves me changed forever personally and professionally. South Council Rules!!!

Why get involved ?

2008-01-18T16:23:00.000-05:00

Dear South Council.

I just wanted to take a second and wish everyone a great 2008!! The way you will get more out of the south council is by putting more into it. A suggestion is to get involved with helping at our regular meeting and/or getting involved in one of our committes. Some of the committees do not require alot of your time. But when more people help out with a little of their time -- it adds up. And its a great way to get to know other members of our group. So everyone have a great 2008 and see you on Tuesday.

Mark

"Writng Can Change Your Life...CSI Miami Won't"

2008-01-14T10:49:00.000-05:00

I know, I know..."you just don't have the time to write that report or long email".

You have a long "to do" list, not enough time and you are freaking out...Time is just

not on your side!!!

I have a confession. I struggle with the same things.

However, I found some proven tactics that can really help us sit down and write.

1)Identify when you are best able to crank out writing. It's early morning for me,
between 6:00-8:30 AM. I know I'm in the "zone" then and can easily write my
reports, ebooks, etc. When I'm outside those hours, it's tough for me to write a
couple of paragraphs.

2)When you are in the "zone", ONLY write. If you are like me, you would rather make
phone calls, respond to emails...get in the habit of only writing during those times.
Let your clients know those times are reserved for writing...they usually won't call
during those times.

3)How to stay focused on writing. You and I know that there are times when you will
get dragged out of the writing "zone". Here are some of the things that I do:

a) Shut down my email...I usually read my email later in the day.

b)Turn off the phones...I have calls go directly to voicemail, including the mobile
phone.

c)Shut down the internet. This is tough for me, but I know if I don't shut it down
I'm sunk(too much info on the web for my curious mind to ignore). By shutting
it down I eliminate the temptation.

d)If you have an office, shut the door and hang a Do Not Disturb sign. If you
work in a cubicle, have a "neighbor" deflect the traffic.

e)Use music...it will help you focus and drowns out the background noise. I've
been told that some classical music actually stimulates creative brainwaves.
Use your ipod.

4)How to Accomplish More Writing.
The first tip I have is to write free flow. This means to just get the words down
and worry about how they sound later. I use a pen, since you can't erase ink, I don't
slow down and worry about spelling and grammar.

Set a writing goal while you are in the writing "zone". One or two pages might be
a good, easy objective for most documents. It seems to make writing easier when
you have clear writing deliverable...especially one you have chosen.

5)Celebrate when you get the writing done. Rent a movie, go to Starbucks for one of their
concoctions, etc...make yourself feel good about your accomplishment.

Post From Past President, John Bryan

2008-01-11T10:12:00.000-05:00

It’s business plan time again, sort of. A lot of us created a business plan last year and much like our new year’s resolutions, nothing ever came of it.

The top reasons for not following a business plan are 1) the format was beautiful but much too cumbersome to use, 2) it was based on garbage assumptions that we never really believed so the plan was useless, 3) the goals were so vague that I probably achieved them without the plan, 4) I set the goals so high I knew I’d never reach them no matter what I did, 5) a consultant did the plan and I have no idea what’s in it, 6) the goals were so low we’ll make them by March so why bother working with the plan, 7) some key employees quit and I can’t do the plan until I hire more people, 8) I always wait until the end of the year and then set my goals equal to what I achieved, 9) the plan is on my desk somewhere but I can’t find it, and 10) I don’t believe in business plans because improvising is the best thing for small businesses.

There are great ways you can create a business plan that will be simple to write and use, focused on just a few critical parts of your business, based on good input, and with a few measurements so you know how well you are achieving your goals and succeeding in your business.

Solicitation of bids

2008-01-10T15:36:00.000-05:00

Hello all,

The marketing committee is requesting bids for two items:

1) A South Council Banner to be used at all South Council events. Pretty big.

2) A South Council Dry-Erase Board to be hung on the podium at Carrabba's. It would permanately have the South Council information, but also possess an area where we can write about upcoming events w/ Dry-Erase.

Thanks, Members!

New Year Starts of with a Bang!

2008-01-09T10:05:00.000-05:00

Hello! I hope everyone had a Happy and Healthy New Year. Now...it's time to get down to business.

The South Council began the New Year with a bang, yesterday at Carrabba's. What a great meeting! The place was packed, business cards were passed and the program was top notch. It was great to see all the ideas being formulated for our guest speakers throughout the year. Sounds like the South Council is in for another record-breaking year!

A new initiative was also announced by our new President, Joe Lemire. We are now offering scholarships to the membership to join other councils. Cross-counciling! What a great way to strengthen the Councils.

Anyway, that's it for today...remember the MLK breakfast Friday at the Prime Osborn Center!

Business After Hours

2007-12-05T11:44:00.000-05:00

Remember to join us at the Business After Hours, tomorrow, December 6th at KB Homes.

KB's address is 11112-34 San Jose Blvd
Jacksonville, FL 32223

The event is from 5:00-7:30 and costs $5 or an unwrapped toy at the door.

Business after hours is a GREAT opportunity to network with your peers in an environment that is a little more relaxed. Loosen the tie and come on out!

You can register with Jenny at events@myjaxchamber.com, or 366.6604

See you there!

Another Successful Meeting

2007-11-27T16:07:00.000-05:00

What a great turnout for our Second to Last Meeting of 2007. We had about 90 attendees and I saw a bunch of hands pop up when we asked for new members to be recognized. It is a pleasure to be a part of such a dynamic and fun group of business people.

Thanks to Sam Taylor for a great presentation. Some of those stories were definite eyebrow raisers.

Our next meeting is December 11th, and it is the final one of the year! Make sure you drop by and get in some great networking before the holidays.

Also, the Spotlight Speaker sheet will be available for signup at the December 11th meeting.

Military Luncheon

2007-11-09T10:08:00.001-05:00

Don't forget that next Tuesday, November 13th, our meeting has been canceled in preference to the Military Luncheon.

Copy the below link to your web browser to see the event details.

http://www.myjaxchamber.com/events.asp?id=11&eventsid=1737

The miliary luncheon is a great way to show your support for all our military personnel, who truly deserve all we can offer. Come out, have a nice lunch and listen to the words of Rear Admiral Michael Vitale, U.S. Navy.

Any questions? Blog 'em!

10/9 Meeting

2007-10-09T16:27:00.001-04:00

What a great meeting today for the South Council. Special thanks to Donna Bavier of Brightway Insurance for filling in as the Spotlight Speaker and to Gwen Burch of Human Architeture, Inc. for facilitating our networking meeting for the quarter.

I think Gwen's presentation was excellent. Sometimes, it takes an outside source to force us to examine the simplest aspects of our business. We get so wrapped up in the day to day grinding out of a living, that we forget to step back, relax and examine things like "who is our best customer?" "what is a good referral for me?" "do my business associates know exactly what i do?"

You'd be surprised how many people may not know exactly what you do. And you know they want to refer you business!

See you all at MOCA next Wednesday! (the 17th)

Chamber & Eggs

2007-10-02T10:30:00.000-04:00

What a great event today downtown. Many people, lets say about 60? Braved the weather to come out to Chamber & Eggs bright and early at 8am!

Chamber & Eggs, for those of you who have not attended, is a New Member Orientation where all the offerings of the Chamber are described. It isn't just for new members, though. Seasoned vets also get a lot out of it by getting their names in front of a lot of new members and also serving as a Chamber Resource.

One great tool you get to take home with you is a photocopy of everyone's business card that attends. If you don't have time to meet a target client at the event, give them a call!

Oh, and the bacon was DELICIOUS.

Craig McColskey

2007-10-01T17:15:00.000-04:00

Chris thanks for setting up this new blog....I feel so high tech. I just wanted to post a message on the blog about the Military Luncheon to be held on November 13th. I believe this will be a great event for those that would like to attend. Just a reminder, the South Council has purchased a table for the luncheon (10 seats). After my annoucement at the last meeting I was approached by only one person to volunteer and attend the luncheon. Al Bagocius, retired Military and member of the South Council, has volunteered and will be joining us at the Military Luncheon.

If anyone is interested in attending or has a family member/friend that is currently in the military ...please contact me at 904-899-8030. We are looking to invite South Council members that are also in the military or retired military. Or if you would just like to volunteer to help during the luncheon please let me know.

Thank you, and you can call me Craig "Customers Never Leave" McColskey!!!!

Great Event

2007-09-28T10:14:00.001-04:00

Thank you to Brooks Health & Fitness for a wonderful event last night. It was very well attended with some great food!

Business After Hours is such a great opportunity to do some networking with your hair down. It is also attended by a variety of business people that you may not catch at your normal council meeting. It is an event that gets marked on many calendars.

If you were there, I hope you had a great time, if not, I hope to see you at the next one!

Business After Hours

2007-09-27T13:07:00.001-04:00

Everyone, there is a Business After Hours at Brooks Health & Fitness tonight from 5:30 to 7:30. Brooks is located in the area of JTB and Gate Parkway at 10423 Centurion Pkwy N.

$5 at the door for members, $25 at the door for non-members.

Business After Hours is a great opportunity to meet many different business partners in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Walk around, mingle and meet some new friends.

See you there!

Click on the Business After Hours Header for more information.

Welcome to the South Council Business Blog

2007-09-26T16:26:00.000-04:00

On September 25th, 2007, Bob Myers from the UNF Small Business Development Center came and talked to the South Council about Business Blogging. He said it was easy. He was right.

I just went to blogger.com and created the blog you see before you in about 10 minutes. It was much easier than thinking of something creative to say in my 15 second introduction at the South Council! Congrats to Craig, by the way, for using "CNL Bank stands for Customers Never Leave". I liked it.

Anyway, I'm creating this blog as Co-Chair of the Marketing Committee of the South Council. It's intention is to get people chatting about business, networking, current events and anything that gets our business community talking. 2 meetings a month is great, but a blog is 24-7, 365.

I'll serve as moderator, but anyone can post comments and get conversations rolling. Please, no shameless plugs like "you know, that speaker was great today. Speaking of brand new cars, as President of Bob's Trucking, Inc. we provide custom brakes and shocks for any customer...need to refinance your car? We do that too."

It is the goal of the South Council Business Blog to become a resource for any person, in any industry and any pay grade. Join in...don't be shy!

-c