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October 2015 Newsletter
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Website redevelopment is a step toward achieving the RPCN vision
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By David Powe, RPCN President 
Our website, rochesterconsultants.org,
is perhaps the most visible representation of RPCN to our many and
varied audiences. Prospective and practicing consultants check us out
there. Businesses in need of consultants may land there in search of
help for their projects. Our alliance partners may direct their
constituencies to our site. The board and committees use it to
disseminate information about our activities. And, of course, our
members use it as a primary place for getting information and
interacting with RPCN.
Because there are so many stakeholders, our
website is one of our most valuable assets. With that in mind, we have
made redevelopment of our website our #1 priority this year. Starting in
October, we will work with a development partner to modernize the look
and feel of our website, add needed functionality, and make sure the
message of our vision and values is clear to every visitor who lands on
our page. Navigation and usability will be improved, information will be
easier to find and we will make it easier to interact with the
organization online.
The challenge is an ambitious one for a
non-profit of our size, but the board and I believe it is a necessary
step in reaching our vision of being a premier resource for all of our
stakeholders.
We could not have reached this point without the contributions of many of our members. However, Michael Van der Gaag and Sandy Glanton
have volunteered a tremendous amount of effort and energy to prepare a
bid package and find a capable partner. Please thank them when you see
them.
There is still a lot to do as we make this
upgrade a reality. If you have the skills and time to help with this
project, please speak to Michael, Sandy or one of the officers about how
you can get involved.
Taking on this project is clear evidence of the strength of our organization. Be proud!
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Consulting is a path to loving her work for Mary Sperr
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By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
For RPCN member Mary Sperr, consulting has been a path to doing what she loves and loving what she does. Sperr is co-president and co-owner of Blue Dog Marketing with fellow RPCN member Laurie Enos.
They launched the company in 2012 and provide “a full range of
marketing services, from logo design to brochures, from website design
to ghostwriting blogs, from event planning to PR services,” Sperr said.
Before going into consulting, Sperr worked as a
marketing director and in business development at engineering companies
and as an account manager in the grocery food business. Consulting was
attractive because of the flexibility it offered, along with the
opportunities for doing work “in areas that I enjoy, like providing a
new brochure design for a client and having them love it.”
Sperr and Enos had known each other for about
20 years before deciding to create their consulting company together.
“We complement each other, which helps us round out our services,” she
said. “It also means we can take on bigger projects and clients than we
could handle on our own.”
Before launching the business, they took a
course on small business offered by the Small Business Development
Council and Monroe County. “It gave us places to seek more information
and we came away with a lot of great ideas and information to start our
business,” said Sperr.
Among the resources that Sperr has found most
useful in launching, maintaining and expanding her consulting business
have been attending many networking events and joining networking
groups. “Our membership in the RPCN has helped the most. We have met
many consultants willing to share their experiences and help others.
We’ve been fortunate that a few RPCN members have become our clients.”
To read the rest of the article – including
the skills she finds helpful for becoming a consultant and the value of
having a business partner – visit this page on the RPCN website.
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Making your business better
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“People
often lack confidence because they can’t pinpoint what they do well.”
Read more tips on gaining confidence in your business in Angella Luyk's
blog post Not Feeling Confident? Here Are a Few Things to Think About.
Do you treat your people with respect? Having
high expectations of your people can actually raise their performance,
according to Beth Sears in her Democrat and Chronicle Nextpert column, Managers’ Expectations, Respect Are Key.
“You might think of LinkedIn as simply a kind
of digital Rolodex—a place to park your résumé and perhaps network a
bit. But it’s also a rich tool for generating business.” Read more in
the Entrepreneur magazine article on 5 Ways to Generate Business Through LinkedIn.
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The Failure Sessions
Hear from some of our region’s most successful
entrepreneurs about how failure and success are natural partners. These
brave individuals will reveal honest accounts of standing face-to-face
with failure, and coming out on the other side. They will talk about how
it affected them professionally, financially and emotionally. Presented
by the Entrepreneurial SIG of Digital Rochester. Tuesday, October 13,
2015; 6:00 PM; The Penthouse at One East Avenue. For more information, visit the Digital Rochester website.
Simplified Social Media: Being Active, Helpful & Consistent on Social Media
SCORE presents a five-session series focusing
on social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and blogging.
During each session, participants will create a content calendar,
optimize their profile, be active on the platform (bringing laptops is
encouraged), have an opportunity to ask for help in a specific area of
that platform, and learn and implement best practices for each social
media site. Each session is focused on one social media platform.
Five Saturday mornings, October 3-31; 9:00 AM -
Noon; Rochester Business Alliance (RBA), 150 State Street 3rd Floor -
Room 301, Rochester. Visit the SCORE website for more information.
Ruth Thaler-Carter presents website, writing and editing workshops
RPCN member Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
is teaching classes at Writers and Books in Rochester this month on
websites (October 6), grammar (October 10), freelance writing (October
15), and editing and proofreading basics (October 20). View details on the WAB website.
Thaler-Carter is also presenting webinars for the Editorial Freelancers
Association (EFA) on freelancing (October 27), websites (November 12),
and editing and proofreading basics (November 23). Find out more at the EFA website.
Michael Van der Gaag selected as TEN coach
The 19th session of The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN) program starts on October 1. RPCN’s own Michael Van der Gaag,
past RPCN president and owner of Beyond the Interface, has been
accepted as one of the business coaches to help participants achieve
their goals. Given Michael’s focus on usability and discovery, he will
be helping his mentees identify, engage with and understand their
customer’s needs, wants and motivations. TEN is a members-only program
for the best entrepreneurs selected from a pool of applicants. They
selected 15 participants this year. Visit the TEN website for more information.
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We want you!
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The
RPCN newsletter welcomes news, success stories, tips, resources, events
and other items that would be of broad interest to consultants. Submit a
newsletter item by email to the Communication Committee. RPCN members also may write articles for our website; submit articles here. In the newsletter, we'll highlight submitted articles aimed at helping consultants make their businesses better.
If you have newsletter questions or
suggestions, or ideas for how RPCN could improve communications, contact
the Communication Committee:
Janice Hanson, Chair
Barbara Moore
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
Steve Royal
Sheryl Rhodes
Please send articles for the November newsletter by October 15.
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Upcoming events
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Please note that RPCN’s second and fourth Friday meetings will be at NeighborWorks through December.
Technical Forum
Facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, October 2, 2015
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library
An
informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of any technical issues
that consultants encounter in running their businesses, including
computers, the Internet and phones. Wondering what kind of questions
people are asking? Click here for a list from recent forums.
A Taste of Emotional Intelligence AT WORK™
Presented by Marty Ness and Barb Glassman
Friday, October 9, 2015
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
NeighborWorks, 570 South Avenue, Rochester, NY
This presentation will revitalize and
reinforce your innate passion and drive. Explore the often-untapped
emotional component of effective professional relationships. Learn tools
and techniques to stay grounded and focused in even the most
challenging situations. Translate your passion for business into greater
effectiveness, productivity and success.
Here is a short video in which Ness and Glassman describe their presentation.
Business Forum
Facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, October 16, 2015
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library
An
informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of issues regarding
starting or running a consulting business. Wondering what kind of
questions people are asking? Click here for a list from recent forums.
RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, October 16, 2015
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pittsford Community Library
RPCN’s monthly board meeting begins at
approximately 10:00 AM, after the Business Forum. Everyone is welcome to
attend, but only board members may vote.
Health Insurance 2016 Open Enrollment: What Small Businesses Need to Know
Presented by Jane Ahrens
Friday, October 23, 2015
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
NeighborWorks, 570 South Avenue, Rochester, NY
Open enrollment brings rate hikes, plan
changes and confusion. Should you enroll direct or use the marketplace?
What are some tips to save money? What is an HSA? These are some of the
topics to be discussed during this presentation.
Here is a short video in which Ahrens describes her presentation.
RPCN “Surprise Thursday” Social
Thursday, October 29, 2015
6:00 PM
Location TBD
There is no RPCN meeting on Friday, October
30, the fifth Friday of the month, so if you are beside yourself for
what to do, or want to get to know your RPCN colleagues in a more
informal setting, come to this social gathering (location TBD). Cost is
$5, with appetizers provided; cash bar. Bring friends, colleagues or
clients.
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