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Ruth Balkin blends high tech and soft touch in research
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By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, RPCN Communication Committee
 RPCN librarian and long-time member Ruth G. Balkin has been a consultant almost from the very beginning of her work life. She did work briefly as a secretary in a law firm and spent a year-and-a-half with the Job Information Center at Rochester’s Rundell Library, but she says that being a consultant comes naturally. “I’ve been tutoring French for money since I was a child,” Balkin said. “When I was a kid, I didn’t play house – I played school or office. I was destined to be an entrepreneur.”
Balkin is the founder and CEO of Balkin Information Services in Irondequoit. The business is formally a partnership; her partner is her sister, who lives in Pennsylvania. The company provides “mainly research – document retrieval in anything from business, marketing, competitive intelligence and due diligence to medical,” she said. They use the Internet and other sources to find documents and perform different types of research.
Balkin formally established the company in late 1978 when she was working at a law firm while pursuing a master’s degree in French and earning her New York state teacher certification. Firm members encouraged her to look for freelance work and she was asked to do something with the firm’s library, which helped launch her consulting business. As “things were changing in the industry – publishers were moving to CD-ROM products – we started offering training,” Balkin said. That was one area where Balkin found that “education is never a waste”; her coursework in teaching was invaluable in developing training.
Balkin joined the RPCN around 1992 and has benefited from her membership in many ways – even beyond business success. “RPCN meetings are a shot in the arm every week – a boost. I go to a meeting and I’ve done business with a quarter to a third of everyone in the room,” she said. On a personal level, “RPCN has kept me going over the years through thick and thin. It’s literally gotten me back on my feet. When I broke my ankle, Mary Ann Shew organized everything for me. It was amazing. People brought food, people took me to doctors’ appointments.”
Like many RPCN members, Balkin sees involvement as key to getting value from belonging to the organization. “Don’t just be a member,” she said. “The more active you are, the more you get known, the more business you get, the more satisfaction you get from your membership.”
While her consulting business is her official life’s work, French is Balkin’s passion. In addition to that tutoring activity going back to her early years, she belongs to a French conversation club. As a gift to RPCN, she invites members to come to her French classes for free over the summer – she teaches from 6–7 PM on Thursday evenings and 11 AM–12:30 PM on Sundays. To take advantage of this generous offer, contact Balkin at rbalkin@balkininfo.com. Bonne chance!
Click here to watch a video interview with Balkin. To read the full interview and learn how she finds clients and how her business has evolved to keep up with current trends, visit this page on the RPCN website.
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter (www.writerruth.com) is a freelance writer, editor, proofreader and speaker whose motto is “I can write about anything!”™
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By Michael Van der Gaag and Dave Bassett
Did you know that RPCN will be celebrating its 25th anniversary during this coming year? Amazing! There is something to be said about an all-volunteer organization that survives so long by serving its members. We plan to capitalize on this milestone by holding some special events and promotions to spread the word. It is a great time for the upcoming fall conference; that and the other programs we plan will have a celebratory feel.
As we reach the end of Michael Van der Gaag’s term as president and the beginning of Dave Bassett’s, we’d like to bring you up to speed on where we are and some plans we have for the coming year.
 RPCN did some great things this past year, including presenting the second Consultant’s Boot Camp and introducing the TrendTalk panel discussion dinner series. We also remembered one of our own with the introduction of the David R. Young Service Award, which was presented posthumously to Dave Young and accepted by his son Christopher at the May TrendTalk Dinner. A second award was given to Bob Lurz at the Business Forum on June 20, in recognition of all he does for the organization. (Photo of Michael, Bob and Dave provided by Jerry Seward)
We are not sitting back on our laurels, basking in these accomplishments. The board has been working hard on refining our strategy for the coming year. On June 13, we held a strategy session open to all members at the Brighton Town Hall. We received some excellent feedback on how the membership wanted to set our priorities.
Of the dozen or so priorities that the board deemed important to meet our strategic objectives, the participating members voted to have RPCN focus on these five in the coming year:
- Create opportunities for members to build potential relationships with clients;
- Prepare for and conduct an RPCN Boot Camp, conference and TrendTalks on an ongoing basis;
- Promote and celebrate RPCN’s 25th anniversary;
- Implement marketing and communication strategies to promote RPCN and its members; and
- Update the RPCN website.
The board also identified these five key organizational values: Inclusiveness, Volunteerism, Collaboration, Mutual Support, Integrity. There was a general consensus at the June 13 meeting that it’s worth further defining these values as we set in place our strategic plan for the coming year.
(To see the entire strategic plan, including our vision, mission, organizational values, outcomes and strategic objectives, visit our website.)
This is an ambitious plan and, to fully meet these priorities (and ideally a few others that didn’t end up on our “TOP 5” as well), we’ll need YOUR help. On July 11, after our regularly scheduled meeting at the Brighton Town Hall, we will hold a session with the membership to get your input on how best to meet these goals. We’ll have snacks and coffee for this 10 AM meeting, so please plan on sticking around after Peter Rios’s talk on “Strategic Foresight.”
As we transition from Michael to Dave, we also want to welcome our new VP, David Powe, to the team. And while Michael will become the RPCN past president, he is committed to helping us continue to offer value and opportunity to help our members grow.
Please feel free to contact Dave or Michael with your thoughts on how we’re doing, what you think we’re doing well and what you think we could do better. The members are the lifeblood of RPCN and we look forward to your enthusiasm and continued participation and support.
Thank you all for your help in making 2013–14 so successful; we look forward to working with YOU to make 2014–15 even stronger!
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Picture Yourself … as a Successful Consultant!
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The RPCN’s full-day conference “Picture Yourself … as a successful consultant” – to be held on Wednesday, October 15 at MCC – will be the event of the season. We have lined up an excellent keynote speaker: Dr. Bruce Katcher, founder and executive director of the Center for Independent Consulting and author of An Insider’s Guide to Building a Successful Consulting Practice. The conference will focus on ways and tools to grow and expand your small/consulting business. We’ll have many interesting and helpful topics in three tracks focusing on: consulting fundamentals, marketing and selling, and business-building. Whether you are well-seasoned or just starting out, we’ll have something for you.
If you are interested in helping with this conference, we’d love to have you. The committee has been meeting on Thursdays at the Corner Bakery Café at 3300 Monroe Avenue in Pittsford (across the street from Pittsford Plaza) at 3 PM. We have our program well hammered out but still have a lot of work to do. Our main areas of focus now are recruiting sponsors, exhibitors and advertisers; publicizing the conference; and putting together the conference program booklet.
As we get closer to October 15, we’ll be looking for help with registration, putting together conference materials and on the day of the event. If you’d like to help, we have a subcommittee that can use your skills. It’s a great way to get to know other RPCN members and demonstrate your skills. Contact Dave Bassett at (585) 739-9726 or dbassett@bassett.pro for more information.
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Steve Royal reviewed the book 21 Days to Success Through Networking from the RPCN library. The book chronicles the first 21 days of a marketing professional after he moves to a new city where he knows no one, and how he goes about developing a network. The book is an easy read and full of information essential to being a successful consultant, such as learning listening skills, asking questions and the importance of following up.
RPCN maintains an extensive library of business books and other materials that members can borrow. Click here for a link to read the entire book review and to view a list of items in the RPCN library.
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Finance: SCORE of Greater Rochester presents a workshop on Understanding Small Business Finance on Friday, July 11, from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM at 1057 E. Henrietta Rd., Suite 100, across from MCC’s Brighton Campus. The program will provide a user-friendly, high-level and fun approach to the three essential financial statements necessary to run any business. This workshop is part of the MCC Corporate College summer courses. For more information and to register, click here.
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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
Please send articles for the August newsletter by July 15.
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Upcoming events
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No Meeting
Friday, July 4, 2014
There will be no RPCN meeting today because of the holiday.
Strategic Foresight: Equipping you for competitive advantage now and in the future
presented by Peter Rios
Friday, July 11, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room
Peter Rios is a consultant to businesses, organizations and religious institutions. His company, R.I.O.S. – Robust Innovative Organizational Solutions – focuses on leadership development, cultural agility, strategy, conflict resolution, organizational renewal and innovation. This presentation will provide participants with a practical experience using a foresight tool to illuminate the future of their sector and also explore scenario building and strategy. Here is a short video introduction to Peter's presentation.
RPCN Strategic Planning
Friday, July 11, 2014
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room
RPCN has an ambitious plan for the coming fiscal year. To fully meet these priorities (and ideally a few others that didn’t end up on our “TOP 5” as well), we’ll need YOUR help. After our regularly scheduled meeting at the Brighton Town Hall, we will hold a session with the membership to get your input on how best to meet these goals. Snacks and coffee will be provided.
Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, July 18, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room (NOTE change in location)
An informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of issues regarding starting or running a consulting business. Wondering what kind of questions people are asking? For a list from recent forums, click here.
RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, July 18, 2014
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Brighton Town Hall -- Downstairs Meeting Room (NOTE change in location)
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.
The Skype VOIP Program and How to Use It
presented by Bill Vallee
Friday, July 25, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room
This is the first of two training seminars that will demonstrate the Skype VOIP program and how to use it. You will learn how to open an account; Skype basics, such as how to navigate the Skype screen for PC users; and how to use Skype for three different types of communication.
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Making your business better
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Making connections: Lynn Dessert says it is "all about the ask" when you want to connect with someone you don't know. Check out her blog for ways to improve your ask.
Better consulting: Three rules that Bob Whipple suggests will help make you a better consultant are: 1) Do good work, 2) Do the best you can with the resources available, and 3) Treat all people the right way. Read more at his blog post, You Can't Do the Best You Can.
RPCN on LinkedIn: Have you joined the RPCN group on LinkedIn? This is a great way to connect with other consultants, find tips on business issues, ask questions outside of the bimonthly forums or share information about the latest project you are working on.
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 Show your pride in your RPCN membership! The RPCN Logo Store is now online, in partnership with CafePress.com. RPCN members may purchase merchandise imprinted with the RPCN logo. You may choose from various items, such as coffee mugs, shirts, hats, mousepads, calendars, tote bags, travel mugs and laptop sleeves. Visit CafePress.com/rpcn or click on the link from the RPCN home page to shop securely online.
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