Rochester Professional Consultants Network Newsletter

May 2024 Newsletter

Bob Manard — Wed, 15 May 2024 02:08:36 GMT

A monthly newsletter from the Rochester Professional Consultants Network.

Steve Royal

Rochester Professional Consultants Network (RPCN) was very fortunate to have Steve Royal as a member since 1992. For 32 years, Steve participated in meetings and contributed his time and expertise to us. Steve's contributions included:

Being a member of the RPCN Board of Directors
Facilitating the Technical Forum for 25 years
Being the Secretary for the Board of Directors for 15 years
Being RPCN Webmaster, and all its associated duties, for approximately 12 years
Being a contributor to the RPCN/Eastman Business Park Blogging Program
Being an integral part of the RPCN monthly Newsletter Team, including a monthly column titled, "Did You Know," which covered various topics associated with RPCN and/or our website.

The RPCN Board knew that Steve was having some health problems for the last several months because Steve was open about it in one of the Operations meetings. He also mentioned that he was acquiring in-home help, due to his recent issues.

Steve was hospitalized in the beginning of April 2024. We sent him flowers, kept in touch, and found out he was sent home. Unfortunately, Steve's health issues were more serious than we knew, and we received word that he had passed away on Thursday, April 11, 2024.

Steve had many friends within our organization. Some knew him longer and were much closer friends, than others. We are saddened by his loss to us individually and as an organization.

We have heard from Steve's daughter, Karen. Per Steve's wishes, there are no plans for a funeral or memorial service. She has also expressed a desire that no flowers be sent.

We will individually express our condolences to Steve's daughter and family. In fact, I plan to include a copy of this article in my condolence card.

—Sandra Glanton

Discover Your Value to Clients by Testing Your Assumptions

Building a consulting business is a trial-and-error process (with lots of error). It's like ramming your head against a wall until the wall surrenders and buys your service. As you start up, you:

Define your service with educated assumptions about prospective/target clients who need you, and the value you'll deliver.
Build a business plan (marketing strategy, financials, etc.).
Market yourself, meet prospects, and ask them about their problems and needs.
Pitch your service.
Ask them to engage you (propose and negotiate). Hopefully, enough say "yes" before you give up and go out of business.

Customer Discovery

Testing your assumptions early in the startup process can increase your chances of success. One method is to interview target clients about their needs and the value they seek and then, adapt your service and marketing to match. Some call this Customer Discovery. Consultants may call it Client Discovery.

Customer Discovery is not to be confused with written customer surveys. Discovery interviews are one-on-one live interchanges with you asking probing questions. In-person is best, but phone or online via Zoom can suffice. Observing body language yields better information.

Discovery Interviewing Rules

These might seem contrary to your urge to make a sale (because they are!).

Discovery Interviewing isn't a sales session. Don't do a sales pitch.
It's not a critique of your service by the interviewee.
It is information-gathering about a prospect's problems in your area of business.
The method and motto are, "Ask don't sell."

Results

Discovery interviews can be enlightening. You may find that your service and its value match your target clients' needs if you are lucky. You may discover that you need minor tweaks to your plans. You may need major changes in your assumptions about who needs your service and the value you offer. (Tip: During interviews, stay alert for surprises and new opportunities.)

Action

Use Discovery Interviews and other market information to refine your consulting approach. Adapt your service to match your target clients' needs, then go out and sell. Keep adapting that ramming wall surrenders and you're successful.

—Bob Lurz

Enhancing Human CapitalTM (EHCTM)
Deep Dive Updates

Last Month's Lunch-n-Learn

We held another RPCN EHC Lunch-n-Learn on Thursday, April 18th, at 11:30 AM on Zoom and discussed Leadership's Role in Enhancing Human Capital. We discussed how several leadership experts (Stephen R. Covey, Stephen M.R. Covey, Major General Robert W. Mixon, Jr., Ken Blanchard, and Marcus Buckingham) view the leader's role in ensuring those that they lead are being the best they can be. A couple of very interesting observations from the discussion were noticed.

First, it was interesting how often similar themes were used by all these experts from servant leadership to empowering those around you while still maintaining responsibility for the results of the team's efforts.
Second, it was pointed out by several participants how RPCN itself exhibits these traits as we look for the potential in our members and how to help them reach that potential.

It was a very lively discussion and we hope to have you join us at next month's session.

Upcoming Deep Dive (Note: Lunch-n-Learns will now be called Deep Dives)
May 16th, 2024
From Solopreneur to Entrepreneur - Scaling via Synergy
Facilitated by Bob Manard

Are you ready to make the move from being a solopreneur to being an entrepreneur who can build a team capable of scaling a business?

We will discuss:

The benefits of solopreneurship and why it's so difficult to overcome the inertia that comes from being in control of everything in your business.
What synergy is and how it can be discovered and leveraged.
Strategies for assembling a team to maximize synergy and generate optimal outcomes for everyone involved.

RPCN's Enhancing Human CapitalTM Deep Dives are held via Zoom on the third Thursday of every month, 11:30 am – 1 pm ET. Please join us for the next event FREE of charge. To get more information about EHCTM, please see https://RochesterConsultants.org/EHC , or email the EHC team.

April 2024 Newsletter

Bob Manard — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 19:10:50 GMT

RPCN’s Entrepreneurs Wall Of Fame Event, May 15, 2024!

We are celebrating the long-awaited return of our annual awards event. To kick off this celebration, we ask each of you to become aware of our five core awards and their purpose by clicking on our Award Nomination Form. We believe as you read those descriptions, someone you know will come to mind. Give your client or business connection a chance to be recognized by completing the form as directed.

Notice that four of these awards are focused on celebrating anyone who has added significantly to their company or our greater community. Only one award is for an RPCN member.

We want the business community to know about those who are working diligently to make our area a place for growth and opportunity. Please participate and help us recognize those that you appreciate by clicking on our Award Nomination Form.

Become a Sponsor!

As part of this celebration, we provide a way for you to support the event and the RPCN mission through advertising in the Event Program.

Promote your business to an enthusiastic audience of attendees who appreciate that there are people like you who want to ensure that people who bring something special to our area do not go unrecognized.
For more information and options, please reach out to Tom Fecteau at tfecteau@epicventuresgroup.net .

Thank you for all that you do.

Meditation – Should This be a New Habit for 2024?

Meditation is an exercise to increase focus and reduce stress. Wikipedia describes it as, “Meditation is a practice of mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity to train attention and awareness and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.”

I was first made aware of meditation practices about 45 years ago by a crazy Ph.D. grad student who was tutoring me in chemistry. I was complaining about college life and all the distractions outside trying to remember chemical bonds and equations. He told me it was a matter of focus and that I should practice meditating to improve my concentration. He gave me a small pamphlet book on Transcendental Meditation and guided me on the initial exercises. I was very skeptical but gave it a try since he was straight A student in engineering with a double major while being a leader in several campus clubs. The bottom line is it did work to my surprise. It never became a consistent habit though.

Reading various books on very successful people, the common thread is they all do some form of meditation on a daily basis. I practiced Tai Chi for a while which is a moving form of meditative exercises that reduce stress.

The most basic meditative exercise focuses on nothing but breathing in and out. An additional exercise may include not letting your mind wander by focusing on a single object or image held in your mind.

Meditation is practicing concentration and relaxing at the same time. It may take practice to perform this over a prolonged period of time, so be patient with yourself.

There are many forms of meditation exercises and information on how and why it works. Find the right one for you and start practicing.

The benefits to meditation are:

Increased focus and concentration
An increase in creativity
An increase in learning ability and the power of observation and awareness
An increase in your ability to recall information
An increase in your happiness

Subsequently, meditation may reduce depression, stress, and anxiety, and improve your overall state of health. The benefits definitely outweigh the work involved in developing the practice of meditation. Give it a try!

—Mark Fling, RPSN President

Networking Pest or Best? Which are you?

Have you ever met a “networking pest” who ranted on and on about what they’re selling? Did they tell you how great they were while handing you a brochure and business card? I’ll bet you couldn’t get away fast enough and proceeded to dump it all in the trash.

A pest uses the “It’s all about ME” networking style, but that’s not for you. To be a “Networking Best,” try this approach.

Six Steps to Non-Pest Networking

Adopt the mindset: “It’s all about THEM,” not about you.
Ask, don’t sell. Discover their situation and their needs without talking about your business.
Think how you might help them, aside from your business.
Start helping them. Give referrals, advice, and so on.
When they ask about what you do (ideally after completing steps 1- 4), tell them about the value of your business. If it fits, connect your value to their needs. Conclude your conversation with “Here’s my card,” either in hardcopy or in a text. Tell them, “Let’s talk more if you have questions or want to further discuss your needs. Let’s connect on LinkedIn.”
Follow up promptly (e.g., a formal LinkedIn invitation to connect, a phone call, a text, or an e-mail). Always remind them where you met.

Adapt these networking steps to in-person and online meetings. Make your goal to build relationships, not to “sell.” Become a “Networking Best” and you won’t be a “pest.”

—Bob Lurz

Member News

Business Coach and Author Takes Local Sales Group to the National Level
Sales Club USA Aims to Help Sales Leaders Become More Competitive

Denise Horan, a Capital Region New York-based sales consultant and coach, expands her local sales club to a national audience, calling it Sales Club USA. After fully being launched in late 2023, the national sales community includes events like conferences, interactive workshops, and presentations. Group members enjoy access to articles, videos, interactive content, and live events to improve their business skills.

The decision to expand her group nationally came shortly after publishing her book in 2021 titled, “Stories from the Sales Field: Navigating a Sales Career in a Post-Pandemic World.” The book is a culmination of Horan’s 30 years of experience training sales professionals.

Launching the book and its success was the proof she needed to expand her business activities and reach more professionals. Over the years, she has helped companies grow their sales teams and increase revenues. Horan’s local sales group was a vehicle for helping others further their careers and businesses.

“I am personally celebrating my 25th year in business. After some self-reflection, I am making some big changes this year. I focus on personal sales and business development skills for entrepreneurs, lawyers, wealth advisors, and sales professionals. I launched this sales platform – a community where sales and business development people can come to collaborate, gather resources for self-development, join a club, and attend a workshop. There will be great speakers and events each month. The online aspect allows me to expand nationwide and use all the new tools to attract attention and help those looking to build their businesses,” said Denise Horan, founder of Sales Club USA.

Enhancing Human Capital^TM (EHC^TM)
Lunch-n-Learn Updates

Last Month's Lunch-n-Learn

The EHC^TM Team held a good discussion on March 21, 2024, regarding Enhancing One’s Human Capital. Human capital is described as the collection of skills, knowledge, well-being, experience, and education that a person possesses. Participants were asked to compare their human capital to an investment account which grows with the accumulation of new skills, experience gained from education and training experiences, and various work-related positions that force us to add new skills. We learned that employees who had many roles in their work lifetime generally improved their earning capacity by 40% as opposed to 30% for those with only one or two roles. Much discussion was centered around acquiring interpersonal and leadership skills in addition to education and formal training.

Upcoming Lunch-n-Learn:
April 18th, 2024
Leadership’s Role in Enhancing Human Capital
Facilitated by Dave Bassett

April’s topic is Leadership's Role in Enhancing Human Capital. Some people say that you should enhance the human capital of those around you and those you lead. It sounds like a great goal but how does a leader actually accomplish it? There have literally been hundreds, if not thousands, of books on just that subject although it's rarely stated that way. Please join us on April 18th as we take a deep dive into some of the key concepts of leadership experts like the Coveys and General Robert W. Mixon, Jr.

RPCN’s Enhancing Human Capital^TM Lunch-n-Learns are held via Zoom on the third Thursday of every month, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm ET. Please join us for the next event FREE of charge. To get more information about EHC,^TM please see https://RochesterConsultants.org/EHC , or email the EHC team.

March 2024 Newsletter

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:37:04 GMT

To view the March 2024m Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

February 2024 Newsletter

Sat, 10 Feb 2024 19:25:42 GMT

To view the February 2024 RPCN Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

December 2023 Newsletter

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 22:18:26 GMT

To view the December 2023 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

November 2023 Newsletter

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 19:02:37 GMT

To view the November Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

October 2023 Newsletter

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 18:19:15 GMT

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September 2023 Newsletter

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 18:15:13 GMT

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August 2023 Newsletter

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 15:27:32 GMT

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July 2023 Newsletter

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 19:13:20 GMT

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June 2023 Newsletter

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 19:30:40 GMT

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May 2023 Newsletter

Wed, 03 May 2023 20:40:20 GMT

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April 2023 Newsletter

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 17:33:36 GMT

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March 2023 Newsletter

Sat, 04 Mar 2023 18:58:53 GMT

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February 2023 Newsletter

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 22:49:46 GMT

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January 2023 Newsletter

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 19:30:44 GMT

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December 2022 Technical Forum Questions

Sat, 03 Dec 2022 19:22:13 GMT

To view the December 2022 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

November 2022 Newsletter

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 20:05:59 GMT

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October 2022 Newsletter

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 19:50:29 GMT

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September 2022 Newsletter

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 17:43:56 GMT

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August 2022 Newsletter

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 19:27:56 GMT

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July 2022 Newsletter

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 20:42:41 GMT

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July 2022 Newsletter

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 20:36:45 GMT

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June 2022 Newsletter

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 19:26:24 GMT

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May 2022 Newsletter

Mon, 02 May 2022 19:47:27 GMT

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April 2022 Newsletter

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 20:00:26 GMT

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March 2022 Newsletter

Sun, 06 Mar 2022 19:13:47 GMT

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February 2022 Newsletter

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 19:19:33 GMT

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January 2022 Newsletter

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 22:53:45 GMT

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December 2021 Newsletter

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 22:50:07 GMT

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November 2021 Newsletter

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 20:44:04 GMT

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October 2021 Newsletter

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 17:01:35 GMT

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September 2021 Newsletter

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 17:15:29 GMT

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August 2021 Newsletter

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 20:47:31 GMT

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July 2021 Newsletter

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 19:36:36 GMT

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June 2021 Newsletter

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 20:57:02 GMT

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May 2021 Newsletter

Tue, 04 May 2021 19:01:08 GMT

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April 2021 Newsletter

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 19:27:21 GMT

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March 2021 Newsletter

Sat, 06 Mar 2021 20:54:27 GMT

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January 2021 Newsletter

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 20:29:44 GMT

To view the January 2021 RPCN Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

December 2020 Newsletter

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 18:24:13 GMT

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November 2020 Newsletter

Tue, 03 Nov 2020 17:00:59 GMT

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October 2020 Newsletter

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 20:11:53 GMT

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September 2020 Newsletter

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 18:58:12 GMT

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August 2020 Newsletter

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 15:46:27 GMT

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July 2020 Newsletter

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 18:56:16 GMT

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April 2020 Newsletter

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 18:47:12 GMT

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March 2020 Newsletter

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 20:31:59 GMT

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February 2020 Newsletter

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 20:29:23 GMT

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January 2020 Newsletter

Thu, 02 Jan 2020 20:31:34 GMT

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December 2019 Newsletter

Sun, 29 Dec 2019 22:28:30 GMT

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November 2019 Newsletter

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 18:39:32 GMT

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October 2019 Newsletter

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 18:36:44 GMT

To view the October 2109 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

September 2019 Newsletter

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 22:22:04 GMT

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August 2019 Newsletter

Sat, 03 Aug 2019 20:58:45 GMT

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July 2019 Newsletter

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 19:55:38 GMT

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June 2019 Newsletter

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 17:53:04 GMT

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May 2019 Newsletter

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 17:51:23 GMT

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April 2019 Newsletter

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 19:32:08 GMT

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March 2019 Newsletter

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 20:37:05 GMT

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February 2019 Newsletter

Sat, 02 Feb 2019 21:09:22 GMT

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January 2019 Newsletter

Sat, 02 Feb 2019 21:04:27 GMT

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December 2018 Newsletter

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 19:45:11 GMT

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September 2018 Newsletter

Wed, 19 Sep 2018 17:00:29 GMT

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August 2018 Newsletter

Sat, 11 Aug 2018 18:35:37 GMT

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April 2018 Newsletter

Sun, 03 Jun 2018 18:30:05 GMT

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March 2018 Newsletter

Sun, 03 Jun 2018 18:27:01 GMT

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February 2018 Newsletter

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 17:02:25 GMT

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December 2017 Newsletter

Mon, 25 Dec 2017 16:05:43 GMT

To view the December 2017 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

August 2017 Newsletter

Bob Manard — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 01:37:39 GMT

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July 2017 Newsletter

Sat, 05 Aug 2017 17:27:52 GMT

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June 2017 Newsletter

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 18:31:21 GMT

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April 2017 Newsletter

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 19:08:34 GMT

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September 2016 Newsletter

Thu, 01 Sep 2016 17:52:34 GMT

To view the RPCN September 2016 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

August 2016 Newsletter

Wed, 20 Jul 2016 18:51:45 GMT

To view the RPCN August 2016 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

July 2016 Newsletter

Wed, 06 Jul 2016 15:37:32 GMT

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June 2016 Newsletter

Fri, 03 Jun 2016 19:38:57 GMT

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May 2016 Newsletter

Fri, 29 Apr 2016 18:15:36 GMT

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April 2016 Newsletter

Fri, 01 Apr 2016 20:49:45 GMT

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March 2016 Newsletter

Fri, 11 Mar 2016 17:40:20 GMT

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February 2016 Newsletter

Mon, 01 Feb 2016 19:21:24 GMT

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President’s vision inspires new programs for coming year

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 19:30:30 GMT

To view January 2016 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

RPCN’s role in fueling the Rochester “business ecosystem”

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 19:26:51 GMT

To view the December 2015 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

In-house experience leads to consulting for Jim Barton

Fri, 30 Oct 2015 18:24:27 GMT

To view the November 2015 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

Website redevelopment is a step toward achieving the RPCN vision

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 18:45:42 GMT

To view the October 2015 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

Recognizing Our Leaders

Tue, 01 Sep 2015 21:23:59 GMT

To view the September 2015 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

Get ready to make things happen!

Sun, 02 Aug 2015 18:56:40 GMT

To view the August 2015 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

New RPCN VP Laurie Enos finds joy in consulting work, partnership model

Sat, 11 Jul 2015 20:59:25 GMT

To view the July 2015 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

A year in review with the best yet to come

Sat, 11 Jul 2015 20:56:20 GMT

To view the June 2015 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

Katcher’s tips for being a successful consultant

Sat, 11 Jul 2015 20:54:21 GMT

To view the May 2015 newsletter, CLICK HERE.

RPCN events help you make your business ever better

Sat, 11 Jul 2015 20:50:54 GMT

To view the April, 2015 Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

Charter member John Foote reflects on how RPCN helps its members

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 18:14:41 GMT

To view the March, 2015 RPCN Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

Founding member Dan Hedberg still going strong

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 18:12:42 GMT

To view the February, 2015 RPCN Newsletter, CLICK HERE.

Happy New Year

Mon, 29 Dec 2014 19:00:57 GMT

Happy New Year!

By Dave Bassett, RPCN President

I hope everyone’s holidays went well and I wish you a prosperous new year. We ended the year with a holiday dinner party at the Towpath Café that was well attended and quite festive. It was capped with the presentation of the Linda Halliburton Dedicated Service award to three extremely friendly and helpful colleagues from the Rochester Public Library’s Business and Social Sciences Division – Linda Halliburton, Carolyn Johnson and Jennifer Byrnes. These three have been tremendous friends of RPCN for many years and great advocates for us. I look forward to seeing and working with them in the coming year. We also were treated to the musical talents of our very own Janice Hanson and her husband Craig.

(Photo by Janice Hanson. View more photos on the RPCN Facebook page.)

2015 should be an exciting year for RPCN as we are now officially celebrating our 25th anniversary. We have many events planned for the coming year. It starts off in February and March with the third class of the RPCN Consulting Business Boot Camp, which will run every Tuesday in February and the first Tuesday in March. If you sign up by January 16, you can get an early-bird discount on attendance.

We’ll follow that up on April 7 with a full-day conference to help you improve your small business. We have a large roster of speakers and will present topics that will be beneficial to consultants and service businesses. Whether you are just starting out or have been established for many years, our three tracks will provide something both useful and interesting. There also will be several opportunities for sponsorship, advertising and exhibit booths, so there will be many ways that you can attach and promote your business and name at the event.

That will be followed by our 25th anniversary dinner on April 21. We’ll be introducing our RPCN Entrepreneur Wall of Fame and handing out five awards that night. We need you to make nominations. Click here to open a PDF of the nomination form. Nominations will be accepted through March. Details about the award and a web-based nomination form will be posted on the RPCN website at a later date. We hope to have a couple more surprises lined up for that night, so be sure to check the newsletter for details in the coming months.

We will also hold another TrendTalk in the late spring. The focus of this one will be the public sector/local government. Our first two TrendTalks went very well and we expect this one to be just as informative and fun.

We expect to end the 2014–2015 program year with a canal boat ride in the early summer.

With all these activities, plus several others going on behind the scenes, it’s a busy time for RPCN. It’s also fun. If you’d like to help, we’d love to have you contribute. All of our committees are actively looking for volunteers to help out. To get involved, just check out the website for the contact info for the particular committee you’re interested in or contact me at president@rochesterconsultants.org.

Please also feel free to contact me 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. Thank you for your support!

Early discount deadline extended for RPCN Consulting Business Boot Camp

By Bob Lurz

The $50 discount for early registration to the 2015 RPCN Consulting Business Boot Camp has been extended through January 16, 2015. Join RPCN when you register and save another $70. The Boot Camp starts on Tuesday, February 3, and runs for five weeks at High Tech Rochester.

As advertised, the Boot Camp is a unique set of presentations, workshops and panel discussions. The major focus is on helping you understand the service you provide, the clients you serve, the value you bring to your clients and how to market yourself as a consultant.

Highlights of the 2015 Boot Camp will include presentations by:

Mike Riedlinger of High Tech Rochester, who will give an overview of his consulting journey
Lawyer Jon Lazenby, Esq., who will review the major factors (liability, taxes, etc.) in choosing a legal business entity
Bruce Katcher, author of the Boot Camp textbook, An Insider’s Guide to Building a Successful Consulting Practice, who will join via Skype to overview choosing a business model, marketing and selling
Workplace Communication Coach Beth Sears, who will talk about managing your image as a consultant
Strategic Marketing Consultant Deborah Mourey, who will show us how to build business through social media
A panel of successful consultants, who will reveal marketing methods that work for them

The Boot Camp high point will occur when participants present their value propositions to a panel of evaluators and get immediate expert feedback.

Click here to register now! And for a full day-by-day listing of the presentations and topics, click here.

Questions? Contact Bob Lurz, leader, RPCN Consulting Business Boot Camp at RFLurz@ConsultantsAccelerator.com or call 585-544-2387.

RPCN founding member Bob Boser found business value in membership

Interview by David Powe; writing by Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, RPCN Communication Committee

Bob Boser, one of the founding RPCN members, recalls that “RPCN grew out of a Kodak reduction in force. Several professionals left together with the idea of building a business with their professional skills. They realized that they did not have all of the requisite skills and decided to work together to build those skills. The intent was to learn together, network and provide a supportive environment for each other.”

No longer a consultant, Boser is currently director of Business Excellence at Janssen Supply Group, LLC (part of Johnson & Johnson) in the Greater Philadelphia Area.

Being involved with RPCN helped Boser in his career in a number of ways. “It taught me simple communication skills for business,” he said. “In the early days of email, with no websites or social media, I learned collaboration and RPCN provided a support network. It taught me about business structure.”

To read the rest of the article, including his advice for today’s RPCN members, visit this page on the RPCN website.

Where were you 25 years ago?

By Janice Hanson

As RPCN celebrates its 25th anniversary, we are planning to include stories from RPCN members in upcoming newsletters about where they were and what they were doing in 1990, when RPCN first started. To share your story (125 words or less), please email editor@rochesterconsultants.org. I will get it started:

In 1990, I started work as office manager for the renowned landscape architect Dan Kiley, whose office was in a renovated farmhouse just south of Burlington, Vermont. A colleague of architects Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei and Richard Meier, he was quite a character. I remember asking him when I interviewed what kind of job security there was, and he replied, “None!” But he did take care of his employees. A few years later, when he closed the office and laid everyone off, I took the time while on unemployment to decide what I really wanted to do, and ended up working in marketing at a performing arts center, which led to a career in marketing, editing, and proofreading.

Making your business better

According to RPCN member Tracey Aiello, hiring older workers often pays off as they choose personal satisfaction over career advancement and do not often jump ship when a higher-paying job comes along. Tracey's article "Choose Seasoned Employees" was selected by the Democrat and Chronicle for a Nextpert column. Click here to view a PDF of the story.

What's on your list of must-read books for starting a business? Check to see if any of your titles made it on this list: 5 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read.

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In this issue:

President's_message
Charter member profile
RPCN Boot Camp
25 Years Ago
Making your business better
Of interest
Upcoming events
New members

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit...”
– Aristotle

We want you!

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
Collin Paran
Sheryl Rhodes

Please send articles for the February newsletter by January 15.

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
Facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, January 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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

Annual Tax Update Seminar
Presented by John Foote, Expert Tax Group
Friday, January 9, 2015
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

In this presentation about federal and state tax law changes, you will learn how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affects consultant businesses, key tax details for consultants for 2015 and how recent congressional actions affect consultants. He will also talk about retirement options for consultants, and offer tax tips.

Business Forum
Facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, January 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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, January 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.

Living Authentically: A Business Strategy
Presented by Rick French
Friday, January 23, 2015
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Take part in an interactive and stimulating conversation about using your passion and your authentic self to be more fully alive and effective in your work and life. This is an exploration of how to more closely tie what we do with what we believe. Adventurer and mountain climber Rick French of Pack, Paddle, Ski – who leads treks to Mount Everest and Kilimanjaro – will share how to tap into passion in what you do, the importance of being present in your work and the importance of fun (or, if it’s not fun, why do it?).

Click here to hear him talk about his upcoming presentation in a video recorded at High Falls.

RPCN “Surprise Thursday” Social
Thursday, January 29, 2015
6:00 PM
Location TBD

There is no RPCN meeting on Friday, January 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.

Of interest

Marketing with the Internet of Things: IoT (the Internet of Things) is a hot topic in the news, but is it really affecting consumer behavior? From a marketer’s perspective, we need to understand how these devices will change our lives and how we can use them to reach consumers in unique ways. Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 7:30 AM; Rochester Museum and Science Center. For more information, visit the Digital Rochester website.

New members

RPCN welcomes the following new members.

George Vito
Deborah Pearce

Not an RPCN member? You can join the RPCN now to receive great benefits, including free admission to RPCN presentations, a listing in the RPCN Member Directory and discounts to RPCN events such as the conference and TrendTalk. Click here to join the RPCN.

Join RPCN for some holiday cheer!

Tue, 02 Dec 2014 19:40:52 GMT

Join RPCN for some holiday cheer!

The Rochester Professional Consultants Network (RPCN) kicks off its 25th anniversary celebrations with a Holiday Dinner Party on Thursday, December 11, 2014, at the Bistro at Towpath Café, 6 North Main Street in Fairport. The event begins at 5:30 PM with a cocktail hour and networking. Dinner starts at 6:30 PM.

Bring a guest and join your RPCN peers for some holiday cheer! Learn about the exciting and educational 25th anniversary events RPCN has planned.

Our menu includes appetizers, butternut squash soup, salad, pork tenderloin in cider cream sauce, chicken-artichoke French, angel hair pasta, garlic smashed potatoes, fresh seasonal vegetables and assorted desserts. Your coffee, tea or soda is included in the price. There is a cash bar.

Since this is the season to give back, we are collecting canned goods to donate to Foodlink. Help a neighbor in need by bringing a canned good to the dinner.

Tickets are $20 for members and $30 for guests and can be purchased through the RPCN website, www.RochesterConsultants.org. Please RSVP by Thursday, December 4.

If you have any questions, please contact Laurie Enos at 585-315-4941 or Laurie@BlueDogMktg.com.

Charter member recalls RPCN’s earliest days

Interview by David Powe; editing by Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, RPCN Communication Committee

As RPCN prepares to celebrate 25 years in 2015, RPCN board member David Powe talked with charter – and first female – member Chris Leavitt about her recollections of how the organization began, what makes a good consultant and more. Here are highlights of the conversation.

Q: What do you remember about how the organization came into being?

A: I would not be surprised if Dave Young got the thing going, but it was composed of seven Kodak guys initially. Ted Fraser recruited me on a plane when we were both going to consulting gigs. I think John Foote joined at just about the same time. I also remember Roger Vickery.

We met in homes and sat in a circle talking about how the consulting game worked. No one had a realistic idea – they thought all consultants worked like Kodak consultants and all logistics were worked like those at Kodak. Discussions were often very unrealistic. As each mirrored the other, there was no telling them anything for a long time. I almost dropped out, but I really liked John and Roger, so I stuck it out with them.

After we got a “constitution,” we began to get organized and John and Roger pretty much put the squeeze on me to run for VP, which was also the Program chair. I was pretty scared, but did it anyway, and it proved to be a wonderful experience. I learned how to work in a room full of men, all of whom saw themselves as experts in their field, which back then was almost all quality.

Our meetings soon grew from the seven or nine original members to 20, 25 and 40 members, and then more and more. We had swell meetings with really neat speakers and gained lots of information. We had a lot of fun.

How did the RPCN help you in your career?

Mostly by helping me find good people to hire. I also developed leadership skills and self-confidence by working with lots of guys in suits with loud voices. The real consultants were quiet and never the “expert voice”; just sitting and quietly listening.

To read the rest of the interview, including her advice for both new and experienced consultants, visit this page on the RPCN website. (Chris Leavitt photo from files.)

Season’s greetings

By Dave Bassett, RPCN President

I hope all had a great, festive Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for, and the continuing support of the members of this wonderful organization is up toward the top of that list. Thank you for the responsibility you’ve entrusted me with in overseeing the efforts of this talented, diverse group of volunteers who make RPCN work as well as it does. There are so many people who allow RPCN to keep up with the services and benefits of membership that our members have grown to expect and appreciate through the years – I am hesitant to try to mention them all, as I’m certain that I’ll forgot somebody, but here goes.

The board members and committee heads who directly make the day-to-day working of RPCN happen – on the board: Michael Van der Gaag, David Powe, Sandy Glanton, Jerry Seward, Janice Hanson, Mark Schrader, Mike Molaire and Laurie Enos; heading up our committees: Steve Royal, Ruth Balkin, Bob Lurz and Peter Burns; the people working on various committees (some of whom work on multiple committees): Tracey Aiello, Jim Barton, Ruth Thaler-Carter, Barbara Moore, Emily Carpenter, Mary Sperr, Bob Lewis, Joe Groden, John Foote, Lori Cohen, Bill Vallee, Bob Manard, Judy Shenouda and Peter Rios. We’ve also had a few newcomers pitch in when they’ve been able: Latanya Bispham-Robinson, Collin Paran and Fred Lutz.

As you can see, it takes a lot of people to make this group run as smoothly as it does. And as mentioned above, I am certain that I am forgetting somebody; please forgive any lapse, it is not intentional!

Consulting Business Boot Camp
We’ve accomplished a lot this past year, including reinstituting the Consulting Business Boot Camp this past February, under the leadership of Bob Lurz. The program was full useful information and the classroom at MCC was packed. We had such a good response from this boot camp (and the original one as well) that I am very pleased that Bob has agreed to hold another one this February and March. To accommodate the demand, we’re moving the boot camp back to HTR so we can squeeze in a few more participants.

TrendTalk
We also held the second in an ongoing series of TrendTalk dinner panels this past May. The theme was Rochester’s human services sector and Mike Molaire, who spearheaded the effort, brought in three excellent dynamic speakers – Marlene Bessette, Carol Love and Michelle Prohov. We look forward to providing another TrendTalk this spring with a focus on local government.

Conference
We will be holding a full-day conference on Tuesday, April 7, at MCC. We have a large roster of speakers and will be presenting topics that will be beneficial to consultants and service businesses. Whether you are just starting out or have been established for many years, our three tracks will provide something of interest. There also will be several opportunities for sponsorship, advertising and exhibit booths, so there will be many ways that you can promote your business and name at the event.

25th anniversary
In 2015, we’ll be celebrating our 25th anniversary with a celebratory dinner/awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 21, as the main event. Check this newsletter for more details in the coming months as we get closer.

With all these activities, plus several others going on behind the scenes, it’s a busy time for RPCN. It’s also fun. If you’d like to help, we’d love to have you contribute. All of our committees are actively looking for volunteers to help out. To get involved, just check out the website to get the contact info for the particular committee you’re interested in or contact me at president@rochesterconsultants.org.

Please also feel free to contact me 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. Thank you for your support!

This has been a busy and fun year for me, especially these last six months; I look forward to the coming new year. I hope that your 2014 has been successful and wish you even greater successes in the coming year. Peace.

Registration is now open for 2015 Consulting Business Boot Camp

By Bob Lurz

Here’s your opportunity to start up or refresh your consulting business. At the 2015 RPCN Consulting Business Boot Camp (February 3–March 3 at High Tech Rochester), you will learn to:

• DEFINE your services, clients and benefits
• CHOOSE a legal entity (DBA, LLC, Corp, liability, taxes)
• BUILD your reputation and image
• MARKET your consulting services
• DISCOVER your value to potential clients
• PRESENT your value proposition and receive feedback

Some comments from past Boot Camp participants:

“As a result of the Consulting Boot Camp, I felt empowered, capable and challenged to begin my own consulting work.”

“Helped me think seriously about my consulting business."

“Allowed me to be in an environment of other people attempting to do the same thing, and I learned a lot and accelerated my business by being in that environment. One thousand percent better than sitting at home trying to go through this solo."

A unique experience
After the presentations and workshops, you top off your Boot Camp experience by pulling together the value proposition of your consulting practice. You present your value proposition in a scenario that describes your prospect’s problem, your value and the results you bring. You have 10 minutes, uninterrupted, to present to a panel of evaluators. You receive immediate feedback and improvement advice on your stand-up presentation of services, benefits and proposed results. Participants consider this the high point of their Boot Camp experience.

Save $50 when you register by December 15. Prices go up December 16. Join RPCN and save $70 on the Boot Camp. Click here to register now!

Questions? Contact Bob Lurz at RFLurz@ConsultantsAccelerator.com or call 585-544-2387.

In this issue:

President's_message
Charter member profile
Holiday Party
Making your business better
RPCN Boot Camp
Upcoming events
New members

“Have the gumption to try something new, and the grit to see it through.” – Karen Wynn Fonstad (American cartographer, 1945-2005)

We want you!

Please send articles for the January newsletter by December 15.

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, December 5, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Holiday Dinner Party
Thursday, December 11, 2014
5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
The Bistro at Towpath Café, 6 North Main Street, Fairport

Join RPCN for some holiday cheer! RPCN kicks off its 25th anniversary celebrations with a Holiday Dinner Party. The event begins at 5:30 PM with a cocktail hour and networking; buffet dinner starts at 6:30 PM. Since this is the season to give back, we are collecting canned goods to donate to food link. Help a neighbor in need by bringing a canned good to the dinner. Tickets are $20 for members and $30 for guests. Please register by Thursday, December 4.

Great Consulting Service, But Who Needs It?
presented by Bob Lurz (with assistance from Barb Moore)
Friday, December 12, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

This presentation shows you how to interview potential clients to discover if they need and want your service (and what to do if they don’t). If you don’t discover your prospects’ opinions about your value, you risk building a consulting practice that won’t meet your goals. You’ll learn how to build an interviewing strategy, then observe role plays that demonstrate the “Do’s & Don’ts.” Our Motto: “Ask, don’t sell.”

Here is a video introduction to his presentation:

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, December 19, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, December 19, 2014
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.

No Meeting
Friday, December 26, 2014

There will be no RPCN meeting today because of the holidays.

Making your business better

Blogging: RPCN member Laurie Enos lists three ways to use a blog to market your company: 1) share knowledge, 2) answer questions from readers, and 3) offer promotions and deals. More of Laurie's advice on using a blog can be found in her article, Why Small Firms Can Use a Blog.

Productivity: Do your productive times match with these stats? The most productive day of the week is Tuesday. The least productive day is Friday. The most productive time of day is 10:26 am. The least productive time of day is 2:55 pm. Read more in Robin Harisis's blog article, The Best – and Worst – Productive Times.

Negotiation tactics: Time is a critical element in most negotiations. If you understand the rules, you can gain some advantage. RPCN member Bob Whipple offers five techniques he finds helpful and two true stories of how these techniques worked in his blog Using Time in Negotiations.

New members

RPCN welcomes the following new members.

Fred Lutz
Rafi PN
Michael Vogt

Not an RPCN member? You can join the RPCN now to receive great benefits including free admission to RPCN presentations, a listing in the RPCN Member Directory and discounts to RPCN events such as the conference and TrendTalk. Click here to join the RPCN.

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RPCN president Dave Bassett has a patent on entrepreneurship

Fri, 31 Oct 2014 19:25:54 GMT

RPCN president Dave Bassett has a patent on entrepreneurship

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, RPCN Communication Committee

The RPCN’s current president could be said to have a patent on being an entrepreneur – his consulting business helps people patent their inventions.

Dave Bassett, president of Bassett IP Strategies and Bassett Business Strategies in Macedon, NY (operating under the umbrella of Bassett Statistical Company LLC), worked as a chemical engineer for about 16 years in a wide range of areas before starting his own business in 2005. He also has developed software for petroleum exploration and has a background in biomedical, reactions and semiconductors.

Bassett’s business, he said, helps inventors “in several areas but is primarily focused on patent application development and patent prosecution. BBS helps companies with business plans and strategic planning.”

It might seem as if running a business and being so involved in the RPCN would be enough for Bassett, but he also is involved with a small group of local entrepreneurs – the Independent Entrepreneur’s Council – and is a member of the National Association of Patent Practitioners and the Wayne County Business Council. He also has been secretary and treasurer of the Rochester section of the AIChE (chemical engineering society), treasurer for a campground and a youth hockey coach.

Click here to watch a video interview with Bassett and find out how the RPCN has been beneficial for his business and his own professional development. To read the full interview, 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!”™

RPCN means great opportunities for members

By Dave Bassett, RPCN President

Opportunities. RPCN is all about opportunities. Did you know that the members-only portion of the RPCN website has an area where opportunities for work/projects/ seminars are listed? This is an excellent area to post notices when you are looking for particular skill sets to help with projects and to find out when people are looking for your particular area of expertise.

Members can log in and go to the members-only section of the website and click on “Opportunities.” Recent posts have included an RFP for a consultant to do a feasibility study, paid participation in product testing, a career fair and a web designer position. Click on the “Subscribe to forum” button at the top right of the Opportunities page to be notified when new items are posted.

Also listed on the Opportunities page: MCC is currently looking for instructors in several areas including statistics and statistical process control; blueprint reading; geometric dimensioning and tolerancing; metrology; and machine math. If you have experience with any of those areas, please check out the opportunities forum; MCC may have an opportunity for you.

These aren’t the only opportunities that the RPCN offers to members.

As you know, if you’ve been reading this column, we’ve held a series of strategic planning and implementation sessions with the membership over this past summer and have gotten a lot of great ideas on how to implement the strategic plan priorities and a lot of volunteers to help the board in doing just that. The complete RPCN strategic plan, can be found on the RPCN website under the “About Us” tab.

Mike Molaire did a great job of organizing the TrendTalks last year. He’ll be setting up another one, focusing on the public sector this time, this winter.

You’ll have a chance to network and socialize with RPCN colleagues at a holiday party on December 11 at the Bistro at Towpath Café in Fairport. We’ll keep you updated on this as the details are finalized.

I’m pleased to tell you that dates and locations have been chosen for the next RPCN Consultant’s Boot Camp, led by Bob Lurz. The 2015 boot camp will be held at High Tech Rochester (HTR) on each Tuesday in February and conclude on the first Tuesday in March. Click here for more information.

Our full-day conference, originally planned for October 2014, will be held this spring, on April 7, 2015, at MCC. IDr. Bruce Katcher will be the keynote speaker at this big event.

On April 21, we’ll hold a dinner celebrating our 25th anniversary.

With all these activities, plus several others going on “behind the scenes,” so to speak, it’s a busy time for RPCN. It’s also fun. If you’d like to help, we’d love to have you contribute. All of our committees are actively looking for volunteers to help out. To get involved, just check out the website to get the contact info for the particular committee you’re interested in, or contact me at president@rochesterconsultants.org.

Please also feel free to contact me 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. Thank you for your support!

RPCN celebrates 25 years in 2015

Back in 1990, a group of 10 or so former Kodak workers formed a mutual support group. Little did they know that the group would still be going strong a quarter-century later as the Rochester Professional Consultants Network. In 2015, RPCN celebrates 25 years of growing the economy, one consultant at a time. RPCN’s anniversary will kick off with a Holiday Party on December 11 at the Bistro at the Towpath Café (details on that event to come).

The first president of RPCN was Ian (Ted) Fraser, followed the next year by Roger Vickery. Other charter members included Robert Boser, David Burnett, John Foote, Hugh Gilmour, Dan Hedberg, Chris Leavitt, John Morley and David Young. We are planning to include short stories about the early RPCN members in future issues of the newsletter.

Mark your calendars for April 21, 2015, when RPCN will host a gala event and dinner to celebrate the 25th anniversary. The planning committee is hard at work on several special events to mark the anniversary.

Making your business better

Differentiation: Vicki James lists three ways to stand out from your competitors with your business cards, brochures and websites. Read her advice at Core Differentiation is What Makes You Stand Out in a Crowd.

Vision boards: Have you tried vision boarding to help you plan, believe and succeed? Stephanie Siuda explains the benefits of vision boarding in Vision Boards Can Help.

New members

RPCN welcomes the following new members.

Joyce Curran
Dan Ewing
Alan Kesselman

Not an RPCN member? You can join the RPCN now to receive great benefits including free admission to RPCN presentations, a listing in the RPCN Member Directory and discounts to RPCN events such as the conference and TrendTalk. Click here to join the RPCN.

In this issue:

President's_message
Member profile
Of interest
Making your business better
25th Anniversary
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

Please send articles for the December newsletter by November 15.

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, November 7, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

Sales Sucks and What to Do About It
presented by Thomas J. Biviano
Friday, November 14, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Tom Biviano will demonstrate a technique that makes sales less stressful, more productive and more profitable. Known for his entrepreneurial spirit and dynamic sales strategy, Biviano has had extensive achievements in sales, consulting, technology and executive management with a range of companies, including Procter & Gamble, Mobil Chemical and IBM.

Here is a short video introduction to his presentation.

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, November 21, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, November 21, 2014
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.

No Meeting
Friday, November 28, 2014

There will be no RPCN meeting today because of the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Of interest

Health care reform: Digital Rochester explores what health care reform means for health IT on Thursday, November 13, at Oak Hill Country Club. Leaders across the health care community – representing hospitals, physician groups, post-acute care and home care – will speak about what health care organizations need to be doing to prepare for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and health care reform. Click here for more information.

QuickBooks: SCORE hosts a workshop on running your business with Basic QuickBooks on Tuesday, November 11, at the Rochester Business Alliance. Topics include bookkeeping basics; using your QuickBooks file on a daily/weekly basis; setting up and using items, paying bills and invoicing customers; and QuickBooks menus, reports and preference options. Click here for more information.

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New consultant Sandy Glanton finds success by fine-tuning services

Thu, 02 Oct 2014 15:28:10 GMT

New consultant Sandy Glanton finds success by fine-tuning services

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, RPCN Communication Committee

Sandra “Sandy” Glanton is a relative newcomer to consulting, but a seasoned RPCN member who is finding the consultant’s lifestyle to be satisfying and promising.

Glanton’s business is Projects Accomplished! Through her business, she said, “I help my clients identify and articulate their project requirements; guide clients through requirements analysis and project planning to decide how to proceed; and provide project management scheduling and other project support services, such as financial management, resource planning, etc., to individual business owners or small to large companies.”

Glanton filed her DBA in May 2014 and works from her home in Walworth, NY. In starting and maintaining her consulting business, she draws on substantial experience in the corporate sector, as well as volunteer work in the community.

“I had been a professional in corporate America for many years, starting directly out of college,” she said. “When I was let go due to downsizing, I embarked on some volunteer projects with The August Group (TAG) and the Pancreatic Cancer Association of Western NY (PCAWNY) while I networked and looked for work. I began contract work for a colleague/friend as a technical writer earlier this year.” From that came her consulting business.

She attended an RPCN Entrepreneur’s Boot Camp and later joined the RPCN, getting involved on more than a “checkbook” level by becoming board secretary. Her volunteer activities have paid off not only in the satisfaction of providing a service, but in drawing business to her business.

Even early in the life of her consultancy, Glanton is adjusting and fine-tuning the focus of her consulting business. “If you had asked me a year or two ago about what my business offerings would be, I would have said that the services would all center around project management,” she explained. “Because my first job for my current client was focused on my technical writing and technical training development skills, though, I decided to expand my offerings to include those skills as well.”

Click here to watch a video interview with Glanton. To read the full interview and find out more about how the RPCN helped her start her consulting business, 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!”™

Many hands make light work …

By Dave Bassett, RPCN President

We’ve held a series of strategic planning and implementation sessions with the membership over this past summer and have gotten a lot of great ideas on how to implement the strategies, as well as volunteers to help the board in doing just that. An update will go out to membership very soon.

The “Surprise Thursdays” appear to be a hit and another one will be coming up this month on October’s Fifth Friday Eve on October 30. Details to come soon.

We have postponed the “Picture Yourself … as a successful consultant” conference until this spring, due to advance registrations being much lower than we anticipated. Several other events in town were scheduled on the same date, which had a big effect on registration. The Conference Committee decided to reschedule to ensure we have a good turnout for all the speakers who have put time and energy into preparing their presentations.

We will offer the consulting business boot camp this winter – thank you to Bob Lurz for leading this effort and making it happen. The boot camp will run on Tuesdays during February and the first week of March of the new year, so save those dates.

We will also be resuming the Trend Talks this winter. A few other events will be coming up in the next few months; we’ll keep you updated on all as the details are finalized.

With all these activities, plus several others going on “behind the scenes,” so to speak, it’s a busy time for RPCN. It’s also fun. If you’d like to help, we’d love to have you contributing. All of our committees are actively looking for volunteers to participate. Just check out the website to get contact info for the particular committee you’re interested in or contact me at dbassett@bassett.pro.

Please feel free to contact me 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. Thank you for your support!

Mark your calendar for 2015 RPCN Consulting Business Boot Camp

By Bob Lurz

As part of our 25th Anniversary Celebration, we’re presenting the 2015 RPCN Consulting Business Boot Camp. This is your opportunity to learn how to start your solo consulting business on the right foot (or improve your current consulting practice). The last Boot Camp was a great success, and this one will be even better. You will learn how to:

Define your Services, Clients & Benefits
Choose a Legal Business Entity (DBA, LLC, Corp)
Build your Reputation & Image
Market your Consulting Services
Discover your Value to Potential Clients
Present your Value Proposition & Receive Feedback

The Boot Camp provides hands-on, practical information. You apply what you learn – while you learn. Successful consultants share their knowledge, experience and tips. Learn how to make informed decisions about your consulting practice and avoid serious mistakes and pitfalls.

SAVE THE DATES:
February 3, 10, 17: 7:30 AM–12:30 PM
February 24 & Mar 3: 7:30 AM–4:30 PM

More to come about registration, location, price, refreshments, etc.

Bob Lurz is president of Consultants Accelerator, www.consultantsaccelerator.com.

RPCN seeks input on programs

By Michael Van der Gaag, Past President and Programs Chair

As you may know, as part of our strategy for the past couple of years, the RPCN has been presenting programs that, in addition to being interesting and entertaining, are intended to help you develop your skills and your business.

We have identified four topical areas that we believe will achieve those goals:

The Business of Business
Marketing & Selling
Economic Opportunity
Consulting Fundamentals

Click here to view a more detailed list of specific topics under consideration.

The Program Committee now could use your help in determining what programs you would like us to offer. In particular, we want to know:

Any additional topics that fit in any of the four areas
Speakers whom you would like to hear from, especially anyone you’ve heard and can recommend as an excellent presenter for any of the topical areas
Any other program-relevant information, such as what it would take to attract you to attend more RPCN workshops and meetings

Please send your suggestions to me at programs@rochesterconsultants.org. Your timely response will help us to better serve your needs by providing programs and workshops that help you improve your business.

Making your business better

Advisory boards: How often do you work with a business’s advisory board? In this Democrat and Chronicle article, John R. Piccirilli explains how advisory boards can help a small business.

Mistakes: RPCN member Bob Whipple lists 14 political skills that he learned from making mistakes. His list starts with “Know who butters your bread – and act that way” and ends with “Always, always be considerate and gracious.” To find out what the other 12 skills are, go to Bob’s blog, The Trust Ambassador.

Multitasking: Multitasking makes you less efficient, according to the founder of the Center for Brain Health. Read more about how you can get over the habit of multitasking in Robin Harisis’s blog.

In this issue:

President's_message
Member profile
RPCN 2015 Boot Camp
Making your business better
Seeking your input
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

Please send articles for the November newsletter by October 15.

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, October 3, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

Improving Profits Through Top-Notch Listening
presented by Don Boice
Friday, October 10, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Business is a series of relationships, and your ability to relate to your customers and your employees – and your employees’ ability to relate to each other – should be part of your business strategy.

Choosing the right people with the right skill sets is just the beginning. To build an efficient, productive and committed team, your workforce also needs the ability to listen – which means to build rapport, be fully present, tune in the other person and not only gather information but build a relationship.

Here is a short video introduction to his presentation.

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, October 17, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, October 17, 2014
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.

Close the Expert-Novice Chasm to Achieve Positive Outcomes
presented by Judith Shenouda
Friday, October 24, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Have you ever wondered why so much goes awry in communications and interactions between the expert and the novice? In this presentation, Judith Shenouda will share what she has learned about the expert-novice chasm and how it affects decision-making and problem-solving.

Participants will look at scenarios on how to close the gap in their role as a consultant, leading to improved outcomes.

Here is a short video introduction to her presentation.

RPCN “Surprise Thursday” Social
Thursday, October 30, 2014
6:00 PM
Location TBD

There is no RPCN meeting on Friday, October 31, 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). Cash bar, but appetizers are on us. Bring friends, colleagues or clients.

New members

RPCN welcomes the following new members.

Adele Carducci
Harold Leve

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Register now for Picture Yourself conference

Fri, 29 Aug 2014 20:56:31 GMT

Picture Yourself … as a Successful Consultant!

“Picture Yourself … as a successful consultant,” the RPCN’s full-day conference, coming up on Wednesday, October 15, at MCC, will be the event of the season. We have an excellent keynote speaker lined up: Dr. Bruce Katcher (pictured), 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.

Registration for the conference is now open at www.RPCNConference.com. The early-bird registration price for RPCN members is only $99; it is $139 for non-members. Rates will go up to $129 and $169 respectively after September 15, so sign up now and save some money.

There will also be a conference booklet that will be given to all attendees in which you can place an ad for between $25 (1/8 page) and $100 (full page). We are expecting 100–200 attendees, so that should be a very cost-effective way to get your message across. If you, or someone you know, would like to advertise at the conference, please check out the website or contact Dave Bassett at dbassett@bassett.pro.

Exhibitor space (but only room for 12 exhibitors, so those will go quickly!) and sponsorship opportunities are also available. If you, or someone you know, would like to sponsor or exhibit at the conference, please check out the conference website or contact Tracey Aiello at tracey@winningcareerstrategies.com.

If you are interested in helping with this conference, we’d love to have you. The Conference Committee has been meeting at 3 PM on Thursdays at the Corner Bakery Café (3300 Monroe Avenue in Pittsford, across the street from the Pittsford Plaza). 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. We are looking for someone to head up our efforts in getting advertisers.

As we get closer to the 15th of October, we’ll be looking for help with registration, putting together conference materials and day-of-the-event activities. 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. Please join us. Contact Dave Bassett at (585) 739-9726 or dbassett@bassett.pro for more details.

It will be a great conference. We hope to see you there.

Opportunities abound to get involved with RPCN

By Dave Bassett, RPCN President

With RPCN entering its 25th year, we have a lot going on. We’ve held a series of strategic planning and implementation sessions with the membership and have gotten a lot of great ideas on how to implement the strategies and a lot of volunteers to help the board in doing just that. Our most recent session was held on August 8 and we’ll be sending an e-mail documenting that discussion in the next week or so.

What’s a 25th anniversary without some big events? Well, we won’t be letting you down. We’ll be holding a full-day conference on October 15 and bringing back the TrendTalks this winter. I’m very pleased to announce that Bob Lurz has agreed to move up the Consultants Boot Camp schedule from once every two years and will be holding another one this winter – likely in February and March. Details on that to come.

In addition to those and our regular Friday morning meetings, we also have some special events planned. We held another fun “Surprise Thursday” networking session at the Flower City Grill on August’s Fifth Friday Eve. What’s the Fifth Friday Eve, you might ask? Well, it’s more commonly known as the Thursday preceding the fifth Friday of a month, when we don't hold regular morning meetings. When you see one coming up, watch for a Thursday evening social networking event (though we may skip one in October, as most people probably already have plans for Halloween). (Ed. note: See more photos from Surprise Thursday on the RPCN Facebook page.)

We are planning an evening boat ride on September 24 to enjoy our late summer/early fall weather (see the calendar at right). We also have plans for a special event this spring – details on that to come as the 25th Anniversary Committee finalizes them.

We will also have a lot of things going on behind the scenes. We have a website that has served our membership well since the last major revamping back around 2009, but a lot of things, especially social media, have evolved greatly since then. We will be revamping that in these coming months to take better advantage of social media and reach out to additional audiences. The Marketing Committee has been working closely with the web committee to plan these changes. The Communication Committee is also involved. We’re also looking into adding the ability to allow members to attend our regular meetings over the web.

Our Communication Committee remains committed to ensuring that our message gets out clearly and succinctly. They work diligently behind the scenes, and not just on creating and producing this newsletter. Messages that go out to our membership and outside groups have also received their gentle touch. Our Hospitality Committee staffs the table at Brighton Town Hall every other week and our Library Committee maintains an extensive collection of books valuable to consultants that our members may take out on loan. Our Alliances Committee continues to work to strengthen our connections to groups such as RochesterWorks!, High Tech Rochester, the Small Business Development Council and the IEEE, among others.

With all these activities, plus several others, it’s a busy time for RPCN. It’s also fun. If you’d like to help, we’d love to have you contribute. All of our committees are actively looking for volunteers to help out. If you’re interested, please check out the website to get the contact info for the particular committee you’re interested in or contact me at dbassett@bassett.pro.

Please feel free to contact me 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. Thank you for your support!

Of interest

Professional development: The 9th Annual “Build Your Business” conference hosted by Communication Central takes place on September 26–27 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Rochester. This conference for entrepreneurial communicators offers tools of the writing, editing and proofreading trade and covers approaches to the freelance lifestyle. Topics include finding clients, marketing, pricing, networking and balancing work and family, among others. RPCN members can take advantage of the Colleague rate, and the early-bird deadline has been extended to August 31. More info.

Networking: AMA|Rochester hosts its Fall Kick-Off Networking Event on Wednesday, September 10, from 5:30– 7:30 PM at Havana Cabana Island Cafe & Rum Bar, 289 Alexander St., Rochester. Enjoy the summer weather while you still can and network with other marketing professionals. More info.

Starting a Business: SCORE of Greater Rochester hosts a five-part series of three-hour workshops designed to give you the tools, information and advice you need to succeed. Simple Steps for Starting a Business Boot Camp begins on Saturday, September 6, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM at the Rochester Business Alliance, 150 State Street, Rochester. More info.

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RPCN is now on Meetup!
Making the best use of social media forums, RPCN is now on MeetUp. You can see postings for upcoming events, connect with other consultants and ask questions in between our regularly scheduled events.

In this issue:

President's_message
Fall Conference
Making your business better
Of interest
Upcoming events

We want you!

The RPCN newsletter welcomes news, success stories, tips, resources, event announcements and other items that would be of 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
Collin Paran

Please send articles for the October newsletter by September 15, 2014.

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, September 5, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

Helping Your Clients Understand Theirs
presented by Jon Siegel
Friday, September 12, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Traditionally, market research has been unaffordable for smaller businesses and non-profits. This is rapidly changing as a technological revolution is transforming this industry. “Do-it-yourself” tools like Survey Monkey are only a small part of this transformation. RPCN members are in a unique position to help their clients take advantage of these changes.

This talk will describe how technology is changing what smaller businesses and non-profits can do and describe several innovative firms and approaches that you may want to add to your toolbox of resources. Here is a short video introduction to his presentation.

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, September 19, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, September 19, 2014
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.

Erie Canal Cruise & Dinner
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
6:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Join your RPCN colleagues for a special evening boat ride on the Colonial Belle and an Italian buffet dinner. The cost is $20 Members, $30 RPCN Guests. Pre-register for the event on the RPCN website.

Transforming Kodak Alaris: A customer-driven approach
presented by Jack Rieger
Friday, September 26, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Traditional approaches to business planning and product development are inefficient and suffer high risk of failure. A customer-driven lean startup approach is the method used by leading Silicon Valley firms today. Adopting these methods is both vital and difficult for established companies.

Jack Rieger of Kodak Alaris will review the approach and lessons learned from the battlefield. Here is a short video introduction to his presentation.

Making your business better

Travel tips: For consultants who travel, RPCN member Rosemarie Caillier describes three exercises that you should do on long plane rides to prevent blood clots from forming, including walking the aisles, moving your feet while sitting and stretching. See her blog Foot Scribe, Live Well on Healthy Feet.

Working at home: “When you’re at home, folks experience a much narrower range of your amazingness.” Jolie M. discusses the pros and cons of working out of your home in her article Why It’s Okay to Do Laundry When You Work at Home.

Steve Royal appreciates camaraderie of RPCN membership

Fri, 01 Aug 2014 19:26:02 GMT

Steve Royal appreciates camaraderie of RPCN membership

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, RPCN Communication Committee

Like so many RPCN members, Steve Royal is a former Kodaker, but his story is a little different from that of people were laid off or dismissed as Rochester’s former employment giant cut back so drastically in recent years. The chemist-by-training had evolved into an internal training and business expert in his years with Kodak and was able to translate that angle into a consulting business – something he attributes to his RPCN membership.

“I started my consulting business in 1992, about a year after a buyout from Kodak,” Royal said. “I was only 49 when I left Kodak, but the deal was so good that I couldn’t bring myself to stay.” He had several job interviews, but all were for about half what he had been making, with no benefits and extensive traveling, which did not appeal to him. He had been spending “a lot of time” at the Career Resource Center on Culver Road when someone from the RPCN came there to discuss consulting. Royal went to an RPCN meeting and “kept going every week. I decided that, with the help of RPCN, I could become a consultant.” He’s been at it ever since.

Click here to watch a video interview with Royal. To read the full interview and find out more about his business and how RPCN has helped him find new clients, 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!”™

25 years of the RPCN – here’s to 25 more

By Dave Bassett, RPCN President

Back in 1990, a group of 10 or so former Kodak workers formed a mutual support group. Little did they know that the small group that met in a diner would still be going strong a quarter-century later as the Rochester Professional Consultants Network (RPCN).

We are planning on kicking off a long celebration of this important milestone in the coming months. Details of all we have planned will be coming out soon. (For a bit more info on the 25th anniversary, please click here.)

As my first act as RPCN president, I would like to thank Michael Van der Gaag and the rest of the past board for their dedicated service to the membership. It is my great privilege to let you know that all but one member of the current board will be staying on for this 25th-anniversary year. Paula Randall, who has served in several capacities – as secretary, member at large and membership chairwoman, and on the Conference Committee – has regrettably tendered her resignation to take a position as vice president of health services at Huther Doyle. We wish her the best of luck in her new position and hope she gets a chance to make it to some of our meetings and events.

It is also my privilege to welcome Laurie Enos, president of Blue Dog Marketing, to the board. Laurie is a marketing expert and has been working with the Conference Committee.

Speaking of the Conference Committee, plans are well underway for “Picture Yourself … a Successful Consultant,” a three-track, full-day conference to be held at MCC on October 15. Dr. Bruce Katcher, author of An Insider’s Guide to Building a Successful Consulting Practice, will be the keynote speaker.

On July 11, we held the first of two strategy implementation sessions. The meeting was open to the entire membership and the turnout was great. Roughly 20 percent of our members attended and helped brainstorm how we can implement the strategic plan that was passed at the June board meeting. The priorities we are focused on for the coming year are:

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.
Update the RPCN website.

(To see the entire strategic plan, including our vision, mission, organizational values, outcomes and strategic objectives, please check it out on the website.)

On August 8, after the regularly scheduled meeting at the Brighton Town Hall, we will hold a session with the membership to review the brainstorming session and to get your input on how best to implement these goals. We’ll have snacks and coffee for this 10 AM meeting, so please plan on sticking around after the morning meeting.

Please feel free to contact me 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; I look forward to working with you to make 2014–15 even stronger! Our first 25 years were very good; here’s to an even better next 25!

25 years of RPCN accomplishments – how we’re “Delivering on the Promise”

By Bob Lurz

What has RPCN accomplished in 25 years? No RPCN buildings or monuments exist, so what can we point to? RPCN is dedicated to serving members, so let’s look at them. Since our promise is to provide members with opportunities for networking, learning and mutual support, our “monuments” are those who benefit from RPCN’s opportunities.

Members: Founded in 1990 with about 10 members, peaked at 240 in the mid-1990s. Lately, members numbered 100–120. There’s no 25-year record of members’ names, but assuming an average of 100 members each year means more than 1,000 members over time, many of whom are long-time repeat stalwarts of the organization.

Meetings: 1,000 Friday meetings with networking and learning opportunities. Started with two-per-month: Presentations and Describe Your Services. Added two-per-month in mid-1990s: Business and Technical Forums, the “crown jewels” of RPCN. Conferences, boot camps, board/committee meetings add 1,200 meetings, creating 2,200 RPCN opportunities where members and others learn, network and volunteer. Through our Friday sessions, RPCN has touched the lives of several thousand actual and potential members.

Opportunities (thousands):

Learn about/from each other.
Build networks.
Explore and learn about starting up, getting clients and more.
Present/facilitate at meetings, events to showcase expertise, build trust.
Present 30-second commercials.
Obtain referrals, recommendations.
Do business with members.

Plus:

Write for the newsletter or website.
Serve on RPCN board/committees/projects.
Collaborate on business projects.
Form “ alliances” (expand services).

Yes, we’ve delivered on the RPCN promise. We’ve built a 25-year “living monument” to the consulting and business community.

Bob Lurz is founder and facilitator of the RPCN Business Forum, leader of the RPCN Consulting Boot Camps and a past president of RPCN.

Making your business better

Getting away: Your consulting business may seem all-consuming, but taking a vacation is vital to your mental and physical health. On the Society for Technical Communication (STC) website, RPCN member Ruth E. Thaler-Carter has vacation tips for freelancers that apply to consultants as well.

Selling yourself: Need to write a bio? Hannah Morgan suggests that you search LinkedIn summaries for inspiration. Read her Democrat & Chronicle Nextpert column on "Write bio that sells yourself" for more tips.

We are friendly: Rochester received a B grade for its overall friendliness to small business from the Thumbtack.com Small Business Friendliness Survey. Rochester was rated 5th nationally in the ease of starting a small business. For the complete report, click here.

New members

RPCN welcomes the following new member. Click on the name to view his profile.

Joel Shertok

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In this issue:

President's_message
Member profile
RPCN 25th anniversary
Making your business better
Fall conference
Upcoming events

We want you!

Please send articles for the September newsletter by August 15.

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, August 1, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

Why and How to Blog
presented by Laurie Enos and Mary Sperr, Blue Dog Marketing
Friday, August 8, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Have you thought about blogging for your business? Do you know how to go about it? Learn how blogging will benefit your business, tips on writing compelling and effective blogs, and how to schedule your posts. You will come away from this presentation having set up your blog.

If you want to start a blog, here is some "homework" to do before the workshop. And here is a short video introduction to the presentation.

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, August 15, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, August 15, 2014
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.

Networking for Introverts
presented by Eric R. Derby
Friday, August 22, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Are you tired of being bombarded with messages about how you should be networking? Are the methods that are pushed on you irritating or just plain wrong?

This short course is for introverts who want to find ways to network effectively, taking into account your own style and comfort level. We will talk about the goals of networking, and try some exercises to help you be authentic in your own communications.

Surprise Thursday
Thursday, August 28, 2014
6:00 PM
Location TBD

There is no RPCN meeting on Friday, August 29, 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). Cash bar, but appetizers are on us. Bring friends, colleagues or clients.

Picture Yourself … as a Successful Consultant conference is shaping up

The RPCN’s full-day 2014 conference, “Picture Yourself … as a Successful Consultant,” to be held on Wednesday, October 15, at MCC, will be the event of the season. The conference will focus on ways and tools to grow and expand your small/consulting business.

We have an excellent keynote speaker lined up: 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. We’ll have many interesting and helpful topics following 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 at 3 PM on Thursdays at the Corner Bakery Café (3300 Monroe Avenue, across the street from Pittsford Plaza). 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. We are looking for someone to head up our efforts in getting advertisers. If you, or someone you know, would like to sponsor or exhibit at the conference, check out the RPCN website or contact Tracey Aiello at tracey@winningcareerstrategies. com. If you, or someone you know, would like to advertise at the conference, check out the RPCN website or contact Dave Bassett at dbassett@bassett.pro.

As we get closer to October 15, we’ll be looking for help with putting together conference materials, registration and day-of-the-event activities. 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. To help, or just find out more about the conference, contact Dave Bassett at (585) 739-9726 or dbassett@bassett.pro.

In the next week or two, we will be putting registration information up on the RPCN website. There will be early-bird discounts, so plan on signing up early. We hope to see you there.

Ruth Balkin blends high tech and soft touch in research

Tue, 01 Jul 2014 14:30:08 GMT

Ruth Balkin blends high tech and soft touch in research

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!”™

Here we grow

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!

Picture Yourself … as a Successful Consultant!

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.

In our library

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.

Of interest

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.

In this issue:

President's_message
Member profile
“Picture Yourself” conference
Making your business better
Of interest
In our library
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

Please send articles for the August newsletter by July 15.

Upcoming events

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.

Making your business better

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.

RPCN Member Store

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.

New members

RPCN welcomes the following new members. Click on their names to view their profiles.

Mark Flint
John Kernan
Donald Kruggel
David Odgers

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Nonprofit leaders discuss opportunies for consultants

Sat, 31 May 2014 02:52:27 GMT

Nonprofit leaders discuss opportunities for consultants

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, RPCN Communication Committee

Based on what we heard from presenters at the May 15 RPCN TrendTalk event, “Challenges and Opportunities in Rochester’s Human Services Sector,” local not-for-profit organizations are a valuable source of potential business for consultants, particularly those with solid business skills and experience.

Speakers Michelle Prohov, founder of the Working for Nonprofits networking group and human resource manager at the Center for Disability Rights; Marlene Bessette, president and CEO of the Catholic Family Center; and Carol Love, nonprofit leadership consultant, provided overviews of their organizations, insights into challenges for the not-for-profit sector, and ways that consultants could help such organizations.

RPCN member Beth Sears, president of Workplace Communication, Inc./Good Enough to Great Coaching, moderated the program.

Photo by Mike Molaire, houseKALL fotography. To see more photos from the event, visit RPCN on Facebook.

Introducing technology and for-profit business principles to human services organizations is among the challenges that create opportunities for consultants interested in this sector, according to Love. “Money is tight and that will not be ‘over’ – it is a reality,” she said. “Corporations today are not as generous as they used to be and there is less money in government grants due to changes in streams of financing. New York State is playing ‘fruit-basket upset’” with certain kinds of funding that used to be easily available.

In response, consultants can help not-for-profits assess how they are meeting government guidelines for board service, ensuring their missions and directions are being met, seeing whether they have the resources needed to offer planned programs and services, and doing “the right things the right ways.” Strategic planning and board development are two vital areas where consultants could play a role in helping nonprofits function better, Love suggested.

Succession planning for boards of directors is another area where consultants can help nonprofits, said Prohov. She also noted that many organizations “are afraid of millennials and how they will lead,” which creates opportunities for consultants to provide training and development guidance.

Bessette is seeing “educated donors and funders asking a lot more questions and asking for a lot more proof” that nonprofits are fulfilling their missions, which means that consultants could play a role in documenting efforts and activities. “I highly value the business skills that (I saw in the corporate world),” she said – she came to the nonprofit world from a substantial career with Xerox. “I’ve been tapping my retired colleagues” to provide such skills in her current nonprofit role.

Bessette looks for “certain characteristics in terms of personality and approach” in potential employees or consultants. “I look for people who are inquisitive,” she said.

Consultants interested in working with nonprofits should be aware that “culture fit is important and so is understanding what the vision is,” Prohov said. Organization websites are good sources of information about missions, activities, services, programs and even scheduling options for those interested in consulting or volunteering with nonprofits. Bessette noted that volunteering is often a good way to enter the nonprofit world and pave a path to being hired for consulting services. “Make sure that people know what you do,” she said.

In response to an audience question, Love said that larger organizations are likely to use independent financial consultants when dealing with retirement plans and endowments, and that “awareness among smaller organizations that this is worth doing is growing.”

All three speakers expressed appreciation for learning about the existence and resources of the RPCN, particularly the member directory – a good reminder that every RPCN member should have a detailed profile there!

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter (www.writerruth.com) provides writing, editing, proofreading, desktop-publishing and related services to publications, businesses, not-for-profits and other clients.

Please note: The RPCN member profile will return with the July issue.

Another RPCN year is about to begin

By Michael Van der Gaag, President

It has been a heck of a year! As we approach this time of our vice-presidential elections, I can see why a few of my predecessors have told me that, “Just as you get the hang of it, your time would be coming to a close.”

This has been a year of several accomplishments and many lessons learned.

My biggest lesson? In an all-volunteer organization, the direction comes from within – it cannot be imposed from the top, but must evolve by consensus. Then, to achieve a goal, complete an activity or deliver a program, it takes those stepping up, who give of their time and energy to get things done.

During my time as president, I have noted that our accomplishments align with the contributions of members, some on the board and others not. For instance, past Program chair Mike Molaire, who continues to run the “TrendTalk, Challenges and Opportunities” series, has invited many interesting presenters, including various business, community and economic development leaders, to give us the lowdown on the Rochester area’s economy, business growth and opportunities. As I took on being Program chair, Lynn Dessert stepped up to help. Lynn, who knows just about everybody, invited some of the most successful consultants and marketing experts in the area to come in and give us their insights and share their media savvy on how to use the web to improve our image and business.

As we have recognized in the past, the Newsletter Committee, now chaired by Janice Hanson, with partners Ruth Thaler-Carter and Barbara Moore, is unequaled, especially for an all-volunteer organization.

The Website Committee (Emily Carpenter, Steve Royal and Paul Lowans) was recently recognized by the RPCN during the May TrendTalk for its steadfast support. They provide many hours of effort without compensation, maintaining and refining the site. As we face a changing web-media landscape, another member leader, David Powe, Marketing Committee chair, anticipates that, for our website to keep up, we will have to implement more structural changes to better serve the membership. Our Website Committee will be at the forefront of those changes.

At the TrendTalk dinner, we also recognized Bob Lurz’s contribution and leadership in planning, producing and conducting the Consultants Boot Camp.

Thanks to the Membership Committee, now led by Paula Randall (with Lori Cohen, Jerry Seward and Ruth Balkin), we came up with a unique incentive program for members to recruit members, and a new system for badging and tracking contacts.

Thanks also to Sandy Glanton, who took on the role of secretary, and is excellent. Peter Burns, who, as Hospitality chair, has been a cheerful face and engaging promoter of the RPCN; Ruth Balkin, who, as Librarian, has kept on top of our intellectual trust in a year of rejuvenation (out with the old books; in with the new); and to Don Giancursio, who keeps on top of our needs for meeting space in Pittsford.

I also want to recognize the contribution of others who have more recently stepped up to move us forward, among them: Dave Bassett, who, as VP, is chairing the fall “Picture Yourself” Conference; Jim Barton, who leads the Conference Program Subcommittee, which has an excellent lineup of presenters; and Laurie Enos, in charge of the marketing strategy. I also express my appreciation to many others on the Conference Committee (Tracy Aiello, Ruth Balkin, Lori Cohen, Janice Hanson, Bob Lewis, Joe MacDonough, Paula Randall, Jerry Seward and Mark Shrader). Mark has also agreed to pick up the treasurer role. Jerry, a web guru in his own right, always willing to provide guidance and skill to the organization when needed, will be moving onto the board and the Web Committee as Paul Lowans leaves to pursue other interests.

In the next month or so, as we welcome a new VP, whether it be David Powe or Paula Randall , I have confidence that he/she will do an excellent job. As I hand off the role of president to Dave Bassett, I will look forward to continuing my support of the RPCN in any area where I am needed.

As each of you, my fellow members, searches your soul to see how you, your network or your talents may best serve the organization, allow me to thank you for all your support.

As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome. Here’s to your success!

RPCN presents first Dave Young Award, thanks members for contributions

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, RPCN Communications Committee

A highlight of the May 15 RPCN TrendTalk event on consulting opportunities in the human services sector was a presentation of RPCN awards for service to the organization.

Incoming RPCN president David Bassett presented an award to long-time member Bob Lurz for his hard work in organizing and promoting the successful 2014 RPCN Boot Camp, which yielded more than a dozen new members and provided participants with essential information about launching and managing a consulting business. Emily Carpenter, Steve Royal and Paul Lowans received awards for their dedicated behind-the-scenes services to RPCN in managing the organization, its website and its day-to-day activities.

The evening also saw presentation of the first RPCN Dave Young Service Award, given this year to Young’s son Christopher. The award is in memory of Dave Young, who was one of the very first RPCN members and gave many years of time and effort in managing the organization at almost every level imaginable, including producing the RPCN newsletter and bringing the coffee and donuts to Friday meetings.

Photo by Mike Molaire, houseKALL fotography. To see more photos from the event, visit RPCN on Facebook.

In this issue:

President's_message
TrendTalk summary
“Picture Yourself” conference
Making your business better
RPCN awards
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

Please send items for the July newsletter by June 15, 2014.

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, June 6, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

Franchising as a Business
presented by Ron Axelrod, John Adams and Bob Lewis
Friday, June 13, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Franchising as a business model is widely misunderstood; it’s not just French fries and retail. This program will cover the types of franchises available, and the pluses and minuses of franchising vs. starting a business from scratch or buying an existing one. The discussion will touch on a little bit of legal mumbo-jumbo, common myths and how to find a franchise that’s right for you.

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, June 20, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, June 20, 2014
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location to be announced.

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.

Hit the ground running - Starting a new sales effort.
presented by Jeffrey Marcus
Friday, June 27, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Jeffrey Marcus is a Technology Sales/Marketing Leader whose successful actions pioneered Pictometry's roll out to the commercial marketplace.

Here are some key points from Jeffery's presentation:

One foot in front of another. Now you are walking. You must prioritize everything.
Ask Questions during the sales process.
How to present, what to present and why.

Picture Yourself … as a Successful Consultant!

The RPCN will hold a full-day conference called “Picture Yourself … as a successful consultant” on Wednesday, October 15, at MCC. The conference will focus on ways and tools to grow and expand your small / consulting business. We’ll have many interesting and helpful topics following 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 3:00 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 the event, we’ll be looking for help with registration, putting together conference materials and assistance the day of the event. Helping with the conference is a great way to get to know other RPCN members and demonstrate your skills. If you’d like to help, or just know more about the conference, please join us. Contact Dave Bassett at (585) 739-9726 or dbassett@bassett.pro for more details.

Making your business better

Social media: Which social media tool should you use: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Google+? Hannah Morgan lists tips on how to effectively use these resources in her Democrat and Chronicle Nextpert column, Building Your Social Presence (5/11/14).

Making connections: Writing short notes in response to news reports, trade publications and social media postings can pay off in new connections with potential clients, writes Arlene Hisiger in the weekly “Women at Work” column in the Democrat and Chronicle.

New members

Be sure to check here next month for RPCN's new members.

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May 2014 Newsletter

Thu, 01 May 2014 15:46:24 GMT

Ruth Thaler-Carter talks about the advantages of freelancing

By Janice Hanson

A Rochester native and proud alum of Brighton High School, Ruth E. Thaler-Carter (www.writerruth.com) is an award-winning freelance writer (“I can write about anything!”®), editor, proofreader and speaker. She also owns Communication Central, which hosts a conference for freelancers every fall.

Thaler-Carter has been a full-time freelance writer and editor since 1985, working on a wide variety of projects for local, national and international clients. After spending time in St. Louis, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, she moved back to Rochester several years ago because, as she says, “I married a nut who wanted to retire here!” What follows is an edited conversation about her consulting business.

Q: What does your consulting/freelance business do?
A: I write articles, web content, annual reports and more for businesses, organizations and publications, and I help my clients look good in print and on the web by providing editing and proofreading services. You might be amazed at the client errors I keep from seeing the light of day!

Q: I know you’re a member of almost a dozen professional groups – how have your various memberships helped you be a better consultant?
A: By helping me stay up-to-date on trends and changes in everything from language to technology to skills, and by giving me more opportunities for projects because of meeting people and showing people what I can do for their businesses or companies. When you’re out there in these organizations, you’re more than an electronic presence, email address or photo on a website; you’re a real human being and, ideally, other people think of me when they have a project I can work on. It’s also been a way of meeting people and making new friends.

Q: How has the RPCN helped you as a consultant?
A: I joined because I was looking for local connections with like-minded people who were also doing consulting work. I love being involved with the newsletter because I like getting to know the people I’m writing about. I’m not as visible in person as I’d like to be, because I tend not to be functional at 8 AM on a Friday, but I’ve gotten a few projects through being a member.

To read the full interview and find out Ruth’s advice for someone looking to become a freelancer or consultant, visit this page on the RPCN website. Click here for a video interview where she talks about how networking has helped her with her consulting business.

For those looking to get into freelance editing – or just to improve their skills – Ruth Thaler-Carter presents a workshop on The Basics of Editing and Proofreading at Writers & Books in Rochester on Monday, May 5.

Spring. It’s about time!

By Michael Van der Gaag, President

I’m sure we have all been looking forward to the bright sunny days of spring. While the birds are out setting up their nests, RPCN has also been busy:

TrendTalk on May 15
Thanks to the efforts of Mike Molaire, Sandy Glanton, Janice Hanson and the Communication Committee, our upcoming TrendTalk planned for Thursday, May 15, is shaping up to be quite an event. At Challenges and Opportunities in Rochester's Human Services Sector, our panel will discuss their visions, the needs of the community, and how we, as consultants or entrepreneurs, can do business in this sector. Panelists (pictured below) are: Marlene Bessette, president and CEO at Catholic Family Center; Carol Love, a nonprofit leadership consultant; and Michelle Prohov, founder of Working for Nonprofits.

The moderator is Beth Sears and the evening includes dinner and an opportunity for networking. Come with your questions and your appetite. To register for TrendTalk, click here. Register through May 1 to save $10 on your registration.

October Conference
The “Picture Yourself …” conference committee, under the leadership of Dave Bassett (RPCN VP) and Jim Barton (conference program chair), has been planning the program and identifying and inviting speakers for this upcoming fall event, with 15 topics covering a variety of interest areas to be presented in three tracks. They cover the gamut from start-up and taking it to the next level to improving how you do business and becoming a better consultant.

The conference marketing team, headed up by Laurie Enos, has been strategizing on how to present the event and spread the word. The committee is also looking for volunteers to help with the myriad of activities needed to pull off a successful event, and in particular is looking for someone as vendor coordinator. Please contact Dave Bassett if you can help.

RPCN at Quality Conference
Congratulations to RPCN members Vince Vezza, event chair, and Steve Whittaker, presenter and presenter coordinator, for their successful American Society for Quality Rochester section (ASQRS) conference at the RIT Inn and Conference Center on April 9. Speakers presented on topics like Ethics, Green Production, The Importance of Body Language, Quality and Sustainability. Also among the speakers was our own Bob Whipple. We met scores of participants who stopped by our booth to see what RPCN is all about.

RPCN Fifth Thursday
We have another RPCN Fifth Thursday coming up on the evening of May 29 and we need your input. Would you like to see an informal opportunity for networking, a learning event about how to use Skype led by Bill Vallee or some combination of the two? Please provide your feedback by taking this one-question survey. Once we have a sense of what people would like to see, we’ll send an e-mail with details.

Stepping up
In thinking about these news items, I realized that the common thread contributing to the success of all our events is the willingness of members to help their organizations be successful. What we get out of volunteering, besides the satisfaction of creating an amazing event (or organization), is an opportunity to apply our leadership and vision to create something of value to others, while developing a team spirit. Those who step up to help are the greatest asset of an all-volunteer organization like RPCN.

Thanks
Thanks to those of you who took a few minutes to answer the newsletter survey sent on April Fool’s Day. If you didn’t realize that there was a short (three questions) survey about the newsletter, it is still up and available – please take it now. We want to make sure this newsletter is your doorway to gaining the most from RPCN.

As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome. Here’s to your success!

Picture Yourself…

•    Enlarging your business
•    Developing your reputation as a consulting expert
•    Focusing on your client’s bottom line and reputation

Picture Yourself … at MCC on October 15 learning these and many other skills.

The RPCN will hold a full-day conference called “Picture Yourself …” on Wednesday, October 15, at MCC, focusing on ways and tools to grow and expand your small/consulting business. Details on opportunities to exhibit, present and attend will be coming in the next few weeks.

If you are interested in helping with this conference, we’d love to have you. Helping with the program is a great way to get to know other RPCN members and demonstrate your abilities. The committee’s next meeting will be held at the Corner Bakery Café at 3300 Monroe Avenue in Pittsford (across the street from the Pittsford Plaza) at 3:00 PM on May 1. For more information, contact Dave Bassett at (585) 739-9726 or dbassett@bassett.pro.

In our library

Business Cases for Info Pros – Here’s Why, Here’s How (2008, Ulla de Stricker, Information Today, Inc.) is the latest acquisition by the RPCN library. RPCN Librarian Ruth Balkin picked up this book at the Association of Information Professionals (AIIP) conference in Baltimore in April. RPCN members may not think of themselves as information professionals, but as consultants, providing information is a big part of our interaction with clients. This book takes preparing and presenting proposals to clients to another level.

RPCN maintains an extensive library of business books and other materials that members can borrow. Click here to view the RPCN library.

Of interest

Starting a small business: SCORE hosts this one-day workshop, which provides key information on all the basic components of starting and running a business. The workshop is on Wednesday, May 14, from 8:45 AM–3:30 PM at the Federal Building. Click here for more information and to register.

Marketing with video: Learn how to create, share and promote videos to enhance your marketing initiatives. This Digital Rochester workshop features Josh Pies and Peter Platt as speakers and takes place Tuesday, May 20, at 7:30 AM at the Rochester Museum and Science Center. Click here for more information and to register.

In this issue:

President's_message
Member Profile
TrendTalk
"Picture Yourself" conference
In our library
Of interest
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

Please send articles for the June newsletter by May 10.

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, May 2, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
PLEASE NOTE: The Pittsford Library is not available for this date. This forum will be held in the Downstairs Meeting Room at Brighton Town Hall.

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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

Is Your Product or Service What Customers Want?
presented by Juli Klie, Veritor
Friday, May 9, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

You’re sure your idea is the best thing since sliced bread, but does anyone want to buy what you’re selling? This session will discuss the importance of understanding what the market wants before you make a large investment. If you’ve launched and your product or service is not selling as it should, how do you determine the cause and fix the problem? Juli Klie is an experienced software and services executive with one foot in the technical world and the other in marketing.

TrendTalk: Challenges and Opportunities in Rochester’s Human Services Sector
panelists: Marlene Bessette, Carol Love and Michelle Prohov
Thursday, May 15, 2014
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Radisson Airport Hotel, 175 Jefferson Road, Rochester

Three highly respected leaders – who are well known for their contributions to helping grow organizations that address the needs of the community – will be featured at the next TrendTalk dinner panel discussion. Whether or not your current focus is on human services, you may be surprised at the opportunity this event will provide for learning about this sector and how it can use your support and guidance. You will also have a chance to network with other members of the community who may be your future colleagues, clients or collaborators. Register through May 1 to save $10 on your registration.

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, May 16, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, May 16, 2014
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.

Microsoft in the Cloud
presented by Lee Drake, OS-Cubed
Friday, May 23, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

An overview of Office 365, Azure and Microsoft Cloud offerings, as well as assistance with what plans to pick as you move your systems to the cloud. See how to use Microsoft's cloud offerings to manage email, host an active directory, share files and store backup data. Lee Drake has extensive speaking experience on topics such as computer security, programming best practices, building content-managed websites, building online communities and social media.

New Members

RPCN welcomes the following new members. Click on the links below to view their profiles.

Wendy Wang

Jim Nortz

Barbara Lacker-Ware

Congratulations to the recent winners of the RPCN Member Referral Program, which provides incentives to both current and new members:

Robert Manard
(new member)
Lynn Dessert
(current member)

Each quarter, we will conduct a drawing that includes the names of new members and anyone who referred a new member within that quarter. We will draw one name from each group – a current and a new member – and each will receive a $25 gift card. For more information on the benefits of joining the RPCN, click here.

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April 2014 Newsletter

Tue, 01 Apr 2014 14:51:38 GMT

Michael Van der Gaag embodies the consulting spirit

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

For most RPCN members, consulting is a new venture growing out of a traditional career that ended either voluntarily – on retirement or through burnout – or more forcibly, through layoffs, downsizing and other corporate events beyond our control. For outgoing RPCN president Michael Van der Gaag, principal consultant at Beyond the Interface, consulting has always been his form of work, even when working for others.

The New Jersey native came to Rochester when he was looking to broaden his scope after working in an internal consulting role at Bell Labs. He found an opportunity here with Essex Corporation in 1980 and spent three years on a contract with Xerox for Essex until “I got caught up in layoffs.” He started thinking about his own business and pitched his services to Savin Corp., only to be hired full-time as manager of industrial design and human factors and usability. After a year-and-a-half there though, that consulting urge kicked back in. “I called a friend at Xerox who kept me busy with projects for several years,” he said.

For full details of how Van der Gaag developed his consulting niche and came to serve as RPCN president, read the story on the RPCN website. Click here for a video interview where Michael talks about how the RPCN has helped him with his consulting business.

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter (www.writerruth.com) is a freelance writer, editor, proofreader and speaker.

RPCN is on a roll

By Michael Van der Gaag, President

Bravo for the boot camp!

Congratulations to Bob Lurz on the successful completion of a most excellent boot camp. I was a participant in the previous program in 2012. This one was even better! Among the highlights: Bruce Katcher, author of An Insider’s Guide to Building a Successful Consulting Practice, “Skyped” into one of the sessions, live. He engaged individually with several volunteers from the group, asking about their business focus and vision, and providing one-on-one and group guidance and insights. The participants had a blast. Thank you, Mr. Katcher. You have some serious fans in the Rochester area.

For the final two sessions, participants had the opportunity to present their businesses’ value propositions to a panel of judges. We extend our thanks to Jim Echter, Jean Kase, Bob Kot and Doug Mabon, our esteemed review panelists, who provided such useful insights and sage guidance.

We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the many presenters who gave so generously of their know-how, providing helpful hints on how to become successful. Special thanks to Lynn Dessert, Jim Echter, Charlie Hancock, Bob Kot, Jon Lazenby, Doug Mabon, Barbara Moore, Kelly Mullaney, Rich Notargiacomo, Jim Payne and Beth Sears.

The word is out and we are already receiving inquiries about the next one … So, Bob, are you ready to do it again?

Can we top this? Well, we can come close

There is another TrendTalk on the horizon. On the evening of May 15, our dinner panel discussion will focus on “Challenges and Opportunities in the Human Services Sector.” We have engaged three highly respected leaders, well-known for their contributions to helping grow organizations that address the needs of the community: Carol Love, a nonprofit leadership consultant with 46 years of experience in nonprofit management with a number of organizations; Marlene Bessette, president and CEO at Catholic Family Center; and Michelle Prohov, founder of Working for Nonprofits and HR manager at the Center for Disability Rights. The panelists will touch on their backgrounds and career paths and then discuss their visions of the needs of the community and how we, as consultants or entrepreneurs, can do business in this sector.

Whether or not your current focus is on human services, you may be surprised at the opportunity this event will provide for learning about this sector and how it can use your support and guidance. You will also have a chance to network with other consultants, business owners and members of the community who may be your future clients or collaborators. We look forward to seeing you at the May 15 TrendTalk.

Stepping out of our space

On Wednesday, April 9, 2014, RPCN will exhibit at “Success Stories that Impact the Bottom Line,” the upcoming regional conference of the American Society for Quality-Rochester section (ASQRS). This all-day conference will cover topics like ethics, green production, the importance of body language, and quality and sustainability.

Among the speakers is our own Bob Whipple, whose member story recently appeared in our newsletter and on the RPCN website. [Ed. Note: In addition, RPCN member Vince Vezza is chairing the event and Steve Whittaker is coordinator for the five presenters, as well as a presenter himself.]

Whether you are a quality consultant or a provider of quality consulting, this mini-conference will have a topic of interest to you and your business. To volunteer at our booth, contact Bob Lurz or me. See you there.

Thanks for your input

Thanks to those of you who took a few minutes to answer the questions in our last newsletter. We will be taking the results to the board and addressing your suggestions in upcoming programs.

If you have an idea or want us to pursue a program of interest to you, feel free to get involved.

Your thoughts and comments are always welcome. Here’s to your success!

Picture Yourself…

•    Enlarging your business
•    Developing your reputation as a consulting expert
•    Focusing on your client’s bottom line and reputation

Picture Yourself … at MCC on October 15 learning these and many other skills.

The RPCN will hold a full-day conference called “Picture Yourself …” on Wednesday, October 15 at MCC. The conference will focus on ways and tools to grow and expand your small/consulting business. Details on opportunities to exhibit, present and attend will be coming in the next few weeks.

If you are interested in helping with this conference, we’d love to have you. The committee’s next meeting will be held at the Corner Bakery Café at 3300 Monroe Avenue in Pittsford (across the street from the Pittsford Plaza) at 3:00 PM on April 1 (no, really, it’s not an April Fool’s Joke, we are going to be meeting then and there).

Regardless of your skill set, we have a subcommittee that can use your skills. Helping with the program is a great way to get to know other RPCN members and demonstrate your skills. If you’d like to help, or just know more about the conference, please join us. Contact Dave Bassett at (585) 739-9726(585) 739-9726 or dbassett@bassett.pro for more details.

Of interest

Technical communication: The Society for Technical Communication of Rochester hosts Spectrum 2014, its 55th annual conference, on April 13–15 at Rochester Institute of Technology. With a theme of “Communicating to Understanding: Core Competency, Core Value,” the conference seeks to empower technical communication professionals to build a business case for new ideas and technology, share their knowledge and lead change in their organization. RPCN members Judith Shenouda and Ruth E. Thaler-Carter are among the presenters. Click here for more information and to register.

Freelancers' conference: RPCN members are eligible to use the colleague’s discount for “Be a Better Freelancer! (Re)Invent Your Business,” the 2014 Communication Central conference for freelancers, Sept. 26–27 in Rochester, NY, with an Editorial Bootcamp on Sept. 28 at the same location. Keynote speaker is Jake “Dr. Freelance” Poinier. Click here for more information and to register. Laura Poole will present the Editorial Bootcamp, with a discount for conference attendees. Registration info is included in the conference registration PDF.

RPCN improvises: There certainly was a lot of energy in the room as RPCN members and guests “whooshed” and “grooved” as part of the March 14 program on “Improvise Your Way to Successful Collaboration” with Caitlin Drago of Inspire Improv. Click here to view the video on the RPCN YouTube channel.

YouTube: Did you know that you can subscribe to the RPCN YouTube channel? Check it out to view short RPCN member profiles and keep up on the latest RPCN news and features.

In this issue:

President's_message
Member profile
“Picture Yourself” conference
Of interest
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

Please send articles for the May newsletter by April 15.

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, April 4, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

Technology for Consultants: An Overview
presented by Nick Francesco
Friday, April 11, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

An overview of the newest technologies and best practices for consultants, including hardware, software, security and videoconferencing. You will learn how to begin making a selection among the latest hardware, some of the best choices for creating and backing up documents, and the importance of keeping your computer virus-free and helping your clients do the same. Francesco writes a weekly computer column in the Democrat & Chronicle newspaper and co-hosts Sound Bytes, a weekly radio call-in computer show on Jazz 90.1. Here is a short video in which Nick discusses his presentation.

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, April 18, 2014
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? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Board Meeting Friday, April 18, 2014
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.

How to Effectively Use Google AdWords
presented by Paul Gallipeau
Friday, April 25, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

This program will teach you about Google AdWords and how to effectively use this tool and track your results. We will also cover common problems and how to avoid them. Paul Gallipeau of Paul Carl Digital specializes in pay-per-click management and has spoken at the Creative Collaboration, Rochester Wordpress Group and Rochester Brainery. Here is a short video in which Paul discusses his presentation.

New members

RPCN welcomes the following new members. Click on the links below to view their profiles.

L. Joseph Biddle

Marcia Bornhurst Parkes

Eric Frye

Melanie Hiranandani

Jim Johnson

Herbert Lawrence

Joe MacDonough

Robert Manard

Gregg Meyers

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March 2014 Newsletter

Thu, 27 Feb 2014 19:52:59 GMT

Bob Whipple builds his business through trust

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

Many RPCN members provide consultation on product development and systems or organizational management. Bob Whipple is unusual in providing something more ethereal and esoteric – but equally valuable: thought leadership on trust.

Whipple launched his consulting business, Leadergrow, Inc., and his Trust Ambassador brand in 2003. He has been speaking, teaching, writing and consulting on leadership and trust ever since, providing insights into the benefits and strategic advantages of creating and strengthening trust in the workplace. Based in Hilton, NY, he usually works with clients onsite and does some coaching by phone.

Like many RPCN members, Whipple was an executive with Kodak before becoming a consultant. He went into consulting because “I didn’t want to jump into another full-time job after I retired from Kodak in 2001,” he recalled. “I kind of backed into consulting through teaching and writing, and always enjoyed working with groups. I felt I could help people and am glad that they will pay for me to do so.”

Whipple has benefited from many relationships in building his consulting business: “It’s always people – people helping people” that are the most valuable. “The key thing [for success] is not to be confined to Rochester,” he said. “Get known around the country.”

Whipple’s advice to colleagues fits nicely into his involvement with the RPCN and other organizations: “Don’t be a hermit. Be out there as much as you can. Opportunities will only come to you if you’re [visible and involved].”

Read the full story to find out what he does to promote his business, how RPCN has helped him and a tip on how to take control of a busy schedule. Click here for a video with Whipple’s advice for new consultants.

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter (www.writerruth.com) is a freelance writer, editor, proofreader, desktop publisher and speaker.

Helping you be better consultants

By Michael Van der Gaag, President

Consulting Boot Camp

I gave the welcome at the first session of the 2014 RPCN Boot Camp, produced by Bob Lurz, and listened to Bob’s intro, “What Consultants Do,” and Bob Kot’s own story, “A Consultant Entrepreneur’s Journey.” I met all the attendees and exchanged elevator speeches and business cards. What an impressive group of attendees … each a motivated entrepreneur with a dream and a lot of drive, ready to jump in and get started.

I also attended the second session, to hear Jon Lazenby’s “Legal Issues for Consulting Entrepreneurs” and to see Lynn Dessert’s workshop on “Creating Your Entrepreneurial Personal Development Plan.” Jon’s presentation was very informative and left the audience wanting more. Lynn’s workshop was inspiring, making us glad we made the choice to be consultants, while realizing there is a lot yet to do.

The classes so far have been spot-on in helping participants develop their visions. The participant feedback was highly gratifying and, as they reported, the readings (such as Bruce Katcher’s An Insider’s Guide to Building a Successful Consulting Practice) made them realize how much it really takes to be successful – the effort, the planning, the marketing.

By the end of the second session, I realized that there is still much that even the experienced among us can learn by re-visiting the early phases of our development. In the two years since our last Boot Camp, there is even more to learn about strategies to improve one’s business.

Ed. note – You can view more photos from the first session of the 2014 RPCN Boot Camp on the RPCN Facebook page. While there, “like” the page to keep up on the latest RPCN news. (Photo: Janice Hanson)

Realizing RPCN’s mission

The Boot Camp is just one way in which the RPCN is fulfilling its mission to enable its members to develop premier consulting businesses that deliver customer-centered solutions that are better, smarter and more innovative.

The four approaches that work together to address the mission include helping members: be better at business, understand our region’s economic opportunities, better market what they do and, finally, be better at consulting.

The Boot Camp gets you on the road to starting your business or improving what you have already started. Our upcoming October conference is going to bring the interests of start-ups together with those of already-practicing consultants to help us take a more well-rounded approach to success.

Programs

Historically we have focused mostly on starting a business or improving business and marketing effectiveness. In the past few years, we have become more focused on understanding the economic state of the greater Rochester area. In the current season, we are including topics to help us be better consultants. Mary Burkhardt’s “Caring for Clients and the Power of Presence” in December was one such topic.

The next two presentations at the Brighton Town Hall will expand on this theme. Charles Pfeffer’s Beautiful Questions to Guide a Consultant’s Career on Feb. 28 and Caitlin Drago’s Improvise Your Way to Successful Collaboration on Mar. 14 will help us come closer to achieving that elusive status of “premier consultant” by helping us see how we can improve how we engage and interact with our clients.

To help us continue to improve our services to members and visitors alike, please take a moment to consider these questions:

If you want to be the best at what you do, what would it take?
Is there any way that the RPCN could help you achieve that “premier” status?
Should “Improving your approach to consulting” be a part of the upcoming October conference?
If RPCN were to move toward providing more training opportunities, is that something you would support?

Help us continue to improve the RPCN's offerings by taking a brief survey (click here) on these topics, or share your responses by emailing mvan@beyondtheinterface.com. Your thoughts and comments are always welcome.

Here’s to your success!

Save the date for “Picture Yourself” – Wednesday, October 15

The RPCN will be holding a full-day conference on Wednesday, October 15, at Monroe Community College. The conference title will be “Picture Yourself” and the event will focus on ways and tools to grow and expand your small/consulting business.

The committee’s next meeting will be held at the Corner Bakery Café at 3300 Monroe Avenue in Pittsford (across the street from the Pittsford Plaza) at 3:00 PM on Thursday, March 6.

There are several subcommittees. Please join us if you’d like to help, or just know more about the conference. For more information, contact Dave Bassett at dbassett@bassett.pro or (585) 739-9726(585) 739-9726.

Making your business better

Consulting: Learn about the three R’s of consulting – Reputation, Recommendations and Relationships – from Democrat and Chronicle’s Nextpert Bob Lurz in his article Become a Top-Notch Consultant.

Walking Meetings: In this TED Talk, business innovator Nilofer Merchant suggests a small idea that just might have a big impact on your life and health. Next time you have a one-on-one meeting, make it into a “walking meeting” – and let ideas flow while you walk and talk. Click here to watch the video.

YouTube: Did you know that the RPCN has its own YouTube channel? You can view short RPCN member profiles, as well as introductions to upcoming RPCN presentations. Subscribe to the RPCN YouTube channel to keep up on the latest RPCN news and features.

In this issue:

President's_message
Member profile
Save the date for "Picture Yourself"
Making your business better
Of interest
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

Please send articles for the April newsletter by March 15.

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, March 7, 2014
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 telephones. Wondering what kind of questions people are asking lately? For a list from recent forums, click here.

Improvise Your Way to Successful Collaboration
presented by Caitlin Drago, Inspire Improv
Friday, March 14, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Great customer service comes from listening to our clients and building solutions with them. In this interactive workshop, we will explore the exciting world of collaboration and listening through improvisation. In addition, the fun and creative spirit of improv will open us up to new possibilities and provide laughter along the way.

Caitlin Drago has a background in theater and the performing arts. As a staff member at the McArdle Ramerman Center, she guides groups in personal development through improvisation. Here is a short video in which Caitlin discusses her presentation.

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, March 21, 2014
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 lately? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, March 21, 2014
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.

The State of the Economy: Current Economic Trends
presented by Kent Gardner, Center for Governmental Research
Friday, March 28, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Is recovery finally here? Or will the economy continue to rumble along in first gear, going forward, but slowly. Kent Gardner will discuss economic conditions since the beginning of the recession, how Rochester, Upstate and NY have fared relative to the nation and explore what lies ahead. Gardner is chief economist/chief research officer at the Center for Governmental Research (CGR) and leads CGR’s study of economics and public finance.

Of interest

Networking: The Rochester Women’s Network hosts a session on networking effectively for beginners and beyond. Sandy Sloane shares specific tools and techniques that will take your networking skills to a higher level and help you achieve your goals more effectively. The event is Wed., March 5, at 5:30 PM at the Cornell Cooperative Extension, 249 Highland Ave. Click here for more information and to register.

Personal Cloud: Explore a top IT trend for 2014 – the ability to access all your data using all your devices. Leave with takeaways to improve your personal and business effectiveness. Hosted by Digital Rochester at the Locust Hill Country Club, 2000 Jefferson Road on Thurs., March 27, at 7:30 AM. Click here for more information and to register.

New members

RPCN welcomes the following new members. Click on their names to view their profiles.

Amy Carey
Laurie Enos
Ian Cox

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February 2014 Newsletter

Thu, 30 Jan 2014 21:45:44 GMT

Imaging expert brings international flavor, local angle to RPCN

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

As an expert in the imaging arena, Peter D. Burns combines a uniquely Rochester business focus with an international flair as a native of England. His consulting business, Burns Digital Imaging LLC, helps clients develop and improve their imaging products or services.

Burns worked for Xerox, Kodak and Carestream Health before going into consulting. “I have always been involved with the development and evaluation of imaging products and services,” he said. He was able to launch his consulting business on a firm basis after being laid off at Carestream two years ago because “I had been doing consulting for museums for about 10 years while working in-house,” he said. He also had worked in environments similar to a consulting business. “With applied science and engineering, experienced people often lead small teams and contribute as individual,” he explained. “This is similar to the type of consulting I currently do.”

Although he calls himself a “natural introvert,” Burns does what it takes to build up his business, including networking through RPCN. He has become a familiar face at RPCN events, handing out nametags and greeting participants. “For me, it is important to make personal connections in both the larger – national and international – imaging field and the local business communities,” he said.

Read the full story to find out why he came to Rochester, how he connects with clients and how RPCN has helped him with running his business. Click here for a video introduction.

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter (www.writerruth.com) is a freelance writer, editor, proofreader, desktop publisher and speaker.

Welcome to February –
A big month for RPCN

By Michael Van der Gaag, President

I attended John Foote’s Annual Tax Update on January 10, 2014. John is a charter member of the RPCN and a very successful tax consultant in his own right. From what I heard from many of the attendees, this was one of his best presentations – full of informative tidbits and insights into how to get ready for the upcoming tax changes.

At the end of his presentation, we had a pleasant surprise: John talked a bit about how, in the early days, the recently passed Dave Young helped him with the formation of and publicity for his business, Expert Tax Group. After describing how Dave’s help contributed to the success of Expert Tax Group, John then impressed us all by announcing the creation of an endowment in Dave’s honor.

This endowment will be kept separate from the RPCN’s Dave Young Service Award and will be used to advance the interests of the organization and benefit the membership.

RPCN is honored and grateful. Thank you, John Foote.

Consulting Boot Camp

The 2014 RPCN Consulting Business Boot Camp is about to take off on February 4, in conjunction with Monroe Community College. (Note: early deadline extended through Jan. 31.)

Bob Lurz has assembled a team of successful business leaders who are experts and consultants in their own right. They will guide participants through the process of getting started or re-envisioning their existing businesses. The Boot Camp will help entrepreneurs identify their services and validate the value they bring to their clients. They will learn the best structure for their businesses, and develop plans for entrepreneurial personal improvement. They will discover how to market those consulting businesses through strategies that:

Focus on prospective clients’ needs.
Employ marketing methods suitable for solo entrepreneurs, including social media.
Incorporate techniques that work for successful consultants.

Finally, participants will have a chance to present their unique value propositions and receive feedback from a panel of business leaders.

If you want to get your business off the ground, or take it to the next level, check out this great opportunity at rochesterconsultants.org/bootcamp. (If you know someone else with similar goals or aspirations, send them there, too).

Upcoming conference

The RPCN Conference Committee, led by Dave Bassett, has been making strides on defining the content of the conference planned for October 2014. With the theme of “Picture Yourself in Business,” the conference will balance its emphasis between starting a new business and boosting an existing one. Dave has assembled a team focused on making this conference a success. If you would like to contribute your ideas and your talent, offer suggestions, or give time to organizing this event, contact Dave at dbassett@bassett.pro or (585) 739-9726(585) 739-9726. We want this conference to exceed the expectations of existing members and visitors alike.

Presentations

We have taken your suggestions for relevant and engaging bimonthly presentations. Don’t miss what we have planned in the near future! Thanks to Lynn Dessert for her assistance in finding speakers.

If you think you know someone who may have a topic of interest to present to the membership, feel free to propose the person’s name, topic description and a summary of their qualifications.

Reminders

Price of our Brighton Town Hall meetings for non-members is once again $10.
Online registration and admission payment is available.
Payment via credit card is available at the door.
Members can bring a first-time guest at no charge.
If you know of a full-time student with the talent and interest to become a consultant, let him or her know Student Membership is only half-price: $50.

RPCN Consulting Boot Camp deadline extended

The early-bird deadline has been extended through Friday, Jan. 31 for the RPCN’s 2014 Consulting Business Boot Camp in February and March at MCC.

Presenters include: Bob Lurz, owner, Consultants Accelerator; Jon Lazenby, Esq., attorney and partner, Kaman, Berlove, Marafioti, Jacobstein & Goldman LLP; Lynn Dessert, leadership coach; Beth Sears, workplace communication coach; Charlie Hancock, medical sterilization consultant; Kelly Mullaney, website and social media consultant; Jim Payne, marketing consultant; Rich Notargiacomo, director, New Ventures and Commercialization, RIT Venture Creations Incubator; Barbara Moore, social media and computer consultant; Jim Echter, business coach, the Entrepreneur’s Network (TEN) and advisor to the HTR Launchpad; Jean Kase, director, TEN of Monroe County; Bob Kot, director of New Ventures, HighTech Rochester (HTR); Doug Mabon, past chapter chair, Rochester SCORE.

The Boot Camp takes place Feb. 4, 11 and 18 (8:30 AM - 12:30 PM) and Feb. 25 and March 4 (8:30 AM - 4:30 PM). All sessions are at the MCC Corporate College, 1057 East Henrietta Road, across from main campus. For registration, go to: rochesterconsultants.org/bootcamp.

RPCN’s Member Referral Program

Do you know someone who is considering becoming an RPCN member? Are you considering RPCN membership? If so, you could become eligible for a $25 gift card.

RPCN has introduced a new Member Referral Program that provides incentives to both current and new members.

Here’s how it works. Each quarter, we will conduct a drawing that includes the names of new members and anyone who referred a new member within that quarter. (We collect referral information when new members join.) We will draw one name from each group – a current and a new member – and each will receive a $25 gift card.

The drawings will be held at one of the Friday meetings.
The winners will be notified by phone/e-mail, if not present at the meeting.
The winners’ names will be included in the newsletter.

Congratulations to the winners for the second quarter of the new program:

Mary DeFranco
Bob Lurz

For more information on the benefits of joining the RPCN, click here.

New Members

RPCN welcomes three new members this month. Click on the links below to view their profiles.

Robert Frye
Christopher Harness
Thomas Zamiara

In this issue:

President's_message
Member profile
RPCN Consulting Boot Camp
Member referral program
New members
Upcoming events
Of interest
Making your business better

We want you!

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 newsletter editor. 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 March newsletter by Feb. 15.

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Lori Cohen
Friday, February 7, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library

An informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of any technical issues that consultants encounter in running their business, including computers, the Internet and telephones. Wondering what kind of questions people are asking lately? For a list from recent forums, click here.

The Greater Rochester Region - Poised for Greatness!
presented by Claudia Burcke, Greater Rochester Enterprise
Friday, February 14, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Claudia Burcke is vice president, investor relations & business development, for Greater Rochester Enterprise. Rochester is known as an innovation hub thanks to our smart workforce, new emerging businesses, entrepreneurial spirit and creation of patents. We led New York State and the nation in terms of job growth over the past year. Attend this presentation to learn how your community engagement can also help strengthen the Rochester region’s economy.

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, February 21, 2014
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 lately? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, February 21, 2014
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.

Beautiful Questions to Guide a Consulting Career
presented by Charles Pfeffer
Friday, February 28, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

More than 25 years ago, Charles Pfeffer made the leap from a job with a regular paycheck to the unpredictable life of a consultant, now as an executive coach. At crucial turning points, Pfeffer found himself asking himself questions at the heart of life and work: topics of identity, value, purpose, belonging, integrity, strategy and methodology. In this talk, he will share his story and invite participants to engage with him and with each other in asking questions that are foundational to the choice to be a consultant.

Of interest

Book Fair: If you’re thinking about self-publishing a book, attend the free Self-Published Book Fair at the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County (115 South Avenue) from 10:30 AM–4:30 PM on Saturday, Feb. 8. While there, look for RPCN member Lynn Dessert, who was accepted as an exhibitor and will have information about her two career books. To register, click here.

Consulting: Several RPCN members and the organization itself were prominently featured in a recent Democrat and Chronicle “Business” section article about consulting. Click here to read the full story.

YouTube: Did you know that the RPCN has its own YouTube channel? You can view short RPCN member profiles, as well as introductions to upcoming RPCN presentations. Subscribe to the RPCN YouTube channel to keep up on the latest RPCN news and features.

Advertising: The Rochester Ad Federation and AMA Rochester host the Super Bowl Ad Review on Tuesday, February 4. A panel of Rochester’s best ad pros give a play-by-play review of the good, the bad and the ugly from this year’s big game. Networking begins at 4:30 PM. Click here for more information and to register.

Making your business better

Pinterest: Barbara Moore lists eight ways businesses can use the social media site Pinterest to showcase their services in her Women at Work article "Pinterest can help out businesses."

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January 2014 Newsletter

Wed, 01 Jan 2014 16:07:07 GMT

A sweet spot: Lynn Dessert coaches others in their careers

By Chris Swingle Farnum

Not having to work 40 to 50 hours a week. The freedom to work from anywhere and with the type of clients she chooses.

For Lynn Dessert of Brighton, who offers executive career coaching and life coaching, these are among the advantages to having her own business (Leadership Breakthrough) for the past dozen years.

“I’m more balanced, and I’m a nicer person,” she says, compared to when she had full-time corporate roles. Also, “I’m in complete control of where I want to go.”

Read the full story to learn about her career path, how RPCN helped her, how she found her first clients, what she tried that didn’t work out, and how she continues to learn and evolve professionally.

Click here for a video about why Lynn Dessert joined RPCN.

Chris Swingle Farnum (chrisswingle.com) is a writer and editor in Rochester.

What’s up, RPCN?

by Michael Van der Gaag, President

I was thinking of writing about the success of the recent August Group/Monroe Community College (MCC) career fair, and how the relationship between the Rochester Professional Consultant Network (RPCN) and MCC is shaping up to be mutually beneficial. The December career fair had its largest turnout ever. Many people stopped at our table, and 35 requested more information and to be added to our mailing list – which is likely a record. There were multiple conversations about the benefits of RPCN membership and discussions on the value of mutual support and helpfulness of members to each other’s success.

The passing of our friend Dave Young – and recent changes in RPCN leadership as some member-volunteers have either found careers elsewhere or had their businesses take off – gave me pause. What is the benefit of being a member of RPCN? Why do I come to all the events that I can, even if the topics discussed are (occasionally) of marginal interest to me? Why do many of our board and committee members put in almost full-time hours for no pay?

Well, it’s not to smell the coffee! From discussions with others, I hear that members and visitors are here for a variety of reasons – some selfish, some not. Some people say, “I like the camaraderie.” Others say, “I like the thought of helping others grow their businesses.” Many say they are also looking for information and advice to help grow their businesses or solve tech problems.

Personally, I like working with a team to achieve a goal beyond making money. Involvement in RPCN is a chance for me to grow, to apply my skills and to develop skills that laid dormant while working in corporate America. It is an opportunity to feel valued and a chance to get hints on how to grow from a one-person business to a small conglomerate (just kidding … a two- to three-person partnership would be fine).

In our 24 years of existence, RPCN has attracted all kinds of folks looking for an alternative path to success. Most want to become consultants. Others seek their path in business. Some come to us while they figure out what’s next.

We have all kinds of talent knocking at the door. All are invited in. Some even take advantage of opportunities to contribute. One can recognize the high contributors among us, because when they find success elsewhere, we thoroughly miss them.

This year, there will be plenty of opportunities to get involved in helping build an organization that can help you grow and build your business. The Consultants Bootcamp, co-sponsored by MCC, is taking off in February, and a committee is actively planning a conference with the theme “Picture this: Developing a growing business.”

Plans are in the works for the next TrendTalk dinner and panel discussion, which will be on challenges and opportunities in the human services sector. That promises to provide interesting insight into how consultants can apply our talents to helping agencies serve the community.

To address member requests for evening events, we are also planning social gatherings on fifth Thursdays (or the night before a fifth Friday). Upcoming on Friday mornings in 2014, we have invited speakers to help us keep up with the tax laws, get ahead on marketing and economic trends, and guide us to achieve business success through consulting excellence.

So why get involved? Because RPCN can help you:
•    Expand your network and influence
•    Become known
•    Showcase your talents
•    Establish a reputation as a consultant

I’ll see you Fridays at 8 a.m.!

RPCN Consulting Business Boot Camp

Interested in learning how to successfully start a one-person consulting business or improve an existing one? Take part in the upcoming RPCN/MCC Consulting Business Boot Camp. RPCN, in partnership with Monroe Community College (MCC), Corporate College, presents this series of presentations, workshops and panel discussions for five Tuesdays in February and March 2014.

Successful consultants and experts will share their knowledge and experience and you'll get hands-on, practical advice on topics like:

•    Defining your consulting services, clients and benefits
•    Choosing a legal business entity (DBA, LLC, etc.)
•    Planning your personal entrepreneurial development
•    Building your professional image
•    Marketing yourself as a consultant, including social media

You complete the boot camp by presenting your value proposition to a panel of evaluators who help you improve your message.

The boot camp takes place Feb. 4, 11 and 18 (8:30 AM - 12:30 PM) and Feb. 25 and March 4 (8:30 AM - 4:30 PM). All sessions are at the MCC Corporate College, 1057 East Henrietta Road, across from main campus.

Sign up early and save $50. You can register through MCC by clicking here. Early registration discount ends January 17, and there is also a $70 discount for RPCN members. (If you join RPCN for $95 for a one-year membership, you can save $70 on the boot camp, and get 20 RPCN $10 meetings for free).

Benefit from the RPCN’s new Member Referral Program

Do you know someone who is considering becoming an RPCN member? Are you considering RPCN membership? If so, you could become eligible for a $25 gift card.

RPCN has introduced a new Member Referral Program that provides incentives to both current and new members.

Here’s how it works. Each quarter, we will conduct a drawing that includes the names of new members and anyone who referred a new member within that quarter. (We collect referral information when new members join.) We will draw one name from each group – a current and a new member – and each will receive a $25 gift card.
•    The drawings will be held at one of the Friday meetings.
•    The winners will be notified by phone/e-mail, if not present at the meeting.
•    The winners’ names will be included in the newsletter.

Congratulations to the winners for the first quarter of the new program:
•    Martin Brett
•    Ernie Newcomb

The drawing for the second quarter will be on Jan. 10. Click here for more information on the benefits of joining the RPCN.

In this issue:

President's_message
Member profile
RPCN Consulting Boot Camp
Member referral program
Of interest
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

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 newsletter editor. 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

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, Jan. 3, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
NOTE: This Technical Forum will be held in the Downstairs Meeting Room at Brighton Town Hall.

An informal, facilitated round-table discussion of any technical issues that consultants encounter in running their business, including computers, the Internet and telephones. Wondering what kind of questions people are asking lately? For a list from recent forums, click here.

Annual Tax Update
presented by John Foote, Expert Tax Group
Friday, January 10, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Learn about aspects of income tax (bracket amounts, credits, deductions, etc) which will apply when preparing taxes for the just closed 2013 tax year. This presentation will also focus on elements that can still be used to adjust taxable income such as retirement contributions, and will address various aspects of the economy and forecasts for planning purposes, as well as taxation that will affect tax year 2014.

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, January 17, 2014
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 lately? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, January 17, 2014
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.

Practical Application of Web Technologies for Consultants
presented by Rob Marriage & Dave Horan of Inductor Media
Friday, January 24, 2014
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Learn how to apply technology to common business problems you may encounter. Topics include: how to find the right-sized site for your business; leveraging Internet technologies into business processes; what is social media marketing and how it can benefit or hurt you; why mobile sites are becoming more important than ever; how to find a good web technology partner for your consulting business.

Of interest

Emotional Intelligence

Digital Rochester hosts an interactive lunch-and-learn workshop on measuring your aptitude in areas like self-awareness, empathy and dealing sensitively with other people. Deepen your understanding of what emotional intelligence is, find out where you stand and begin improving your emotional intelligence at this event. Wednesday, Jan. 22, Irondequoit Country Club, 11:30 AM. Click here for more information and to register.

New Members

RPCN welcomes two new members this month. Click on the links below to view their profiles.

• Steve Davio
• Rosemarie Caillier

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December 2013 Newsletter

Sun, 01 Dec 2013 16:33:47 GMT

Where to from here?

by Michael Van der Gaag, President

December is a month for looking forward to exciting possibilities. At RPCN, we are planning a year of making strides toward growing even more relevant and valuable to our members and community.

The Marketing Committee, under the leadership of David Powe, will help us better understand our stakeholders, both the membership and the non-member audience with whom we would like to engage.

With the energy of Program Chair Mike Molaire, we continue to broaden our reach in the community. Our TrendTalk dinner series brings influential thought leaders face to face with members and visitors, to stimulate conversation and inspire us. These panel discussions focus on opportunities and challenges in various business sectors in the Rochester area. The first session on the high-tech sector turned out to be a great success. We had eight sponsors and more than 60 participants (including 16 Simon School MBA students and one faculty member). Future TrendTalks will focus on the human service and health care sectors, among others.

Behind the scenes, we have a most industrious Communication Committee (chaired by Chris Swingle Farnum) that helps make every RPCN event a success. The "Using a Newsletter to Tell Your Story” presentation by the newsletter team of Chris, Janice Hanson and Ruth E. Thaler-Carter provided hints and guidance on using newsletters to market to your target audiences and the community at large.

So, what’s next?

In December, under the umbrella of “Learning from the Best,” we have Jim Ramerman coming in to share his secrets of consulting success. Jim is a very successful and highly experienced leader and an innovative organizational consultant. He believes that the essentials of a successful consulting business lie in building a strong, personal connection with each client.

In the New Year, we plan to continue with presentations from leaders in various consulting fields, including some of our own highly successful members, as well as others in the community. We are considering workshops on:

Best practices in consulting
The support we can provide to our clients as extensions of our fields of expertise
The keys to client success that will lead to our success
Trends in consulting that presenters have observed
How consultants can help each other to grow and succeed
What the RPCN can do to support the more advanced among us

Starting in February, RPCN will continue to support startup and experienced consultant entrepreneurs with Bob Lurz leading the Consultants Bootcamp. In May or June, Dave Bassett will lead a conference on the talents and tools you need to get and keep your business rolling (see below). If you would like to be part of this rewarding event, get in touch with Dave.

Tracey Aiello, in his recent presentation on “Having the Best Year of Your Life,” offered a number of guidelines that we should all consider as we make resolutions for the new year. Among them:

Keep your goals visible on your wall
Take one step toward a major goal every day
Have a big enough reason “why” to achieve each goal
Start today

During the recent membership survey review, it was very clear that our members are enthusiastic, energetic and have some great ideas. We encourage you to get involved, to express your leadership skills and influence the direction of the organization: get known, showcase your talents, build your credibility.

Until next month, have a great holiday season. Here’s hoping that 2014 is “the best year of your life” (thanks, Tracey).

RPCN filled in the blanks for launching ROC Shots Video Services

By Chris Swingle Farnum

Many people wish their parents’ stories and wisdom could be captured and preserved for future generations. Todd Parker of Fairport has started a business to do just that.

ROC Shots Video Services creates custom videos for families and small organizations to capture their legacies. A customer can choose a video autobiography with the option of adding family pictures, slides and video clips, or ROC Shots can create a video scrapbook from digital photos and scanned prints, with the option of narration.

Parker launched the business in June 2013, after learning valuable tips and solutions through the Rochester Professional Consultants Network (RPCN). “RPCN has helped me fill in a lot of the blanks – how to create a business, how to manage a business and the day-to-day decisions,” says Parker.

Read more about Parker, including how he changed his target market, why he made his mentor cry, and how he’s now using his skills to help RPCN and his new business. Click here for the full story. Here is a video interview with Todd Parker:

Chris Swingle Farnum is a freelance writer in Rochester.

Boot up your business

By Bob Lurz

It’s happening – we’re planning the next RPCN Consulting Bootcamp, for five Tuesdays in February and March 2014. You’ll have the opportunity to learn how to successfully start a one-person consulting business or improve an existing one. Successful consultants and experts will show you what’s unique about consulting and how to immediately apply the information to your business.

Here’s a sneak peek at the proposed lineup so far:

A consultant’s journey to success
Define your services, clients and benefits
Decide on legal issues (DBA, LLC, S Corp, C Corp, etc.)
What it takes to become a consulting entrepreneur
Market yourself as a consultant
Build your image and reputation
Identify who needs your consulting service
Use social media to grow your business
Present your value proposition to prospective clients

Save these five Tuesdays: mornings of Feb. 4, 11 and 18; full days on Feb. 25 and March 4. When registration opens on our website in December, sign up quickly – we’ll limit attendance to only 25 people.

Stay tuned. Schedules, prices, location, etc., will follow.

Bob Lurz is leader of the RPCN Bootcamp and president of Consultants Accelerator.

Spring conference: building your business

By Dave Bassett

The RPCN plans to hold a full-day conference in May or June 2014 that will be open to members and non-members alike. Several members are forming a Conference Team and we are looking for additional volunteers to join.

The theme is building your business and the program will be geared toward small-business topics such as:

Putting structure to your business
Effective collaboration
Effective interpersonal communication skills
Negotiating skills
Closing sales
Legal basics
Accounting basics

Watch the monthly newsletter for more details.

If you would like to join the Conference Team or let us know your thoughts about the program, contact me at dbassett@bassett.pro or (585) 739-9726. Your input is welcome.

Dave Bassett is vice president of RPCN and president of Bassett IP Strategies.

New members

RPCN welcomes 1 new member this month. Click on the link below to view her profile.

Mary DeFranco

In this issue:

President's_message
Member profile
Making your business better
RPCN Consulting Bootcamp
Spring conference
RPCN in the news
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

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:
Chris Swingle, Chair
Janice Hanson
Barbara Moore
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
Steve Royal

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
Facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, Dec. 6, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library; free

An informal, facilitated round-table discussion of any technical issues that consultants encounter in running their business, including computers, the Internet and telephones. Wondering what kind of questions people are asking lately? For a list from recent forums, click here.

Caring for Clients and the Power of Presence
Presenter: Jim Ramerman
Friday, Dec. 13, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room
Please note: The RPCN non-member meeting charge is now $10.

Co-CEO and co-founder of the McArdle Ramerman Center, Jim Ramerman believes in building a strong, personal connection with each client, based on trust and authenticity. How does the consultant build that kind of relationship? What will be the results for both the client and the consultant? This will be a dialogue with time for interaction, reflection and questions as well as answers. Here is a video introduction to his presentation:

Business Forum
Facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, December 20, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library; free

An informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of issues regarding starting or running a consulting business. Wondering what kind of questions people are asking lately? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, December 20, 2013
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.

No Meeting
Friday, December 27, 2013
Wishing you and yours a most wonderful holiday season!

RPCN in the news

RPCN is highlighted in a career story in the November/December issue of "55 Plus" Magazine. Career coach Lynn Dessert, owner of Leadership Breakthrough Inc., is quoted about the challenge of launching a new freelancing or consulting business in your field. "It may be scary," she says, "but the Rochester Professional Consultants Network may help. Check out a couple of its meetings."

RPCN Membership Store

By Jerry Seward

Show your pride in your RPCN membership!

The RPCN Logo Store is now online. In partnership with CafePress.com, RPCN members may now 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.

The link to the store will soon be on the RPCN website. In the interim, you can visit CafePress.com/rpcn to shop securely online.

Making your business better

Blogging: Hannah Morgan lists three questions you need to ask yourself before starting a business blog in her Democrat and Chronicle article To blog or not to blog.

Compliments: Have you ever thought how your response to a compliment might differentiate you from your competitors? Bob Whipple explains why you should not “waste the opportunity with a throw-away line like ‘No problem’” in his blog post Response when people thank you.

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November 2013 Newsletter

Sat, 02 Nov 2013 18:35:25 GMT

Entrepreneurial success = risk + inspiration, panelists say

by Michael Van der Gaag, President

What a great event! Our first TrendTalk, “Challenges and Opportunities in the Rochester High-Tech Sector” on Oct. 16, was a complete success. Special thanks to Mike Molaire and the Communication Committee for a wonderfully effective job. We also extend many thanks to the three presenters, Chuck Provini, Bob Kot and Bill Pollock, and of course to our own Beth Sears, who did such an exquisite job as moderator.

The three presenters, each pursuing different dreams and businesses, had in common the willingness to risk, vision and passion in their pursuit, and an ability to inspire others.

Chuck Provini, a Naval Academy graduate and former Wall Street executive, believes that risk plus inspiration in the pursuit of the right technology will yield success. His Natcore Technology is creating safer methods for materials required to increase efficiency and lower cost while improving the total power output of solar-powered cells.

Bob Kot, managing director for new ventures at High Tech Rochester, said that if you have the entrepreneurial gene, the energy you gain from accepting risk will allow you to pursue your dream. He often would wake up worried about various problems, he said, but the worry was energizing rather than debilitating.

Bill Pollock, who grew Optimation into a 400-employee operation, was willing to risk it all in pursuing his dream. More recently, he leveraged this successful business to resurrect Kingsbury Corporation from bankruptcy, moving it to Rochester in 2012. The company recently signed an agreement with Kodak to manufacture touch-screen sensors based on photographic film technology.

We learned a lot from these three panelists:

While many people avoid risk, risk is the source of energy and motivation for the successful entrepreneur (Risk = Energy + Motivation).
While fear and dread may be disabling to many people, fear motivates the successful entrepreneur to get up, find the right solution and get work done.
If you are passionate about the business you are pursuing, you can inspire those around you to pick up the cause. With the right talent, vision and inspiration, you can overcome any obstacles.
Be willing to make mistakes. Only by failure do you learn lessons for what to do better next time.
Connections matter. Seek out others who can provide you with feedback and guidance. Find the right fit and direction.
Be persistent in following your dream. Be fearless, accept risk, get motivated and inspire others: (Risk + Vision + Opportunity) x (Talent + Persistence) = Success.

What does all this mean to members of RPCN? We are an organization of diverse individuals all united in the cause of pursuing excellence in consulting. We provide programs to help you develop your skills to be a better entrepreneur, a better consultant. We provide a safe place for you to test your ideas, express your fears and share your passions. Through RPCN’s relationships (alliances) with other organizations, we can help you develop your image and reputation, and pursue your dreams.

We are working on future special events, including a TrendTalk on the challenges and opportunities in the healthcare or nonprofit sector for February, a Consultants Bootcamp for February, and a conference in mid-2014. All of these events will continue to encourage members and prospective members of RPCN to develop that entrepreneurial spirit as we pursue our dreams for our own consulting businesses and RPCN itself.

One final thought: TrendTalk’s success was the result of one member, Mike Molaire, who had an inspiration and was willing to step up and drive the event to success. If you have ideas for future events or topics, please share them. If you want to ensure that these future events are as successful as the first TrendTalk, step up and help out. You’ll gain exposure inside the organization and in the community; you’ll have a chance to demonstrate your leadership and teamwork; and you’ll get bragging rights. More importantly, you’ll have some fun while helping the organization continue to improve its service to members.

Ed. note: To see more photos from the TrendTalk event, visit RPCN's Facebook page. While there, you can "like" the page to see other updates. (Photo: Janice Hanson)

Member of Communication Committee enjoys work/life balance thanks to consulting

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

Janice K. Hanson chose to leave a full-time job in search of a better work/life balance. She started JK Hanson Wordcraft in January 2012, and it has enabled her to take on volunteer roles that she enjoys in addition to her communications work.

Hanson, a member of the RPCN Communication Committee who designs the monthly email newsletter and projects such as the promotional flyer and program for the first TrendTalk event, started her consulting business after looking into the process in detail. “I had done some research, and I had a one-on-one with SCORE,” she recalled. “The very next day, I went to the county clerk’s office for my DBA and shortly thereafter set up a business bank account.”

Hanson moved to Rochester from Vermont in 2002 when her husband accepted a job with Kodak. Building on her marketing experience at an arts center in Burlington, she found a job in marketing at the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), handling the program book, e-mail newsletters and the website, among other projects. She left the RPO in November 2011 and took the next few months to start her consulting business, focusing primarily on editing and proofreading.

To find out more about how RPCN helped her find a way to quickly and easily create a website when she was launching her business, what strategies she uses to find clients, and how she gives back to the arts community, click here.

Here is a video interview with Hanson.

RPCN Communication Committee member Ruth E. Thaler-Carter is an award-winning freelance writer, editor and proofreader. She can be reached at www.writerruth.com.

Making your business better

Influencers: More than 300 LinkedIn members are part of the LinkedIn Influencers Program. These members are thought leaders who share their insights directly via LinkedIn. You can follow any influencer without being connected to them. To learn more, read the post The Surprising Brilliance of the LinkedIn Influencers Program.

Pinterest: Want people to pin your blog posts to their Pinterest accounts? Emily Carpenter tells you what to do in her post 10 Steps to a Pinnable Blog.

Benefit from the RPCN’s new Member Referral Program

The drawings will be held at one of the Friday meetings.
The winners will be notified by phone/e-mail, if not present at the meeting.
The winners’ names will be included in newsletter.

Click here for more information on the benefits of joining the RPCN.

In this issue:

President's message
Member profile
Making your business better
Member referral program
Of interest
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

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 e-mail 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:
Chris Swingle, Chair
Janice Hanson
Barbara Moore
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
Steve Royal

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
Facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, Nov. 1, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library

An informal, facilitated round-table discussion of any technical issues that consultants encounter in running their business, including computers, the Internet and telephones. Wondering what kind of questions people are asking lately? For a list from recent forums, click here.

How to Set and Achieve Goals for 2014
Presenter: Tracey Aiello
Friday, Nov. 8, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution, not achieved it and then wondered why? Fewer than 3% of all people who make New Year’s resolutions actually achieve them. It is easy to set goals and harder to accomplish them. Learn not only how to set goals for 2014 but also how to achieve them to have the best year of your life. Presented by Tracey Aiello of Winning Career Strategies. Here's a video introduction:

Business Forum
Facilitated by David Powe
Friday, Nov. 15, 2013
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 lately? For a list from recent forums, click here.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, Nov. 15, 2013
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.

Using Newsletters to Tell your Story
Presenters: Janice Hanson, Chris Swingle, Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Friday, Nov. 22, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Should your business, organization or project have a newsletter? What are the pros and cons? How does a newsletter relate to your website, social media or other marketing efforts? How would you get started? What do you need to create and maintain a good one? What are the key problems you want to avoid? Find out the answers to these questions at this joint presentation by members of the RPCN Communication Committee. Here's a video introduction:

Of interest

Consulting bootcamp: Mark your calendar for the next RPCN Consulting Bootcamp, to be held on five consecutive Tuesdays starting February 4, 2014. Learn how to start or improve your consulting business. More info to come.

Social media: Do you need to get more familiar with how to use social media to attract new customers and engage current ones? SCORE Rochester presents this workshop on social marketing for small business owners. Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, 8:45 AM, Rochester Business Alliance, 150 State Street, Rochester. Pre-registration is required. Click here for details and to register.

New members

RPCN welcomes one new member this month. Click on the name below to view her profile.

Kimberly Wilborn

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October 2013 Newsletter

Fri, 27 Sep 2013 21:02:54 GMT

Leaders among us

by Michael Van der Gaag, President

Once I became involved with the RPCN, it didn‘t take me long to realize that, for the organization to be successful, it requires more than vision, savvy officers or skilled committee heads. To produce even the smallest event requires the participation, zeal, energy and diligence of members who step up and take on responsibilities.

The “Social Media: Ready, Set, Go” conference held last year took a team of 12 to bring it all together. Most conference-team members were not on the board, nor were they members of committees. They were just professionals who wanted to see the event and the organization succeed.

This newsletter is another example. It is the fruit of the efforts of four dedicated and creative individuals who support each other and each of us. In addition to writing pieces of their own, they plan, edit, reformat and re-compose pieces that others contribute, assembling them all to become this most excellent publication.

By the time you read this, we will have had our presentation on what we learned from the Member Survey and the implications as you, the members, saw them, and we will have started to prioritize how the organization should proceed to further our agenda for member business development and membership growth.

Since that meeting likely won’t have included everyone, we need your input on prioritizing our group’s next actions. Click here to review the list of projects and prioritize your favorites.

An equally important question: Are you willing to step up to make these visions a reality? There is a place at the end of the survey to fill in your name and contact info if you are willing to work on any of your high-priority items.

Thank you for supporting RPCN and helping us grow to serve you better.

Meet area tech leaders at first RPCN TrendTalk on Oct. 16

RPCN’s first TrendTalk event, "Challenges and Opportunities in the Rochester High-Tech Sector," is coming up on Wednesday, October 16, beginning at 5 PM, at the Radisson Airport Hotel. Don’t miss this chance to hear from and interact with leaders in the high-tech sector, including solar energy and touch panel displays. Deadline for the best rate: September 30. The registration deadline is Thursday, October 10.

The panelists for the evening event are Charles Provini, president and CEO of Natcore Technology; Bob Kot, managing director of new ventures at High Tech Rochester; and Bill Pollock, CEO of Optimation and of Kingsbury Corporation. Beth Sears, president of Workplace Communication, Inc./Good Enough to Great Coaching, will serve as moderator.

The evening includes dinner (choice of London broil, lemon-pepper haddock or vegetable primavera) and tickets start at $30 for RPCN members when registering by Sept. 30. To register, click here.

Sandy Zohari combines tech and art in two successful businesses

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

RPCN members may recognize long-time member Sandy Zohari ’s name because of her database management business (AzoTek Database Solutions), but she also has a jewelry business. She applies much of what she’s learned from RPCN to both enterprises – one right-brain, one left-brain, with a shared focus on design. “When I do a database, I do design,” Zohari says. “It has to look good and be easy for people to use. The elements have to fit together as an entity.”

Zohari also applies her tech skills to her jewelry business. That may not be a consulting service, but “RPCN has been helpful regardless,” she says. The RPCN social media conference and a recent presentation on Pinterest were especially useful for marketing her jewelry.

For the full scoop on how Zohari got started, balances her two businesses, has benefited from RPCN resources and advises colleagues for success, click here.

Here is a video interview with Zohari.

RPCN member Ruth E. Thaler-Carter is an award-winning freelance writer, editor and proofreader. She can be reached at Ruth@writerruth.com.

Making your business better

Scope creep: Learn how to effectively deal with a project that morphs into far more than you expected it to involve in the article “Freelancing Basics: Dealing with Job Creep and Interruptions” by Ruth Thaler-Carter on the Society for Technical Communication (STC) blog.

Ah ha moments: On her Elephants at Work blog, Lynn Dessert writes about how a change in beliefs can lead to an “ah ha” moment.

Abilene paradox: Robert Whipple writes about how to break the paradox of a group of people actually doing something that not a single person in the group really wants to do. Read more on his blog, The Trust Ambassador.

Of interest

Forums: The RPCN's monthly Business and Technical Forums give members and guests the opportunity to ask questions about your website, software, equipment, how to set your prices, building professional networks and other issues affecting your consulting business and plans. For the kinds of questions that get asked each month, click here.

Social media: Arthur Catalanello, VP with Harvey Research, Inc. and social media strategist for The August Group, presents "Social Media and the Job Search." This overview will detail the roles of LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Google+ in today's job search. The presentation is Tuesday, October 1, from 7-8:30 PM at the Penfield Public Library on Baird Road. There will be time for networking before and after, as well as Q&A after. Click here to register.

New members

RPCN welcomes two new members this month. Click on their names to view their profiles.

Dawn Hampsey

Martin Brett

In this issue:

President's_message
TrendTalk
Member profile
Making your business better
Of interest
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

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:
Chris Swingle, Chair
Janice Hanson
Barbara Moore
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
Steve Royal

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, October 4, 2013
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 telephones.

Fraud Busting: Prevention and Detection for your Business
presented by Paula Randall
Friday, October 11, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Certified fraud investigator Paula Randall of Alliance4Accountability, LLC, will talk about fraud prevention and awareness for small businesses, non-profits and individuals. Here is a video introduction to her presentation:

TrendTalk: Challenges and Opportunities in the Rochester High-Tech Sector
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Radisson Airport Hotel

This new series of panel discussions on local business sectors kicks off with a discussion about the high-tech field, which is bustling in Rochester, including solar energy, battery technology, touch panel displays and biofuels. Come hear from and interact with three of the leaders making things happen locally in this sector. Discount ends Sept. 30. Registration deadline: Oct. 10.

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, October 18, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library

An informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of issues regarding starting or running a consulting business.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, October 18, 2013
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.

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and Their Impact on Small Businesses
presented by Jane Ahrens
Friday, October 25, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Jane Ahrens of the Ahrens Benefits Company will talk about the NY State Health Insurance Exchange, including who qualifies to use it, who is obligated to use it, how it will work, what impact it will have on health insurance rates and much more. Here is a video introduction to her presentation:

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September 2013 Newsletter

Fri, 30 Aug 2013 18:29:07 GMT

New ways to get involved

by Michael Van der Gaag, President

At the RPCN picnic in August, we were talking about the activities we are planning for this year and the hope we have for growing the organization, not just in numbers, but also in its relevance to members’ businesses and support of your success. Here are some of the things we have planned with that in mind.

Our new TrendTalk series is shaping up quite nicely to be an opportunity to look to future challenges and opportunities in various business sectors. The first one, on the high-tech industry, is planned for the evening of October 16 and looks to be a great chance to network, not just with RPCN colleagues and alumni, but with members of the business community as well. Each event offers sponsorship opportunities to get your brand out there in front of the public. (We have eight sponsors and are past the sponsorship deadline for the October event. Watch the newsletter for the chance to sponsor February’s health care sector event.) These panel discussion dinner gatherings will be well-publicized and sponsors’ logos will be prominently displayed in promotional materials before and during the program.

We also have had a conversation about expanding our offerings of evening events that would make it more convenient for some of you to participate. For instance, would a more informal Fifth Thursday Evening Networking Event appeal to you? We would charge a nominal $5 to $7 to cover tapas and drinks.

As you may guess, we have learned quite a bit from the June Member Survey. We plan to share the results with you at a special presentation meeting on September 27. Effectively using the findings to help RPCN grow and serve members better will require your involvement and your support. Come help us identify the survey’s implications for the RPCN and to prioritize our response through future events and programs. (Since we will be focusing on the RPCN, there will be no charge for this meeting at Brighton Town Hall.)

Oh, by the way … we will initiate new online discussions (on Facebook, LinkedIn and the RPCN website) to collect your thoughts and suggestions on these and a variety of other RPCN topics. What’s your favorite platform? Tell us by clicking on this one-question poll.

See you at our next Friday meeting. I especially look forward to the meeting on September 27. Get involved!

Explore survey results and next steps at Sept. 27 meeting

by Lori Cohen

Did you know that 56% of our members set financial goals for their businesses and that 48% have reached their goals? These are just two of the facts that we learned from the Strategic Performance Survey that the RPCN conducted in June. We want to thank members who took part and provided excellent comments, suggestions and feedback. Below are more highlights from the survey, which had a gratifying response rate of more than 80%.

Members’ experience

80% have > 10 years’ experience in their fields.
50% have > 5 years’ consulting experience.
75% of our members have > 2 years of experience in consulting.
54% of our members have a certification in their field of expertise.

Members’ businesses

Almost 70% of our members have clients outside our local area.
70% of our members rely on repeat customers for at least 25% of their business.
< 20% get the majority of their business from repeat customers.
< 20% get the majority of their business from referrals.

What members said about the RPCN

Networking and learning about consulting combined account for about 60% of the reasons for joining the RPCN.
67% of our members report that the RPCN meets their expectations.

How do you interpret these results and what are the implications for the RPCN? Come join us on September 27 to explore the details and help identify the next steps we should take.

Lori Cohen was a member of the RPCN survey team.

Solving computer challenges with skills and a sense of humor

by Chris Swingle

Barbara Moore found herself with the right skills at the right time to create a successful computer training and troubleshooting business in 1996.

Trained as a librarian specializing in information technology, she had been in charge of automating 30 public libraries for Monroe County Library Services in the 1980s. Then, into the 1990s, she worked as assistant director of libraries for automation at the University of Rochester, where she was a key player in developing the university’s first website. At that time, the Internet was becoming easier to use, and more people wanted to learn how. The library trained faculty and staff.

“I realized then there would be a good demand, and I realized how much I enjoyed training,” says Moore.

Click here to read how she got past her fears, how her women’s rights advocacy played a role and what tip she still uses from an RPCN conference in 2004.

Click here for a video excerpt.

Chris Swingle, chrisswingle.com, is a freelance writer and chairs RPCN’s Communication Committee.

MCC Workforce Development opportunity to train

Several RPCN members have submitted proposals to create and teach training programs through Monroe Community College (MCC) Workforce Development Programs. This opportunity is still open. Click here for the current course listings.

To submit what you could offer, provide the program title, outline, description, number of sessions and hours; what participants will be able to do as a result of completing the program; and your name, e-mail address and phone.

Send it to Charles Caples, program director of MCC Workforce Development, ccaples@monroecc.edu, and copy it to Michael Van der Gaag, RPCN president, mvan@beyondtheinterface.com, and to Bob Lurz, RPCN Alliances chair, RFLurz@ConsultantsAccelerator.com.

If Charles Caples is interested, he will contact you to negotiate fees and dates.

Making your business better

Perfectionism: Are you a perfectionist? According to Beth Sears, "High standards are a good thing, along with doing your best and striving for excellence. Perfectionism, however, involves setting standards so high they are unattainable." Read her article Perfectionism Can Undermine Productivity on herRochester.com.

LinkedIn Tips: Avoid LinkedIn's auto-invite, instead send individual personal invites. That's one tip Emily Carpenter gives in her blog post 9 Tips to Get Your LinkedIn Invites Accepted.

Freelancing conference: RPCN members are eligible for the colleague's discount on registration for the Sept. 27-28 Communication Central conference in Rochester - "Be a Better Freelancer: Marketing Magic and More for Your Business" - designed for freelance writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, graphic artists, photographers and other business owners.

RPCN forums provide insights

By Steve Royal and Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

Every month, RPCN offers both a Business Forum and a Technical Forum to give members and aspiring consultants the opportunity to ask questions about issues affecting their consulting businesses and plans. Attendees contribute answers. Moderated by long-time RPCN members, the forums are invaluable resources for answers on a wide range of general and specific topics.

Among the topics that came up at the August 2013 Business Forum:

How do I know what and how to charge for my services?
How can I get more business from RPCN members?
How can I deal with many leads in a short time?
How do I build professional networks?
How do I market my business of assisting high-potential employees?

Topics that came up at the RPCN Technical Forum in August included:

How can my web camera really do all the things it claims on the box?
Should I buy a netbook or a Google Chromebook?
Why are some e-mails I send out being blocked by Gmail?
What phone apps are best for my business?
Why is a file transferred with my FTP program not found on the Internet?
How can I keep track of my passwords?
Can I record over-the-air television programs without cost?
As a consultant, are there any software discounts available?

Forum topics can always be found on the RPCN website.

In this issue:

President's_message
Survey results
Member profile
MCC Workforce Development
Making your business better
Business & Tech Forums
Of interest
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

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 the RPCN could improve communications, contact the Communication Committee:
Chris Swingle, Chair
Janice Hanson
Barbara Moore
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
Steve Royal

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
Facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, Sept. 6, 2013
8 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.

How Consultants Make Money
Presented by Mary Anne Shew
Friday, Sept. 13, 2013
8 AM - 10:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Most consultants either have (or know they need) some sort of strategic plan that outlines vision, goals and objectives. They also usually have processes in place to organize the work and produce the output. But what they don’t know is exactly how the various pieces of their businesses work together to actually earn money – a blueprint of the working pieces. This presentation outlines a simple model that can be used by consultants to get a grip on revenue and expenses, assess opportunities and coordinate growth. Note: This program will end at 10:30 AM.

Here is a video introduction to her presentation:

Business Forum
Facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, Sept. 20, 2013
8 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library

An informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of issues regarding starting or running a consulting business.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, Sept. 20, 2013
10 AM – 12 PM
Pittsford Community Library

RPCN’s monthly board meeting begins at approximately 10 AM, following the Business Forum. Everyone is welcome to attend, but only board members may vote.

Reservation deadline
Friday, Sept. 20, 2013

Friendly reminder: Sept. 20 is the last chance to save $10 on the registration for TrendTalk: Challenges and Opportunities in the Rochester High-Tech Sector. Click here for event information and registration.

RPCN Survey Results
Presented by Michael Van der Gaag and Lori Cohen
Friday, Sept. 27, 2013
8 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Mike and Lori will review the results of the recent survey of RPCN members and collect input on how to use this information to help RPCN better help its members.

Here is an introductory video of their presentation:

Of interest

3D printing: Digital Rochester hosts a presentation about 3D printing with Dr. Denis Cormier of RIT, who will provide an overview of 3D printing (additive manufacturing), followed by a panel discussion. Panelists will share their thoughts on current and emerging applications, opportunities for our community, and hopes and challenges for the future. Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, 7:30 AM, HSBC Auditorium. Click here for details and to register.

Sales: Do you need to improve your selling skills so you can “get the sale”? SCORE Rochester presents Selling Skills for a Small Business, designed to help small business owners become more effective selling their products and/or services. Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, 8:45 AM, Federal Building, 100 State Street, Rochester. Click here for details and to register.

Batting practice: High-tech startup entrepreneurs can refine a concept or practice an investor or sales presentation at the High Tech Rochester Batting Cage. Free to all area entrepreneurs, the feedback you'll receive is priceless. Sign up for an initial 90-minute time slot. The panel of coaches will typically include HTR's managing director of new ventures, technology commercialization managers and other experienced staffers and consultants. The program runs throughout the month of September. Click here for more information.

New members

RPCN welcomes two new members this month. Click on the links below to view their profiles.

Ernie Newcomb Mike Butler

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August 2013 Newsletter

Tue, 30 Jul 2013 14:48:00 GMT

RPCN: A growing resource for opportunities

by Michael Van der Gaag, President

As entrepreneurs or sole proprietors looking to grow our businesses, we are always on the lookout for opportunities not only to gain clients but also to enhance our reputations and visibility. RPCN as an organization is also trying to grow and become better recognized and appreciated. The thought is that, as the reputation and recognition of RPCN grows, it will rub off on the members and help enhance their prestige as well.

In this search for recognition and opportunity, we have been establishing alliances with local organizations. For a number of years, as a means of promoting consulting as a career choice, our members have been presenting at the RochesterWorks! Self Employment Assistance Program (SEAP) sessions. We have traditionally had a booth at the MCC/August Group Career Fair. We have occasionally appeared at other local events, such as this year’s Rochester Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) panel discussion on entrepreneurship.

In 2012, through our five-session Consulting Bootcamp, we became connected to High Tech Rochester (HTR). More recently, we’ve met to explore areas of mutual interest with Eastman Business Park, Monroe Community College (MCC) and the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC). We will soon add an Alliance Page to our website with links to our allies’ websites, and they will do the same for us.

We are also in the process of improving the members-only Opportunities page of our website, rochesterconsultants.org/opportunities, to make it more easily accessible to members who wish to post opportunities or review and take advantage of what’s available. A member seeking account coordinators for her business recently asked to post that opportunity and qualifications. Members who have opted in for notifications of new postings on the Opportunities page were instantly alerted to the new information and could pursue the work or refer a friend. We would like to encourage more such postings as well as invitations for collaboration and mutual support.

In this past month, both Eastman Business Park and MCC have expressed interest in being able to post opportunities with us. Eastman Business Park would like to share details of their clients’ projects and needed skills. MCC’s workforce development folks would like a place to invite RPCN members to submit ideas for technical training or business skills development workshops that they would be paid to teach.

So keep your eyes on the RPCN website as we enhance these service pages for our members. Making RPCN an effective resource for opportunities is a key part of our new strategic goals.

Opting in for RPCN items

Did you know that you can be notified when certain types of information get posted to our RPCN online discussion forums? You can opt in to one or more discussion topics: RPCN issues, Website Q&A, Networking/educational events, Opportunities, Business discussions, Social media discussions, Technical discussions and Water cooler (for socializing, award announcements, etc.). Otherwise, to see the information, you must visit that section of the website.

How to opt in: On the homepage, rochesterconsultants.org, login and click on Members-only, then Discussion Area. Click on a discussion. To receive notice of new posts to that discussion topic, click on “Subscribe to forum” at the top right.

To control how often you receive notifications, go to your profile (click “View profile” in the green box to the lower left), click “Email subscriptions,” click “Edit profile,” and then you can select Daily (the default), Weekly or Immediately.

Stitching her way to consulting

By Chris Swingle

Stefani Tadio grew up in a family of people who create art – a mom who sews and crochets, a father who does woodworking, and a sister who knits. “My family says it’s in our DNA,” says Tadio, who has done quilting, pottery, needlepoint, cross-stitching and rubber stamping.

But she’s the only one who sells her art. “I loved it so much I thought, ‘I wonder if I can make money doing what I love,’ ” says Tadio, who lives in Perinton. She started her business, Pine Tree Designs, in 2004 with rubber stamp art. Then she saw a book of embroidery on paper and was entranced. She switched her focus to hand-stitching original designs on paper with needle and shiny thread.

Now she is working on expanding into a consulting role. Click here to read about the artists’ association that Tadio created and how she plans to use her coordination skills and connections.

Here is a video interview with Stefani Tadio.

Chris Swingle, chrisswingle.com, is a freelance writer and chairs RPCN’s Communication Committee.

New RPCN discussion series: TrendTalk

On Wednesday, October 16, RPCN will hold TrendTalk: Opportunities and Challenges in Rochester's High Tech Sector, the first in a new series of panel discussions on local business sectors. This discussion – which will be held at the Radisson Airport Hotel and which also includes dinner – will feature Charles Provini, CEO of Natcore Technology; Bill Pollock, CEO of Optimation and of Kingsbury Corporation; and Bob Kot, director of New Ventures at High Tech Rochester. Future sessions will focus on the health care, nonprofit, religious and other sectors of the local economy that are of interest to RPCN members.

RPCN is seeking local corporations, small businesses and consultants to sponsor the first event in the TrendTalk series. The sponsorship deadline is Saturday, August 10. Friday, September 20, is the early-registration deadline to attend the event, after which time the price goes up. Click here for details and to register.

Great participation in member survey

We want to thank members who took part in our recent Strategic Performance Survey. We had a response rate of over 80% and received excellent comments, suggestions and feedback. As we analyze the results in the next few weeks, please take the time to think about participating in the upcoming focus groups. How would you like RPCN to meet your expectations and support your growth? How will you contribute to our mutual success?

We will share more about the survey results in the September newsletter.

Of interest

RPCN projector: Need a projector? RPCN members can rent the group's ViewSonic PJ551 LCD projector, which can display video, images or computer data on a screen or other flat surface. The rental fee is $50/day. There is also a $100 security deposit. Click here for the leasing policy and the rental agreement.

Small business newsletter: The Small Business Resource Center at the Rochester Public Library is publishing a newsletter for small businesses, through paper.li. Check it out for the latest news for small businesses. Starting a business? Contact the Library’s Small Business Resource Center at 585-428-8130 or visit them on the fourth floor of Central Library building, 115 South Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604.

In this issue:

President's_message
Member profile
RPCN’s TrendTalk series
Of interest
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

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:
Chris Swingle, Chair
Brian Kane
Janice Hanson
Barbara Moore
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
Steve Royal

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, August 2, 2013
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 telephones.

Genesee County: Regional Opportunities
presented by Chris Suozzi
Friday, August 9, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Get the latest on fast-growing Genesee County, with a focus on three strategic businesses: agribusiness, advanced manufacturing and life sciences. New business parks include huge yogurt-making facilities. There are plans to add up to 10,000 new jobs, including in the semi-conductor industry. Business is booming. Find out how consultants can help or benefit!

Here’s a video introduction to the program.

Business Forum
facilitated by Brian Kane
Friday, August 16, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library

Our special guest is Jim Drago, principal applications engineer at Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC, a Palmyra-based company that Drago describes as growing and thriving. In addition to our regular informal, facilitated roundtable discussion about running your consulting business, we will hear from Drago about the company and how it uses consultants.

Here’s a video introduction by Jim Drago:

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, August 16, 2013
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pittsford Community Library

RPCN’s monthly board meeting begins at approximately 10:00 AM, following the Business Forum. Everyone is welcome to attend, but only board members may vote.

RPCN Picnic
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Rand Lodge at Powder Mills Park
1:00 - 5:00 PM
(eat at 2:30 PM)

Join us for this year’s RPCN Picnic. RPCN will provide hot dogs, hamburgers, pork ribs and beverages. There is no charge for members and one guest; $5 each for non-members and additional guests. Please bring a dish to share. Registration is required for an accurate count. Please register online by August 14.

Beyond IRAs: Retirement Plan Options for Consultants
presented by Stephen A. Melnyk
Friday, August 23, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Depending on the business structure and number of employees, the law provides for several retirement plan options for a business. An individual may have more options available than just an individual IRA. This presentation will discuss those options, and potential pros and cons of each. Stephen Melnyk is a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch.

Here’s a video introduction to the program:

New members

RPCN welcomes one new member this month. Click on the link below to view her profile.

Claudette Entenberg

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July 2013 Newsletter

Fri, 28 Jun 2013 14:26:38 GMT

Welcome to a new era

by Michael Van der Gaag, President

As we start a new fiscal year with new leadership, the board members and I are excited about a new mission for our organization and look forward to engaging members in making it a reality.

Throughout RPCN’s nearly 24 years, strategic planning has enabled the organization to make subtle shifts in direction, program focus and member benefits. The latest round has resulted in a bold leap: RPCN’s new mission is to enable its members to develop premier consulting businesses that deliver customer-centered solutions that are better, smarter and more innovative.

We have been an organization that promotes professionalism, ethics and excellence in consulting. We’ve provided opportunities for members to develop and grow in their profession, network with other consultants and the business community, and acquire mutual support.

We will still provide educational programs, technical forums and business forums, but they will be focused on business areas that directly affect members’ success.

Make no mistake, this is ambitious! We intend to measure the success of the organization by the success of the members (as you, the members, define it). As you know, we are currently surveying the membership to understand where we are currently in setting and meeting our business milestones. Now that we will measure RPCN’s success by your achievement, we will need your support and involvement more than ever. In the near future, we will be conducting focus groups to refine our understanding of your needs. We will need you to help us define, find and sometimes deliver the topics, training and support programs that members need to enable them to set real objectives and achieve real success.

In support of the new strategy, we are planning other areas of growth:

We are looking to expand our offerings through a “Learn from the Best” program in which we will periodically engage well-known practitioners and thought leaders from a variety of industries and areas of business. “Learn from the Best” will help our members enhance their skills and business acumen and grow by adopting new thinking and innovative techniques.
We are exploring the possibility of adding evening sessions. Those of you who are too busy to make Friday morning sessions would have more convenient alternatives for special “Learn from the Best” topics or perhaps just for networking.
The Boot Camp for starting a consulting business (conducted last year) was so successful that we are considering running it again and perhaps making it an annual staple of the organization. We are also thinking about adding a “level 2” version to help experienced consultants expand their techniques as well as their business.
Just as we have published promotional videos and member stories on the website, our future plans include live webcasting and recording of meetings to help those of you with scheduling conflicts to participate in and keep abreast of RPCN happenings.
Finally, in the next few months, we will be engaging with you to examine the website to identify needed improvements and to better support the new programs.

As I said, this is ambitious! It's a lot to tackle all at once, but with your help and participation, we'll prioritize and accomplish these changes in due course. For the programs and improvements to be successful, we will need your participation, your support and your guidance. After all, this is your RPCN.

The full strategic plan is online; click here to view.

I look forward to working with you to make this the best RPCN year ever. Welcome to the new era.

Introducing the new VP and board members

In the recent election, David Bassett was selected as RPCN’s new vice president, and he will serve a three-year term, becoming president in year two and immediate past president in year three.

David Bassett has been a patent agent registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 2004 and has experience in biomedical, optics, business methods, computer utility patenting and design patenting. He has been treasurer of RPCN for several years, and also is program chairman of the Independent Entrepreneurs Council and a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the National Association of Patent Practitioners.

At the June RPCN board meeting, the following members were selected and approved to serve on the RPCN board of directors: Paula Randall, secretary; Kim Pandina, treasurer; and Janice Hanson, Bob Lurz, David Powe and Mike Molaire, members at large.

They will join Michael Van der Gaag, the newly elected president, and Brian Kane, immediate past president, as the slate of officers for the coming fiscal year (which runs July-June).

We thank Brian Kane for all of his work as RPCN president over the past year, moving the organization forward in a more strategic direction and helping consultants achieve results.

We would also like to say thanks to Jen Ulrich for her contribution as secretary for the past three years and Lori Cohen for her efforts over the past three years as immediate past president and manager of the Membership Committee.

Mike Molaire formulates a new career as a consultant

by Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

A native of Haiti who has become such a confirmed Rochesterian that he now prefers local weather to tropical climes, Michel “Mike” Frantz Molaire of Penfield, owner of Molaire Consulting LLC, is a dedicated RPCN member with a well-conceived consulting business based on a long-term career at Kodak.

Molaire’s primary consulting business is “basically technical,” he says. “I help clients develop new materials and put them into formulations. They’re often developing new products. I help them plan to fit into their timeline and budget. I provide advice and sometimes help their staff implement the project.”

Molaire brings a substantial level of skill, training and experience to his consulting business. He absorbed much of that background as a chemist in materials and formulation research and development at Kodak for 36 years, where his job was to invent things. In November 2012, he was recognized by the Museum of African-American History as one of 100 “Inspiring Minds: African-Americans in Science and Technology.”

Molaire launched his consulting business about a year ago, after being downsized from Kodak in 2010. The first client for his consulting business was a company in South Korea, proof that a consultant “can do the work without leaving home or moving.” Click here to read more about how he prepared for his consulting business, and how RPCN has helped him to develop and promote his business. Here is a video interview with Mike Molaire.

RPCN member Ruth E. Thaler-Carter is an award-winning freelance writer, editor and proofreader. She can be reached at Ruth@writerruth.com.

Making your business better

Small business advice: What's one thing you learned from running and growing your own business that might help other small businesses? Submit your advice along with an original photo of you at your business (with complete caption information of everyone pictured) to RocNext@DemocratandChronicle.com to possibly be featured in a gallery on RochesterNext.com. That section focuses on small businesses and innovation news, tips and trends. For examples of others, visit their website.

Setting rates: Weighing whether to charge by the hour or per project, wondering what formula to use when setting your fees? Read Ruth Thaler-Carter's blog post Freelancing Basics: How and What to Charge for Your Freelance Work on the Society for Technical Communication website.

New members

RPCN welcomes one new member this month. Click on the link below to view her profile.

Tracy Jong

In this issue:

President's_message
Introducing board
Member profile
Making your business better
Of interest
Upcoming events
Update on survey
New members

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
Friday, July 5, 2013
No meeting due to holiday.

Getting the Most Out of Your Trade Show Experience
presented by Ruth Balkin, Balkin Information Services
Friday, July 12, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Planning to attend a conference, exhibit at a trade show, or just look at the booths at the SOHO exposition or other show? Learn what you need to do to prepare in advance, "work the trade show" and follow up effectively. Here’s a video introduction to the program:

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, July 19, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library

An informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of issues regarding starting or running a consulting business.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, July 19, 2013
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pittsford Community Library

RPCN's monthly board meeting begins at approximately 10:00 AM following the Business Forum. Everyone is welcome to attend, but only board members may vote.

Patenting Under the America Invents Act (AIA)
presented by Dave Bassett, Bassett IP Strategies
Friday, July 26, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

The America Invents Act brought many changes to the U.S. patent system. Dave will review the patenting process and the protections patents provide to inventors, how these changes to the law will affect inventors, and discuss what steps inventors should take to preserve their intellectual property.
Here’s a video introduction to the program:

RPCN Summer Picnic
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Rand Lodge at Powder Mill Park
1:00-5:00 PM
(eat at 2:30 PM)

There is no charge for members and their guests; $5 for non-members. Meats, beverages (water & soda) and utensils will be provided. Members are asked to bring a dish to share.

Update on RPCN member survey

RPCN is currently conducting a brief survey of the membership to identify and provide programming that meets your needs and expectations.

Your participation in this five-minute survey will get us started. If you haven’t already done so, please visit the website and click on the link on the home page to participate (members only).

Our goal is to get 75% of members to complete the survey. If you haven’t completed it online, then you will be getting a call asking you to participate.

Remember, we want RPCN to grow in a way that will help you and your business to grow.

Of interest

Social media: SCORE Rochester hosts a webinar on Building Word of Mouth Using Social Media on Thursday, July 11, at 1:00 PM. Lon Safko will talk about how to use social media to build buzz for your company, products and services.

Writing and editing: Ruth Thaler-Carter will give workshops on Getting Started as a Freelance Writer (Monday, July 1, at 7:00 PM) and The Basics of Editing & Proofreading (Monday, July 29, at 7:00 PM) at Writers and Books, 740 University Avenue, Rochester.

We want you!

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:
Barbara Moore, Chair
Brian Kane
Chris Swingle
Janice Hanson
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
Steve Royal

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June 2013 Newsletter

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 15:05:57 GMT

Moving into the future with purpose

by Brian A. Kane, President

Last month, I let you know that the board of directors is working to significantly improve RPCN's value to members. An important step is conducting two surveys: one of members and the other of the community.

The member survey will take place in June. You'll get a special email notice when the online survey is about to become available. It will take you no more than 5 minutes to complete. Our goal is to get 75% of members to complete the survey. If you don't complete it online, then we will call you directly. That's how serious we are about this! Here is a video by Mike Van der Gaag discussing the survey.

The member survey aims to benchmark whether members set and achieve financial milestones. It will also help us begin to understand whether members are considered premier consultants.

Sometime later on, RPCN will engage a local firm to conduct a community survey with a broad range of people. Many of these people are currently on our email list; others, such as area business leaders, will be added to the list. We want to know how RPCN and its members are perceived.

RPCN is becoming a better organization. Stay tuned and please respond by filling out the survey when it reaches you. We will report the results to you in August.

Getting results for RPCN members

by Chris Swingle Farnum

A lot of nonprofits exist to do good but don't know how much effect their efforts and their resources are having, says Brian Kane. His business, Results for Good, helps nonprofit agencies maximize their results for clients and for the community by delivering evidence-based outcomes.

In other words, he helps organizations figure out what their goals are and how to measure their progress.

Kane, of Canadice, Ontario County, has brought that same approach to Rochester Professional Consultants Network, where he completes a one-year term as president at the end of June.

He and the board have been evaluating how to measure the group's success and make sure its efforts are aligned toward the goals. "What is RPCN about, really? What are we really trying to do?" Kane asks. Click here to read more about defining success and setting goals. Here is a video interview with Brian Kane.

Chris Swingle is a freelance writer.

Making your business better

Sales & Marketing: When it comes to sales and marketing, practice makes you better. If one thing doesn't work, try something else. Those are two of the ten pieces of advice Ruth Balkin gives in her article Top Ten Reasons Marketing is Like Playing Sudoku.

Networking: Another way to look at it is as building your community, and it's more than just shaking hands and exchanging business cards. Janice Hanson offers some tips on expanding your network in her blog Building Your Community is Worth the Effort.

Of interest

Starting a Business: The Business & Social Sciences Division of the Monroe County Library and the College at Brockport Small Business Development Center (SBDC) are sponsoring a free program on Legal Considerations for Starting a Small Business on Wednesday, June 5 from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM in the Kate Gleason Auditorium, Bausch & Lomb Public Library Building, 115 South Avenue. Carla Vazquez, certified business advisor, and Jon Lazenby, attorney, will discuss choice of business entity, tax considerations, intellectual property, contracts and more. Click here for more information and to register.

Quickbooks: SCORE Rochester hosts a workshop on business planning with basic Quickbooks on Wednesday, June 19 from 8:45 AM-3:30 PM at the Federal Building, 100 State Street. Attendees will get an overview of accounting's focus, Quickbooks set-up, navigating Quickbooks, making sales, getting paid, paying bills, tracking expenses and Quickbooks reports. Click here for more information and to register.

Clean Energy: On Thursday, June 20 from 5:30-8:30 PM at High Tech Rochester (150 Lucius Gordon Drive in West Henrietta, NY 14586), meet and listen to Mike Shimazu, project manager for clean energy innovation and business for New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). He'll describe NYSERDA's R&D and business development programs, and what interested parties must know in order to participate. Click here for more information and to register.

New members

RPCN welcomes one new member this month. Click on her name to view her profile.

Stefani Tadio

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In this issue:

President's_message
Member profile
Making your business better
Of interest
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

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:
Barbara Moore, Chair
Brian Kane
Chris Swingle
Janice Hanson
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
Steve Royal

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, June 7, 2013

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room
(Note change in location)

An informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of any technical issues that consultants encounter in running their businesses, including computers, the Internet and telephones.

Demystifying Client Attraction
presented by Priscilla Auchincloss, Ph.D.
Friday, June 14, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Want some new insight in securing a steady stream of clients for your business? Join Priscilla Auchincloss, owner of Physikos Movement at Village Gate Square in Rochester, for an informative and helpful presentation focusing on the top three keys to the mindset you need to build your client base. Here's a video introduction to the program:

Business Forum
facilitated by Mike Molaire
Friday, June 21, 2013

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM Pittsford Community Library

An informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of issues regarding starting or running a consulting business.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, June 21, 2013
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pittsford Community Library

RPCN's monthly board meeting begins at approximately 10:00 AM following the Business Forum. Everyone is welcome to attend, but only board members may vote.

Pinterest for Business
presented by Arthur L. Catalanello
Friday, June 28, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Is Pinterest the right tool for your business? Arthur Catalanello, VP and senior research officer at Harvey Research says, "Yes!" Here's a video introduction to the program:

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May 2013 Newsletter

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:55:38 GMT

Measuring our progress

by Brian A. Kane, President

The RPCN board of directors wants to substantially increase RPCN's value to members and its overall brand. As an important step in achieving those goals, the board has adopted a strategic plan for the first time that is outcome-based and measurable.

This means we will be able to report on how successful RPCN is in helping members establish premier consulting businesses. While it has always been our hope that members prosper, we have never before used metrics to shape our decision-making and allocate our resources. All that is about to change!

We will be conducting twice-annual member surveys to gather data. We want to find out if RPCN members establish annual financial milestones and are achieving them. In September, we will launch a "Learn-from-the-best" program that will noticeably strengthen our professional development efforts. And we will improve the RPCN website so that its main purpose is to support this program.

These decisions by the board at its April meeting came after months of discussions by several committees and with many members. It would not have been possible without broad consultation. We're especially excited that this will help RPCN become a world-class organization that helps members build premier consulting businesses.

RPCN has provided Beth Sears with knowledge and opportunities

by Chris Swingle

Beth Sears had spent almost 30 years with General Motors as a facilitator and trainer before earning a doctorate in communication from State University of New York at Buffalo. She knew she could help people and organizations improve performance through good communication.

What she didn't know was how to start a business. She followed advice from Alan Weiss, author of Getting Started in Consulting and Million Dollar Consulting: "He told me to network," says Sears, who's based in Scottsville. "He said to get out and present everywhere."

Now president of Workplace Communication, Sears helps business leaders develop trusting cultures where employees can communicate openly and honestly. She found audiences and opportunities to meet more people through the Rochester Professional Consultants Network (RPCN). "I didn't join to look for work," says Sears. "I joined to look for knowledge. The learning was exceptional."

Click here to read more about lessons learned, potential opportunities and her advice to new consultants.

Watch a video interview with Beth Sears:

Chris Swingle, chrisswingle.com, is a freelance writer based in Rochester.

Making your business better

LinkedIn: Not getting the results you want from your LinkedIn profile? Robbi Hess lists five tips to make your profile not only complete, but compelling, in her blog post Update, Update, Upgrade Your LinkedIn Profile.

What is a Consultant?: Expertise, time, an objective perspective and a fresh approach - these are four benefits Bob Lurz lists to hiring a consultant. Read more in his article Consultants: What Do They Do? (And, If I Knew, Would I Want to be One?).

Of interest

OACES Workshops: RPCN has teamed up with the Office of Adult and Career Education Services (OACES), a division of the Rochester City School District, to offer several workshops in May. These include:

Friday, May 3 - How to Find and Get Grants, Margit Brazda Poirier
Friday, May 10 - Team Building: It's More Than a Job!, Carl Jenks
Friday, May 24 - Telling Your Organization's Story, Brian Kane
Friday, May 31 - Influential Leadership, Brian Kane

These workshops take place at OACES, 30 Hart Street in Rochester, and space is limited, so register early. Registration can be done through the RPCN web site.

Social marketing: SCORE Rochester hosts a workshop on how to maximize the effectiveness of social marketing on Wednesday, May 8 from 8:45 AM-12:30 PM at the Rochester Business Alliance, 150 State Street. Click here for more information and to register.

New members

RPCN welcomes three new members this month. Click on their names to view their profiles.

Al Mustardo
Kim Pandina
Lois Taubman

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube

In this issue:

President's_message
Member profile
Making your business better
Of interest
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

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:
Barbara Moore, Chair
Brian Kane
Carl Jenks
Chris Swingle
Janice Hanson
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
Steve Royal

Upcoming events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, May 3, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room
(Note change in location)

An informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of any technical issues that consultants encounter in running their businesses, including computers, the Internet and telephones.

Communication with Google
presented by Jerry Seward
Friday, May 10, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Google offers several free services to simplify your communications needs. Using their various email, messaging, teleconferencing and telephone services, you can save a great deal of money and communicate more effectively with your clients and colleagues. Here's a video introduction to the program.

Business Forum
facilitated by Brian Kane
Friday, May 17, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library

An informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of issues regarding starting or running a consulting business.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, May 17, 2013
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pittsford Community Library

RPCN's monthly board meeting begins at approximately 10:00 AM following the Business Forum. Everyone is welcome to attend, but only board members may vote.

How to Use Your Blog to Get Business
presented by Lynn Dessert
Friday, May 24, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Can blogging be an effective marketing tool? The answer is yes. Join Lynn Dessert, president of Leadership Breakthrough, to learn techniques, strategies and resources you can use to build your business using your blog. Here's a video introduction to the program.

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April 2013 Newsletter

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:38:28 GMT

Engage and prosper

by Brian A. Kane, President

Spider-Man soon will be swinging through Rochester for a reason. Rochester is the most successful region in upstate New York. That was the assessment of Sandy Parker, president and CEO of the Rochester Business Alliance, during her visit with the RPCN on March 8.

Sandy Parker at RPCN
Photo: Janice Hanson

Her advice to consultants: Get involved with the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council. Recently, Governor Andrew Cuomo awarded the region $96.2 million in economic development grants. Parker says that consultants can have a two-fold impact from volunteering with the Council: We can influence the development of the region and we can network to create the right relationships for our businesses.

The Council will be working to strengthen the regional economy around the following innovation hubs: higher education, agriculture and food processing, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and health care, business services, energy innovation, and tourism and the arts.

If you want to prosper as a consultant along with the rest of the region, you should be designing your business and marketing strategies with these hubs in mind. Here is a link to Parker's PowerPoint presentation.

David Powe brings corporate experience to consulting excellence

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, freelance writer/editor, www.writerruth.com

Launching a consulting business was a logical - and carefully considered - move for Rochester Professional Consultants Network (RPCN) member David Powe, partner and lead consultant in AIOPX Management Consulting.

Powe came to Rochester from New Jersey, as director of manufacturing for Arch Chemicals. Eventually, a larger company bought Arch and released all of its corporate employees. Powe spent about six months "going through a process of elimination for where I wanted to go in my life," he recalled. "I decided I had three options to consider: find another job in corporate America, buy a franchise business or go into consulting. ... Consulting came to the forefront as best meeting my career aspirations and personal needs."

And he was prepared for consulting - in his last two years with Arch, he functioned as an internal consultant. "I went to all the other company locations to help them start up, develop a structure and use operations excellence," he said. "I had a home office."

Powe launched his business officially in February 2012. He considers his consulting business to still be in launch mode, although he has found success and fulfillment in his first year as a consultant and has learned a few valuable lessons along the way.

Click here to read more about those lessons learned, how he came up with his business name and his take on the value of networking.

For a video interview with David Powe, watch this YouTube video.

Making your business better

Simplicity: Streamline a process and you will gain time that is better spent elsewhere. When you write an email, provide only the most relevant information. These are two ways Judy Dobles lists for how business people can reduce "additional effort that does not help in creating the final end product or service." Read more in her article, Strive to Attain the Elegance of Simplicity.

Mission vs. Vision: Do you confuse a mission statement with a vision statement? A mission statement is about what you are trying to accomplish every day at work. A vision statement is where an organization is trying to go in the future. Bob Whipple explains the difference in Mission and Vision Essentials.

Of interest

Community Report Card: ACT Rochester (an initiative of the Rochester Area Community Foundation) hosts its second annual community report card event on Thursday, April 11, 8:00 - 10:00 AM at the Rochester Museum & Science Center. Be the first to learn about updated regional trends; connect with community initiatives linked with ACT Rochester; and discuss opportunities to leverage resources now that ACT Rochester aligns directly to the governor's nine-county Finger Lakes structure. Click here for more information.

Closing the Deal: SCORE hosts a workshop on improving your selling skills on Wednesday, April 10 from 3:00 - 5:00 PM in Fairport. When you are talking with an interested customer face-to-face, on the phone or on the Internet, how good are you at selling and closing the sale? How would you rate your selling skills, on a scale of 1 to 10? Would you like to improve? Click here for more information.

Freelancing: Ruth E. Thaler-Carter will be one of the presenters in the first-ever virtual conference hosted by the Society for Technical Communication (STC), on starting a business, April 16-18, 2013. Click here for more information.

Expanding your reach

If you write and submit an article for the RPCN website, then what? It will soon be posted in the site's General Articles section. You can then share that link through Facebook, Twitter, your blog or website, or email. The newsletter will highlight articles that focus on issues of broad interest to consultants, especially ones that provide useful information such as specific actions professionals can take to improve their businesses, serve clients better and better manage the many tasks of a solopreneur.

In this issue:

President's_message
Member profile
Making your business better
Of interest
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

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:
Barbara Moore, Chair
Brian Kane
Carl Jenks
Chris Swingle
Janice Hanson
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
Steve Royal

Upcoming events

Technical Forum facilitated by Mike Van der Gaag
Friday, April 5, 2013 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 telephones.

Generating Evidence-Based Outcomes

presented by Brian Kane
Friday, April 12, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Organizations achieve their missions and generate substantial impact by focusing on and measuring their most critical outcomes. Learn how to combine evidence-based metrics and the right stories to create a compelling narrative that proves your effectiveness and increases your value to donors, employees and the community. Here's a video introduction to the program:

Business Forum
facilitated by Lynn Dessert
Friday, April 19, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library

An informal, facilitated roundtable discussion of any issues regarding starting or running a consulting business.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, April 19, 2013
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pittsford Community Library

RPCN's monthly board meeting begins at approximately 10:00 AM following the Business Forum. Everyone is welcome to attend, but only board members may vote.

Revitalizing Eastman Business Park
presented by Michael Alt, director of Eastman Business Park, Eastman Kodak Company
Friday, April 26, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Michael Alt will speak about turning legacy assets and intellectual capital into key drivers of today's innovation economy. Often referred to as a "city within a city," Eastman Business Park is a one-of-a-kind multi-use advanced manufacturing and research center in Rochester that includes approximately 40 companies in a range of fields.

New members

RPCN welcomes two new members this month. Click on their names to view their profiles.

James (Jim) Barton
Ken Ramme

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March 2013 Newsletter

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:24:23 GMT

The Message of March Madness

by Brian A. Kane, President

March Madness, the perennial college basketball tourney, is now in the offing. Sixty-four of the nation’s best and most promising teams will compete over several weeks. In the end, there will be one champion. The consulting world is a lot like March Madness, just all year long. Like a tournament, there are a few winners and lots of losers.

Do you find yourself muttering these words? “I’ve always done it this way.” “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” “I’m the expert and my client just doesn’t get it.” This attitude is madness. If this is your attitude, then it’s certain that consulting opportunities are passing you by.

One consultant to emulate for his client-based approach is Alan Weiss. Despite his huge international success, he continuously looks for ways to provide new and better value to his clients. Weiss is constantly engaging other consultants and thought-leaders to learn and grow. And he never forgets the basics: He returns phone calls and emails promptly. He’s someone we all could learn from.

These days, the consulting world is fast-paced and rapidly changing. If you are not meeting your business goals, then it is time to ask yourself why. There is no reason to continue the madness, unless you’re a sports fan. Email me at brian@threelakesconsulting.com and I’ll put RPCN to work for you!

RPCN project leads to new business focus for Bob Lurz

by Chris Swingle

Volunteering with the Rochester Professional Consultants Network (RPCN) has helped Bob Lurz, of Irondequoit, get to know other members, showcase his own skills and stretch himself in new directions. What he’s learned has prompted him to change the focus of his own consulting business, from strategic planning to helping individuals launch and develop a consulting practice.

Over 20 years as an RPCN member, Lurz has served as vice president, president, strategy leader and alliances leader. “A valuable insight I gained is that volunteer organizations must be motivated in different ways from ‘managerial authority’ organizations,” says Lurz, who loves facilitating groups. “Volunteers must ‘want to’ do something for the organization, and a leader must somehow tap into that source of motivation.” … (Click here to read the rest of the article.)

For a video interview with Bob Lurz, watch this YouTube video.

Do you have an RPCN success story to share? E-mail chris@chrisswingle.com. Chris Swingle is a freelance writer and member of RPCN’s Communications Committee.

Making your business better

Disaster planning: Has your business planned for a disaster such as a flood, workplace violence, fire or disgruntled employee erasing electronic records? Susan Kastan wrote about how “Companies Must Plan for Disasters” as the February 17 Democrat and Chronicle Nextpert.

Marketing trends: Forget about those loyalty cards that fill up your wallet. According to Bill Blevins, one trend we will see in loyalty marketing for 2013 will be the use of smart phones and QR codes to earn, redeem and track customer loyalty points. Blevins describes nine more trends in his blog post, “10 Trends in Loyalty Marketing for 2013.”

Member news

Freelance writer/editor Ruth E. Thaler-Carter will discuss "Basics of Editing and Proofreading" at the annual conference of the American Copy Editors Society (ACES) in St. Louis on April 5, 2013, in a session aimed at people who have been thinking about the editing profession but aren't sure how to get started in it.

While in St. Louis, Ruth will present a workshop for her Communication Central business on getting started in freelancing, "Freelancing 101: Launching Your Communications Business." She also will present three workshops for the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) in D.C. on May 16 and 17, on launching a freelance business, editing & proofreading basics, and websites for freelancers.

RPCN members interested in enhancing their writing, editing, proofreading and other editorial services might be interested in the EFA. For membership info, go to www.the-efa.org; for local chapter info, contact Ruth, coordinator of the Rochester chapter, at chap_rochester@the-efa.org.

And to learn more about how she got started in editing and the changes she has seen in the publishing industry, click here to read an article about Ruth in the Copyediting newsletter.

Of interest

SCORE: Upcoming workshops for business owners include Business Research (March 14 in Pittsford), Marketing on the Internet (March 20 in Rochester) and several different series of workshops on Starting Your Business (Henrietta, Canandaigua, W. Irondequoit, Pittsford). For more information, visit the SCORE website.

Speed Networking: The Rochester Business Alliance hosts a two-hour speed networking session on Wednesday, March 13 at 7:30 AM at their State Street office. Speed networking offers a twist on the typical meet-and-greet; it’s an organized succession of brief conversations among participants that allows you to talk with 20 or more people. Click here for more information.

Database webinar: The Monroe County Library System now offers the ReferenceUSA databases remotely to Monroe County Library System library card holders. The U.S. businesses database is useful for generating a customized list of prospects, competitors and more. The Central Library has arranged for Rick White of Infogroup, producer of the ReferenceUSA databases, to do a one-hour free introductory webinar on using ReferenceUSA every Friday in March at 11:00 AM. Use this link for more info and registration.

In this issue:

President's message
RPCN member profile
Making your business better
Member news
Of interest
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

The RPCN newsletter is open to articles, news, success stories, tips, resources and more from members. Don't be shy – if you aren't sure of your writing skills, experienced writers on the Communications Committee are here to make you look good. To submit articles online (members only), click here or send an email to the Communications Committee, who are:
Barbara Moore, Chair
Brian Kane
Carl Jenks
Chris Swingle
Janice Hanson
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
Steve Royal

Upcoming Events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, March 1, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library

An informal, facilitated round-table discussion of any technical issues that consultants encounter in running their businesses, including computers, the Internet and telephones.

Discussion with Sandy Parker
Friday, March 8, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

President & CEO of the Rochester Business Alliance since 2005, Sandra A. Parker is also a leader of the Rochester Community Coalition, which successfully creates long-term jobs and boosts the regional economy. She will lead a discussion about where the regional economy is headed, with particular focus on the needs of local companies and non-profits. If you’re a consultant, you’ll want to attend this essential program to learn what opportunities are out there for you. Here is a video in which Sandy describes her presentation.

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, March 15, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library

An informal, facilitated round-table discussion of any issues regarding starting or running a consulting business.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, March 15, 2013
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pittsford Community Library

RPCN's monthly board meeting begins at approximately 10:00 AM following the Business Forum. Everyone is welcome to attend, but only board members may vote.

7 Steps to Marketing Success
Presented by Vicki James
Friday, March 22, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Vicki James, marketing strategy partner at Stand Out Results, will review seven core steps of an effective and valued marketing system. You will gain real-time changes to take back to the office and implement for your marketing and business success. Here is a video in which Vicki describes her presentation.

No Meeting
Friday, March 29, 2013

There will be no RPCN meeting today.

New Members

RPCN welcomes three new members this month. Click on their names to view their profiles.

Phat Dao
Joseph MacDonough
Jeff Schwartz

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February 2013 Newsletter

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 21:28:22 GMT

Creating opportunity

by Brian A. Kane, President

RPCN wants to create more opportunities for members, so we will be inviting key regional business leaders to our Friday sessions. This initiative launches on March 8 with Sandy Parker, president & CEO of the Rochester Business Alliance, who will discuss key regional economic trends.

Sandy Parker is a leader in turning around the regional economy. One example of that leadership is the Rochester Community Coalition, which has obtained more equitable state funding for major local development projects. She knows business trendsetters and understands where we are headed. Sandy will help us understand where growth is occurring and how we can provide valuable assistance to local businesses.

RPCN is also creating opportunity by exploring more formal partnerships with SCORE, the Monroe County Library Small Business Division, High Tech Rochester and others. Thanks to RPCN Alliance Committee chair Bob Lurz and his team for building these relationships.

Expect more news about this in the next couple of months.

And if you have ideas for more ways that RPCN can create opportunity for you, let me know!

RPCN forums spur consultant
Charlie Hancock's success

by Chris Swingle

The Rochester Professional Consultants Network (RPCN) monthly question-answer forums on business and technical issues helped Charlie Hancock switch from a corporate job to a one-man firm in 1996 – and have kept him coming to RPCN programs.

“I may not have a question going in, but I’ll learn something,” says Hancock, an expert on medical device sterilization. “RPCN was a very substantial reason for my being successful.” Hancock appreciates hearing various perspectives at RPCN from people of diverse backgrounds and experiences. “That’s really valuable, and you can’t get it anywhere else,” he says.

Click here to read more about Hancock’s success.

Click on the image to see Charlie's video.

Making your business better

Checklists: “Simple checklists can greatly improve the outcome of complex processes and procedures,” says executive advisor and RPCN member Judy Dobles in an article on her blog. Click here to read the full story.

Passion: “Don't Do It for the Money... ,” says architect and RPCN member Peter Morse in an article posted on the RPCN website. He tells of another architect who took his passion for the concertina and turned it into a business. “Love what you do first, and the rest will follow.”

Social media: Jill Hurst-Wahl talks about social media, blogging, and Twitter in a video interview for iSchool, through Syracuse University. She is currently an assistant professor of practice in the university's School of Information Studies.

Member news

In January, Judith Shenouda presented the first of a 12-part webinar series on career planning for the Society for Technical Communication (STC) in January. Ruth E. Thaler-Carter also presented a webinar for STC in January, on freelancing. Click here for more information on the STC webinars.

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter is blogging about Brighton again for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Send her your business and personal news if you're in Brighton!

Calling all RPCN authors

by Ruth Balkin and Judy Shenouda

ATTN: RPCN members – Have you written a book that you would like to promote to the RPCN community? If so, we would love to hear from you. Please provide the name of the book, a brief description, and ordering information to Ruth Balkin or Judy Shenouda. Or send an email to Ruth Balkin at rbalkin@balkininfo.com. The Library Committee will take it from there! Also, if you would like to donate a copy of your book to our collection, just let us know.

RPCN members can borrow items from RPCN’s extensive library of business books and other materials. Click here to view a listing of materials in the library.

Of interest

SEAP: Become a volunteer presenter to SEAP (Self Employment Assistance Program) and help dozens of people! SEAP is a state Labor Department program run by Rochester Works. It helps unemployed individuals who want to create their own business. For more than three years, RPCN has been instrumental in teaching SEAP participants what consulting is and what RPCN can do to help. By volunteering just one hour of your time, you can help dozens of people and spread the word about RPCN. For more information, contact RPCN Vice President Michael Van der Gaag at mrvandergaag@gmail.com.

SCORE: A five-part series of workshops – Simple Steps for Starting Your Business – begins on Saturday, March 2. You’ll learn the essential of business start-up, get action steps and receive one-on-one mentoring. The workshops will be held at the Rochester Business Alliance, 150 State Street, Rochester. For more information and to register, click here.

In this issue:

President's message
RPCN member profile
Making your business better
Member news
Calling all RPCN authors
Of interest
Upcoming events
New members

We want you!

Upcoming Events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Steve Royal
Friday, February 1, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library

An informal, facilitated round-table discussion of any technical issues that consultants encounter in running their business, including computers, the Internet, and telephones.

Perspectives on Retiring in Time: For yourself, your clients, your family, your legacy presented by Dr. Jack Best
Friday, February 8, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Jack Best will discuss retiring in time, insights about transition planning, monetizing your practice, and the second half of life.

Here is a video in which Jack describes his presentation.

Business Forum
facilitated by Mike Molaire
Friday, February 15, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library

An informal, facilitated round-table discussion of any issues regarding the starting or running of a consulting business.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, February 15, 2013
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pittsford Community Library

RPCN's monthly Board meeting begins at approximately 10:00 a.m. following the Business Forum. Everyone is welcome to attend but only board members may vote.

The Visual Presentation of Data
Presented by Vince Vezza

Friday, February 22, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Well-designed data graphics are the simplest and most powerful methods for analyzing and communicating data. This talk will give guidelines for graphical display of data.

Here is a video in which Vince describes his presentation.

New Members

RPCN welcomes three new members this month. Click on their names to view their profiles.

John Debesis
Deborah Lydick
Andrea Rommel

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January 2013 Newsletter

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 17:03:15 GMT

Embracing the New Year!

by Brian A. Kane, President

Happy New Year! RPCN is proud to launch a newly redesigned newsletter. With this new format, we’re strongly committed to telling interesting stories about members and their successes. We’re excited about these changes. Let us know what you think. And please, share your good news with us. We will help you share it with the world!

As we embrace the new year, RPCN will focus more and more on ways that we can increase opportunity for members. In addition to regularly showcasing our members, we’ll be revising the RPCN brand, strengthening alliances with key area organizations, dramatically improving our Friday programs, and updating our website.

With Mike Molaire as the new Program Committee leader, expect visits from area decision-makers who understand business trends that affect the consulting field.

Another way we will work to increase opportunity is to share important tips and suggest excellent books that will strengthen your practice. Here are two books that you should consider buying or borrowing from the library:
The Big Book of Small Business by Tom Gegax and Phil Bolsta and The Small Business Bible by Steven D. Strauss.

A special thanks to all of those members who volunteer their valuable time to make RPCN the premier resource in consulting.

Professional Development and More

by Chris Swingle

Lori Cohen joined Rochester Professional Consultants Network in 2005 when she was considering starting her own business.

She quickly saw pluses. Her first client, a commercial printer seeking an internal quality auditor, found her through the member directory on the RPCN website, and Cohen has learned strategies and tips to develop as a consultant from the meetings she attends. “I call it professional development,” says Cohen. “I always walk away with something I find useful.”

What has kept her in the group is.... (Click here to read the rest of the article.)

For a video about Cohen, watch this YouTube video.

Do you have an RPCN success story to share? E-mail chris@chrisswingle.com.

Resolve to Enhance your Consulting Business in 2013

by Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, www.writerruth.com

It’s a new year, and that means we’re all making New Year’s resolutions. Along with those perennial vows to lose weight and otherwise aim for self-improvement, consultants – or people thinking about becoming consultants – can set goals that will help make their professional efforts more successful.

Here are some possible 2013 resolutions. Don’t expect to accomplish all of these; just see them as possibilities for building your business, and give yourself points for any you do achieve. … (Click here to read the rest of the article.)

Long-time freelance writer/editor Ruth E. Thaler-Carter (www.writerruth.com) is a newsletter expert and member of the RPCN Communications Committee.

Quick Links

Professional organizer Jen Ulrich has been blogging for herrochester.com since May 2011. Policy Retention and Other Insurance Tips is worth a read. Another good article from Jen is on the RPCN website, Creating Passwords for Safe Computing.

Bit by bit, task by task is how you get things done. RPCN member Susan Kastan shares steps that help energize her in her article Motivation.

Of Interest

SCORE is presenting a workshop on Small Business Start-Up & Survival on Wednesday January 16, 2013 from 8:45-3:30 PM at the Federal Building, 100 State Street. Are you starting a business and need some guidance? Are you currently in business, but need some help? If you answered YES, this workshop has been designed especially for you. This workshop will provide key information on all the basic components of running a business.

SCORE is also holding a series of workshops on Starting Your Own Business on consecutive Tuesdays, January 29, February 5, 12, 19, from 7:00-9:00 PM at Greece Olympia High School. Visit www.scorerochester.org for more information.

In this issue:

President's_Message
Professional Development and More
Resolve to Enhance your Consulting Business in 2013
Quick Links
Of Interest
New Members

We want you!

The RPCN newsletter is open to articles, news, success stories, tips, resources, and more from members. Don't be shy – if you aren't sure of your writing skills, experienced writers on the Communications Committee are here to make you look good. For information about submitting items, click here.

The Communications Committee is:
Barbara Moore, Chair
Brian Kane
Carl Jenks
Chris Swingle
Janice Hanson
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
Steve Royal

Upcoming Events

Technical Forum
facilitated by Linda McQueen
Friday, January 4, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library

An informal, facilitated round-table discussion of any technical issues that consultants encounter in running their business, including computers, the Internet, and telephones.

The Alliance Consultancy Business Model
presented by Steve Healy
Friday, January 11, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

How to keep your pipelines full, share the marketing and sales burden, create semi-passive income and do so honorably.
Here is a video in which Steve describes his presentation.

Business Forum
facilitated by Bob Lurz
Friday, January 18, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Pittsford Community Library

An informal, facilitated round-table discussion of any issues regarding the starting or running of a consulting business.

RPCN Board Meeting
Friday, January 18, 2013
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pittsford Community Library

RPCN's monthly Board meeting begins at approximately 10:00 AM following the Business Forum. Everyone is welcome to attend but only board members may vote.

Google Analytics
presented by Peter Platt of PSquared Digital LLC
Friday, January 25, 2013
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Brighton Town Hall - Downstairs Meeting Room

Learn what you need to know about Google Analytics for your business or just for fun!
Here is a video in which Peter describes his presentation.

New Members

RPCN welcomes two new members this month. Click on their names to view their profiles.

Stephen Melnyk
Richard Rivers

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