Hello , how are you? Welcome to the March issue of The Target Advocate.

In This Issue

	A Note from Beth
	What I learned at the Third Annual Small Business Technology Summit
	Featured Network Partner: The Team

In Other News

Required Reading:
Bounce! Failure, Resiliency and Confidence to Achieve Your Next Great Success! By Barry J. Moltz.

While at the Summit, I saw Barry Moltz  speaking about his new book Bounce. What I loved about Barry’s first book You Need To Be A Little Crazy: The Truth About Starting and Growing Your Business, is that Barry is not afraid to say he made mistakes. I started his new book the other night and am really enjoying it.

Updated Web Site:  Doubetllc.com

I am very proud to announce that Doubet Consulting has unveiled our new and improved website.  A huge thanks to Andrew Boardman of Manoverboard and his team. Our site is more concise and better showcases what Doubet Consulting is all about.  

Favorite New Gadget: Flip Video

A few months ago, a colleague recommended The Flip Video camcorder for instant podcasts. I looked into it and thought it would be a  cool gadget for my clients and me. Not only is it great for creating podcasts, but I use it to shoot videos of my son and send them around to family and friends.  

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A Note from Beth

Dear Friends:

This month I wanted to talk about the Third Annual Small Business Summit created by Marian Banker and Ramon Ray. I was fortunate enough to work on the event’s public relations program and was able to meet and connect  with some amazing people.

I also wanted to thank all of you who responded to my request for a marketing teleseminar. I am finalizing some of the details and will send out information to all of you shortly.

Have a great day!

Beth

What I learned at the Third Annual Small Business Technology Summit

On February 11th I had the great pleasure of attending the 2008 Small Business Summit in New York City (for which Doubet handled the Summit’s Public Relations initiative). This year’s theme, Business and Technology – It’s Time to Reinvent Your Business was the perfect combination for entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to move their businesses to the next level.

I could not have been more thrilled by the experience. More than 450 entrepreneurs and small business owners, as well media, attended the event and I was able to meet and reconnect with people throughout the small business community.

The Summit was created by Marian Banker, MBA, Business Leadership Coach and President of Prime Strategies, and Ramon Ray, Technology Evangelist & Editor of Smallbiztechnology.com, to highlight both technology and core business processes (i.e. marketing, sales, HR, etc.).

The event was perfect for those who want to stay current on business
and technology options for reinventing their businesses. A major component of the Summit was the panels given by successful speakers who leveraged their years of experience to educate new and emerging entrepreneurs on the ways technology can expand small businesses.

Here are a few of these things I walked away with this year:

Understand the Importance of YouTube and iTunes:

Karen Quintos, Vice President of Dell Small and Medium Business Marketing, centered her discussions on understanding business in the digital a world. Ms. Quintos spoke of the importance of understanding the evolution of communications technology, like YouTube and iTunes, and what outlets each of these new technologies influence. Most of this “influence” Ms. Quintos explains, comes from the sixty-six million Americans who regularly give online advice about products and services. Ms. Quintos warns that the massive surge in users, communication devices, and information is changing the way entrepreneurs must market. As I have said before, Be A Target Advocate for your business and understand your customers have the ability and desire to be heard. Use them to your advantage.

Utilize the Technology Available to You:

Adrian Miller’s presentation “How to use Tech to Boost Sales” highlighted several essential tools that small business should utilize—tools that years ago were only available to large companies—like conference calls, visual presentations (Power Point), and social networks (LinkedIn and Facebook). Understand what technology is out there and how to use it.

Both Adrian and I use FreeConferenceCall.com. It provides us with greater flexibility when speaking with more than two people on the phone. I use it even though my phone system has conference calling capabilities

Technology is An Investment not an Expense:

In his discussion “Technology is not the Answer” Ramon Ray emphasized six rules for entrepreneurs to keep in mind when considering their businesses and technology:

1. Technology is an investment, not a cost
2. Email is NOT CRM
3. Web 2.0 is NO Joke
4. Outsource
5. Don’t Technologize a Bad Business Process
6. Mobility is Critical

Ramon’s rule that most resonated with my business needs was the importance of viewing technology as an ongoing business investment and not a depleting business expense.

A Solid Foundation is Key

Marian Banker reviewed three components that go into making a successful business, with the most important factor being a “solid foundation.”

I agree with Marian that there is nothing more important in regard to finding success in business than starting with a solid foundation grounded in well-researched operating plans, a practical budget, and information systems that give you control. I always tell clients if they don’t have a solid plan with a real understanding of their processes, they will always be playing catch up.

In addition to the great speakers, I also enjoyed meeting and speaking with many of the sponsors. To learn more about the event, I invite you to see a video TruNYC created after attending the event. (They even spoke to me!)

Featured Network Partner: The Team

I must admit that I when I started working on the Summit, I only knew Ramon Ray of smallbiztechnology.com. I had never met Marian Banker and had not met or worked with any of the business owners. The team consisted of Andrew Shulkind of Andigo New Media, a web design firm, Gail Cramer of Sol21, an advertising and print design firm, Laura Leites of Workstation Business Support, a coordinator of all, Maria DeVito and Roy Bavaro of Corporate Experience, an event planning firm, and me from Doubet Consulting.

Working with these people was not only a lot of fun, but also a great opportunity to learn about their businesses. I look forward to working with them and referring business to them in the near future. I invite you to learn more about them and their businesses.