…to you, your clients or other business owners who could use a sounding board at this time: Input on urgent problems (surviving); Thinking through strategy in order to come out of the crisis (thriving); Focus on building/rebuilding value if working toward a sale. Happy to share insights from 20 years as a consultant, coach, and exit strategist; helping clients grow, solve problems, build value and design their exit strategy & succession planning. Working together, we WILL get through this! Stay safe and healthy!
This is a difficult, even unprecedented time. There is great uncertainty, and many are fearful. Some are suffering through this alone. Thankfully, this pandemic comes at a time when our technology makes forced isolation bearable.
In difficult times the American Spirit shines brightest because we face our challenges together. Given the strength of our relationships, the value we place on one another, I am confident that we will overcome this scourge. We may be bruised, but we will emerge stronger.
From a personal perspective, I believe my life’s mission is to help however I can. My goal is to focus on what I can control and avoid dwelling on issues beyond my control.
I know that my core strength is helping people navigate the new normal for employment and career management. In many respects, this was the genesis of ITB PARTNERS.
I want you to know that I am here to help you. In fact, I am happy to offer my services free of charge to help you through this difficult time.
There are many things we can discuss, but I may be most helpful in the following areas:
Navigating the quarantine.
Developing a Personal Recovery Plan.
Maintaining relationships with your customers, clients, and network.
Viable Job Search Strategies.
Key considerations to anticipate from the recovery.
Significant trends to consider in your planning.
Evaluating options and setting priorities.
How to start a business.
Ultimately, I’m available to talk with you even if to bounce around some ideas or offer introductions from my vast network.
So, here’s my offer:
If you would like a free 30-minute consultation, email Jim.Weber@itbpartners.com with this subject: “I Want to Schedule a Free Consultation.” I will respond back with my calendar tool to schedule a telephone or video call.
I hope you find this useful and will schedule a call. If nothing else, I would enjoy an update from you to know how you are coping.
Best wishes for your continued health and safety.
Thank you for visiting our blog.
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
The BENG Atlanta Chapter April 14 Meeting Will Be Held Via ZOOM! To join the meeting, follow this link: https://zoom.us/j/334822051
Register for The BENG April 14 ZOOM Meeting!
Email To: Jim.Weber@itbpartners Subject: Yes, Reserve My Place for The BENG Atlanta Chapter April Meeting viaZOOM
Remove What’s NOT Working from Your Networking
Description:
According to a LinkedIn survey in 2017, almost 80 percent of professionals consider networking to be important to their career success. Not only that, but 70 percent of respondents said they were hired at a company where they had a connection.
Whether you are networking to find new clients, a better job, or the love of your life, your results will definitely improve if you remove what’s not working and replace it with more effective actions.
Invest one hour of your time in this session and leave with:
A clearly defined goal for your networking
Identification of your ineffective networking activities that are holding you back
Options for less common activities that have been proven more effective
A revised networking “game plan” you can start using today
Our speaker:
Richard Kirby
Richard Kirby is “The K Factor”. His formula for client success is Inspirational+Analytical=Inevitable.
For the past 18 years, Richard has coached corporate executives desiring career improvements inside or outside their current employers. He is also the author of Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!), an eBook available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. A critical component of his individual coaching programs and his book is business networking. More information can be found about Richard at https://www.richardkirby.net or https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardkirbyatl.
Register for The BENG April 14 ZOOM Meeting!
Email To: Jim.Weber@itbpartners.com Subject: Yes, Reserve My Place for The BENG Atlanta Chapter April Meeting viaZOOM
Particularly in the era of “social distancing”, on-line shopping is growing at a rapid pace and with it, the opportunity presented by “Cash Back Shopping.” Cashback shopping taps into the normal marketing budgets of on-line retailers. Just like newspaper and other media advertising, Cash Back programs are designed by retailers to attract shoppers to their on-line shopping sites and to make purchases based on their standard pricing, discounts, reward, and customer service policies and the new dimension of cashback shopping. You’ve probably heard of the biggest cashback provider in the direct to consumer space which is Rakuten/Ebates. On the other hand, the biggest provider in the business to business space is Retail Benefits, Inc. (RBI).
Retail Benefits markets only through 3rd parties such as banks and credit unions, businesses (with large direct to consumer marketing reach), churches and charities, and political parties. Retail Benefits is an invisible partner to its sponsor organizations as RBI provides the downloadable app that connects the sponsor organization with its potential shoppers and over 4,500 on-line retailers who participate in the program. The RBI app is always customized and branded to each sponsor using the sponsor’s own marketing message and its standard “look and feel”. Using Retail Benefits is a one time download of the app onto the shopper’s desktop computer and/or mobile device. Once the installed the shopper shops as always and receives cash back on every purchase.
The cash flows from the retailer to RBI to the sponsor. Each sponsor then uses the cashback to advance its mission. Examples include charities that keep all or most of the cashback as a tax-deductible donation; banks and credit unions that add the cashback to enhance their existing cashback programs on the credit cards they are already offering, and business that keeps a portion of the cashback to enhance net income and convert the balance into “business bucks” to pay for the services they normally sale.
To learn more about how cashback shopping can create a strategic advantage for you and/or your contacts, contact Phil Davis, Retail Benefits Partner.
Many thanks to Ron Weinstock, of Weinstock Marketing and ITB Partners for facilitating this Partnership.
What is a Company Store?
A company store is an on-line, fully integrated e-commerce site that gives you complete control over your branded merchandise program.
This is not a new concept as many printers have expanded their services, providing companies an outsourced solution for the logistical management of marketing collateral and branded products. A dedicated company store provides employees, dealers, franchisees, agents and even consumers the ability to easily purchase branded merchandise. “The more people who see our logo, the greater the likelihood they will call ITB Partners to resolve their problems.”
“Symphonix Solutions will handle everything for us, from acquiring and warehousing the merchandise for our store to maintaining the web-portal and executing order fulfillment.”
SYMPHONIX SOLUTIONS CLIENT BRAND MANAGEMENT PLATFORM IS CALLED “ONBOARD”
From this customized web portal, you can oversee brochures, displays, promotional products and digital brand assets, control and track projects, costs, create reports control inventory and send direct response emails.
At Symphonix Solutions, we have a variety of solutions to make it easy for our clients.
To learn more about Symphonix Solutions and how we can help promote your brand and your client’s brand, contact Michelle Mehnert at mmehnert@symphonixsolutions.com.
Since 2008, Symphonix Solutions has been helping clients manage their marketing and sales materials providing customized solutions that improve the production, distribution, and control of their assets. “Our proprietary technology provides each client with a customized portal to track inventory, costs, and delivery from anywhere in the world.”
“Our clients want the best quality, cost-effective, easy solutions, and Symphonix delivers.” With the highest level of service and a dedicated team you can trust, Symphonix partners with the best provider network to produce the best results from people who care about your projects and consistently deliver because they love what they do.
Symphonic Solutions stands ready to help you and your clients with their printing needs as well!
Prior to forming New Century Dynamics Executive Search in 1999, Jim Weber spent 22 years with Fortune 500 companies in the Food Retailing Industry where he developed a broad-based portfolio of “hands-on” line and staff experience in growth and turnaround situations. A proven executive with exceptional leadership skills, Jim has a strong financial background and heavy operations experience in specialty retail stores, quick-service restaurants, manufacturing, and distribution.
For more information about Jim Weber and New Century Dynamics Executive Search, call us at 770-649-7051 or email JimWeber@NewCenturyDynamics.com
David Shavzin, CMC, is a Certified Management Consultant, and a passionate and experienced exit and succession planning expert. He created The Value Track to help business owners improve profitability, build value and maximize their business transaction. A frequent speaker on these topics, David is President and a co-founder of Exit Planning Exchange Atlanta and past president of the Institute of Management Consultants – Georgia Chapter. David has over a dozen years of experience senior corporate roles followed by nearly 20 years of consulting to privately held businesses. His industry experience includes manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, and professional services firms: law, accounting, architecture, engineering, and design.
Wendy Ellin is a Workplace Productivity Consultant, International Speaker, & Author of Enough Is Enough, Get Control of Your Stuff. Her insights into living an organized life are shared in her presentations with irreverence, humor, and a level of passion that motivates her audience to TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION!
Wendy talks about real-life challenges that we all experience such as email overload, being on time (or not), reasonable expectations for getting things done, and much more. It is from Wendy’s 20 plus years in the corporate arena that she drew from her own successes by working smart, not hard—that inspired her to develop the tools and techniques for increasing workplace productivity and ultimately a renewed sense of peace of mind.
“It’s one thing to love what you do, and another to LOVE THE WAY YOU DO IT!” Wendy Ellin
Join Us for the February ITB Partners Meeting featuring Paula Fowler
Whether you are an Entrepreneur, an Employee or in transition, Strategic Planning is important to your success. Get ready for 2020 and learn the fundamentals from Paula Fowler, Six Disciplines Coach, and Predictive Index Certified Partner, offering small business owners tools to align people strategy with business strategy to achieve business results. Paula will present:
“It’s 2020 – What’s Your Plan?”
About Paula Fowler:
Paula Fowler
Paula is a strategic leader with a proven ability to create a company-wide vision and drive business results. Over 20 years of management and consulting experience in small to mid-sized businesses across a broad range of functional areas, including sales, marketing, finance, manufacturing, software development, operations, HR and customer support. Skilled as an internal consultant in analyzing existing operations and implementing strategies, processes, and technology to improve company profitability. Uses Predictive Index talent optimization tools to develop an organizational design, hire, inspire and drive team performance. Linkedin
Are your children ready to take over your business? The answer I usually get is something like “No, she has only been in the business for 10 years, she’s not ready to run a business.” Or, “He will get it eventually, but there is no rush.” Exit planning and succession planning are critical to a smooth sale and transition, but they are too often ignored until it’s too late, especially when it comes to family business situations. Are you burying your head in the sand because you are uncomfortable planning to leave the business?
You don’t have to leave tomorrow. At the same time, starting early will help you think through a variety of options to find a structure that best fits your needs. An early start will also provide enough time to talk through key issues with family, inside and outside of the business. The issues can be thorny ones when dealing with the family business, but time can bring everyone together.
Don’t leave a mess for your spouse, children, and employees. We will ALL exit our business at some point, one way or another. The process of selling is very complicated, and it will take much longer than most owners expect. Family business transfers are especially complex.
Again, you don’t have to rush out the door just because succession planning begins. But your family and employees will be more engaged knowing that you are laying out a game plan. If they are not yet ready, start now and include a plan for them to get ready. You may still think of them like this, but they really may be more ready than you think.
It takes a huge toll on morale when your children lack specifics and any semblance of a timeline. We routinely hear from adult children of business owners who are beyond frustrated at the lack of a real plan as to how they will eventually start taking steps to succeed Mom and Dad. They don’t need it to happen next week, but they need to know how and when. And, yes, what they need to do to show you that they are ready.
They may never be ready. However, getting an early start on talking about these issues will help you determine whether that is the case or not. You may find that they don’t want the family business, even if they would be capable. Either way, you need to know that as early as possible.
Get your family engaged in these complex issues. The right conversations will lead to the engagement that carries on your business legacy for years to come. Another significant benefit to family business succession conversations is that with a plan in mind, business value growth becomes a lot easier.
Let us know if a conversation about your specific succession planning situation would help you move forward.
