FirstMerit Bank Business Owners Roundtables |
Norman Lange, VP of Commercial Banking, FirstMerit Bank, invites you to join a select group of business owners and entrepreneurs at their Business Owner Roundtable series with Chief Growth Strategist Andy Birol. The roundtable luncheons will be held from Noon - 1:45 pm at the Shoreby Club in Bratenahl. As spaces are limited, the following sessions will be offered to the first eight business owners:
- 06/19/08
Exploring Opportunities In A Recession - There are a couple seats still available for this session. Register today!
- 07/17/08
Selling Your Smarts Vs. Selling Your Products
- 09/18/08
Learning To Do Business Outside Of Northeast Ohio
- 11/20/08
Pricing To Maximize Profits
- 01/15/09
Exploiting Your Best and Highest Use
To register, contact Norman Lange, 216.694-5690 or Dale Sparber,
norman.lange@firstmerit.com. | |
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Talking About My Generation, Are You?
 Whenever Roger Daltrey and Peter Townsend still sing, "Hope I die before I get old" they certainly aren't talking about themselves, either as the singers or the entrepreneurs they have become! Just as the Who has prevailed, here in the United States, the last 30 years has seen the number of business owners grow from the 9 million I marketed to when at NEBS, then the US's largest direct marketer to small business, to the 25 million the SBA now reports are up and running.
So when we are talking about entrepreneurs these days, who are we talking about? In working with teenagers to 90-something business owners, their differences are remarkable. Here are my observations by key age groups (yes, these are stereotypes as entrepreneurs are unique by definition):
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Your Reactions To Your Recession
 When you discuss the current recession, do you ask yourself:
- Is it real or not?
- How are you and others responding in order to succeed?
It is logical that in a recession buyers are more hesitant, require more guarantees and have to feel greater pain before investing. But is this recession real or not? While there are job losses it's not a typical recession, especially since the services sector is up and even the manufacturing sector may not be down. Only construction and financial services seems to prove there is any recession at all, particularly considering energy prices should be causing more inflation.
So, if sales are OK, how are small business profits? While many of us assume they are down, we know some firms are compensating by taking advantage of their ability to export more goods given the cheap dollar.
So is the recession occurring at all? Read more...
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Off the Shop Floor and On to the Playing Field
 During a presidential election year, issues that affect us as business owners suddenly make the evening news. Can you turn on CNN or pick up a newspaper today without being told once again that American manufacturing is dying...that jobs going overseas are not coming back...that small businesses can't compete against Far East competitors ...that free trade is not fair trade...that health care costs are crippling American businesses...and that young workers who can't program computers will end up flipping burgers for the rest of their lives?
Yes, our manufacturing base is declining but political rhetoric and gnashing of teeth are not going to rescue us from reality and bring back the glory days. Almost daily I hear a manufacturing leader lament the condition of his industry. Isn't it time to stop venting and accept our new challenge? Read more. |
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Grow It! Finance It!
Join Andy Birol and expert financial consultant Marilyn Landis, Basic Business Concepts Inc. and president of the National Small Business Association, on August 18, 9 am - Noon at Shoreby Club for breakfast and a workshop.
Who Is This Workshop For? Business owners, entrepreneurs, business managers and advisors who want to grow and finance their companies in a more consistent, efficient manner.
That's you!
It's two experts for the price of one.
Andy will help you discover how to exploit the marketplace changes and we'll discuss how to ensure your company is selling all that customers will buy, even in the current economy.
Marilyn will help you identify bad financial practices, how to profit from a bad economy and how to be financially ready when the economy improves.
Shoreby Club is located 10 minutes East of Downtown Cleveland, just North on I-90.
Shoreby Club · 40 Shoreby Drive · Bratenahl, OH 44108
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Where's Andy
June 12, 2008, Family Business Planning Council, Cleveland, OH
June 17-18, 2008, Private Event, Toronto, Canada
June 19, 2008, FirstMerit Bank Business Owners Roundtable, Bratenahl, OH
June 25-July 4, 2008, Private Event
July 4-7, 2008, Business Travel, Dallas, Tx
July 17, 2008, FirstMerit Bank Business Owners Roundtable, Bratenahl, OH
July 25, 2008, Rainmakers Roundtable, Bratenahl, OH
July 30, 2008, NY Small Business Conference & Expo, NY, NY
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