At The Top Networking

March Strategy Session: Creating Value in your business during Turbulent Times

lindsaymanfredi — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:45:13 +0000

With the economy’s downturn in the last few years, business owners quickly realized they weren’t able to continue doing business like they had in years past. They had to pause and refocus how they were bringing value to their clients, prospects and employees.

As a financial services firm, we noticed we had to hold tight to our core values by educating our clients and keeping the communication open to retain the trust we had built. Please join us as we host a panel discussion where you will be able to interact with the top attorneys, accountants and financial advisors in Indianapolis.

You will learn secrets to a great succession plan, tax efficiency, risk management, and how to create value in your business during turbulent economic times.

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When It Comes to Networking, You’re Always ON

Erik — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:23:27 +0000

“How much time do you devote to networking?” asked a young woman from the audience.

Last night, I was part of a panel discussion at my alma mater, Ball State University, for a panel discussion on careers. I had been invited by Shayla Kiser, the president of the Professional Communication Network, and I was sitting on a panel with some fairly important people: Scott Evans, the emcee for the contests the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever run during games; Rob Higley, owner of Reveal Consulting, and Glendal Jones, the Communications Director for Congressman André Carson.

“We’re always networking,” Rob answered. “We’ll probably network with each other after this,”

That’s exactly what we did. Each of us realized we could do something for the other person. So cards were exchanged, promises of follow-up were made, and favorite coffee houses were discussed.

We’re always networking. Or at least we always should be. I try to remember to carry business cards with me wherever I go, because I never know when I’m going to bump into somebody who can help me or I can help. Scott Evans met a guy who is looking for marketing help for his pickle company in a bar after the big Super Cross event at Lucas Oil Stadium; the man is driving back down to Indianapolis to meet with Scott in a few weeks. All because Scott happened to be in the right place at the right time, and didn’t forget that he’s always on.

I am always looking to meet new people. My daughter once told a friend of hers, “My dad almost always knows somebody whenever we go out. And if he doesn’t, he makes sure he does when we leave.”

Networking is not a one-hour-a-day event. You don’t start networking when you come to an At The Top event, and stop when you leave. You’re always on, because you never know who you’re going to bump into, or where, or when. So make sure you’re ready and in the right frame of mind.Similar Posts:

What ELSE Can the Olympics Teach Us About Networking?

Erik — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:00:34 +0000

I was reminded in a conversation recently about the importance of finding some of your best collaborating partners with your competition. And I’ve seen this quite a bit this week watching the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. I was especially struck by the close friendship between America’s Lindsey Vonn and Germany’s Maria Riesch, two skiers who won gold in the Women’s Downhill and Women’s Nordic Combined, respectively.

You see a lot of camaraderie and fellowship at the Olympics. These athletes aren’t just rivals and competitors, they’re friends. They see each other at the different international competitions, they spend time together in the different cities, and sometimes they even train together. American speed skater Shani Davis used to train with Canada’s Denny Morrison. Another 2010 speedster, Chad Hedrick, used to train with 2002 gold medalist and current US speed skating coach, Derek Parra.

Even in sports where you may be competing against your best friend for a few minutes, the fact is when you’re finished, that person is still your best friend.

So why can’t we do it in business? What rules are in place that say you can’t be friends with your competition? I’ve been fortunate enough to have friends who just happened to work in companies that competed with mine, or so I thought.

I’ve received referrals from my competitors, and given them in return. I’ve given advice and ideas to my competitors, and gotten some great advice in return. In fact, I even helped write a book, Twitter Marketing For Dummies (affiliate link), with one of my good friends, Kyle Lacy, who, at the time, also had the potential to be one of my biggest competitors.

We enjoyed it so much, we’re actually working on a second book together. Meanwhile, he changed the focus of his company and my company grew beyond just working in Indianapolis. But had we turned up our noses at the possibility of working together because we were “the competition,” we both would have missed out on some exciting opportunities.

What about you? Who are your competitors? Who do you eye suspiciously any time you’re within 30 feet of each other? I’ll bet you’ll even see some of them at an At The Top networking event. Let me challenge you: take a few minutes to talk to them.

Ask them what areas they truly focus on. “Everything” is not an area. What’s their sweet spot? What customer would they truly love to have more of, and who would they love to have fewer of? Maybe you’ll find that you love their worst customers, and dislike their best. Build a relationship that allows you to refer your favorite customers to each other and see what you can accomplish with their help, rather than with your reluctance.

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results.Similar Posts:

What the Olympics Can Teach Us About Networking

Erik — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:25:15 +0000

Watching the 2010 Vancouver Olympics reminds me of a news story I heard in 2000 during the Sydney Olympics, which can teach us a valuable lesson about networking.

There was a 13-year-old girl from one of the nearby island nations — I couldn’t even tell you which one — competing in the women’s swimming events. She was her country’s only athlete, the only delegate at all, in fact. No coaches, no parents, nobody to guide her through what’s already a nerve-wracking experience to most adults.

At 13 years old, she was her country’s best swimmer, because nobody else swam. They had a small pool in her hometown, but that was it.

When she showed up, the Australian coach took the girl under his wing, and started practicing with her. He gave her tips, coached her during several practices, and even gave her one of the sharkskin suits the world saw that year.

The girl didn’t even stand a chance of making it out of her first heat. She lost by a wide margin, and was the last one out of the pool. But she learned a lot.

The coach didn’t have to do anything. He didn’t need to coach the girl, or even give her one of the expensive sharkskin suits. But he did it because he understood the Olympic spirit: that this is the time the world comes together in the name of Sport. He didn’t do it for personal gain or recognition. He did it because a young girl needed a mentor, and he was able to give her the time.

Remember, networking is not always about what other people can do for you. And it’s not only about helping someone so you will get helped in return later on. This isn’t a story about the lion and the mouse. A young girl from a poor island nation will never be able to help the coach of one of the world’s swimming powerhouses.

Rather, this story reminds us that sometimes you just have to help people who are never going to be able to repay you. That we need to reach out to those who need a hand, even if it’s just for a little bit.

As you’re networking with people, whether it’s at At The Top, or at any of our city’s other networking events, change your outlook. Stop looking for people who can help you or can advance your career. Stop trying to find your next opportunity, your next sale. Because if everyone had that “who can help me?” attitude, then you won’t be given the time of day by the person you’re trying to meet.
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January’s At The Top Event Recap

Erik — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:13:19 +0000

Today’s post was written by Paul Lorinczi, president of Professional Blog Service, and one of the sponsors of At The Top.

January has started off great for Indianapolis. For one, as we all know, the Indianapolis Colts have made it to the Super Bowl. And almost as importantly, At the Top hosted its 2nd meeting on January 21 at the Indianapolis Skyline Club.

Our guest speaker was Joe Newman, Co-Owner and CEO of the American Basketball Association. Joe Newman is a legendary figure in advertising and marketing and is HVS’s “Marketing Guru.”

Joe delivered a very informative presentation on sales and business development. He was the perfect speaker to get people pumped up for the new year. His message was simple: know your market, be the best, and manage your cash flow. The takeaway was that opportunities are always out there, it is our job to find them.

Attendance at the event was excellent. The crowd at At the Top is made up of an open group of individuals who are open to networking and learning about what it is you do. I walked away with several business cards and some excellent conversations.

And that is the point of these events: to meet new people, learn about them, and see what opportunities can develop.

The next At The Top event is Thursday, February 25th from 5:30p-7:30p. You can register online here.

I am looking forward to the next meeting. The view is fantastic from the Skyline Club. The conversations were interesting. Joe Newman’s presentation got me pumped up to get out and make things happen, so now I’m looking forward to meeting you too.Similar Posts:

February strategy session: “The Science of breaking through in your business”

lindsaymanfredi — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:47:10 +0000

Have you ever wondered why it seems you work so hard to break through barriers in your business, but never seem to get the results you want? Do you make goals only to find you haven’t achieved them? Do you get excited about what you plan, but lack the follow-up and strategy to actually have forward momentum?

In February, At The Top Networking is excited to have Jim Zarvos, president and founder of PARADIGM CONSULTING INTERNATIONAL, a consulting firm, specializing in leadership development and organizational change, speak on these topics. This strategy session is from 4:30-5:30pm on February 25^th, 2010.

For those in attendance, Zarvos will be introducing the steps to consciously attracting and manifesting the results that matter to you most.

You’ll learn why most people fail to manifest their goals and most importantly how to make sure you are not sabotaging your results.

Zarvos will also teach about the role of commitment and intention in producing results and what the difference is between the two.

If you’re ready to walk away from a session with a change in mindset and tools that you can apply to your business and personal life immediately, then this is definitely the session for you. Register today. We’re looking forward to seeing you At The Top.Similar Posts:

At The Top’s February Strategy Speaker, Jim Zarvos

lindsaymanfredi — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:44:58 +0000

JIM ZARVOS is the president and founder of PARADIGM CONSULTING INTERNATIONAL, a consulting firm, specializing in leadership development and organizational change. He has an extensive background in dramatically improving people’s ability to lead effectively, communicate, coach, and produce unprecedented results. His work has evoked personal and organizational breakthroughs with both established and emerging companies and institutions such as Careerbuilder.com, Purdue University, Burger King, American Express, Eli Lilly, and Southwest Airlines. Currently, he is involved in consulting and training projects across Europe, Asia and Russia. In Russia, he hosts vision conferences – facilitating teams of executives creating a “strategic vision” for their organization.

Prior to founding PARADIGM CONSULTING INTERNATIONAL in 1993, Jim spent five years as a senior executive and trainer for one of the world’s largest firms engaged in personal paradigm shifting, leadership and communication training’s. In addition to training and facilitating workshops, as the Northeast Regional Area Director, he was responsible for managing a $18 million budget, and volunteer staff of 400. By upgrading service and growth systems he created a restructured focus on operations and profitability, creating a 72% increase in sales in 12 months.

For the period of 1981 to 1988, Jim was involved in three successful company turnarounds. Each time, he introduced a cultural change and growth strategy, and was able to transform a sizeable loss to a profit within two years. As Executive Vice President of Stewart Title Company, Jim participated in orchestrating a leveraged buyout of a four times larger competitor.

Jim is featured in the movie “The Answer to Absolutely Everything” and is working on a book “The Absolutes of Leadership.”

Jim is a public speaker and has been a guest lecturer on change management and leadership topics at Columbia University. As a facilitator, he leads various workshops in Personal Mastery, Leadership, Communication Skills, Paradigm Change, Building High Performance Teams, and creating a High Performance Culture.

Jim brings to PARADIGM CONSULTING INTERNATIONAL and its clients, the insight and commitment to redesign the possibilities for leadership in action and organizational transformation. With twenty five years of business and training experience, Jim demonstrates an ability to take both organizations and individuals from the broadest range of skill and experience, and create for each, a measurable sense of mastery and ability to produce results.Similar Posts:

A History of Social Clubs

Erik — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:00:06 +0000

I got to wondering about social clubs, especially since the Skyline Club has been very good to us, allowing us to use their facilities for At The Top networking events. I figured the history of social clubs would hearken back to Britain, but wasn’t sure how they made their way to modern-day America. So I did a little digging, and saw that social clubs have a long, rich history that goes back more than 450 years.

The first clubs were formed in Britain in the early 1700s, although there were clubs that existed in the 1600s as just informal gatherings who met to eat and drink together. In fact, the first clubs were formed around the drinking of coffee, which had been introduced from Turkey in 1652.

According to Wikipedia, working men’s clubs were developed in England so working-class men could “attend lectures and take part in recreational pursuits.” One of the most famous clubs was the Bread Street or Friday Street Club. Some believe that William Shakespeare and Sir Walter Raleigh were members of Bread Street, although no one knows for sure. Still, it’s nice to think they might have.

In the rest of Europe, social clubs were more political that gastronomic and recreational, many of them forming around a political ideal or movement. A lot of these clubs were shut down or repressed after their particular movement or party was shut down by the political majorities (revolutions and major upheavals having played their part, as well).

Clubs have certainly changed and improved since they started over 450 years ago. But the one idea remains the same: camaraderie and fellowship. Meeting new people, forming new personal and business relationships, and having fun. Whether you’re interested in making new friends, finding new business contacts, or plotting the overthrow of the French monarchy, social clubs are a great way to make that all happen. (Okay, maybe not the French monarchy thing, but you get the idea.)

After you attend an At The Top event, visit the Skyline Social Club again and see what they have to offer.

For more information on the Skyline Club, call (317) 263-5000 or visit www.Skyline-Indy.com.Similar Posts:

Can Social Networking Help Real-World Networking?

Erik — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:46:24 +0000

If you’re not on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, you’ve probably heard people talking about Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

These online “social networks” make it possible for people to connect via the Internet, which is great if you don’t have the time or energy to connect with dozens, or even hundreds, of people who want your attention.

I’m on several social networks. You can find me on Twitter (Facebook, on Smaller Indiana and on LinkedIn.

You would think that with all the time I spend on my social networks, I wouldn’t get out much.

You’d be wrong.

I’ve actually been able to leverage my social networks into real-life networks, filled with real-life people. These are people who are more than just online buddies that I play games with or do goofy stuff with on Facebook. These are real people who own their own businesses, or work in large corporations.

I’ve been able to use these networks to create opportunities for my own business, find speaking opportunities, and make connections for other people.

A lot of these connections would have never happened if it hadn’t been for my social networking. I connected with people offline, before I connected with them online. And I was able to enhance and grow the relationship through my online efforts.

Think of your typical business relationship. You meet someone at an event like At The Top. You exchange business cards and promise to get together for lunch or coffee. A couple weeks go by, and you receive an email, reminding you that you met, and would you like to meet for coffee next week. Next week’s no good, but how about three weeks from today? That sounds fine, so you meet, do the typical small talk — where you live, where you went to school, how you got to where you are — and you’re out of time before you ever got to why you actually wanted to meet. So you arrange to get together next month, and you finally get the relationship going.

But what if you could connect online first? You meet at the event, exchange business cards, and then follow the person on Twitter and friend them on Facebook. You find out where they went to school, get an idea of where they live, and see that they went to college with one of your high school friends. You catch up on that person via Facebook email, and keep in touch via Twitter. You share some articles of interest with the other person, and they do the same for you.

Then, when you have coffee three weeks later, you already know more about the person. In fact, you’ve enjoyed interacting with this person online, you could even say you’re friends. You have a level of trust in place, you share some of the same experiences, and as a result, you’re immediately able to get down to business and do what you needed to do in the first place.

Basically, all the relationship building stuff that typically happens at that first meeting instead happened online. And thanks to the power of things like Facebook and Twitter, you were able to find out more stuff about the other person (and vice versa) than you ever could have done in 10 meetings.

Before you dismiss the effectiveness of social networking, ask some of your colleagues or some of the people you meet at At The Top this month about how they’ve been able to use it. Look for me, Karen Scharf, or Lindsay Manfredi, and ask us what we’ve been able to do with social networking just in the last couple of years.Similar Posts:

At The Top’s January Strategy Presenters

lindsaymanfredi — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:53:38 +0000

Stephen Combs, MBA
Partner

Steve provides a very unique combination of Fortune 50 corporate finance experience and small business entrepreneurship. This combination of experiences has allowed him to develop expertise in helping management teams make better decisions. His corporate experience has strengthened his ability to create systems and processes that ensure control. Yet his entrepreneurial experience has taught him the importance of speed and of dealing with uncertainty.

In Steve’s 11 year career with Motorola, he was responsible for the financial management of businesses ranging from $400M to $1B in revenue. His rapid advancement within the corporate financial organization of Motorola included financial planning and analysis, manufacturing, product development and international distribution and systems integration. The most recent seven years of his career has further enhanced Steve’s financial perspective. He was in the executive search industry as a co-founder and managing partner. His responsibilities include finance, human resources, technology, and training. In this role, Steve gained a deep understanding and appreciation for cash flow and expense control.

Steve earned his Bachelor of Arts degree – Cum Laude, from DePauw University, and his Masters in Industrial Administration from the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue University.

Carl J. Kinker, CPA, MBA

Mr. Kinker has over 25 years of executive level experience in management and operations serving as chief financial officer and controller for high growth entrepreneurial companies He has dealt with many of the financial, accounting, operational, or management issues that growth companies encounter. His background includes public accounting, also fifteen years in the retail industry as a controller and as a chief financial officer, seven years in mortgage banking as the CFO, as well as experience in the restaurant industry, service industry, and not-for-profits.

Mr. Kinker has a solid history of controlling cost, creating financial projections, managing cash flow, preparing financial reports, evaluating automated systems, and the development of internal controls, policies, and procedures. His tax background covers a broad spectrum of federal, states, and local taxes for corporations and individuals.

Tim Garrison CPA is an Indiana native originally from North Manchester his education includes an associate degree from International Business College in 1972 and a bachelor of science from Manchester College in 1974 both majoring in accounting. I completed the CPA exam in 1979. Work experience includes two years in public accounting and held various positions as controller.

In 1986 he started The Controllership Group, Inc. that provides outsourced controller/CFO services, tax preparation and bookkeeping services for small to medium sized businesses in central Indiana.

Tim is married to Rita and has a son Josh at Purdue. I am active with my church, and Truth @ Work and as board member of Truth @ Work, Indiana Ballet Company and Meningitis Foundation. Outside of work interests include competitive water skier, mountain climber, loves to ride motorcycles on street, track and read books.Similar Posts: