Tag Archives: Joan Koerber-Walker

Standing Together this May Day

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It’s May Day today (May1, 2009).  In different cultures and different places, May Day has different meanings, but interestingly in one way or the other they link to a common theme.  In each face of May Day we see people coming together.

When I write these weekly wrap up blogs, I often add a song or video so you can listen along.  This one – Stand By Me by Playing for Change is a favorite of mine – I hope you enjoy it as you read on.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM]

So, back to May Day and its meanings…

For some, May Day is the celebration of Spring, with communities coming together to celebrate Spring in all its glory.  It is a time to look toward the future – to celebrate growth and new life.

In come countries, May Day is Labor Day or Labour Day while here in the United States, we celebrate it at the end of the month.  Around the world, May Day gatherings have not always been just joyous gathering and picnics.  May Day has long been a day of often marked worker protests, rallies for change, and calls for equality.  May Day became a significant rallying call for the Socialist Parties in many countries and in many cities around the U.S. this year there are gatherings about immigrant rights and issues.

May Day is also the internationally known distress call.  Not tied to May 1st, it’s origins come from the French phrase  m’aidez which translated means ‘help me’.  Only used in times of serious distress or danger, May Day calls are monitored 24/7 (on VHF channel 16, or HF 2182.0 KHz) so that help can be sent when needed.

Well on this May Day, some might say that we live in a time of distress calls.  War, unemployment, homelessness, business failures, and frauds mark the news daily.  Disease is on the rise from cancers, to autism, to the newest outbreak of swine flu around the globe.  But the good news is people and organizations continue to come together to do something about it.  Here are a few examples:

  • OTEF – The Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation – launched  Blueprint for Survival to help displaced workers through entrepreneurship skills.
  • The government continues to launch new programs daily to help on the Recovery. (Agree or disagree with the strategy and tactics as you may.)
  • New Global Citizens is teaching young people how to “be the change they see in the world” (Ghandi) while Playing for Change is is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music.
  • SARRC reaches out to offer support and solutions to a growing population of families touched by autism.
  • AACR recently held it’s 100th Annual Meeting of Cancer Researchers where people from all over the world shared ideas and innovations.
  • RiboMed is imagining (and working towards) a future when getting a noninvasive, multi-disease diagnostic test at your annual medical exam is as routine as having your temperature or blood pressure taken. Imagine tests that can detect early biomarkers of cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, autism or heart disease long before symptoms present. Imagine that when disease is detected, doctors can prescribe a treatment plan designed specifically for you.

In spite of all the  challenges we face, for me this May Day means Hope.  You see, when people come together to build solutions, magic happens. 

Please leave a comment and share ways you have found or seen where people are coming together and making a difference.  Leave your mark this May Day! 

Stay Tuned…

Joan Koerber-Walker

It’s the real thing…How will you deliver your message?

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A TV commercial came out when I was in elementary school that I remember to this day. We lived in a different time.  The 1960’s had ended and we were at the start of a new decade.  It was 1971.  People were protesting the war (in Vietnam this time).  Richard Nixon was President, Chairman Mao had declared the Cultural Revolution was ended (1969) and the door to China was slowly opening to the West. New technologies in semiconductor science and computing were evolving and a new environmental movement via Greenpeace was born.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mOEU87SBTU]

A commercial came out in the fall of 1971 that captured the people’s mood and helped embed a brand – Coca-Cola – in the hearts and minds of a generation. (See video from YouTube above.)   The story of the how the now famous “Hilltop” ad came to be is a good one and a legend in the ad industry.  Two top 20 Hits came out after the commercial, one by The Hillside Singers and the other later by the New Seekers.  You can hear and see their version here.

At the Great Wall copyright Joan Koerber-Walker 2001Fast forward 30 years – and my husband Chris and I were in China seeing the sights.  It was just weeks after 9-11 and the world was still reeling in shock.  It was not a time of global love and trust.  One sunny morning, we made a visit to the Great Wall of China.  As we made our way up the wall, I watched a man helping a little girl climb step by step.  We stopped, as they did, along the way to take a break.  I took a Coke out of my backpack and caught the Dad’s eye and pointed at his little girl.  After he nodded yes, I turned to offer it to her.  She did not speak English, but her eyes lit up as she giggled and sang out “Coca-Cola!”  Perhaps they did teach the world to sing after all.

How will you build your brand?

Most of us can not afford the $250K Coca-Cola spent just to create the famous ad in 1971. (That’s $1.3M+ in 2009 dollars and without airtime!)  But, that’s OK.  You see, they learned the most important secret of business growth and branding. 

It’s not what you say about your company that matters.  What matters is what others say about you.  Especially in times like these – times of challenge and change -actions speak louder than words. 

It does not matter how big or small your company is.  Your decisions can make or break your brand.   The next time you have a business decision to make – ask yourself, “How will others see this – and what will THEY remember?” 

People have long memories, and you never know who might be writing about YOU thirty days or thirty years from now.

Stay Tuned…

-Joan Koerber-Walker

What’s next? Where will you go from here?

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2Grandma

From the time I was a little girl, one of my favorite questions has always been “what’s next?”  I want a new challenge, a new opportunity, a new friend.  I’m always looking around the corner for the What’s Next.   I’ve never been satisfied with the status quo, with sitting quietly, or staying where I’m put.  This probably drove my parents a bit crazy at times.  My Mom would lament that I was the busiest child of her five – the one who was into everything.  (Those of you who know me well are probably thinking – some things never change.) Lord knows what they had to bribe me with to get me to sit still long enough to get my picture taken with Grandma Marie.  (Yes, she’s the one in the hat.  I’m the one whose feet don’t touch the floor.)

When I left ASBA last December, many of my friends called and emailed, asking “What’s Next?”  They’d seen the press release or the news articles stating my intention to “focus on new opportunities in 2009 including “a more active role at RiboMed Biotechnologies, Inc. where she has served on the board of directors since 2007.”  (BTW – when we talk about What’s Next – there is not a better example with all the break through that are happening there as they are developing new tests and tools for early cancer detection!)

cmark

So, I have spent the last few months doing just that – focusing on new opportunities and I am glad to report they are all around us.  The trick is to recognize them when they occur and to make the most of them. 

To do this, I am trying to practice what we preach at CorePurpose, Inc.   So many times, I have stood in front of an audience and gone through the focusing drill.  Helping them to find their CorePurpose® by linking what they are passionate about – to what they are great at – identifying the linkages people will actually pay them for – and then tying it all back to the values they will employ as they pursue their goals.  Now it was my turn to do just that.

Step One required some introspection, some observation, and some questioning of those around me.  Great coaches like Lillian Coury are helping me answer the question while talented friends like Mark Dallmeier have shared insights and instruments to help me recognize the right growth opportunities to match my skills, talents, and aspirations.

Step Two was answering the questions:

  1. What am I passionate about?    Helping companies and people Grow and making a difference in my professional and private life. 
  2. What am I really good at?  Motivating people.  Building high potential, innovative solutions with existing resources.  Finding new resources when needed.  Connecting with people, developing them, and building teams. 
  3. What will people pay me for?  (Sometimes I hate this one, but if you can not monetize it in some way it’s a hobby, not a business.)   Speaking, Consulting, Leadership inside their company or organization.
  4. What are my values:  People matter, Acceleration – nothing happens when you are standing still, Promises – keep them, Excellence – If you are not the best – find out who is and get them on board, Results – you can’t succeed without them.

So tying them all together.  What’s next? 

For me, the perfect What’s Next is to acquire or join a company that’s poised to grow.  A leadership position where my skills and talents will take the team where they want to go – or better yet beyond it.  I’m still looking.  But in between, I’m having a blast exploring all the exciting opportunities that are around us.  Speaking to audiences, growing my company, helping others realize their goals, and sharing ideas about how we can innovate, seize opportunities, and turn things around. 

If you are still reading at this point – I have a challenge for you.  Go through the same exercise yourself.  Answer the four questions then tie them together to determine “What’s next?” for you.  And if you would – post a comment and let me know.

That’s all for now,

Stay Tuned…

Joan Koerber-Walker

CorePurpose® is a registered trademark of CorePurpose, Inc.

Overcoming Challenges…Getting back Up

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Have you fallen lately?  Been knocked off your feet?  Are you facing a challenge through no fault of your own?  Is it tempting to feel sorry for yourself, to think that times are too hard, to just give up? 

My old friend and mentor Don Sweet sent me this video last week.  It really struck a chord and got me thinking.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqantZJ6WwM]

After you’ve watched this video – its hard to be negative or give up.  Few face challenges on a daily basis that are anything like this.  If Nick Vujicic can get back up and finish strong – how can we ever stop trying with the challenges we face.

We’ve seen this week that dreams can come true.  Just look at how the world has embraced Susan Boyle, a woman who lives in a little Scottish village, definitely does not look like the typical ‘superstar’ and unlike Madonna – Susan’s never even been kissed.  But she pursued her dream of being a singer.  Her dream took her to Britain’s Got Talent…that took her to You Tube where close to 20 MILLION people have watched her WOW the judges and touch our hearts with her incredible voice, and now she takes the next steps and gets ready to take her place on a larger stage.  See the newest videos on Today for more. 

As a make my way around the community, I meet with lots of Arizonans.  People who are looking for new jobs, who are struggling to meet payroll, or are facing other challenges in their lives or in their businesses.    But what gives me hope is the resilience and determination I hear when we sit down and talk.  Whether it’s over the phone for in a local coffee shop, I hear stories of people working together to make a difference, sharing ideas, asking questions, and finding answers and solutions to challenges.  Here are just a few examples:

  • Allan Starr started a new discussion forum on Linked In called Marketing Partners Memos.  An established business leader and marketing expert, Allan asked his friends questions about things like SEO and reaching customers – you’ll find of tips and advice from a number of folks in the Valley –  great ideas.
  • I am NOT a Social Media expert.  But I have friends that are.  They have helped me understand how to effectively use social Media as a tool for starting conversations.  When I put out a post on it this week, it spread like wild fire.  If you missed it and need some tips – see the ones I got from the experts and examples you can use as models at A Busy Person’s Tool Kit for Social Media.
  • For fun, I shared a quote from Albert Einstein on Facebook – “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. ”   This quote sparked such a great discussion about the power or asking questions and the importance of collaboration and partnering that I moved it to the blog so that people can keep the conversation going in an open forum.  You can join the conversation too at Question of the Day – How can I  help you?
  • Tax Day – A crowd gathered at the Capitol to share their feelings on the state of the economy, government and taxation.  I chose to skip that particular gathering.  🙂  But if you want a flavor for the issues and answers around the question at the state level see the posts  Opportunity Springs Up and Doing the Right Things in Arizona.
  • Jeremiah Trnka’s new Arizona Edition of The Performance Magazine launches next week.  Wednesday night he introduced me to some of his friends at CEO Space and we got a sneak peak.  Keep an eye out for this new publication full of great business ideas from leaders from around the country and Valley experts too.
  • Francine Hardaway of Stealthmode Partners sent me a note with and introduction to Jo Ellen McNamara, Executive Director of the West Mesa Community Development Corporation.  We met for breakfast at Chompie’s yesterday to share ideas.  What a great addition to our Economic Development community.  Jo Ellen is very experienced and is doing exciting things in the East Valley.  We could have exchanged ideas all morning!  I look forward to working with her in the future.

So, the next time life knock you down, pick yourself up.  Think of the inspiration of a Nick Vujicic or a Susan Boyle.  Find a dream – and some friends and colleagues to partner with – and go for it!

Stay Tuned…

– Joan Koerber-Walker

A Busy Person’s Toolkit for Social Media

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social media bible

Are all the choices and options for social media making you dizzy? As a business person are you wondering if social media is a useful tool or a productivity disaster as employees or you personally ‘waste’ time on line? As a job seeker, are you looking at social media as an answer to all of you problems.  As a parent are you concerned about who your kids are connecting with and why?

With all of the choices, opinions, strategies, and continuous change – who wouldn’t be dizzy!

OK, here comes the BIG disclaimer.  I am NOT a social media expert.  I do not claim to be, do not want to be, and probably never will be.  What I am is a business owner and executive who never has enough time.  So I use technology for what is is, a tool.

Every tool must have a purpose, and in the case of social media, its purpose is to start and continue conversations.  Conversations are what I am good at. Conversations identify issues, uncover strategies for change, bring us up to date information, and keep us connected. 

So lucky for me, I have friends and associates who ARE experts.  I started a conversation with them and they helped me put together a toolkit that accomplishes what I need to do and then looked over my shoulder to make sure I did not mess it up.

In my case, my tool kit looks like this:

Purpose Tool/Profile
Connect with Business Contacts and Showcase Qualifications Linked In
Online Resume so Search Firms and Companies can Hire Me Linked In  and Bright Fuse
Sharing information and making updates to multiple profiles by cross linking accounts*.  One for business info, one for friends.  Note – never sell to friends if you want to keep them connected. Personal Twitter
Company Twitter
Online address book and place to share and receive updates from business associates on business interests and activity Plaxo
Stay connected with Friends – share info, ideas, updates, and fun stuff.  Facebook
Share more detailed thoughts and ideas, build your brand, have longer conversations, publish articles on line, comment on other peoples ‘conversations’. Blog TypePad
Blog WordPress
Share Videos of yourself or others making a difference You Tube
*  Time Saving Tip – Set up a Business Twitter account and a Personal Twitter Account.  Connect your Linked In, Plaxo, Facebook, etc. to the appropriate RSS feed.  Then from HootSuite you can access both accounts – post updates – scan for news, replies, etc. and do it all quickly from one dashboard. You can even schedule your Tweets so it looks like you are always engaged even when your busy elsewhere. 🙂 HootSuite.com
*  Time Saving Tip – News Sites Consolidate information and so do some powerful Tweeters, newspapers, and magazines.  AllTop let’s you pick the blog sites and publishers that you want to watch and puts them all on one page.  Examples of Major Tweeters also provided. AllTop and tweeters: @GuyKawasaki, @Time, @WSJ, @NYTimes, @PhxPublisher, @AZBizReporter

So now that you have had a peek inside my Social Media Tool Kit, think about what you want to have in yours.  Here are some great resources to help you decide what tools are right for you…

Want a manual?  The Social Media Bible by Lon Safko and David K. Brake.  (John Wiley and Sons) releases May 4, 2009 and is the most complete guide on the subject ever published.  It’s a complete reference with 840 pages!   Don’t worry, it’s well indexed so you can find what you need.  I just ordered my copy on line for early delivery on Amazon.com (<$20) and saved myself a trip to the book store…

Want a Symposium:  Check out the  CABIT Symposium (coming up April 23 and April 24th at ASU for the all the latest in Collaboration from Social Media to Cloud Computing.

Want a Class?  Jennifer Maggiore owns a firm specializing in development and management of Social Media campaigns.  Her experience includes both the private and non-profit sectors for small businesses and national organizations.  Jenn is offering hands-on classes to help you get started in the ASBA Computer Lab this month.

Want a Club?  Check out the Social Media Club Phoenix  founded by local social media icon Francine Hardaway of Stealthmode Partners  

Want a tutor? Local Experts like Steven Groves at Steven Groves.com and Dave Barnhart of Business Blogging Pros might be just what you need.

Want a complete end to end corporate social media solution?  No Worries.  Reach out to Lisa Ellis at Metro Studios or Ben Smith at The Lavidge Company and they’ll fix you right up.

Ok – one last gasp on the subject.  How long does all this stuff take?  Well,  learning the ropes and the initial set up takes some doing, but like a tool chest you can add pieces one at a time.  Once you have your tool kit, just slot some social media time in your schedule.  An hour in the morning (to read what’s happening in world and post a few comments) and a half hour at night to check back in does the trick for me.  I wish I could get through my emails half as fast.  🙂

Stay Tuned…

– Joan Koerber-Walker

Is Anyone Listening?

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It’s been said that ‘country music is the voice of the country.’  We have seen it in times of national crisis from John Rich’s Shutting Detroit Down (2009)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI1TPJ4xURI]

to  Alan Jackson’s 9/11 tribute Where Were You When the World

Stopped Turning (video – 2001), and Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA (video -1984) 

Cross over artists like John Mellencamp tell America’s story. Songs like  Little Pink Houses celebrated the dream of a home for everyone.  The link takes you to a video of his performance at the Obama Inauguration on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial while other songs bring the constant plight of the small farmer back in view with Blood on the Scarecrow. 

Our country’s music has reflected the voices of its people since its inception – from Yankee Doodle, to the spirituals of slaves, the rallying calls on both sides of the Civil War, Woody Guthrie’s tales of America during the Great Depression  or another popular hit of the day, Brother Can You Spare a Dime  (audio-1932). The music of the 60’s brought us Joan Baez and Bob Dylan’s rallying cries for Peace and Equality as they searched for an answer Blowing in the Wind (video-1971.)

If music is the voice of the country, I sometimes wonder who is listening. 

Each day I try to keep up with what is happening as we struggle through our current time of crisis.  Reading the NY Times, the Financial Times, & the Washington Post.  Scanning from MSNBC to CNN to Fox and reading through the Republic and the Business Journal, I look for signs of progress.  When I find them, sometimes I will send them out on Twitter or Face Book – or blog them out through Plaxo or LinkedIn.  The Challenges are out there for certain – but good stuff is happening too.  It’s important to show both sides of the story.

Don’t worry – I have no intention of penning songs, re-stringing my guitar, and serenading you with my own songs of the times.  There are others who can do it so much better and my family has begged me not to.  😉 

So please, turn up the volume and listen to the voices of America around you.  Use your voice.  Sing out if you have that talent.  Speak out about what you believe in.  Volunteer to help others – and while you  are there – listen to their stories.  Share a story of hope.    Every voice makes a difference – especially as it blends with the voices of others around the country.

Thanks for listening  – Stay Tuned…

– Joan Koerber-Walker

For the Children…

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Judith Ann Hillard and her daughter Olivia GraceI first met Judith Ann Hillard and her daughter Olivia Grace (see photo at right) in 2003 when they opened their home to me and a group of other speakers for the first NSA-Arizona Living Room Forum. 

How little I knew at that time.  Not that our hostess was a recovered drug addict or that little Olivia Grace was her redemption.  Not that when she said that she was starting over, she meant it so literally.  Nor was I aware that the drug addictions that had cost her her career as a teacher had also almost cost her – her life.   It was not until she reached out for help in her battle with MS or after that when she published The Other Woman at the Well and founded Addiction Overcome, Inc. a local charity that helps the children of addicts that I began to piece together the story.  When I learned what she had experienced – it frightened me.  What I saw, as she put her life back together, created a loving home for her daughter, and began to create new ways to help others – especially the children of addicts – little ones who suffer through no fault  of their own – was inspirational.

Addiction Overcome (a non-profit 501c3) helps children and families touched by drug abuse.  They do things as simple as putting gas in the car they use to transport children to and from family visit days at in-patient rehabilitation centers or pay for Bibles and other outreach materials for addicts. The organization also educates and supports families by…

  • paying for in-home drug testing kits
  • providing meals for children whose parents or the grandparents who are raising them cannot afford groceries
  • transportation costs
  • printing and distributing outreach materials about drug abuse

In these times, our charities are the ones most affected by the down turn.  They don’t receive stimulus packages, founding sources are drying up, and especially for grass roots organizations like this one, times are hard. 

So today, I placed a little something in the well.  It was not much, but it’s a start.  I did not do it for Judith or for the drug addicted parents – I did it for the children.  Maybe you will too?  To donate visit http://addictionovercome.blogspot.com/

100 Years From Now, It will not matter what house I lived in,
the kind of car I drove, or the size of my bank account,
But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.

excerpt from “Within My Power” by Forest Witcraft

  Stay Tuned –

Joan Koerber-Walker

What’s Being Done? The Fed and Treasury Together

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Today was a very good day on Wall Street.  Dow Leaps 497 Points as U.S. Lays Out Bank Rescue Plan (NY Times)   Some say we may have seen the bottom.  Some say not. This week will be an important one as we watch each day how the markets respond to the actions of both the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecTgxT3DK3Y&hl=en&fs=1]

The actions of these two organizations, one independent of Congress and the other tied to it, are working together to stabilize our economy and to bring liquidly back to the market.  As we have all heard, this is not just a Wall Street issue.  It’s hit Main Street hard.  Large Businesses, Small Businesses, Student Loans, Mortgages, and Consumer Credit have all been affected.  I’ve yet to meet anyone who has not felt the pinch in one way or another.

The big questions for now are  “What’s Being Done?”  and “What does it all mean?  There are reams of articles that try to answer these questions, written by folk’s much closer to the issue and lots smarter than me.  Instead of trying to analyze it again, I have pulled together 4 videos that together help put “What’s Being Done” into perspective. In the first video (INSERTED ABOVE) Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke explains how we can keep history from repeating itself.  In the second video (see links below) he talks about what the Fed has done and is continuing to do.  In the third and fourth videos, Treasury Secretary Geithner explains his plan and Treasury’s actions to get things back on track. 

Three More Videos to Watch:

Fed Chairman Bernanke on Financial Crisis   

Part one of Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner discusses his plan to help clear bank balance sheets of their toxic assets.

Geithner Pushes Bank Rescue Plan, Part 2

It’s the fact that , finally, there are detailed plans and that both the Treasury and the Fed are tacking action, that is driving  market confidence – and prices up.

So,  you may be wondering – is this the answer.  Truthfully, no one knows.  But for the first time, in a long time, we are starting to see a turn in market confidence – and THAT  is a very good thing.

Stay tuned…

– Joan Koerber-Walker

Sometimes You Win…

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Chris, Dad and Chelsea with the Thorne Cup 2009. Photo by Terri Berman

If you have been following this blog over the past few months, you know that there have been some big changes since December and there are lots of exciting games in play. 

On a personal note, my son Chris returned from Canada in December where he had been playing in the BCHL.  I wondered for a moment if my days as a hockey mom were over.  The next thing I knew, Chris was rejoining his former team, the Phoenix Polar Bears, as they skated their way to another Western Division Championship, made USA Hockey history when they locked in an Eighth Straight National Championship berth, and this weekend won the WSHL Thorne Cup Trophy.  The National Championships are the last weekend in March.  Stay Tuned.

On a business note, I left ASBA at the end of my contract in December 2008 to explore new opportunities and devote more time to my duties as a board member and treasurer for Ribomed Biotechnologies, Inc.  As my journey progressed, I have seen some incredible companies, found some incredible opportunities, pursued a ‘really cool deal’, made some great new contacts in the world of business, been actively raising capital, and learned a lot along the way!

My ‘really cool deal’ was an exciting roller coaster ride.

  • Identifying an interesting opportunity on January 12th
  • Analyzing it independently
  • Pitching the deal to investors
  • Getting the money I needed to make an offer and take the company to new heights.  Even though many said it could never be done that fast!
  • Making my offer – and starting the process
  • Losing the Deal to another bidder on March 16th.

Oh, no! you might be thinking, All that work and it did not happen.  Well, of course it was disappointing to lose the deal, but learning what I did alone the way is a BIG Win.

Here is what I learned:

1.  If you have a solid deal with good fundamentals – there is money out there to fund it. AND,  YOU CAN GET IT!

2.  There are lots of people committed to making a positive impact on our economy right now.  Not just politicians and big bankers, but entrepreneurs all over the country and the world, making connections, starting new projects, sharing connections, and making a positive impact – daily!

3. People want and need to hear POSTIVE business messages right now.  That’s why over 1,000 people like you are reading this blog.  And that’s why I make the time  to write it.

4.  That I may have lost this ‘really cool deal’ but a better opportunity is waiting just around the corner.  You may not win every game, but with each new game and each new play, you have the opportunity for a break-away goal.   Stay tuned…

###

-Joan Koerber-Walker

Like Finding Water in the Desert…

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Oasis in the Desert courtesy of Environmental Graffiti.comToday, a friend asked me how my quest for capital was progressing? 

My answer – Like finding water in the desert. 

But the more I thought about it, the more apt the analogy became.  You see there is water in the desert, it’s just hidden under the sand.  That’s how oases are formed in nature.  The winds of change shift the sands until the water table is closer to the surface.  Then, even in a desert, things begin to grow.

Lately for some, it may feel as if the winds of change are blowing sand right in your face.  The trick is to look for the opportunities that may be lying underneath the surface as you see the sands shifting.

There are oases out there.  Here are some examples:

  • A friend of mine sent me an email tonight.  She owns a great and growing company.  She asked for a favor…can you help me find a key employee for my company.  I called a few friends who might be a fit.
  • Another friend in La Quinta, CA  has a new book out and started a radio show to help people look at their careers.Career Secret Sauce and the Career Mechanic. 
  • Over coffee, I got to meet with the guys who run AZ Weekly. They have a great concept and are growing circulation like crazy.  We brainstormed how they could grow more AND save money.  Hopefully it helped.
  • My social media expert friend, Steven Groves ,is coaching me on how to navigate the social media desert and use it to build a brand.  If he can teach me – he can teach anyone!  If you need help, ask Steve!
  • I found a really cool deal, but I need to access capital to make it work.  Friends from across the valley have offered to help me.  We just might make it too.
  • And as I talk to others about my really cool deal, I get to learn about their opportunities…and help them connect to others who can help them.
  • And so it continues…

“Opportunities out there, just below the surface…like finding water in the desert.”

–  Joan Koerber-Walker