Thursday, November 12, 2009

Register Today! Entrepreneurs Lounge Meeting: “Are You READY To Make the Leap?"

The Entrepreneurs Lounge is pleased to announce the topics for our next meeting on Saturday, November 21, 2009. “Are you READY to make the leap into entrepreneurship? Have you already made the leap and don’t know what to expect? Are you considering starting your own business, but aren’t sure how to break the news to your family? Don’t be scared. We’ve been there and we are here to help.

Join the Entrepreneurs’ Lounge for our monthly meeting, where we will answer these questions and many more. Be surrounded by other entrepreneurs at various stages of their development and hear how they are overcoming the obstacles you’ll face each day.

Discussion topics will include:

· Knowing when you’re “READY”

· Real World Finance 101

· Financial pitfalls and helpful hints

· Work-life balance: the good, the bad and the ugly

· Time as a consideration

· How to tell others what you’re planning to do

The meeting is Saturday, November 21, 2009 and will begin at 10am. The meeting will conclude approximately 12pm with networking until 1pm. The workshop will be held at the University of Georgia Gwinnett campus room 107. The campus is in the IntelliCenter Building on Sever Road, Lawrencevile, GA (I-85 and exit 109 Old Peachtree). Directions to the campus can be found at http://www.uga.edu/gwinnett/directions.html

Admission of $10.00 cash or check (made out to the Entrepreneurs Lounge) will be accepted at the door. Coffee and bagels will be provided. Please RSVP via email to Michelle Conkle m_conkle@bellsouth.net.

We encourage you to attend this event that will be sure to inspire, encourage, empower and entertain you as you connect with other professionals and entrepreneurs in the Atlanta community. We also encourage you to join the “Entrepreneurs Lounge” group on LinkedIn, which can be found at http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1660237&trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

We hope to see you at this exciting event!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Workshop Materials Posted!

The materials from our most recent presentation, "Quick Start: Your Own Business in 30 Days for Under $4,000", delivered on Oct. 10th, have finally been posted. We encountered several technical issues that took the better part of a week to resolve, but the good news is that the posted file has been significantly enhanced with new content during the intervening time.

Get your copy of the file at:
http://sites.google.com/site/entrepreneursloungematerials/

Thanks to all who participated, especially our wonderful panelists. Thanks also for the patience while our posting issues were ironed out. Enjoy the presentation!

Monday, October 5, 2009

“Quick Start Your Own Business in 30 Days for Under $4000" - Workshop - Saturday, October 10, 2009



Register Today! 

The Entrepreneurs Lounge is pleased to present a three hour workshop on Saturday, October 10, 2009, designed to inspire ideas and action for starting your own business in thirty days or less for under $4000.  Four categories of businesses will be presented that you can start TODAY!  A panel of entrepreneurs who have already started these businesses will speak and answer your questions on how you can also be a successful entrepreneur with the skills and knowledge you possess today. 

Topics to be discussed are the following:
·         Focus on low risk entrepreneurship:  What do you REALLY need to know to get started and what should you NOT do?
·         Taking stock:  Which type of business that will be presented is the right fit for you and what will it take for you to get started?
·         Feasibility: What is practical in a 30 day timeframe and a $4000 budget, and how can this apply to your own situation?
·         Generating ideas:  If the four categories and the multitude of example opportunities that will be presented aren’t quite right for you, how do you decide what is right?

The workshop will also tackle the following:
  • Getting the word out: lessons in low-cost marketing and business development
  • Competing with established businesses: practical strategies and techniques
  • Basic start-up budgets: examples and tools
  • Planning:  what you really need to do to be successful, and how to do it
  • Backwards planning: moving from goals to results
  • Scalability:  how you can grow your business model

The workshop is Saturday, October 10, 2009 and will begin at 10am, concluding at 1pm.  There will be two short intermissions between sections and an opportunity to network after the workshop.  The workshop will be held at the University of Georgia Gwinnett campus room 107.  The campus is in the IntelliCenter Building on Sever Road, Lawrencevile, GA (I-85 and exit 109 Old Peachtree).  Directions to the campus can be found at http://www.uga.edu/gwinnett/directions.html

Admission of $10.00 cash or check (made out to the Entrepreneurs Lounge) will be accepted at the door.  Coffee and bagels will be provided.  Please RSVP via email to Michelle Conkle m_conkle@bellsouth.net

We encourage you to attend this event that will be sure to inspire, encourage, empower and entertain you as you connect with other professionals and entrepreneurs in the Atlanta community.  We also encourage you to join the “Entrepreneurs Lounge” group on LinkedIn, which can be found at http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1660237&trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

We hope to see you at this exciting event!
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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Upcoming Event on August 27, 2009 @ 6:00 PM - Feature Speakers: Nancy J. Lewis & Kenneth Washington

The University of Georgia Terry College of Business Entrepreneurship Department and Entrepreneurs Lounge cordially invite you to a speaking event featuring Nancy J. Lewis and Kenneth Washington the evening of Thursday, August 27, 2009 at the Terry Buckhead campus.  The topics for the evening are developing networking and personal development skills and taking the exciting leap into entrepreneurship.

Nancy Lewis is a leading motivational and inspirational keynote speaker, trainer, author, and registered corporate coach, and she will start the evening’s events.  She is the president of Progressive Techniques, Inc. based in Fayetteville, Georgia where the theme of her organization is “Developing a Better YOU!”

Nancy works with organizations that want to develop their people potential and with employees who want more fulfillment in their lives and careers.  Some of her notable clients include Delta Air Lines, Inc., Chick-fil-A, Inc., Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., FORD Motor Company,  AT&T, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia State University, Centers for Disease Control  and Prevention, U.S. Department of Education, Kimberly Clark Corporation, and Georgia Institute of Technology.

Nancy is the co-author of Sisters Together: Lessons Learned That Have Anchored Our Souls, a compilation of short stories from multi-cultural women sharing how they moved from adversity to victory.  She is the author of Things To Do To Be A Better YOU and a contributing author in Career Compass for Women.
    
Kenneth Washington will conclude the evening by inspiring the audience with his experience as a successful serial entrepreneur.  Kenneth is a young entrepreneur who will change your life.  Over the past 23 years, he has been engaged in wide variety of industries and ventures, which have combined to provide a solid foundation and spring boarded him into the life of an Entrepreneur.  His work experience includes engagements at companies such as FDIC, Rollins Corporation, Equifax, UPS Supply Chain Solutions and The Home Depot, where he held such titles as Senior Asset Manager, Senior Business Analyst and Senior Financial Analyst. 

Kenneth’s entrepreneurial ventures include a Shell Food Mart C-Store, a logistics/ transportation company, Italian and Thai restaurants, and staffing agencies focused on both industrial and communications clients.  In total, Kenneth’s companies currently employ over 200 individuals across multiple states and are continuing to grow at a record pace even during the current tough economic times.

Kenneth will speak about his entry into Entrepreneurship and dispel the myth that Entrepreneurship is a risky decision.  Plan to attend and find out first hand how easy and logical it is to make that move!   
 
The evening will begin at 6pm with Nancy Lewis and will conclude with an opportunity to network at 8pm.  There will be a short intermission with the opportunity to network before Kenneth Washington begins his presentation. 

Admission of $10.00 cash or check will be accepted at the door, however, the first thirty attendees to register by email will gain free admission.  Please RSVP via email to Michelle Conkle m_conkle@bellsouth.net. 

We encourage you to attend this evening that will be sure to inspire, encourage, empower and entertain you as you connect with other professionals and entrepreneurs in the Atlanta community.  We also encourage you to join the “Entrepreneurs Lounge” group on LinkedIn.

We hope to see you at this exciting event!

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Roadmap to Entrepreneurship

Here is my view of how to become an entrepreneur or how to start a business.  This is what I called the Roadmap to Entrepreneurship.

It is divided into two areas.  The left hand side represents the soul searching part, learning from your experiences and aspirations whether you want to start and own your own business, or may be you are not cut for this.

The right hand side shows you three main streams that you can take to become an entrepreneur:

  • Starting your own business
  • Franchising
  • Purchasing an existing business
These streams are not exclusive to each other as you could take several paths at once.

I hope you enjoy this representation of the roadmap to entrepreneurship.
Roadmap to Entrepreneuship - From making a decision to become an entrepreneur to starting a new business

Sunday, April 19, 2009

The Future of the Entrepreneurs Lounge

The Entrepreneurs Lounge has come a long way. However, it is now time to review the main purpose of the group, the results, but mainly its future. As one of the members of the group put it, we are at a point in which the E-Lounge can wilt down, or it can start a long-term growth where great things will be achieved.

Saturday April 18th, 2009 was an important day for the Entrepreneurs Lounge. 10 very motivated Entrepreneurs got together to form a volunteer-based Board of Directors for the Entrepreneur Lounge. This group will represent the interests of all the members, will volunteer time to organize activities, and will make sure the Entrepreneurs Lounge realizes its vision.

Here are some of the conclusions we reached:

Objectives:

Motivation:  
This focuses on providing members support in their way to entrepreneurship.  Even experienced entrepreneurs need from time to time some motivational support. 
 
Education on strategic and operational:
Entrepreneurs need information and training in a wide variety of aspects, from strategic to very tactical aspects of running a company. We will leverage the knowledge of the members in the group. 

Idea Generation and realization:
Promote the generation of ideas and their realization into ventures.

Networking
Promote networking among group members and other networking groups. 

News and Events:
Provide information on news and events that can be beneficial to members.


Additional goals include supporting the UGA Entrepreneurship program.  After all, this group was born from the UGA Entrepreneurship class in the Fall of 2008.


Volunteers for the Board of Directors Entrepreneurs Lounge:

Andres Garcia  
Michelle Conkle

Brad Wood
Khurram Zia  
Ron Stacey
Travis Klavhon
Dave Sixto
Asif Dave




In the next post I will share more details about the initial meeting.


Monday, April 6, 2009

Entrepreneurs Lounge next meeting

The Entrepreneurs Lounge has come a long way since its inception a few months ago. We now believe that we need to stop and do a more serious and detailed planning of the future of the group in order to meet the needs and interest of all members and to work towards fulfilling our mission to promote entrepreneurship. For that reason, we will be hosting a very important meeting and encourage your attendance and feedback.

When our group was established earlier this yea, the founding members decided upon four key objectives:
Motivate: Encourage current and future entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship as a career choice
Teach: Share knowledge and resources pertaining to the operational challenges of entrepreneurship
Idea Generation: Brainstorming new business concepts
Networking: Connecting professionals with interest and expertise in entrepreneurship


As a next step, we would like to invite volunteers to become part of a Board of Directors for the Entrepreneurs Lounge whose responsibilities will be to help shape the future of the group, define the best ways to implement the strategy and vision of the group, and promote the activities and the group itself.

We are planning our next meeting for Saturday, April 18 at the UGA Gwinnett campus (room TBA) from 10am – 12pm. Please join us if you want to volunteer as a nominee to join the Entrepreneurs Lounge Board of Directors or you simply want to provide your feedback and help define the future of the Entrepreneurs Lounge. Prospective board members should plan on being a core member of the group and to take an active role in the planning, organization and execution of programs and events. Time commitment will average six to ten hours per month.

What do we need from you? Suggestions and feedback! Think about the following questions and plan to discuss at the April 18 meeting.

If you are an experienced entrepreneur, what would you like to see in this group to help you advance your venture?
If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, what do you need to help you make the leap into entrepreneurship?

Examples are:
What workshops/ training programs would you like to see?
What lectures/ speakers would you like to hear?
What type of networking events would you be most interested in?
What other suggestions do you have?

We will continue to promote events sponsored by other local entrepreneurship organizations, such as UGA StartUps, Terry Entrepreneurship, VentureEAT, The Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital Club, and events such as Super Extensive Entrepreneur Lecture Series being presented by Chris Hanks and Jim Beach (http://www.internationalentrepreneurship.com/super_seminar.asp).

Please contact Michelle Conkle m_conkle@bellsouth.net or Andres Garcia agarcian@uga.edu with any questions.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Entrepreneurs Lounge Event with Ricky Steele

We are proud to present Ricky Steele @rickysteele as our guest speaker on the Entrepreneurs Lounge meeting on Saturday March 21st at the Terry Executive Education Center in Buckhead.

The presentation will be based on Steele's book "The Heart or Networking" and you will hear about the characteristics of a successful networker and how to become one. 

... Mr. Steele has been profiled and cited in numerous local business publications and several national technology publications. In an issue of Catalyst Magazine, Mr. Steele was tagged as “Mr. Everywhere” in an article about Technology Leaders in Georgia. The Atlanta Business Chronicle has named Mr. Steele one of the “Who’s Who in Technology” during his employment at both PwC and Korn/Ferry International...   read more

Register to this event free of charge and tell the author a little about yourself and what you would like to hear in the presentation.   

Bring your business cards and be ready for a great networking session.

Date:  
Saturday, March 21st, 2009
10:00am to 12:00n 

Location:  
Terry Executive Education Center
3475 Lenox Road NE, Suite 200
Atlanta, GA 30326 US

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Planning vs.Doing

I am a planner by nature. I love to plan, dream, build and explore in my mind before embarking on a new adventure. So where do you draw the line between the planning process and the doing process? We've all heard about the dangers of a lack of planning, but is there such a thing as planning too much?

I believe there is. How many great ideas and inventions never saw the light of day because they "weren't quite ready" or because the person behind the idea never crossed the line from planning to doing? Is the world a better place for not being exposed to half-planned ideas or is it worse off for being deprived of innovation? What wonderful plans are you making today and when will you transition from planning to doing?

Planning is important, but it isn't until the planning meets with action that it has any relevance. The world is changing at an amazing pace, so unless you are constantly adapting your plans to the evolving environment, those plans have an expiration date. Whether you are planning a vacation, a return to school, a career move, or an entrepreneurial endeavor, make certain you have a time table in mind for launching your plan. Without the goal of the launch in mind, your plan is just a dream.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

What is a 'Service'?

I just came across a definition of Service and I found it very interesting and I am sharing it here:

A 'service' is a means of delivering value  to customer by facilitating outcomes customers want to achieve without the ownership of specific costs and risks.

Customers will pay for determined outcomes that they perceive have value for them, assuming no other risk than the price paid for the service.   

Can your company provide a 'service' that adheres to this definition?  If not, you might need to revisit your company's service catalogue.

Definition taken from ITIL V.3

Monday, January 19, 2009

Local Events - UGA Startups: Franchising; The Good, Bad and the Ugly

Here is another great resource for entrepreneurs in the Atlanta area. UGA Startups is a series of seminars and panels organized by the UGA Entrepreneurship Program: 

"The Terry College of Business Entrepreneurship Program designed the series as an interactive, informal and safe program open to anyone with a serious interest in launching a business. No brokers, consultants or persons soliciting business are invited to attend and this helps attendees feel comfortable discussing fears and concerns about starting a business without pressure to become a client of the persons giving advice."

This is an event that I recommend to every aspiring or experienced entrepreneur. Franchasing is a very viable alternative to start your own business and has an impressive success rate.  As anything, it has its pros and cons and there are concepts that are applicable to any type business.

The event is free for UGA alums and $10 for others.  See details of the event  or register.

Thursday, January 29, 2009
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

The Terry College of Business Executive Education Center
3475 Lenox Road 
Second Floor, Lobby Level
Atlanta, Georgia 30326  

Monday, January 12, 2009

Entrepreneurship in Atlanta and Georgia

Some interesting facts about Entrepreneurship and Atlanta.

* Georgia was among the 10 states with highest entreprenurial activity in 2007: Idaho, the District of Columbia, Arizona, Tennessee, Louisiana, Wyoming, Vermont, Montana, Georgia and California.

* Among the 15 largest metropolitan areas in the United States, the highest entrepreneurial activity rates were in Phoenix, Riverside-San Bernardino, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Miami.

* The age groups 35-44 and 45-54 experienced increases in entrepreneurial activity.



The Inc magazine features the fastest-growing private companies in the country.

Among the Inc 500 Georgia ranks as the third state with 31 companies, after California (78) and Texas (43).

It is good to be in Atlanta.  

Thursday, January 8, 2009

January Meeting Moved to Sat Jan 17th, 2009

The January meeting of the Entrepreneurs Lounge was moved to Saturday January 17th.

Remember to keep working on your goals, post an entry in this blog, and start developing your Gang of 5 groups.

See you Saturday Jan 17th.

-AG

Entrepreneurial Fever

Entrepreneur, noun -- A person who organizes and manages any enterprise, esp. a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.



The Entrepreneur Lounge sounded like a great idea, however, on the Saturday morning of my first meeting I really did not want to drive the hour to get there. The problem is that entrepreneurial fever grips you and it does not let you go. Meeting like-minded individuals who share their ideas, dreams, plans, results, failures, and motivations for running their own enterprises is stimulating. The meeting was great. It was time well spent and as a goal setting exercise I want to supply my introductory post to this blog.



In my professional life, as a physician and consultant I have been a part of several businesses in the medical economy. These businesses have been a variety of medical practices or consulting services spread geographically from the Southeast to Southwest USA, functioning in both the private and the not-for-profit sector. I have been, at different times, an employee, partner, director, consultant, and founder-partner-owner all wrapped into one. These businesses have all created gainful employment for me and for others. Having a job is good; owning and operating a business that leverages more than just the entrepreneur’s subject matter skills is even better. This sort of business, once started, supplies a service and employment for many and is a dream of mine.



My medical training came first in my career, with business skills being learned on the job and finally followed by my UGA Terry MBA education. The tools of an MBA degree teach you how to structure a business for its continued success. The medical economy is big, sophisticated in the care delivered, yet in many settings remains remarkably primitive in its business systems. Improved services can be created and must be well thought out as life and death outcomes rely on these innovations. I have some ideas formulated into different stages of plans for some of the business needs in the medical economy.



Idea one. Create a service for online appointment scheduling so that patients can be one click away from their own physician. Yes, the technology exists today. The challenge is figuring out how to get everyone what he or she needs from this systemic improvement.



Idea two. Offer a litigation risk management service that both quantifies and avoids these business risks. In high-risk medical specialties such as Orthopedics, Neurosurgery, Obstetrics, Interventional radiology and Transplant Surgery medical liability suits are a common experience. Both sides of this litigation action are well served by plaintiff and defense attorneys. A need not met is an accurate assessment of the business outcomes for all of the parties to the lawsuit. This service would be valuable to plaintiffs, the physician defendants, their attorneys and the medical liability insurance carriers.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Local Events: MIT Enterprise Forum Atlanta

Those of you interested in resources for entrepreneurs related to Technology in the Atlanta area should take a look at the MIT Enterprise Forum Of Atlanta.


MIT Enterprise Forum Of AtlantaHere is their mission: "The MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta is a volunteer, non-profit organization whose mission is to provide educational programs and services that promote and strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship at the intersection of business and technology in the Southeast".

Anyone can become a member for a fee and have access events and resources. Their next event "Run it by the Pros" is on January 7th, with three panelists including Mark Grace whom we know through the 7515 Entrepreneurship class, that will evaluate two business plans of emerging companies.

  • NatureCure-MD, is an all herbal pharmaceutical company whose mission is the creation of innovative natural products for the improvement of human health; and
  • HydroCoal Technologies, develops and markets systems and process technologies that enable industrial customers to produce significantly cheaper, cleaner synthetic liquid and gaseous fuels from coal.
This is yet another important resource for entrepreneurs in Atlanta. Check it out at: http://www.mitforumatlanta.org/