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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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