Dear Friends:

First and foremost – Happy New Year!  

As we welcome in a new year after a tough 2009, I see 2010 as the beginning of an exciting new decade with the potential to greatly impact how businesses grow, thrive and survive in the future. Recent entrepreneurial activity I’ve seen, in addition to looking back at history, convinces me that this upcoming decade will be remembered years from now as a period of ingenuity and adaptability. As American businesses get ready to start writing that history, I invite you to explore the concept I believe makes it all possible: that despite poor economic conditions – there will never be a downturn of ideas. In fact, you can watch a short video of me on TechDrawl addressing this very subject.

I hope you enjoy the issue and would love to know what ingenious ideas or predictions you have or have heard about for 2010.

Peter

The Decade of the Entrepreneur:
Why There Can Never Be a Recession of Ideas

A year ago, all of us – from big business to the corner sandwich shop – were facing the crux of an economic downturn unlike anything America has seen since 1929. Organizations did whatever they could to survive, including laying off mass numbers of employees. While there’s no denying that a struggle continues, we’ve seen the budding of both entrepreneurial activities and a new attitude among businesses that signifies to us that 2010 could be the fire starter to an entrepreneurial decade. What is the truth kernel behind this prediction you may ask? The evergreen concept is that when it comes to human ingenuity, people never stop coming up with great ideas as well as finding ways to adapt and thrive in new environments.

A look back at a few major ideas and ventures that succeeded during past “tough times” substantiates this observation. For example, Bill Gates founded Microsoft just as a three year recession ended in the US.  During the Great Depression, Hollywood boomed regardless of the hard times that everyone else experienced by churning out movies that even the unemployed paid to see: imaginative films that gave hope and much needed entertainment to a demoralized nation. This holds true even today, with the 2009 Christmas box office season breaking records and becoming the most successful weekend in recent history.

As companies – small and large – look to last year as one they’d like to forget, many that are still in business feel a warranted sense of accomplishment for weathering the storm and surviving. According to Martin Leham, with SCORE, Counselors to America's Small Businesses, companies that make it through recessions will likely be stable and have good reason to believe they will survive long-term. As the economic rules of a new decade take root, those same businesses are realizing that it’s not enough to just survive, and are looking towards sustainable growth strategies.

Another evolutionary result of the past year’s mass layoffs is the increase of entrepreneurial start-ups and new small businesses. Rather than risk returning to yet another unstable corporate position, many unemployed Americans have successfully started their own businesses as their next career move. Mid-way through 2009, nearly one in 10 job seekers who gained employment did so by launching their own businesses (according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.'s quarterly Job Market Index). When it comes to starting up a new business, especially among those who do so to create their own economic opportunities after a forced out-of-work situation, we’ve found the best ideas and successful cases fall into a few strategic segments.

1. Connect your endeavor to a higher mission and futuristic trend. In 2010, one hot concept connected to both is anything around going green – from starting a green-oriented online community to establishing a business around sustainability. Two real-life examples follow that illustrate the ability of a green business to make ‘the green’ needed to stay in business:
   1. After being laid off from the mortgage industry, Jonathan Davis started a new online community called GreenPosting.org that targets consumers in the Portland, Oregon area devoted to green living. The site drives its revenue from local businesses advertising their sustainability efforts.
   2. Another victim of the financial industry fall out, Stephen Chen decided to become an entrepreneur with a green mission by founding GreenSoul Shoes, which produces sandals from recycled automobile tires. The original idea was inspired after one of Chen’s business partners observed people in the Philippines turning tires into shoes.
      
      
2. Fill a niche “need of the times.” In a time of economic hardship, one such goal could be getting in the business of helping people adapt and see the upside of their current situation. That’s exactly what this start-up had in mind:
1. Recessionwire touts itself as being a user's guide to the recession and serves as a resource featuring recession news, work and job-hunting advice, personal finance and spending tips. It was founded by an editorial team of former Condé Nast writers who took advantage of a low start-up cost and their collective editorial experience to provide a site that many people in these times need.
   
   
3. Become a nimble, independent provider in your industry of expertise.   Just because large corporations in a particular industry fall doesn’t mean that former employees can’t make a successful go of it on their own. Here are two cases where laid-off professionals succeeded by staying in their respective industries:
   1. Midwest Compliance Laboratories was founded by former “Big Pharma” downsized chemist Brent Schludecker. After the Indiana Pfizer plant he worked for closed, Schludecker recognized that his and other coworkers’ skills were valuable because they were transferable if they applied them to a new endeavor. He and four other former Pfizer chemists created the new firm and currently benefit from large drug companies’ need to cut internal costs by outsourcing compliance testing.
   2. After working for years at the Ohio General Motors plant once famous for making SUVs like the TrailBlazer, toolmaker and “rebounder” Tom Hodge decided it was time to become more self-reliant after the plant closed. With over 12 years of deep industry experience, Hodge set out to do just that and launched Absolute CNC Machining with the goal to supply tools to local aerospace, medical, and energy companies.
      
      
4. Win the relationship game by maintaining key contacts after you leave a job. If there’s one true saying in business, it’s that “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” In times of economic downturn and layoffs, your network of contacts is essential to finding new employment opportunities or launching a new business for clients who have a need that your former company may no longer be providing.
   1. Good to Go Productions was founded by entrepreneur Sheila Bermel just a year after she was downsized from a sales position with a trade show booth and exhibit design company. Her opportunity to continue in the same line of work came when former clients who wanted to continue working with her contacted her directly. Her new company has grown despite the decline in the trade show and exhibit industry, with first year revenues over $1M, 12 employees and a new production facility.

Looking ahead to the new decade on our horizon, we foresee that there will be no recession of ideas because no economic condition has the ability to stop an engineer from working to solve a problem or an entrepreneur from adapting to changing conditions. The unstoppable power of human innovation, combined with a current business climate that has lowered the cost for entrepreneurs to launch their ideas into actual market-supported ventures, has created what we see as an exciting time to formalize that idea you always had for a business! If history ever indicated when the time for a new idea was right, it’s that the time is now.

Events

Atlanta's hottest early-stage cocktail party!

StartupLounge Atlanta, attended by fast-growth entrepreneurs based in the Southeast U.S., as well as venture capital and angel investors from around the country, will be held March 4, 2010.  

If you’re an entrepreneur or investor looking to make connections with other like-minded entrepreneurs, you’ll need to apply online in order to attend this event and get the location details. The format is simple: cash bar, free gourmet food spread, lots of networking, several hundred vetted attendees, and no fees at the door.

Client & Partner News

New Blogger Relations Campaign Helps Wren Advocate Teacher Involvement in School Safety

Wren, providers of physical security solutions that create safe learning environments, recently launched a new blogger relations campaign, directed by Carabiner, to educate teachers on ways they can play a more active role in improving security on campus.  After recognizing a lack of safety-related discussions in the blogosphere and social networks where many teachers gather, Carabiner led a campaign to place thought leadership columns on key blogs authored by Bret Rachlin, the company’s director of marketing and author of one of the top-read blogs on school security: Wren’s Network Video + Education blog. Rachlin’s guest posts have been picked up by several top teacher blogs, including The Apple and I Want to Teach Forever.

North Highland Named Twice as “One of the Best”

North Highland, a global management and technology consulting company, was recently honored not only in the Charlotte Business Journal’s Best Places to Work Program, but it was also recognized as one of the world’s best consulting firms to work for, based on a global survey conducted by Consulting Magazine.

LeadLife Solutions’ President Named in Top 5 Most Influential People in Sales Lead Management

LeadLife Solutions’ President and Co-founder Lisa Cramer was named among 2009’s “Most Influential People” in sales lead management by the Sales Lead Management Association (SLMA). Cramer was among the top five thought leaders recognized for their contributions to the field of managing sales leads.

Carabiner Video Partner StudioNow Acquired by AOL

StudioNow, the premier online platform for quality video creation and distribution, and Carabiner Communication’s video partner, recently announced that it has been acquired by AOL Inc.

According to Peter Baron, principal of Carabiner Communications, “StudioNow has been an excellent video production partner for Carabiner and its clients. With more than 3,000 freelance filmmakers, editors, animators, voice talent and writers/producers available nationwide, it’s no surprise that a company such as AOL recognizes their unique position and value. We’ve found StudioNow’s production services to be extremely competitive, which allow our clients to produce online videos at a budget they can afford. We are confident that StudioNow will continue to be a strategic partner for Carabiner’s VideoMaker service.”

b-pack, Orion Healthcorp Join Carabiner’s Roster

b-pack is a European leader in business optimization and purchasing solutions based in France and the United States. b-pack delivers a range of SaaS, packaged and customized software solutions built on secure process-oriented transaction technology that is easy-to-implement, easy-to-use and highly flexible.

Orion HealthCorp, Inc., offers expert medical billing and practice management for hospital and office-based physicians. The company has earned a reputation for helping physicians enhance their practice incomes through proven billing and collections techniques that ensure payment of every dollar earned. Across multiple specialties and in a variety of practice locations, Orion helps physicians generate higher revenues than they generate on their own or with other outsourced vendors.

Carabiner Spotlight: Suzanne Moccia

The Arctic Blast of 2010 didn’t keep Suzanne & Bosco away from the parks in January.

Suzanne Moccia: Marketing Veteran, “Pet Detective”

When it comes to giving attention to clients’ PR and marketing needs, you’ll find no one as dedicated and serious about guiding a company in the right direction as Carabiner VP Suzanne Moccia. But, plant yourself in residential Brookhaven’s walking paths and dog parks, and there’s a good chance you’ll find someone with a unique ability to locate a lost dog’s owner. 

As someone who describes herself as an avid walker, dog park junkie and Savannah native, Suzanne may be hesitant to talk too much about her deep love for animals, especially Bosco, her 8-year-old Dachshund. But, speak with her long enough about your love of your pets and animals, and you may find a friend for life who is equally passionate about caring for animals in need. She’s chased down and helped lost dogs stay safe from busy streets until grateful owners arrive.

“In the last 5 years, I’ve reunited at least 15 lost dogs with their owners,” said Suzanne. “After finding a Rhodesian Ridgeback, I chased down a car at night that was driving slowly through the neighborhood to give the driver my ‘Found Dog’ flyer and ask if she had ever seen the dog. When the driver stopped, she shoved a ‘Lost Dog’ flyer into my hands. Lucky reunions like that remind me to trust my instincts and never hesitate to approach someone for help. I can’t always rely on the animal having a tag with the owner’s phone number, so I employ a little detective work and hope for a lot of luck and good timing.”

Clients and coworkers also see Suzanne’s care and attention towards client service. In her 20+ years of technology marketing experience, Suzanne has honed her investigative skills by chasing down marketing and PR opportunities. Whether her clients need help with messaging, product launches, or getting in front of influential reporters, Suzanne works doggedly to point them in the right direction.

Suzanne enjoys residing in the Brookhaven area with husband Chris and Bosco.  She also makes time to return to her native Savannah for the annual Oktoberfest Wiener Dog Races, the city’s famous (or infamous) St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and visiting family and friends in the city. Of course, Bosco is never denied a chance to walk through many of Savannah’s 22 gorgeous city parks in the Historic District on each and every trip.