Ralph Rodriguez, President of Heits Building Services of Atlanta

October 15, 2012 By 2 Comments

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Every day we are surrounded by germs

Lucky for us there exist individuals such as Ralph Rodriguez, President of Heits Building Services Inc of Atlanta, who everyday is striving to make work environments cleaner and safer in metro Atlanta.   Heits is a franchiser of commercial cleaning operations.  We were glad to welcome Ralph into our Cartersville studio to learn more about the interesting world of franchises and commercial cleaning.  We found it fascinating to learn about the various challenges that one faces when running a franchise and the different directions that Ralph is pulled as he helps his franchisees in their day to day operations.

If you can smell clean, its probably toxic

We were happy to learn that Heits puts a focus on training its franchises on how to clean green.  From using non-toxic chemicals to color coordinating the cleaning tools used for different parts of an office, Heits strives to make our offices a safer place to work.  Throughout today’s interview Ralph shares with us some of the secrets that has helped make Heits of Atlanta a success.

Ralph Rodriguez, President of Heits Building Services of Atlanta

Listening to our discussion with Ralph the familiar business phrase “grow or die” quickly came to mind.  With Heits the opportunity for strong and guaranteed growth is the primary driver of their franchisees.  There are so many people in this world who are motivated and looking to grow their operations but lack either the know how, the marketing ability, or just the business acumen necessary to take that next step.  With companies like Heits of Atlanta they can find the right help to get to the next level.

Please take a moment to listen to the entire interview.  It is full of fascinating information and great advice for all small business owners.  

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Filed Under: Entrepreneurship Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Wade Lnenicka, Principal of BuyWell, Inc.

September 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Wade Lnenicka of BuyWell

We all make purchases, some just do it better

We were excited to sit down with Wade Lnenicka, Principal and Co-owner of BuyWell Inc, and learn more about the other side of the pond, the world of a purchaser. From our discussions Wade’s experience as a purchaser quickly became apparent. It was very interesting to learn that sales and purchasing actually have much more in common than we thought. In fact throughout today’s entire interview we learned something new and interesting with every question

You don’t always get what you want

“You don’t always get in purchasing what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.” These are the words of Wade and they embrace the philosophy that is BuyWell. We found it impressive that BuyWell is able to offer their cost reduction services at no upfront cost to their customers.  This business model means that BuyWell is confident that they can produce substantial cost savings for their clients. Not only can they achieve these cost savings but as Wade informed us they also make sure that these savings are measurable, verifiable, and finally achievable.

Value Process Engineering

It was really interesting to listen to Wade explain just how in depth BuyWell can become involved in helping it’s customers find savings. From contract negotiations all the way to reengineering products Buywell is determined to find ways to reduce cost which in turn leads to greater profits for all their clients.  We really raced the clock throughout this entire interview trying to learn as much as we could from our very interesting and experienced guest.  To learn more about the world of a purchaser you really need to listen to the full interview.  Once again we were happy to learn how people like Wade Lnenicka and his partner Terry Wallace are making Northwest Georgia an exciting place for entrepreneurs.  

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Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Kim Hardy: Author, Speaker and Consultant

September 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Passion Drives Success

We had a great afternoon welcoming Kim Hardy, an Author, Speaker, and Consultant, into the Dreamland Studio. From the first moment we met Kim it was clear that passion and energy were going to be repeated adjectives used to describe our interview. Kim is a perfect example of an entrepreneur turning her passion into a growing business. Kim originally wrote a book to tell a story of triumph that happened in her life. Once she wrote this first book Kim was able to use this to boost her business as a Speaker and Consultant.

We are all a living breathing library

Kim informed us that nearly 81% of people have thought about writing a book in their life times. However, they constantly struggle with overcoming the initial hurdles of beginning. Kim explained to us that she has developed successful strategies and methods to help aspiring writers take their book ideas from concept to an actual book. It was clear throughout our interview that for Kim the journey from conceptual to the tangible is a well traveled path.

No more excuses!

With over 100 members in just one day, Kim’s latest endeavour is growing at amazing speed. The No More Excuses Writers Group found on Facebook is just another example of how Kim is reaching out and helping people find a voice for their stories. We learned all of this and so much more. Want to hear about Kim’s experiences in marketing her books as a brand new author? Or maybe learn the insights Kim gained when she had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Dunbar, of Dunbar Armored Cars. The only way to hear it all is to listen to this fascinating interview in its entirety.  

You can find Kim’s current books at Amazon.com or buy a copy buy clicking below!

 

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Allen Hardage, President of Hardage Brand Solutions

September 13, 2012 By 1 Comment

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We were glad to share the afternoon with Mr. Allen Hardage, President and Founder of Hardage Brand Solutions. From the beginning of the interview it became clear that Allen is an expert at creating and building strong branding strategies for small businesses, the life blood of the American economy. With over 20 years experience focusing on small to medium size businesses Hardage Brand Solutions has seen and assisted its clients through it all. From promotional items such as t-shirts, hats, bags and pens to television campaigns the wide range of expert services that Allen has covered over the last two decades is astounding.

Want to know a dirty little secret about small businesses?

Allen explained to us how the majority of small businesses don’t often have a developed marketing plan. However, regardless the size of the business, many companies spend 2.5 to 3% on marketing without even realizing it. As we learned throughout our discussion the key is to be able to sit down with an expert and develop a true plan that combines public relations, marketing, advertising, and sales. By developing a true branding plan and using a combination of unique metrics, Hardage Brands is able to assist a company on greatly increasing their return on investment (ROI) making sure that valuable money is being spent wisely.  

You are a walking advertisement

Big Ideas for Small Business

Take a moment and look in your closet. How many t-shirts or hats do you own that contain a logo from another company? We were surprised to learn that promotional items such as t-shirts and hats for men and bags for women are still the number one items for ROI. Allen explained to us how the average lifespan of a t-shirt is 7.5 years and a hat 5 years. Every time that someone wears a logoed shirt they are communicating that company’s message to everyone who sees them. How else can you reach potentially thousands of people with a simple $3-5 dollar investment?

All of this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to powerful insights gained during today’s interview. Want to know the importance of social media in creating a brand? You will have to listen to the entire interview to learn this and so much more.  Once again we were delighted to welcome a guest who is able to highlight another way that Northwest Georgia is growing better every day.

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Filed Under: Content Development, Entrepreneurship Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Eleanor Benson and Scott Oder of Moondog Growlers

September 6, 2012 By 1 Comment

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Craft Draft Beer To Go!

Draft Craft Beer at Home

It’s no longer something that you dream about as you sip a pint at your favorite waterhole.  Thanks to entrepreneurs like Eleanor Benson and Scott Oder, Co-Owners of Moondog Growlers, you can now enjoy fantastic craft brews from the comforts of your own home.  We were so excited to sit down with these two beer lovers and discover what led them to this new and exciting concept.  With backgrounds in law and construction Moondog Growlers owners stepped out on a ledge with the opening of their first store in Marietta, Ga.  However, that risk seems to be paying off as they have already expanded into a new store in Sandy Springs, Ga and have a third set to open soon in Dunwoody.

Beer, Beer and More Beer

We learned that the stop and stare moment is a common occurrence when most people walk into a Moondog shop for the first time.  With 30 taps at the Marietta location and even more at the others one can understand why.  Thankfully Eleanor and Scott have done a wonderful job of finding self proclaimed “Beer Geeks” to help guide you towards a brew that will match your taste.  In fact we were surprised to learn that Moondog Growlers takes their customer’s thoughts so seriously that the primary driver of their awesome selection is customer suggestions.  In fact, throughout the entire interview we were provided insights into just how well both Scott and Eleanor really understand their customer base.  From why they choose to focus on outside the perimeter (or “OTP” for you non-Atlantans!) to acknowledging that women love good beer just as much as men, the Moondog Growlers owners are in touch with their clientele.

Eleanor Benson and Scott Oder

The logo isn’t the only thing that’s green

For those who don’t know what a Growler is, picture this.  A 64 oz glass moonshine jug that you can bring in time after time to fill with your favorite craft beers.  The entire concept reduces waste that is normally generated through bottles and cans.  Additionally, Moondogs does it part by recycling wood from old barns to build many of the tables and bars inside its stores.

This truly was a fun and interesting opportunity to learn how two individuals matched their passion for great beer to an unmet need in perfect harmony.  Take a moment and listen to the entire interview to learn about how you can enter your own dog in the upcoming Moondog Growlers calendar contest and hear about other great events that Moondog Growlers has coming up.

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Filed Under: Entrepreneurship

Mike Russell of Elite Telecom Services

August 23, 2012 By 1 Comment

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Is it money or family?  You’ll want to pay attention to Mike Russell’s perspective on that question.  It’s the perspective of one of Metro Atlanta’s “Top 5 Small Business Persons of the Year” and the President of Elite Telecom Services.  Oh, and don’t lose sight of the fact that Elite was just named a 2012 Top 25 Small Business of the Year by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.

It’s a fascinating story of how a successful entrepreneur used and continues to apply a strong “family and community” philosophy as the basis for growing a business.  Very thought-provoking stuff.

There’s also a great tutorial on telecom technology in this interview.  Learn about how a free audit can knock 20% – sometimes as much as 60% – off your telecom expense.  And that’s just due to inaccurate billing!  For example, watch out for that $25 “OCN” fee.  It’s bogus.

The real value of Mike’s company stems from helping you understand your telecom requirements, then designing and implementing the right stuff.  Given the pace of technological change, it’s not really clear how anyone not deep inside the telecom world could possibly do the reading and research and attend the conferences required to keep up.  I didn’t even know half the acronyms, and I used to be in that business!

Here’s a tech tip.  Consider using a cable connection for your business internet.  It’s much faster and lots less expensive.  Not as reliable though, so get a T1 backup also.  You’ll still come out ahead.

What’s Mike’s best piece of advice for an entrepreneur?  “Do what you do best.”  Get over the fact that you need to shell out that hard-won, ever-scarce cash to others who can do IT or Finance or whatever, way better than you can.

Wow, what a flow of insights from this conversation.  Listen now!

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Filed Under: Entrepreneurship

Oswald Viva of V&A Management, LLC

August 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Don’t spend the whole trip staring in the rear-view mirror

Oswald Viva

“Starting a business without a plan is like driving without knowing where you are going.”  Throughout our entire discussion with Mr. Oswald Viva, CEO and owner of V&A Management, LLC and author of It’s lonely at the top!  A practical guide to becoming a better leader of your small company, planning was a recurring theme.  Whether related to starting your own business from scratch or the passing of a family business to the next generation, the one thing that never falters is the need for a good plan.  With over 45 years of experience ranging from IBM to the start-up of 8 small companies, Mr. Viva’s advice is not to be taken lightly.

Give a man a fish vs. teach a man to fish

Mr. Viva quickly informed us on how his role as a CEO coach is much different than that of a consultant.  He explained that as a coach he is not brought in to solve problems, but to instead teach his client how to analyze and find the best solution to the multitude of problems faced by entrepreneurs.  This approach leaves his clients with something much more valuable than a one-time solution to a pressing issue.  Instead it leaves them with a skill to handle multiple issues as they grow as both a business owner and a leader.  We were very curious to hear Mr. Viva explain how many times the founder of a company may actually not be the best person to lead that company as it moves forward.

Mr. Viva’s new book, It’s lonely at the top!  A practical guide to becoming a better leader of your small company, has received fantastic reviews thus far and has certainly made its way onto the top of the Dreamland reading list.  Buy a copy by clicking below!

Listen to the full interview to hear how it was written to function not only as a guide to becoming a better leader but also to be utilized later as a reference guide when encountering the daily problems and joys of running a business.  Mr. Viva’s entire interview is full of fantastic insights and once again demonstrates why Northwest Georgia is simply an amazing place to live and work.

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Filed Under: Management

Mark Peevy of Families for Better Public Schools

August 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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It’s something nearly everyone agrees on

Georgia Charter School Commission, Families for Better Public Schools

Mark Peevy

Nearly everyone we speak with agrees there are serious issues with the current education system.  Part of the problem is that while there is a consensus that problems exist, it seems that nobody is willing to agree on how to fix it.  Today we were excited to welcome Mark Peevy, Executive Director of Families for Better Public Schools, who within his role is working to provide solutions to a problem we all acknowledge.  Mr Peevy who is also the former Executive Director of the Georgia Charter School Commission is one of many who is leading the push for the reformation of the Georgia Charter School Commission.

Why Charter Schools?

As we learned today, charter schools offer the unique chance to bring control of the schools back to the local level.  By enabling parents and teachers to play a much more involved role in setting goals and developing academic plans.  Of course, as always, funding for these schools was a concern of ours.  Mark quickly eased that concern when he explained how charter schools are funded either by the already local taxes that pay for traditional public schools or by state funds that already exist.  If you take a listen to the full interview, Mark explains just how that funding source is determined.

Economic development in Georgia and its schools have a direct correlation.  As we have heard in previous interviews on this show, companies are concerned about the future.  The lack of focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math within our school systems is leading to a skill gap in the workforce.  During our interview Mark discusses how Charter schools have worked with local area businesses to bring the focus back into these academic areas.

Its all about options

Ever walk down the cereal aisle at the grocery store and notice how there are hundreds of different types of cereal?  This is because those stores understand that people like to be able to choose.  Not just one cereal will fit everybody’s needs.  Then why is it that we just accept the traditional method that the school assigned to our zip codes will meet our children’s needs?  Why not have more options?  Well on November, 6th Georgia voters will have the opportunity to allow parents and teachers to have more options.

This just barely scrapes the surface of today’s interview.  Take a moment and listen to learn just why Mark Peevy is so dedicated to the Georgia Charter School Commission and is working to make Northwest Georgia a better place for everyone.

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Filed Under: Economic Development

Marvon Williams of The Acworth Business Association

August 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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The secret sauce isn’t that secret

Marvon Williams

Today we welcomed Marvon Williams, President of the Acworth Business Association (ABA) and Owner of the American Family Insurance agency in Acworth, GA into the Dreamland studio.  Marvon provided us with a bounty of useful knowledge and insight ranging from the value of customer service to the importance of networking.  Throughout our discussion Marvon highlighted the multitude of events and services that the ABA offers its members.  Of these services, the openness of its members to share their secrets of success was one tool whose usefulness is undeniable.  We also gained insight into the close relationship that a business association must forge with its local government in order to provide a beneficial symbiosis for all parties.

Treat everyone like your mother

What does it take to win a JD Power and Associates Customer Service award in less than 5 years since opening your doors.  As Marvon stated, “We treat everyone like you would  treat your mother.”  This outlook on customer service along with a focus on being a problem solver above all else provides an insight into how that honor was earned.

With a membership over 200 strong and growing, the ABA reaches into all aspects of its local community.  Along with a large membership comes a variety of concerns that the ABA does its best to address.  From luncheons to golf tournaments the ABA offers a variety of events to fit the lifestyles and needs of all its members.

I highly recommend you listen to this interview so that you can learn why we here at Dreamland are looking forward to October, when the ABA will host their successful business panel. Once again we will have the opportunity to learn why Northwest Georgia is a fantastic place for business.

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Johnny Whitaker of Lockheed Martin

August 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Trickle Down Economics

Johnny Whitaker

It’s a common term you hear tossed around by economists and others all the time.  Today we were privileged to have our guest, Mr. Johnny Whitaker, Director of Communications for Lockheed Martin in Marietta, GA, put the term into a real world application.  Lockheed is a manufacturer of military aircraft that operates right here in Dreamland’s own backyard.  As an employer of over 7,550  and with an overall annual payroll exceeding $700 million dollars, it’s easy see how they are a major player in our local economy.  However, one must look even further to truly appreciate just how much of a force Lockheed is within our community.  Consider the fact that Lockheed has over 350 different vendors that it deals with in Georgia alone.  Many of these vendors are small businesses and Lockheed is their primary customer.

If you remember, this past November the House failed to pass a balanced budget.  This has left us with what has been termed a “poison pill” by many.  $900 billion dollars in across-the-board cuts with approximately $500 billion of that coming from cuts to defense spending.  Mr. Whitaker discussed with us how these cuts trickle down affecting not just Lockheed, but also their 350 suppliers, the small businesses, the local restaurants, and so forth.  The best example is when you toss a rock in a calm pond.  The ripples you cause will eventually reach and disrupt all the edges of that pond.

The need to refocus

Another common theme throughout our discussion was Mr. Whitaker’s passion for supporting the local school system.  Lockheed has many different programs to help encourage and support the schools in refocusing students on the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math or STEM.  (Here’s an example, Partners In Education.) From college to elementary school, Lockheed is working with educators to ensure our community can meet the needs of tomorrow.

This is just a sample of our discussion.  To learn about the different types of aircraft that Lockheed has built and to simply hear Mr. Whitaker’s passion in describing the C-5 Galaxy, you have to check this one out.  Once again we highlight just another reason why Northwest Georgia is simply a fantastic place to live and work.

Filed Under: Economic Impact Tagged With: , , ,
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