Boston Business Alliance

Seating is limited, so register early. We will send you a reminder and confirmation of your registration a few days before the event -- to the email Click to go to:
Current Planned Events
Hot Topics Being Considered & Suggestions
Save the Dates for Events
Read about Past Events and Workshops

Current Planned Events:

May 2, 2011 - Monday, 6:30-8:30PM
$10.00 cash or check, at the door
Members and Guests - Get to Know the Alliance
Get to meet other members, prospective members, and the Alliance leaders.
We'll share some of the successes for 2010 and plans for 2011.
We would like your suggestions and ideas to improve

Learn why the Alliance is different from most organizations.

The Boston Business Alliance is  a new and compelling community of business professionals. 
Here’s what our members have told us in a recent survey:

• The Alliance is a unique, low cost organization that facilitates profitable partnerships
• The Alliance offers high quality, professional forums for learning and improving business
• The Alliance is committed to mentoring and supporting its members
• The Alliance has helped generate new clients and real revenue.

Join us for an informal and insightful meeting of an Alliance of business professional with common purpose and objectives.  Learn how to get the most from the Alliance and meet professionals who may be able and willing to help you.
Location:  Bertucci's Restaurant
15 Newbury Street, Route 1 North (click for Google map)
Peabody, MA  01960

This event will be rescheduled
Cash Flow Practices to Make You Money (click to see Agenda)

In today’s economy, you can protect your cash so you are positioned to grow and not just survive – and in fact, make you money.

This program will highlight practices you want to know about and have in place not just to provide you payback but to contribute to protecting your day to day business … with minimal time and little to no cost.  Employing these practices will provide generous payback for anyone attending, and then some!
How do businesses ensure that they are protected in case something goes wrong and what do they watch for so that they won’t become a statistic?
Here’s what you will get from this presentation:
• Knowledge of simple programs that pay for themselves by accelerating Cash Flow
• Discussion of multiple practices to optimize cash flow and ensure you get paid
• A working knowledge of what banks expect from an applicant in today’s market
• An overview of Alternative Financing programs; just in case the bank says “NO”

Fortifying your business using practices proven to protect cash flow and position a business to grow is invaluable to everyone – business owners and consultants alike. Knowing what to watch for and what programs to have in place so that when opportunity knocks, you can respond to it.  It will be the difference between surviving and thriving.
This session is based on feedback from business owners accumulated over this past year and when you attend this session it will be yours for the taking!

 Ernie Brown

Speaker Ernie Brown serves as an owner, a minority owner, Board Member, and/or advisor for several domestic and international companies with sales from $500K to $50MM (+). These companies include electronics, food processors, retail, government contractors, and others. Having facilitated over $100MM in working capital facilities he has helped companies launch, grow, and even acquire other companies while on their paths to success.  A sought after speaker on business financing conventions and an award winning writer on the subject of Cash Flow his primary business is also Better Business Bureau Accredited.  His website is http://www.finance-manager.com .
Location:  tbd

Hot Topics Being Considered for Future Events
The following hot topics for events have been suggested. If you have a specific desire or new topic and speaker, please let us know.
1) Sales as a symphony for sales growth – tactical actions that generate quick results
2) Cash Flow - how to manage it for better business results
3) Rapid Process Analysis - to find immediate cost savings and customer service improvements
4) Social Media and Networking - "Branding and Lead Generation through Social Media" for your company
5) Healthcare and Other Benefits - how to maximize value and minimize costs for small businesses
6) Minority-owned Businesses - increasing exposure and doing business with the state
      Suggest a Hot Topic of interest to business owners - click here.

Save the Dates for Future Events
Breakfast events are normally scheduled for the third Tuesday of each month.

March 15, 2011 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM --tbd
April 19, 2011 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM --tbd
May 17, 2011 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM --tbd
June 21, 2011 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM --tbd
July 19, 2011 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM --tbd
August 16, 2011 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM --tbd
September 20, 2011 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM --tbd
October 18, 2011 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM --tbd
November 15, 2011 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM --tbd
December 13, 2011 (2nd Tuesday) – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM --tbd

Past Events and Workshops

January 18, 2011 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM
Pivot Now!  Managing Your Professional Life (click to see Agenda)
One of the constants in life is change - economy, business, customers, leadership, and careers.
Have you considered the subtleties and opportunities that you can take advantage of in your business life? Consider Agility and Pivoting.

Strategic Agility is defined as the ability of a company to rapidly move in a new direction while in motion from a different direction. Think of Apple and Google as successful. Think of Nokia and Palm as unsuccessful. At the individual level, "pivoting" is defined as moving in a new direction while in motion. Ballet, business, and football teams depend upon the ability to their best players to pivot. Successful pivoting can lead to teams winning. But pivots are risky and have the potential for injury.
Dr. Laurence Stybel will discuss lessons learned in managing the pivots of his own professional life. In addition to Lessons Learned, there will be a practical exercise to do as part of the workshop. After the workshop, participants have an optional sixty minutes of 1:1 telephone consultation with Larry to turn ideas into action.  Check out a related Harvard Business Review blog by Larry, The 3-D Approach to Creating Opportunity.

Larry is back as one of the most prolific, engaging, and highly rated speakers for the Alliance.  Larry Stybel is President of Stybel Peabody Lincolnshire, an Arbora Global Company, and Executive in Residence at the Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University in Boston.  Founded in 1979, the firm's mission is helping client companies achieve "Smooth Leadership Change:" His firm focuses on Board, CEO, and CFO roles; coaching of high potential leaders, and Executive Outplacement with 250 professionals in 31 countries.  Clients include 21% of the Fortune “Best Employers in the United States," three of the Big Four CPA firms, 75% of Boston’s largest 20 law firms, and most of the country’s leading life science companies.  Larry also writes a blog on leadership and career management for HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW and is frequently published in HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW and MIT SLOAN MANAGEMENT REVIEW.  His doctorate was received at Harvard University and he is a licensed psychologist.  His company website is www.stybelpeabody.com.

January 10, 2011 - Monday, 6:00-8:00PM
Members and Guests - Get to Know the Alliance
Kick off the New Year by finding out the Alliance plans and ideas for the coming year, how you can get the most from the Alliance, AND get to meet other members and the Alliance leadership.

The Boston Business Alliance is  a new and compelling community of business professionals.  Here’s what our members have told us in a recent survey:

• The Alliance is a unique, low cost organization that facilitates profitable partnerships
• The Alliance offers high quality, professional forums for learning and improving business
• The Alliance is committed to mentoring and supporting its members
• The Alliance has helped generate new clients and real revenue.

Join us for an informal and insightful meeting of an Alliance of business professional with common purpose and objectives.  Learn how to get the most from the Alliance and meet professionals who may be able and willing to help you.

December 14, 2010 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM -- Click to view Presentation
Business Valuation – How to Make It Real and Believable
Do you really want to know how to value a business – more than just "opinion?"
Whether you are looking to refinance, buy, sell, or just peace of mind, this event will provide valuation basics along with excellent tips and advice that you can use immediately.

• Basics of business valuation - Gregg will explain what key concepts contribute to value from a buyer's perspective. He will also you better understand your own business value and provide you with the knowledge and tools to gear your energy toward activities that are accretive to value
• Methodic approach to business valuation - This approach can help the business owner make more thoughtful decisions about strategic issues such as proper capital structure, vertical or horizontal integration, organic growth or growth through acquisition. Gregg will offer insight into business valuation techniques and key value concepts, which in turn should help you make more informed present and future business decisions
• Different approaches to valuation (cost/asset, market, and income methods) - He will also discuss some of the more common factors affecting value regarding business strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and
• Take away understanding and use - You will be able to differentiate between public and private company valuation, understand various standards of value and common valuation methods, and begin to develop skills to evaluate your own business value.

Gregg Hamilton-Piercy is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Senior Valuation Manager with Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co., Ltd. Gregg advises numerous clients in specialized areas of business enterprise and intangible asset valuations, stock valuations, mergers and acquisitions, gift and estate tax planning, financial accounting and reporting, asset divestiture, reorganizations and spin-offs, financial and operational due diligence, equity buy/sell valuations, and financial feasibility studies.  His company website is http://www.kahnlitwin.com/

October 19, 2010 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM -- Click to view Presentation
The Symphony of Sales Growth
Sales has changed over the years. What worked before can sabotage your sales efforts today.
There needs to be a strategic context before you can identify the right sales model and approach for your business.

• How does sales fit in the context of your overall company or business?
• What are the proven yet modern day techniques of selling?
• How can they be applied to work for you?

This session will change the way you think about sales in the context of profitably growing your business for the long-term.  In this interactive session, participants will be challenged to think strategically about how sales fits into your company. Key sales principals and techniques will be shared, some of which have changed over the years, and you will learn to how to apply these methods to produce solid sales growth and satisfied customers.  Applying the right principals and techniques can differentiate you and lead to more $$$!

Speaker Ron Visocchi brings over thirty years of sales leadership and executive management to organizations and client engagements.  Before forming the Benjamin Group in 2001, Mr. Visocchi has headed numerous sales-centric organizations in many industries. He is recognized for his strong reputation for consistently growing top-line revenue in a variety of contexts and circumstances. He also has an extensive general management background, bringing a broad and eclectic perspective to challenges of profitably building and growing sales enterprises of various types and scope and in different industry settings.

September 21, 2010 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM -- Click to view Presentation
Asking for Success by Forming an Advisory Board
Why Now is the Right Time to Form an Advisory Board.
Many business owners would benefit from having a dedicated group of advisors that convenes regularly to help them meet their business challenges. For an advisory board to have maximum value it must be comprised of the right number and kinds of people, structured in a way that allows it to function most effectively, and be well run.

In this interactive workshop you will learn:

• What an advisory board is and how to utilize an advisory board.
• How an advisory board differs from a statutory board.
• What steps are necessary to successfully establish an advisory board.
• How to develop a draft of your business vision to share with prospective
  advisors.  You will also,
• Complete an SWOT analysis for your business.
• Take the Advisory Board Readiness Challenge.

Click to download the Pre-Event Questionnaire.  If you want to be better informed in your decision-making by using cost-effective external resources then join us.

Susan C. Hammond works with business owners and CEOs of small to mid-size companies and nonprofit organizations on the formation and facilitation of advisory boards; ways to enhance CEO financial intelligence; and nonprofit governance.  A recognized expert on advisory boards, she has been an active advisory board member and facilitator since the early 1990’s.  Her prior experience included serving as a contract CFO/COO and strategic advisor to technology companies, professional service firms and nonprofit organizations.  Susan is a co-founder of the South Shore Women’s Business Network and the Center for Women & Enterprise. She holds a CPA certificate from the State of Massachusetts and received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Northeastern University and a Master of Science in Taxation from Bentley University. For more information visit www.schammond.com.

August 17, 2010 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM -- Click to view Presentation
Plan Time to Plan
If IBM, Bill Gates and Jack Canfield can do this each year, you can too. But in reality, 80% of all businesses never do and it shows.  If you are a business owner you might be interested in approaches to planning in line with Stephen Covey’s strategy of Begin with the End in Mind. And you might be thinking there’s got to be an easy to way to get control of my business and my life. If so, you’ll want to join us for this timely presentation.  You’ve heard the adage: If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.  In this practical interactive session, participants will be challenged to plan ahead to avoid pitfalls and ensure success. In this presentation, you will learn:

• A simple, low-cost approach to strategic planning
• When to do long-term strategic planning
• What first two pieces of your plan must agree
• The difference between a 3 year plan, 12 month goals & 90 day action plans
• What to look for in reviewing your financials
• How to create your own 18 month implementation plan.

Speaker Kerri Salls is a productivity and business process authority who helps high-achieving business owners establish a strong foundation of systems, processes and productivity to focus on their most valuable activities, increase the value for their business, and get control.  Since establishing Breakthrough Enterprise LLC in 1999, Kerri works exclusively with business owners around the globe who are ready to work systematically on their business to transform their expertise into their ultimate business. Kerri has built technical, sales and service businesses for over 20 years.  Kerri received an MBA in Operations Management and International Marketing from Boston University. She started her career at Mitre Corporation, Data General, Honeywell and Atex Publishing Systems after serving in the Peace Corps in West Africa.

July 20, 2010 -- Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM
Manage for Success, Financially and Strategically - Quips & Quotes
This session will change the way you think about managing your business.  In this highly interactive session, participants will be challenged to think strategically, focus on objectives, and learn to manage their business to financial success.  Selected quips and quotes, none more than 25 words long, provide a wealth of common sense business wisdom.  Much of it you can’t see because it’s just too obvious.
Speaker Neil R. Gordon has provided efficient and effective financial solutions to emerging and mid-sized companies for more than forty years.  He began his career with the accounting firm of Haskins & Sells and served as director, finance and accounting, of Empire of Carolina, Inc.  Mr. Gordon was associated with Centronics Data Computer Corp, a computer peripherals manufacturer and Ekco Group, Inc., a leading consumer products manufacturer and marketer, for fourteen years, including eight years as the company's treasurer, before establishing N.R. Gordon & Company in 1995.

June 15, 2010 -- Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM
Communication Skills for Business Networking
Your next big client could be standing right next to you in the elevator, at a little league game, or in a restaurant. How would you know? The fact is you wouldn’t - unless you engaged them in conversation.
People do business with people they like, whose opinion they value and whose capabilities they trust. Attending social and business networking events is the first step towards meeting people and developing successful business relationships. However, having leadership communication skills will help you create opportunities for growing your business and expanding your referral network.
Attendees will learn and practice three (3) skills they can use immediately to start business conversations, discover relevant connections, and turn prospects into customers.
This presentation will be highly interactive. Attendees practice the three skills by interacting with other attendees.
Andrew Winig is a leadership trainer, business owner, and keynote speaker. He received a BSCS from Yale University, where he was awarded a magna cum laude and elected to the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society. A lifelong learner and advocate of leadership development, Mr. Winig created the Collective Engineering leadership model. As President of ImprovAndy, he helps business professionals master communication skills that empower them to turn prospects into customers and delegate so work gets done.

May 18, 2010 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM -- Click to view Presentation
Just Say "Maybe”: Encouraging Creativity and Innovative Action in Your Company
To paraphrase the old Sara Lee slogan, “Nobody doesn’t like innovation.”
In fact, most business leaders would wholeheartedly agree that a flow of ideas – whether related to new products and services, achieving new efficiencies, improving customer service; anything that differentiates them from competitors – is a key factor for succeeding in a crowded marketplace.
But how do you keep the ideas coming?  In this interactive presentation, we will explore some ways in which a company’s executives and managers can encourage new thinking about its problems and opportunities, on an everyday basis.  We’ll look at the reasons why many associates and employees are reluctant to offer their best ideas, and what their bosses can do to encourage them to use more of their expertise and creativity.  Finally, we’ll discuss a 5-step method for evaluating and developing a creative new idea, a process critical to engendering a more innovative culture within any organization. 
Jeffrey A. Govendo is founder and president of The Innovative Edge Inc. a consulting and training firm in Hopkinton, MA that helps client organizations tackle tough challenges through creative problem solving.  Mr. Govendo works with teams in a broad range of industries as a project consultant, group facilitator, trainer and conference designer, enabling organizations to achieve their goals by increasing their capacity for innovation.

April 20, 2010 – Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM -- Click to view Presentation
Behavioral Styles... to understand others and communicate better – in business (and your personal life)
Could Reading People Better Be the Key to Building Successful Businesses?"
Whether your business provides a service or produces technologically sophisticated products, ultimate success depends on people and how well they interact internally and externally. Different people will react to a given situation in different ways, and your reaction determines your behavioral style. In this presentation, we will introduce Behavioral Styles and provide tips on how understanding the styles can assist in major areas of a business, such as Management, Sales, and Customer Service.

March 16, 2010, Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM
Break the Rules and Close More Sales (click to see Agenda)
Learn to differentiate yourself and your company by the way you sell.
Are you tired of hearing the same old excuses about the economy impacting your sales results? Or believing you have to cut prices to win business? If you want to increase yours revenues and reduce selling expenses without falling victim to the same old obstacles, this is the event for you.
Traditional sales approaches are not as effective anymore! If you haven’t modified your selling process or behaviors during these economic times, you are working too hard and leaving money on the table.
Whether you sell products or services, you will learn how to:
• Gain instant credibility, trust and rapport
• Differentiate yourself and company from the competition
• Stop wasting time on unqualified prospects
• Trigger your prospects to take action
• Shorten your sales cycles
• Stop feature and benefit dumping
• Understand true buyer motivations
• Work smarter and not harder… and more.

February 17, 2010, Wednesday, 7:00-9:00AM -- Click to view Presentation
Branding & Lead Generation Through Social Media
Learn the strategies you need to build your company and personal brand. This interactive event will explore how companies are using social media to build their brand, find their next deal or employee. This workshop will offer practical advice on the "do''s" and "don'ts" of social media, based on independent studies and past experience. You will discover how and why both your profile and your company's profile matter. Why all of your employees should be encouraged to use LinkedIn and other social media sites. How Google and Bing handle social media sites. 

January 20, 2010, Wednesday, 7:00-9:00AM -- Click to view Presentation
Practical Tips for Bidding on State Contracts
Looking for new sales opportunities?  Have you ever wondered how to get your business involved with government contracting opportunities?
During this event, you will learn the Commonwealths' procurement process for statewide contract for goods and services, where to find American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (federal stimulus funding) procurement and grant opportunities, and other tips on how to get and do business with the state.  Barbara Miller, Director of Quality Assurance, Training and Outreach at Massachusetts Operational Services Division (OSD). OSD administers the procurement process by establishing statewide contracts for goods and services that ensure best value, provide customer satisfaction and support the socio-economic and environmental goals of the Commonwealth and by providing specific operational services. Part of our mission is to establish statewide contracts for commodities and services through a fair, open and competitive procurement process. Our goal is to provide the public purchasing community with contracts that represent best value in terms of price, quality and service.

December 15, 2009, Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM -- Click to view Presentation
How to Take Risk out of Your Business - Seven Targeted Questions
Too many leaders take far greater risks than they may be aware of. Posing the million-dollar-question, "What is the cost of what you don't know?," ERM Expert Gary W. Patterson alerts business executives to the hidden risks that may be lurking inside their projects and/or operations. The presentation includes case studies illustrating how a "Fiscal Checkup" of your major projects or even business operations can minimize or remove risks that may threaten your company's bottom line, or worse your company's very survival.

November 17, 2009, Tuesday, 7:00-9:00AM -- Click to view Presentation
You Can't Make the Sale Until You Get the Attention of the Decision Makers...
...and decision makers are actively tuning you out. Is this a dilemma you face in growing your business? Larry Stybel will show you how to increase your sales during difficult times by stop selling products or "solutions." Start showing how you can help prospects manage dilemmas that keep them up at night. Stybel will provide examples from the fields of services, consulting, law, and financial services. He will be available for one hour of free telephone consultation to help BBA members turn concepts into sales.