Entrepreneur Reflections from 2013
~Diane Michael

The beginning of the year The Callan Group started off strong. After having some holiday down time, we all came to work with a "this is going to be our year" attitude.

We finally finished our MomPreneur program uploading a 52 week Learn, Grow, Love Training Program. That took countless hours and we are very proud to offer affordable franchise opportunities to woman (or men) who have the entrepreneur bug. We've been able to show proven results through our business in a box program in 2013.

A few months into the year, our fourth franchise rep decided to move on and then our fifth Ieft shortly thereafter joining the fourth at their new location. Although it was sad to see them go, the show must go on.

We continued to grow the business with our bare bones super committed staff and even had to hire a writer early in the year.

In March, The Callan Group teamed up with Ormond Observer and our Communications Director, Diane Michael, began a monthly column named "My Two Cents" which focused on local business-related tips for customers and business owners alike.

In April our "Be Local" campaign kicked off which offers our clients and outside advertisers the opportunity to promote their services and specials to over 15k locals through a monthly email newsletter. It's distributed on the 15th of each month and has grown in subscribers and advertisers every single month. It's a digital platform that we have seen grow through shared posts and advertiser feedback.

Around June we decided to host a marketing expo named Marketing Next Expo where we recruited 22 amazingly talented local speakers directly attached to marketing firms and initiatives. We had 50 booths, 300 attendees and numerous emails and posts of appreciation for putting on this annual event. What an experience that was! It also cemented some unique business partnerships that have flourished and are continuing to bloom. Watch out world!
We were able to bring on a second writer in October who is so talented and who is our saving grace for creating engaging content written in a fun way.

We've posted 10 blogs this year, uploaded over a dozen educational videos on our YouTube channel (thecallangroup1) and increased our social media subscribers by the hundreds.

As we end this year, in reflection of the ups and downs that any business goes through we really are the strongest team yet! We are so excited about what's coming for 2014.

Here's a sneak peak!

In January, the beautiful and brilliant Jamie Bartholomew will be our new Director of Marketing and Sales. Born and raised in Florida, Jamie holds a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Florida and is a “Florida Gator” through and through. After graduating from UF, Jamie has worked in various management capacities for several prestigious non- profit agencies, including the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the Alzheimer’s Association and the University of Florida Foundation. Her hard work and dedication to these organizations helped to raise a total of over 2 million dollars. After living in Gainesville for over 13 years, Jamie and her growing family moved to Ormond Beach, where her husband owns and operates a successful local restaurant. Jamie has over 10 year's experience in direct marketing and sales and understands from first-hand experience how important it is to market your business in a professional and appealing manner.

We have an upcoming partnerships with a multiple-million dollar company that will be rolled out towards the end of January.

Our "Be Local" campaign will include starting in February a digital editorial on the 1st of each month featuring local articles about local business owners doing their thing. You'll be able to read more about the great minds that typically are under the radar. The first edition will come out on February 1st titled Women We Love for our Communities!

Our MomPreneur and Business in a Box program will be tailored more to fit the needs of the individual instead of the set franchise rates.

Our services will be expanding offering several options for your foundation marketing plans.

The focus is here for our team to support your team. Our software is constantly and carefully being developed to stay current with all trends.

We will be hosting more educational seminars that make sense.

Our referral program will role out in the first quarter...so much we commit to in 2014 to bring more benefit to our clients, supporters and friends!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For your continued support, love and time. We love to see our posts shared, out newsletters forwarded, we LOVE offering consultations and staying in touch with our mission - we are ready to continue supporting economic development by keeping our clients in touch with theirs.

Communication + Content = Repeat & New Clients

Crime has no zip code
Quick tips on ATM safety

There have been a number of hold ups at ATM's and banks in our area lately. As a business owner who deposits our checks in the ATM on a regular basis, this sparked my interest on what I should do in that scenario.

I asked my best friend, Google and strangely she didn't know. I heard a rumor that you were supposed to type in your code backwards, but fortunately that's an urban legend. Thank goodness because I couldn't remember that under pressure.

I stopped by my bank and spoke to my usual teller, John, at my favorite bank in Ormond Beach. He told me some really great advice that I must share.

Please understand that these are tips from a banking professional, however are in no way recommendations by a bank or myself.

Time of Day

Remember to handle your withdraws during daylight hours in areas that are busy. Even though crime has no zip code you can use common sense on areas where you feel safe. It was also advised to stay in your car until the person in front of you is done with their transaction. It's worth the extra time waiting in line to be secure. Leave your personal belongings (purses, wallets, etc.) in the car. Lock the car and ensure the windows are rolled up.

ATM Card

After you swipe your card, put it in your pocket. You can also hold it in your hand and if the unthinkable occurs, bend the card immediately. It won't work if you bend it. I'm going to put it in my pocket.

Play Possum

This may not be easy for some but this girl is going to do this! If someone came up to me and tries to rob me at an ATM I'm seriously going to fake faint. I think this advice is brilliant! It will shock the robber and possibly scare them. Also, if they step over my limp body their face will be truly exposed on the camera. If they rummage through my pants then that would be pushing it as I would suspect that they have a time clock on how long they're going to hold someone up.

I wanted to share these quick tips that again are only opinions. Readers beware.

It's sad that we live in a world where there are people who steal. Being educated, staying aware of your surroundings and using common sense can go a long way. It also is just money which can come easily and frequently.

Business owners who use an email newsletter should share this with their readership if you find this useful information.

Stay safe friends.

Listen to your body and you will have a more balanced business life

I recently had the opportunity to host an event called The Marketing Next Expo. It was held in Daytona Beach on September 11. We had 48 energized exhibitors, 22 amazing speakers and 200 excited attendees. It was such an honor to be part of this unnatural event. The mission was to educate and empower and based on feedback I can say that most walked away with one if not both! Coming down from the expo I found myself in hibernation mode much like a bear in winter. I barely spoke to anyone the two days following and the weekend after was filled with feedback forms, returning emails, calling to say thank you and so needless to say, the hibernation didn't last long enough. The following Monday I found myself overwhelmed with my ever growing to-do list. Because my focus and time had been so set on the expo in preparation for the past four months, I had rearranged my appointments, templates and monthly duties to accommodate my new schedule of meetings, speaking engagements and runs to the nearest office supply store. I hadn't been sleeping right, eating right or working out like my usual routine. All focus was on making the expo a success for all who involved. Keep in mind, this expo was no way a profit machine. Being a first year and not having sponsorships in advance meant that hitting the pavement and having the phone glued to my ear was the only way the hope of breaking even was possible. So why do this, you ask? I believe so strongly in the mission and in marketing. I felt that we have such great talent in our community that it's silly to travel to neighboring markets to become educated and empowered. Instead of sitting around complaining about why we didn't have a platform like this I decided to do it myself. I had recently pulled away from my non-profit organizations so I felt I had some extra time to donate. If I broke even, then I would be a happy camper. Well, what was I thinking? The expo completely consumed me, reminding me exactly why I got out of event production. I developed issues with my relationships, I never slept, I felt exhausted all the time and my health began diminishing. As I stand here today in an airport coming home from Indiana where just a short week after the expo I was scheduled to speak about email marketing in the 21st century, I am committing to not allowing myself to lose focus again. I will remember to take care of myself first. To stay focused on eating right and sleeping my typical eight hours. When stressed I will get into downward dog instead of complaining to a girlfriend over a bottle of vino. I will stay focused in my meditation practices and will continue to be the positive person I am. Because I allowed the opposite to happen, on this trip, I missed out on an opportunity to gain more interest in my company potentially bringing in more business. I ended up traveling hours to sleep in a foreign bed for an entire day. I had to cancel my presentation and explain why. Embarrassing, disappointing and overall, my fault. I loved everything about the expo and am so proud of the work we all did. Our positive outlook and inspiration made the event a success but my health took a beating. With all events in life there are lessons to be learned. I definitely learned mine. Here are some great tips on ways to listen to your body! When it's talking to you, please don't ignore it! It's the same as a girlfriend giving you advice, your parents saying you're pushing it too hard, like your kids pulling at your arm screaming "mommy, mommy"! Listen when your body talks and you won't end up like me today. I'm privileged to be "in the know" and to be a living, growing being that makes mistakes and learns from them! Namaste! Listen to your body!

I love writing for the Ormond Observer! It's a monthly column where I have freedom to express my views about different business situations! Read the latest...

Callan Group seeking Asheville representative

The Callan Group's Business in a Box program has everything you need to begin a successful business for yourself. If you know 5-10 businesses that need to keep in touch with their clients on a regular basis – you could become their email newsletter ghost writer and designer. The program is popular with individuals looking for flexible, part-time work including mompreneurs.

Too often business owners simply do not have time to do this crucial aspect of marketing. Instead of the business doing this monthly task – you would create the marketing concept, writing and design for them. Coming from a reader/consumer perspective you will be able to help the business save time, create client retention and drive more traffic online and at their location. For $500/month you will receive a “business in a box”. Your monthly payment will cover all your business expenses. This a month-to-month program so there’s no pressure. Work as little or as much as you want. No sales goals – only your goals. Need More Info? Email Diane at diane@thecallangrp.com. Learn more about The Callan Group at www.thecallangrp.com

Thank you to Asheville Chamber of Commerce for posting this opportunity on their blog: http://blog.ashevillechamber.org/2013/05/callan-group-seeking-asheville.html

2 visitors from Palo Alto!

Google analytics is a helpful free site to pull up your site statistics. Signing up is simple, if you already have a Google account you log in with your email and provide Google with the URL of the site you want to keep track off. Google will provide you with a code, copy this code and put it into each of your WebPages.

Now that you have created your account you are ready to log in and start analyzing! Under site usage you will find several statistics for a certain time period.

·         Visits - tells you how many visits there were to your page.

·         Pageviews - tells how many times the pages on your site have been viewed.

·         Pages/visit - tells how many pages, on average, users view when they come to your site.

·         Bounce Rate - tells what percentage of users left after viewing only one page on your site.

·         Avg. Time on Site - shows how long each user spent on your site.

·         New Visitors - shows what percentage of your users have not visited your site before.

When pulling up your city demographics it will show you where your visitors come from. I even had 2 visitors from Palo Alto!

This can be a fun easy tool to do on a monthly or quarterly basis. 

My Two Cents

The second article of "My Two Cents" is out. This month we feature tips for coupon-ing for consumers and businesses alike. Keeping local in mind - shout outs to LuLu's Oceanside Grill and @Ariel Beckner - love for you to share! 

Also check out "Embrace the Race" which got rave reviews!

http://www.ormondbeachobserver.com/my-two-cents-the-couponing-conflict-or-to-cut-or-not-to-cut/

http://www.ormondbeachobserver.com/my-two-cents-embrace-the-race/