Struggling with trying to determine which social networking tools will work for your business? Trying to determine how to manage, measure and make the tools work best for you and your customers?

I'll be answering those questions at the Greater Raymond Area Chamber of Commerce this Thursday. Come listen and discuss Crossing the Bridge with Social Media.

All are welcome. Here are the details:

Date:Thursday, May 17, 2012

Time:9:00 - 10:00 a.m. EST

Location: Tucker Lodge #99, 63A Main St., Raymond NH

Cost: Free for members. $5.00 USD for Non-members

Hope to see you there.

The top and upcoming innovators in New Hampshire gathered on April 11, 2012 for the first Distruptive Innovation event in the state appropriately titled Distruptivate2012!

Over 250 of New Hampshire's creatives, change-makers, entrepreneurs, innovators and technologists gathered at the Wentworth By-the-Sea Hotel & Spa to share stories and lessons on the art and practice of disruptive innovation.

Tom Elliot of IdeaGreenHouse in Durham told me I "have to be there" and he was right. The day-long event was packed with energy, information and fun. Sandra Proulx-Rand has put together a story of the conversations leading up to and after the event. Check out her story-line.

Recently, I was discussing with colleagues and friends a few of the larger projects I have been involved with as the project leader and how I have handled some situations. I'll be sharing them through a series of posts.

Drop Technology

Project managers can successfully manage projects without having the relevant technical knowledge. I frequently find that when one thinks of project management they think of construction or information technology industries and that the manager needs to know everything related to the industry. But, let's look at the skills required in a project manager.

The project manager must be self-motivated, have strong people leadership and management and interpersonal skills. They must know how to build a strong cohesive team whether the team is on-site or a remote team across oceans or a combination of both.

Communication is the critical component in keeping the team working as a cohesive group, it is the glue the holds the team together. Typically, the manager will spend close to ninety percent of their time on communication, not technical disciplines. The manager will be handling one-on-one, team, in-person and electronic communications to keep the team and the stakeholders informed.

What can a Project Manager do to help the team with the technical side of the project? Dinesh Singh, Chief Technology Officer at SJM Technologies gives a great example of what he does for team development and sharing technical knowledge:

I normally encourage structure knowledge sharing sessions where the team voluntarily shares technical and non-technical topics. I coach them about the benefits of the knowledge sharing for individual development and for the team as a whole.

I recall a project I was leading where the team shared their knowledge. We were developing a new product for a hard drive application. I knew little of the hard drive technology at the time, but this was not a barrier to leading the team because the customer knew the requirements our product needed to meet. Our team worked collaboratively with the customer team. Our team goal was to meet the technology, costs, production requirements of the customer and to make a profitable product for our company while serving the customer. My job was to lead the team not the technology.

It is the soft skills that a good project manager is gifted with having.

The New England Beef to Institution (NEBI) Steering Committee announces the availability of matching grant funds for the purpose of enhancing regional beef and dairy beef producer access or expansion to institutional market outlets in New England. These funds should serve to assist New England producers in the marketing, aggregation, storage, processing, and/or distribution of regionally produced beef by providing them with the coordination and facilities to access an institutional market.

A. Available Funds and Timeline

An initiative of the Farm to Institution New England (FINE) Collaborative, the NEBI Steering Committee received $10,000 from the John Merck Fund to provide matching grants to encourage the development of the institutional market for New England beef and dairy beef. We are now accepting applications from New England meat producers, slaughter facilities or meat processors, distributors, support organizations and producer or processor groups, for institutional market development.

The maximum grant amount is $10,000.

Key Dates: March 14, 2012 Proposals Due

April 20, 2012 Grantees Notified

June 15, 2012 Interim Report Due

July 31, 2012* Projects Complete, Final Report Due *Longer projects may be considered

B. Eligibility and Program Goals

The goal of the NEBI Initiative is to increase the amount of local ground beef entering New England institutions and increase farm viability by offering access to diverse institutional markets. A team of marketing consultants has analyzed institutional demand for New England beef, and assessed feasible models to meet this demand. The study concluded that there are opportunities for growth in the local beef to institutional market in all six New England States, and that there are two models that could be replicated on a regional basis to service this demand:

1) a producer-driven model that is designed for the buyer with decision-making control and a proactive desire to source local beef; and

2) a processor-driven model designed to service buyers constrained by price and institutional requirements. The models create opportunities for beef and dairy producers, as well as processors across New England.

The link to the full report can be found online: here

Eligibility:

New England-based beef or dairy beef producers, processors or distributors in pursuit of institutional market development, or organizations or associations that will directly support New England producers' access to institutional market expansion all qualify for funding consideration. Applicants that represent a partnership of organizations, including farmers and institutions, are highly encouraged. One lead organization that will coordinate grant activity and act as fiscal agent must be identified.

Eligible uses of funds for increasing institutional market access include:

Market Access and Development – e.g. coordination of or attendance at matchmaking events or trade shows, subsidizing samples or transportation costs during the start-up phase, consumer education, web platform development

Planning – e.g. feasibility studies, processor enterprise analysis

Infrastructure Development – e.g. capital improvements, equipment purchases

Match requirements: All applicants must demonstrate matching funds representing 50% of total project costs. For instance, for a $10,000 project, applicants must demonstrate $5,000 in match on a $5,000 grant request.

Eligible match sources can include: your own capital, outside investment capital, grants from private or public sources. The matching funds must be directed to the same project for which you are requesting grant funds. Up to 100% of match support can come in the form of in-kind time and services related to the institutional market development activities.

Contact me for the full application if you are eligible.

Sign up now.

Whether you are a farmer, technical or business service provider, supplier, or a fan of farmers you don't want to miss the NH Women in Agriculture Conference coming to Manchester in February.

The keynote speaker is my friend, Dafna Michaelson, who will "knock the socks" off you with real stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Her keynote will include a supportive environment to grow business ideas that benefit community.

The conference doesn't stop with Dafna, it includes a farmer panel of three fantastic women that will share their experiences with starting and operating their businesses and how they connect to the land and their communities. Meet the panelists:

- Donna Ducharme, Snow Dragon Mountain Farm

- Mary Boucher, Boucher's Greenhouse

- Renee Cantara, New Roots Farm

Following that is the Value-Added panel with a group of entrepreneur panelists each owning and operating a value-added business. Meet the panelists:

- Jenny Chartier, Abigail's Bakery

- Jenny Taper, Via Lactea Farm

- Annette Lee, Throwback Brewery

The conference in on February 3, 2012 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Farm and Forest Expo at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Manchester.

For more information and to sign up click here

The business world is filled with predictions of trends for 2012 and here is my list of five trends. My list is focused on the northeast region of the United States. I think it is presumptuous for someone to state a trend will be the same across the globe, but regionally common trends can spot the globe so these may apply in other regions too.

Five Trends to Watch for 2012 in the Northeast

Foodsheds

Farmers and food producers will work towards establishing more foodsheds based on defined regions that supply fresh, nutrient rich food to the community. The collaboration of farmers, processors, distribution channels and marketers will bring efficiencies to the localvore market pushing "local" from a movement to the way shoppers think, act and buy everything from apples to zucchini.

Next Level Local

This will happen with increased education and awareness. Communications about such topics as the costs of the carbon footprint of an overseas shipment, the quality of life of small business growth in a community or the research and entrepreneur partnerships within local universities will increase. The ability for local economies to educate the greater consumer community of the effects on their spending and the new ideas being generated will result in conversations within family units to the value and impact of local patronage within their region moving local the the next level.

Disengagement of Electronic Social Networks

People are increasingly frustrated with the demand of their time and effort on the perceived social push to be active in multiple social network sites and are selectively disengaging. Businesses and organizations will begin to change their emerging media strategies from being everywhere to defining where their customers want them to be and where there is greater gain.

Non-profit Shifts

As increased pressure for services grow in 2012 and the growing number of non-profits emerge in the region, the ability to fundraise becomes even more difficult. Non-profits will look towards creative ways to gain greater financial stability by building revenue generating products and services to support their mission.

Environmental Consciousness

As the region experiences the affects of climate change, growing landfills and weakening environmental protections the level of concern will be heightened in 2012. Action will not come from businesses and governments but from individuals. People, many who have never been involved in the environment before, will join together regionally with the opportunities that benefit the environment whether it be through conservation, technology improvements, local ordinances or bringing skills to others to help specific issues.

So, there you go, the five trends that in my opinion we will see in the Northeast in 2012. What do you think? Agree or disagree? Let me know!

Thank you for reading and a Happy and Healthy 2012!

I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to you, the readers of this blog.

Your commitment to being a socially and environmentally conscious business leader is an inspiration. You are the reason I work to help people like yourself to be successful.

Thank you and have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

We have all likely been there, you have a fantastic product idea, you've told your friends and they all say, "I'd buy it." You're charged like a lightning bolt shooting to the ground, except you're not grounded (more about that in a moment). You run full-steam with the idea turning it into a reality with prototype designs, supply and manufacturing logistics and breakeven analysis. You're energized, it's ready for the marketplace you just need cash to set it flying.

You hear about crowdfunding and the success it can bring in creating the dream into a reality. You jump on it and the donations flow in as you watch your goal turn to accomplishment.

Boom!

The money is in and the orders are filled with the manufacturer. Except, what about the packaging, the shipping, the import logistics, the list of customers, the deliveries and what is going to happen next? You have been so focused on the immediate bolt that ran from the idea to the orders you haven't had time to think of the bigger questions. "What is Next?" is the big question because you are back to square one, a lack of money flow.

Remember that lightning bolt charging to the ground? Where to turn for financing will depend on where your feet are on the ground. Getting grounded requires a business plan, a plan that lays a path to profitability. I enjoy hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, but I won't venture out into the Whites without being prepared with a plan, same goes for a business. A plan walks you along the path to profitability which in business leads to:

1. Cultivating Strategic Thinking - A product without the business components; personnel, operations, marketing, selling, research and development, manufacturing and financing is just a fictitious widget case study in a higher education business book. Its lacks a life and movement where people combine their hands and minds and work together in a cohesive unit. Walking the path of developing a business plan takes you through the forest landscape where the integral ecology interacts. You explore the vernal pool that brings to life the song of the pickerel frog and you learn how the conifer helps prevent soil erosion and supplies wildlife habitat. A plan requires you to look at the big picture and the small details at the same time.

2. Spotting Potential Challenges - Along the path you identify internal and external threats that if left unidentified may kill your product before it reaches the masses. You look at regulations, patents and legal considerations and determine if bridges need to be built or will you have to bush whack to keep moving forward.

3. Uncovering Money Flows - Rocks and decaying tree limbs along a wooded path hide benefits to the forest cover. Lift up one of those rocks and underneath you may find an eastern red-back salamander whose diet helps keeps pesky insects in line. Just as finding a beneficial under a rock you can uncover methods and funding sources to keep the needed money flowing into your business. Conducting an analysis such as breakeven, needed capital and liquidity helps establish the funding, marketing and sales strategies. Answering questions about how much is needed, how will financial operations be controlled, how much working capital is required, what budgets need to be developed and how will you maintain cash flow and liquidity.

4. Illuminating Customers - Lighting up a customer with a new product can be fairly easy if it's a flashy new tech gadget. Keeping the light shining requires mapping out the course and identifying the supplies you need to make the journey. You determine whom and where the customers are and what buying patterns they tend towards. You learn how they will get to know you and interact with you and what they want next from you. You are prepared to keep going after the initial bolt of energy. It is all outlined in the business plan.

Many people look towards the quick financial fix, the miracle magic oil that propels their product into a high demand, record selling, vogue item. A quick fix doesn't last and when you come down from the high you may find yourself alone with empty pockets. Funding for the long-term requires back to the basics planning that sets the course to profitability. If you are lost in the woods with just a caffeinated drink and no water, map or compass to find the way out you will likely require emergency assistance. A business plan will help you understand the bio-region your business lives in and the funding sources to get it funded. The funders will have greater confidence in the business when they know you have the information and analysis done with an outline of your path.

Question: Why do you think so many good people go for the quick fix? Leave a comment below or connect on twitter or Facebook.

Thanks for reading and commenting.

p.s. Need some hands-on, individual help with planning, connect confidentially here.

Changing your physical perspective can have a profound impact on your thoughts and creativity. Try taking a couple of hour's worth of work with you and sit outside away from major distractions such as traffic or construction noise. If possible leave your phone in the office. You will be amazed at what you will accomplish.

Now, get outside and create.