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Last weekend, we escaped for a time away, both to rest and celebrate (a week early) our wedding anniversary—seven years already! A few days of rest and fun can refresh, restore and result in a healthy new perspective. We highly recommend it and plan to get away more often.
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Dave relaxes by the pool |
 We sense that business owners need encouragement and effective new tools more than ever now. We planned our Fall Conference, Entrepreneurs Embracing Change—Tools for Tomorrow's Success Today to meet this need. We’re more and more excited as we hear what the speaker and workshop leaders plan to share that day.Click here to find out more about the conference and to save with the early bird price.
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Mark your calendar now for the next Make-it-Fly Café, on Thursday, August 27, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., at The Riverfront. Dave will hold a free 'Upside-Down Networking™' Clinic at 4 p.m.
Our very best regards,
Dave and Victoria |
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 Amy Graham, of Wayz to Wealth, LLC
Amy Graham loves small business—both running one and helping others. A full service business strategy development, bookkeeping and accounting firm, Wayz to Wealth opened its doors in 2006. “We specialize in assisting young businesses that need support and collaboration to develop the systems and networks they need to grow and become prosperous,” Amy says. “Sometimes this means helping to write a marketing action plan and sometimes it means doing the bookkeeping. Because all small businesses are so different they all require a different touch and that’s why we also started Whole Life University™. This classroom setting has something for individuals, teenagers, families and small business owners. We understand that a dream/work/life balance is the hardest perspective to keep. That’s where we come in.”
Q: What do you find most fulfilling
about running your business?
AG: I absolutely love seeing small business owners remember why they started their businesses in the dreaming/scheming days. I remember as a little girl my father would often talk about working for himself. Whenever I would ask why he didn’t have a boss, he would tell me all the things he was going to do for the world that a boss wouldn’t understand because it was all about the money. He never got that chance. Now I want to help others accomplish those things they dreamt about doing – and help them remember – it’s NEVER really about the money.
Q: What motivated you to start
this business?
AG: I started Whole Life University™ in particular because I worked with so many families, teens and entrepreneurs who were struggling with how to decide what they could afford to buy and who were living lifestyles they knew they couldn’t keep up with but couldn’t get out of. No matter how many books they read or how many workshops they attend, they can’t seem to make a lasting change. Those entrepreneurs were always one good client away from really being successful – right up to the day they took a job working for someone else. Those families were always going to start saving – tomorrow. And those teenagers were really going to BE somebody! I really believe Whole Life University has the answer because we listen to you. Our classes are deliberately very small so there’s time for you. There’s always time for your dreams, your schemes and your accountability.
Q: What book has been most helpful
to you in your business?
AG: It would be a three-way tie between The E-Myth Revisited (Michael E. Gerber)), Doing Business By the Good Book (David Steward & Robert Shook) and Make Your Contacts Count (Anne Barber & Lynne Waymon). They’re all really great books to help get you started and keep you going.
Q: Who has influenced you most
in your life?
AG: My father definitely influenced me the most. He was an incredible man. In 42 years of owning his own business, he never hid the ups and downs from us. He never shrank from competition and he never cheated a customer. His business was unusual (he grew hybrid trees from seedlings and owns the patent on the Bollman Red Aspen tree) but he never gave up. I believe I inherited his stubbornness, tenacity and, I truly hope, his compassion.
Q: What has proved to be your most
successful marketing strategy?
AG: I meet anyone and everyone who will have a cup of coffee with me! My coffee budget is enormous because I love coffee and coffeehouses, and I truly love to meet people. People fascinate me. I love hearing their stories and understanding their lives. I love to build relationships. When you really take the time to hear what people say and how they say it, the relationship naturally transitions to business because their hearts know you really care.
Q: What have been the greatest
challenges you have had to overcome, or are currently facing,
in your business?
AG: The classic ones – time and balance! Because I love to meet people so much I can get carried away networking and end up working very late into the night when other people are all sleeping. This tends to leave my husband and kids feeling a little lonely (and the laundry a little messy).
Q: How did you benefit from participating in a Make-it-Fly® board?
AG: I can’t even begin to thank Dave, Victoria and Make-it-Fly® enough for all they have meant to my business. The Advisory Board and now the Alumni Board have been an incredible resource for networking and for learning. The values and marketing exercises in the 101 board were a refreshing reminder of who and what I am, and the expertise of Dave Block and the other board members have provided a great sounding board. More than anything, the boards are a place to connect for entrepreneurs who have realized that when you work for yourself, your perspective gets skewed – and there’s no water cooler to stand around and readjust it.
Q:
What would you say to other business owners who are contemplating
getting involved in a Make-it-Fly® board?
AG: Do not hesitate! It will be absolutely the best money you’ve ever spent. When you do commit, make it a real, honest commitment to give it your all. You’ll never regret it.
Amy Graham can be reached by phone at: 303-594-7453, or visit her website at: www.WayzToWealth.com.
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Dave’s
Networking Nugget:
Give and receive graciously. In addition to helping others, ask for what you need and want. If you don’t, you’ll not only miss out yourself, but you’ll deprive others of the joy of giving to you. |
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 Turn Networking Upside-Down
By Victoria Munro
Everyone’s doing it: networking. Online and offline, people, especially business owners, are connecting. If you want to be successful as an entrepreneur, you’re likely spending time networking.
Seminars, webinars and workshops galore offer to help us Tweet, meet, make friends and connect online. It’s new and it’s changing at lightning speed. We need to learn, and there’s a lot to learn! The number of live, in-person networking events is also exploding, but there’s far less guidance available to help us successfully navigate our way around a roomful of peers. Perhaps we assume this traditional way of connecting just comes naturally. However, watching business owners networking today reveals that is not the case.
Really effective face-to-face networking can seem counterintuitive. After all, you want to build your business, so meeting as many influential people as possible and telling folks about what you offer and how it can help them feels like the natural thing to do—the best way to promote it. This logic is valid, but it doesn’t work, because people hate to be sold to.
Successful networking turns this thinking upside-down. Instead of attending a networking event to promote your business and find new customers, turn your focus to learning from and helping those you meet.
Getting to know people takes time and effort. Building friendships doesn’t happen over night, but people want to do business with those they know like and trust. Successful, long-term companies are built on genuine relationships of trust.
Avoid the Losing Strategy
Working a room by meeting people, talking about yourself, your products or services and handing out your business card, even if it wasn’t asked for. This is self-defeating—you’re shooting yourself in the foot. There’s a much better way, and it’s a lot more fun.
Apply the Winning Strategy
Meet people with a view to getting to know and help them. Ask questions and listen. Allow the other person to bask in the spotlight. Show genuine interest. Sincerity is key—it has to come from the heart. People can sense in a minute when you’re faking it. And never give out a business card unless you’re asked for one.
As you network, both on and offline, remember to turn the old way of thinking upside-down. Trade the accepted paradigm of promoting your business for a winning strategy. You’ll be rewarded personally, professionally and financially. After all, true friends are one of the greatest assets we can possess.
If you’re in the Denver Metro area, you can further hone your face-to-face networking skills and gain extra tips and tools by attending Dave’s 30-minute Networking Clinic before the next Make-it-Fly Café.
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Victoria’s
Marketing Advice
Maintain a Steady Sales Cycle
Make a habit of spending regular time each day or each week on marketing, even when you’re really busy and have plenty of sales. Block out ‘marketing time’ on your calendar and work at it faithfully. Consistent marketing will help to smooth out the cash flow roller coaster.
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|  If you haven't done so already, we encourage you sign up now on Sky-Place.com - Make-it-Fly's social networking site.
$350/month - Shared Space with IT Firm
(Arapahoe and University)
Space available in an office environment that includes up to four cubicles, a large conference room, good high-speed Internet/wireless, and a kitchen. The office space is across the street from the new Streets of South Glenn (Whole Foods, Best Buy, Macy's, Staples). People in this IT company work from home frequently so it can be very quiet.
Call Mark Nichols at 303-915-8998
mnichols@missioncriticalis.com
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 Rev
Networking
Up to 20 professionals, each representing one profession,
meet one on one at customized speed networking events, allowing
you the opportunity to have a five-minute conversation with
each participant to generate leads, referrals and business.
Rev Networking is not a group, as you will meet new professionals
every time and people that attend are serious about growing
their business by networking and power partnering with other
professionals.
Reservation only $68
Marilyn Manning 303-763-1865
marilyn@revnetworking.com
www.revnetworking.com
 The Riverfront specializes in well
crafted, richly satisfying occasions that balance
aesthetics, personality and party. The site is versatile, accommodating
groups from fifteen to five hundred. Features include: two dance
floors with professional sound and lighting, a fireplace nook,
three bars, outdoor patio, and gazebo. Our personal chef, custom
menus, and full suite of inclusions rank us paramount in our industry.
Call 303.865.8500
today
and schedule your holiday event!
www.riverfront-center.com
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In-Flight Refueling Ezine reaches more than 2,700
entrepreneurs, small-biz owners, consultants and marketers. Reserve
your advertising spot today in the next In-Flight Refueling
Ezine,
http://www.make-it-fly.com/ezineads.html.
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purchased, or obtained by you as a result of an offer in connection
with any ad. It's common sense to do your own due diligence before
purchasing any product.
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The
Make-it-Fly® Advisory Board 101
Each
Make-it-Fly® Advisory Board 101 program
consists of 12 non-competing business owners who meet once a month
for three consecutive months. In the spirit of giving, they offer
each other solutions, ideas, resources and encouragement. Dave
and Victoria facilitate each group and share powerful tools to
assist business owners in reaching their goals and living more
balanced lives.
If you have experienced a Make-it-Fly®
program, please share the following openings with other business
owners who need support. Call Dave for more information at 720-962-8888.
Programs are held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Next Advisory Board 101 in Denver:
- Fridays - September 18, October 16, November 20 and December 18
Note: This Advisory Board 101 will be three months long and will be the last of these boards starting in the Metro Denver area this year.
Click
here to sign up for Advisory
Boards.
Or call Dave at 720-962-8888.
Alumni
Boards are groups of 12-14 small business owners who have
participated in at least one Make-it-Fly® Advisory Board 101 and wish to continue the support and accountability
with a group of like-minded, giving business associates. Members
meet once a month for a three-hour meeting. If you completed the initial Make-it-Fly® Advisory Board 101 and are interested in more information on Alumni
Boards, call Dave at 720-962-8888.
Next
Café:
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2009
Time: 4:30 to
7:30 p.m.
Cost: $10 online, $15 at the door
Click
here to register now.
Location: The
Riverfront
2852 W. Bowles Ave., Littleton (One block west of Santa Fe)
Upside-Down Networking Clinic: given by Dave from 4 to 4:30 p.m.
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Contact
Make-it-Fly® - Dave and Victoria:
email: info@make-it-fly.com
voice: 720-962-8888
web: www.Make-it-Fly.com
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LLC
720-962-8888
355 South Teller Street, Suite 200, Lakewood, CO 80226, USA
http://www.make-it-fly.com
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