- Who Needs to Know Your Succession Plan? – Part Two
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written on October 10, 2011
by Chris Cooper
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Succession Planning
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Many business owners struggle with to what extent to share their plans, and who to share them with, regarding exiting their business. Maintaining a high level of secrecy is often viewed as an integral component of planning, and in many cases is the right course of action. On the other hand, it is a common observation regarding human nature that rumor and innuendo will soon fill a vacuum of little or no information. The effect of false rumors and misunderstandings on a small business can be catastrophic.
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- Lessons about Fear on the Zip Line
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written on October 07, 2011
by Betsy B Muller
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Personal Evolution
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On September 4, 2011 I clearly realized that I was in the middle of an irrational fear response. Legs shaking and brain scrambled, all evidence said I was safe, yet my body was telling me otherwise.
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- Multiple Franchise Locations
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written on October 07, 2011
by Marlene Herman
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Owning a Franchise
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Most prospective franchisees open one location and only aspire to add locations by region and/or state but there are advantages to owning multiple stores.
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- It's Not About You
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written on October 04, 2011
by Nikki Evans
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Marketing 101
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When you’re trying to convince people to purchase your products or services, you must focus on them, not on you and your products or services.
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- Swim with the Sharks
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written on October 04, 2011
by Administrator One
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SME Cleveland
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Shark Tank executive Daymond John, founder of FUBU sportswear, will share his ‘shark points’ for getting ahead in business and life at the COSE Small Business Conference, October 19-20.
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- Who Needs to Know Your Succession Plan? – Part One
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written on September 30, 2011
by Chris Cooper
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Succession Planning
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Once again Apple is in the news regarding its succession strategy for (now former) CEO Steve Jobs. The impact of his health issues on Apple as an ongoing, successful business have been reported elsewhere (and everywhere), so I won’t go into a lot of detail here. What I wish to focus on is the commotion that occurred a few months ago when some larger Apple shareholders questioned the extent of the company’s plans for replacing Jobs should he need to step down. After all, these major shareholders stood to lose a lot of money should a hurried exit of the brains behind Apple occur. It would be hard not to see their concerns as legitimate.
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- Where do you network?
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written on September 30, 2011
by Phil Stella
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Networking Strategies
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'Where are some good places to network?’ As MindSpring Networking Strategies Expert, I get that question a lot. It’s very difficult to answer, especially briefly. The long answer involves a lot of work asking several other questions first.
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- Emotional Branding Campaigns
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written on September 29, 2011
by Jason Therrien
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Branding
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One of the most important ways a brand comes to life is the way it impacts the lives of its customers.
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- Has your network had a check-up recently
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written on September 29, 2011
by Ryan Shorts
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Business Technology
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It’s one of the words you hear all the time, but what it actually means is still a mystery. So what is server virtualization? Virtualization is a technology, mainly software, which allows a single piece of hardware to host multiple servers.
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- Benchmarking Collection Performance
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written on September 27, 2011
by John Doucette
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Receivables Management
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As a business owner you need to know if your business is healthy. You monitor sales, cash flow and profitability, of course, but what about other financial and operational metrics? Following are some benchmarks for assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of your commercial collection activities.
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- 2011 CIO Symposium - Innovative Uses of New Technologies
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written on September 22, 2011
by Brad Nellis
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NEOSA- The COSE Technology Network
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Oftentimes, technology is deployed in the enterprise to help improve efficiencies and cut costs. Both of these results are admirable and certainly worthwhile. However, as technological improvements, enhancements, and new products come faster and faster, it's important to recognize top-line opportunities are also available.
This session will feature presentations by CIOs, IT executives and technology companies sharing their real-world experiences innovatively deploying "new" technologies to help grow their businesses. Panelists: John O'Neill Sr., CIO – Molded Fiber Glass, Darin Haines, Group President – MCPc, Chris Anderson, CIO – Schumacher Homes.
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- 2011 CIO Symposium - Data, Data, Data
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written on September 22, 2011
by Brad Nellis
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NEOSA- The COSE Technology Network
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What is data and what is information? Software and systems are rife with opportunities to generate reams and reams of data. So much that at times it's easy to suffer from information overload. How do you ensure your organization is collecting the right data and more importantly, how do you ensure that information is used to make better business decisions?
Our panel of seasoned executives will share their stories on deploying systems, tools and processes that led to quantifiable better decision making by their companies. Panelists: Jennifer Spielvogel, VP-Tri-C, Christine Rouse, CEO – Incisive Analytics, Rick Hawkins, Director – Target Systems, The Timken Company.
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- 2011 CIO Symposium - Social Media for the Enterprise
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written on September 22, 2011
by Brad Nellis
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NEOSA- The COSE Technology Network
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The landscape for social media and social networking is changing as quickly as any technology currently in the market. Facebook (for business), Twitter, LinkedIn, and other tools can be used for communication and collaboration, not just with your own team, and not just with your clients, but among your clients too.
Learn how your peers are leveraging social networking tools to build communities of staff and clients to get better connected, grow your company and tap directly in to your client's mindset. Panelists: Lance Hill, CEO – Within3, Jim Despres, Regional Manager – Google Enterprise, Tim Zonca, Director of Product Marketing, Jive Software.
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- 2011 CIO Symposium - IT as an Innovator
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written on September 22, 2011
by Brad Nellis
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NEOSA- The COSE Technology Network
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Innovate: to introduce something new; make changes in anything established. Technology changes so rapidly, that the status quo is definitely not an option. While "the IT department" is often viewed as a support function of the organization, more and more opportunities are arising for IT to be the innovation leader in the company. From deploying new software to integrating leading edge hardware to unleashing creativity, IT can lead the way to a robust innovation environment.
Our panelists will share their insight into how they successfully changed the mindset about IT at their company and how they've led their organization to be truly innovative. Panelists: Jim Sage, CIO-The University of Akron, Doug Wenger, CIO-Omnova Solutions, Richard Hutchinson, Progressive Insurance.
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- 2011 CIO Symposium - Luncheon Keynote - Wolfpack Leadership for IT Executives
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written on September 22, 2011
by Brad Nellis
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NEOSA- The COSE Technology Network
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Mark Adams, an NCAA coach and noted program turnaround specialist, now regularly brings his inspirational insight to leaders across the country. A regular fixture on ESPN broadcasts originating across the country, Mark is a resident of Springsboro, OH. We’re delighted that we have Mark in our state long enough to meet with us – he’ll be at the CIO Symposium before and after his presentation to meet with attendees.
Mark has prepared a special presentation for the CIO Symposium audience: Wolfpack Leadership for Technology Leaders. The distinctive howl of the leader, the thrill (and the danger) of the chase, and critical keys to the long term success of a sometime cooperative, sometime hostile pack — sound interesting? Sound relevant?
We think so, too.
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- 2011 CIO Symposium - A View to the Near Future
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written on September 22, 2011
by Brad Nellis
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NEOSA- The COSE Technology Network
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As the pace of advances in technology continues to quicken, leveraging new technologies can be a challenge as well as an opportunity. Advances in mobile technologies, open source applications, collaboration platforms and more provide IT executives with wide-ranging tools to foster IT innovation in the enterprise.
But what are prominent technologies being deployed or coming on the horizon? And how are CIOs innovating in their organization with new technologies?
This opening session features successful CIOs and prominent vendors sharing their vision of "the near future". Confirmed panelists include Bill Blausey, CIO-Eaton Corporation; Greg Kall, CIO-Summa Health Systems; Jim DesPres, Regional Manager, Google Enterprise; and Terry Quinn, District Sales Manager, Hewlett-Packard.
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- 2011 CIO Symposium - Evolution of the CIO
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written on September 22, 2011
by Brad Nellis
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NEOSA- The COSE Technology Network
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The evolving role of the CIO has been recounted for years, from keeping the servers running to managing email to minimizing software costs to incorporating new technologies and on and on. Now more than ever, the role of the CIO is evolving into even more of a business partner role. In fact, Harvard Business Review paints a new look for the CIO: Chief Infrastructure Officer, Chief Integration Officer, Chief Intelligence Officer, and Chief Innovation Officer.
This session will explore how CIOs are managing these disparate facets of their position to maximize the impact of information technology on their organization. Panelists: Leslie Pochaukas, CIO-Electronic Merchant Systems, Bob Gerardi, CIO-RSM McGladrey, Bruce Michelson, National Lifecycle Manager-Hewlett-Packard, Paul Stefunek , CEO-Paul-Lawrence Associates.
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- 2011 CIO Symposium - Afternoon Keynote - Impacts of Next Gen Mobile Technology
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written on September 22, 2011
by Brad Nellis
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NEOSA- The COSE Technology Network
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No doubt, you and other IT executives find it challenging to manage mobile data, devices and applications in your organization. But how about the challenge of doing all that— plus helping to chart the direction of mobile data, devices and applications for over 100 million wireless enterprise and consumer customers? Those customers and their rapidly evolving needs, requirements and whims are the responsibility of the Verizon Wireless executive CIO team.
Joining us from the Basking Ridge, NJ world headquarters of Verizon Wireless will be Rajeev Chandrasekharan, the Vice President of IT for Verizon Wireless-Midwest Area. This senior IT executive brings to Cleveland a perspective gained during more than 18 years of IT leadership, a decade of which comes in the wireless and customer service space.
Rajeev will draw from his own history in order to illustrate when experience can be used to help drive leadership behavior, and when leaders instead need to rely on vision, lessons from other industries as well as the power of instinct.
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- Reach for the Bread and Butter
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written on September 20, 2011
by Diane Helbig
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Relationship Selling Strategies
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As salespeople we tend to have this belief that we should strive to catch the biggest companies as clients. We think about the prestige and the feeling that we’ve ‘made it.’
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- Onboarding and a Whole Lot More
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written on September 20, 2011
by Steve Krisfalusy
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Recruitment and Safe Hiring Practices
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People! Helping them and your business succeed. When the economy gets tougher, more people issues tend to appear. Whether that is for existing staff or new hires. Most business owners are experts at what drives the business. Too often they are not experts at interviewing and coaching people. In these economic times hiring and keeping good people are critical. We will share some tips based on our 20+ years of interviewing, recruiting/staffing and coaching experience with thousands of people.
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- 5 Ways to Maximize Your Brand with Energy Awareness
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written on September 13, 2011
by Betsy B Muller
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Branding
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Much has been written about branding as the means by which a business identifies itself, sets itself apart and creates a memorable impression upon the market it serves. On the most basic level, most people think of a brand from a purely visual form in terms of design, color, logo, printed items and other elements such as a clean, attractive place of business.
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- Language Barriers in the Workplace
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written on September 12, 2011
by Tameka Taylor
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Diversity Awareness and Education
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More and more foreign born workers are becoming a part of our working community. Also, this is becoming a focus here in Northeast Ohio as the Global Cleveland Initiative has been launched.
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- Proactive Public Relations Planning
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written on September 09, 2011
by Katherine Bulava
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Public Relations
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I’ve often been asked by overworked non-profit and small business people how they can take advantage of the public relations opportunities that they feel are consistently passing them by. The answer is proactive planning. The planning process itself will take time and a good deal of work, but once you have a system in place, you will be set up to capture those PR opportunities as they arise.
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- Are you the housekeepers? A stereotype at work...
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written on September 08, 2011
by Tameka Taylor
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Diversity Awareness and Education
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Recently, my business partner, Ruth E. Ramos Clifford, and I were recently traveling for work and stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast. We had gotten dressed and were wearing our organization uniform: polos and black pants. We had come downstairs and were sitting at a table for breakfast.
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- The Impact of Stereotypes on Business Owners
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written on September 07, 2011
by Tameka Taylor
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Diversity Awareness and Education
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As business owners, stereotypes impact our businesses. Stereotypes are making generalizations about a group of people and saying that all people that belong to that group behave the same way.
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