KikScore Says Goodbye to Windy, a One of a Kind Horse – RIP

Part of the KikScore family yesterday lost a wonderful horse, named Windy.  After nearly 30 years eating, playing, trotting, bringing a lot of joy to many people’s lives and making lots of friends with so many horses at his home at Missing Maple Farm in Centreville, Virginia, Windy moved on.  I could have easily disliked Windy because he came from Pittsburgh, and as many people know since I am from Cleveland I generally have a dislike for all things Pittsburgh (except from wife who happens to be from there!).  We moved Windy up from just outside of Pittsburgh around 2002 where he had been living on my wife’s mom’s farm since my wife was 11 years old!  Windy immediately liked his new surroundings on Missing Maple Farm where the owners Vickie and Frank showered Windy with huge amounts of love and gave Windy dozens of new horse friends to meet, hang out with on literally dozens of acres of gorgeous land that bordered historic Civil War battle fields.

One of my favorite stories about Windy was actually a story about how clueless I can be at times.  I have to try to set the scene for you.  Imagine a beautiful wintery, Saturday afternoon where there was probably 3 inches of snow on the ground.  My wife and I had gone out to one of the far fields at Missing Maple where all you are surrounded by are the vast rolling Virginia hills. There was a mass of trees off in the distance that bordered the outer boundary of the multi-acre farm.  The wind was cool but the air was not super cold.  It was really nice as you could see for miles and the field all around us were dotted with other horses and bails of hay.  In the distance well behind us was the owner’s farm where we had parked.

So after walking a considerable distance through these rolling fields, my wife, Rebecca, went off  find Windy to feed him his favorite treats which consisted of a bag of carrots, a few apples and some sugar cubes.  (If we all could just eat so simply!).  There she was walking through the field as I stayed some distance behind her.  What was I doing?  To set the stage, this was back when I was working at my old law firm job and 24/7 work was just something we unfortunately did.  So I was doing the Blackberry death march through the field.  You know that, look down at your Blackberry tap a few keys, look up to make sure you dont step into a pile of horse manure, walk a bit more, bury yourself in the latest email and respond because it is just “so urgent.”  As I spent the next 10 minutes reading, typing, looking up for a second, returning to reading, typing, cursing the client (or my boss!), narrowly avoiding stepping in some fresh steaming droppings, typing some more I was in a world far from that snowy, beautiful farm.

I can not really now remember why, but for some reason I suddenly stopped in the middle of this snowy field, where all I was surrounded by was a few horses, some wood fencing that separated the fields from the trees and just acres of space and quiet. I looked up from my Blackberry.  There I could see my wife off in the distance feeding Windy his carrots and the last remnants of those apples.  You could tell from his face and how he was jumping around softly in the snowy field that he was so excited for the sugar cubes that were coming for dessert.  Windy was just so so happy eating away and all I could think was here I am buried in my Blackberry and I was missing this amazingly cool moment out here in the snow, deep in nature and so far from my law firm’s office that had me sucked into a Blackberry instead!

So Windy, thanks so much for making me realize I have to put that darn Blackberry (and now Iphone) down and take in these special moments!  You brought such special happiness to our family….when you were not trying to toss my wife out of the saddle, and we will all miss you.

Keep trotting Windy!  Make sure you now go see Blue from Old School because I am sure he will want to take a ride with you. We also want to thank Frank and Vickie for doing such a wonderful and amazing job taking care of Windy throughout the years.  We will never forget that and it is so appreciated. If anyone has a horse that needs bordered in the DC/VA/MD area, check out Missing Maple Farm.

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Business Lessons From The Wire

As a die-hard Sopranos fan, I resisted getting to involved into another t.v. crime drama.  So I’ve been avoiding watching The Wire for the past 8 years.  Not because I didn’t think it would be good, but because I knew it would be.  The last thing I needed was another drawn out man-soap-opera that sucks away my time.  Of course this past Saturday, with nothing good on my DVR, I got hooked.  But I noticed an interesting thing about the show — it’s mostly about small business.

Ok, the small businesses involved are necessarily legitimate or savory, but that doesn’t mean lessons can’t be learned.  If you think about it, the fact that the Barksdale gang is being constantly pursued/monitored by the police makes their success even more impressive.  If you’re running a legitimate business, all you have to worry about is the marketplace and your competition undercutting you.  The Wire entrepreneurs had to face the prospect of being wiped out (literally) by other gangs (Omar included) and/or going to prison.  Now they really didn’t have to worry about a market, as they were selling drugs to junkies, but still it’s impressive.  Now what are the actual business lessons?  I see a few of them:

1.  Clear Roles:  While flexibility is good, with lean operations, it’s also important that everyone on the team knows what they are supposed to do.  You never see a street-peddler trying to figure out what his job is.  He’s there to sell drugs to the entire neighborhood.

2.  Nothing Beats Face-To-Face Communications:  The Barksdale Crew stayed off their cell phones and resorted to pagers.  But most of the real conversations about business were done in person.  Of course it was done to avoid being tracked by the police, but the practice still seems to be a good one.  Take the time to talk with your employees/partners in person.

3. Ride out The Bad Times: Just because you’ve been convicted and sentenced to jail doesn’t mean you should give up.  Not universally applicable, but for some of this, this is great advice.  Seriously, though, business may be down at a given moment, but if you keep working on the product and marketing, good things are bound to happen.

Of course, if I’m missing any other vital business lessons, please feel free to let me know.

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Small Business Interview with Kimberley Stewart from OnBoard Outfitters

Kimberley Stewart with OnBoard Outfitters took some time to share some small business tips with us including her thoughts on website development, corporate vision, getting venture capital funding, and Matthew McConaughey (what else!).  Onboard Outfitters specializes in making comfortable baby carriers that can be used in water or on land.

Tell us about OnBoard Outfitters and who you focus on serving?

OnBoard Outfitters designs products and accessories for the active lifestyle so you can get onboard with life!  We use performance fabrics to innovate and enhance the use of products that individuals and families use in their active, everyday lives.  We also develop fitness programs that utilize some of our products, to encourage families to be fit and active together, and to teach kids to love fitness at an early age.  Our products are made for all ages, in various markets such as juvenile products, sports/athletics, outdoor recreation, travel, health/fitness, and medical/therapeutic.

Our first product is the innovative SportsBabyTM infant carrier, the only dual water-land carrier on the market, made for active moms and dads who live life “on the go” and want to take baby everywhere with them:  in the pool, to the beach, camping and hiking, in the snow and rain, or just a walk in the park.  Moms swear to us that their babies don’t want to get out of the carrier – it’s so soft and comfortable.  And several parents tell us that it is their preferred carrier.  Dads love it because of its “engineered” design – “It’s not just a piece of cotton with shoulder straps.”  

How did you get your started selling online?

When I joined OnBoard in 2008, we created a new LLC and decided to sell the remaining inventory of our SportsBaby infant carrier (from my partner’s former LLC), while we prepared a business plan to obtain funding.  So, we needed a website to sell the carriers.  We have also reached out to several other online retailers who now also sell the SportsBaby.  OnBoard will not be a retailer to the public going forward.  We will sell via retail partners, such as small, independent retailers and boutiques, and larger mass merchandisers.  We will also have a limited B2B division to sell directly to practitioners.

Where will OnBoard Outfitters focus most of its energy in 2010?

Getting funding!  And developing our launch products and fitness programs.  We will also focus on building consumer awareness, sales, and brand loyalty.

If you had 2 lessons learned from your business that you could pass on to others about selling online, what are those?

1.  Spend the money to get a good website.  We went with a woman who did “websites for small businesses” but she really wasn’t experienced in sites with a retail/shopping cart component.  So, the site looked okay on the surface, but I later learned that she had used very amateur programming on the back end, making it enormously difficult for another web programmer to make changes.  This also limited our SEO.  And she chose archaic shopping cart software, which also limits us in being able to calculate international shipping, for example.

2.  Have a reliable customer service and fulfillment system in place.  You have to be able to ship within 24 hours of receiving the order.  With a new company and product, you can’t afford to alienate any customers with bad service.  Once, a woman from Ohio called me, wanting to buy a carrier for her daughter.  She said she had tried to apply a promotional discount to her order online but couldn’t get it to work, so I gave her our Friends and Family discount, which was a greater discount.  I didn’t have the capability to process her order and credit card over the phone, so I trusted her word that she would mail me a check that day, and I shipped the carrier to her.  I did whatever was required to give her a positive shopping experience with OnBoard Outfitters and the SportsBaby carrier.

As 2009 closes, what do you see as 2 new trends in your business this year?

We haven’t been in business long enough, or had enough sales, to see a trend, but we are now finding other sites that focus on active parents and outdoor living with kids, so we are gaining a lot of attention with these sites, and finding people who “catch our vision” of sporty, fun products for infants and parents.

Overall, the fitness/health industry and the juvenile products industry have remained strong in spite of the weak economy, so we think this will help us be competitive and see some growth in the next few years.

If your business/store could be any movie or movie character, what movie/movie character would it be and why?

Let’s see . . . If OnBoard Outfitters were a movie, we’d be a cross between “Baby Boom” (Diane Keaton) and “Gracie.”  “Baby Boom” is, at the highest level, about a woman (we’re two women) who saw a need in the baby market and created a solution.  “Gracie” is a film about a young girl who loves to play soccer, and pushes to get other girls involved in the game.  Both films also express the theme of not letting anyone tell you that you can’t do something – anything is possible with some effort and vision! 

OnBoard’s underlying goal is to help combat childhood obesity by getting kids involved in fitness at a young age – even as infants – and to exercise with their parents so family fitness becomes a way of life and a fun way to spend time together.

If OnBoard Outfitters could have a dream spokesperson for your company who would it be and why?

Based on our current SportsBaby product, our dream MALE spokesperson would be Matthew McConaughey.  He is the epitome of a cool sports-loving dad, who lives on Malibu beach and sports his baby around.

Our dream FEMALE spokesperson would be Kathy Ireland.  She is an amazingly successful female entrepreneur, mom, and a dedicated spokesperson for families and family fitness.

How do the folks at OnBoard Outfitters let loose after a busy day working?

My business partner, Lisa LaBelle, is the fitness expert, so she’ll do something like run a marathon.  I eat chocolate.  All day long.

Do you have any parting thoughts for our readers and the small business community?

Starting a business is hard work, and requires a clear vision and plan of how to move from point A to point B to point C.  Get good, seasoned advisors on your team to guide you and also open doors for you.  Spend time at your local Small Business Community Development Center for free advice (or for a nominal fee) on all aspects of business development.  And network like crazy!

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Why PowerPoint is Destroying Business

I know this phrase has jumped the shark, but the use of PowerPoint has officially jumped the shark.  Don’t get me wrong, PowerPoint is a very useful tool, but I think we’re now addicted to its use.  In my day job, you can’t have a simple meeting with out putting together a “deck”.  And sometimes, and I’m not kidding about this, we do a summary “deck” of other “decks” we’ve reviewed in the past.  There are also education PowerPoint presentations that teach you the latest in presentation tips.  In my mind, this over-reliance on bullet point communication is destroying business communication.  How?  Let me explain in the following bullet points:

• Encouraging Business ADD: First thing you do when you’re in a meeting and you receive a powerpoint print out.  Due you walk through each page, as intended by the presenter (who has taken a lot of time preparing for the meeting)?  Nope.  You flip ahead and start focusing on anything other than what you’re supposed to be.  And you have way too much time to review a summary slide, figuring out a very specific question that shouldn’t be included on a big-picture slide.
• Style Over Substance:  Instead of working on the actual message, you spend hours trying to determine which is more persuasive — a circle graphic or a pyramid graphic.  In one of my last presentations, the only question I received was on my color selection. Never mind the actual work product…they didn’t like the use of light green.
• How to Create a Damn Pyramid:  Ok.  It’s clear, that a pyramid shape best conveys what your point.  The only question is how in the hell do I create a Pyramid graphic?  I know there is the “Smart Art” tool, but it only insures that the presentation looks like every other corporate deck created by someone that doesn’t know how to do a presentation.
• Squeezing Complicated Concepts into a Bullet-Point:  You’ve got that wonderfully persuasive Pyramid graphic.  Unfortunately, you don’t want to include all the relevant information, because it doesn’t fit well into the slide.  So what do you do?  See the next problem.
• Slide Pride:  When you have a beautiful slide and you don’t want to burden it with content, you…create another slide.  This relates to the college equivalent of “feels like an A” syndrome.  If you have 40 slides, it must be thorough.  You know you have a real problem when you create an Appendix — a place to store all of the slides you’ve created but can’t really find the right place to include them.

Am I alone in hating the overuse of PowerPoint?  Let me know.

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Small Business Interview with History In Action Toy's Sterling Ashby

We met Sterling Ashby at the KikScore sponsored Social Commerce Camp DC and he has a very intriguing story that any small business would be interested in hearing.  Sterling is a lawyer by trade (like a couple of us at KikScore), but his real passion is his business that sells children’s toys that are based on real-life American heroes. Using real heroes from history, Sterling has created a series of action figures for children that are fun, can be positive role models, and whose real-life stories awaken both a child’s imagination and appeal to the kid within us all. History in Action Toys was born from this.  He now sells these highly popular action figures online at www.hiatoys.com. I can tell you when my two month old gets a little bigger, I am buying some action figures from Sterling’s site!

In this 5 minute small business video interview of Sterling, we cover a wide range of issues including:

1) the challenges of having a business online;

2) crowdsourcing  marketing and ideas;

3) building buzz on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels for your  online store and business;

4) a few of the tips that Sterling learned from Social Commerce Camp; and

5) a few examples of real life heroes that Sterling now offers as action figures at HIA Toys that the community should check out.

Please tell us your thoughts on this interview in the comments section below.

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Today, Even Hermits Engage in Social Media

Last night I went out with a couple that I would best describe as “my wife’s friends”.  This is a completely different blog topic, but have you ever noticed how rare it is that you and your partner like the same people?  It’s pretty universal that if you like someone, your significant other will not.  And what about an entire couple?  You’re more likely to win the Powerball.

To protect the identity of  the offensive couple, I’ll call them Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Brown (or DB and Mrs. DB for short…take a moment…yes, that was intentional).  So, this couple spent the entire dinner talking about how technology obsessed Americans are and that we really don’t need to be so connected.  That’s why they spent the last 6 months sailing…away from the trappings of modern society.  It went on and on.  Three drinks into the evening, after DB made snide remarks about the need for iPhones, DVRs, and steady work, I was done.  Unfortunately, the waiter decided to take a 30 minutes smoke break. 

Luckily the delay happened as it led to my favorite moment (only favorite moment) of the evening.  Here’s the set up.  In discussing the isolated places where they sailed (the DBs were in places where there wasn’t daily mail delivery!) they noted that they used a cell phone to call for a new engine and had to wait a week.  Ah-HA…cell phone is technology!  Then they drifted into the lack of internet coverage, and how it was hard to update their website and blogs (blogs…multiple blogs) in certain areas. 

I did my best to not “spike the football” about the need for these young idealists’ need to have a blog, but I didn’t resist that well.  Let’s just say the evening didn’t end with an attempt to set up another dinner.  Oh well.  That said, I did think it was very telling that an aspiring hermit need to have Internet access on his sabbatical and then to blog on multiple blogs to let the world know how isolated he was.

Please tell us about any other hypocritical stances you’ve encountered…or if you too have had dinner with DBs.

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A Small Business Interview with Mark Sarpa from Frecklebox

Mark Sarpa from Frecklebox took a few minutes out of his busy day to share his thoughts on focused marketing, Dr. Seuss books, and what makes him passionate about what he does everyday. Mark is the CEO of Frecklebox.com, a small business that sells personalized gifts for children.

Tell us about Frecklebox and who you focus on serving?

We are focused on parents and grandparents with children between the ages of one and 10.

How did you get your started selling online?

We are part of a digital printing company which was looking to diversify its business from the fine stationery and corporate marketplace. We had the tools and developed the products to take advantage of what we do well for others.

Where will Frecklebox focus most of its energy in 2010?

Growing the market will be our primary focus in 2010 and we plan on adding more books and additional products in the children’s educational marketplace.

If you had 2 lessons learned from your business that you could pass on to others about selling online, what are those?

The first lesson would be to study more marketing. We think we have great products but sometimes it is tough (and can be expensive) to get your message out there. The second lesson would be to focus on a specific marketplace. I believe the more focused you are the more successful you will be.

What do you see as 2 new trends in your business this year?

The first trend would be more competitors (which is a good thing). Our market is fairly new and still small. As more competitors enter there will be growth for us all. The second trend would be more powerful customization tools. Later in the year we hope to add much more sophisticated tools where people can actually edit the story.

If your business/store could be any movie or movie character, what movie/movie character would it be and why?

That is a tough question. I would say Aladdin because he started out as a street urchin and became a prince. Not to say that a corporate printing company is a low form but if we can transform into a company which changes children’s lives I would think we might have become a prince.

If Frecklebox could have a dream spokesperson for your company who would it be and why?

It would have to be Dr Seuss. He was a pioneer in children’s books and paved the way for the rest of us in the children’s book market. Our HipHopHowie book was actually modeled after many of the Dr Seuss classics.

How do the folks at Frecklebox let loose after a busy day working?

All of us have families so playing with children and making them do their homework makes up our wild and crazy nights.

Do you have any parting thoughts for our readers and the small business community?

In my opinion the most important ingredient in a business’s success is the passion of the person or people running it. When I receive an email from someone that thanks me for helping their child learn how to spell their name it gives me that warm feeling that we all strive for and makes me passionate about bringing better things to the market to make children and parents smile.

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Running a Business is Tough, But It Could be Worse, We Could be Olympic Curlers

As the t.v. ratings indicate, U.S. audiences are caught up in Olympic fever.  I’m not exactly sure why this Olympics is so different than the Torino games in 2006.  It may be due to the fact that these Olympics are in North America and we can, generally, watch the events as they happen (not on tape delay).  I really think it’s because the U.S. is actually winning.  If we had a guy who could ski and shoot well, I guarantee that the biathlon would be a national craze.  I’m not saying this because I’m any different…I’ve never cared so much about hockey until the U.S. was playing for gold (hockey to me really is soccer on ice, and soccer is boring on grass). 

But unlike hockey players (who are professionals and merely taking a two-week Olympic vacation), and Shaun White (who is a millionaire and video game inspiration), most of the Olympic athletes work a patch-work lower paying jobs that provide them flexibility so they can train during the 3 years and 50 weeks they aren’t competing for medals. Take a member of the U.S. Curling team as an example.  According to a recent CNN article, it costs $150,000/year just to train for qualifying events.  They must use all their vacation time (and additional non-paid time) to travel to events…and oh yes, they have to train 5 hours a day.  The only upside in being an Olympic Curler is that it appears to be an in-demand activity for Wall Street traders(so they may have a future career in providing outrageously expensive lessons to overpaid quants).

All of this comes down to a point…I swear.  For entrepreneurs and small business owners, the passion is creating and growing a business.  Overtime, the business grows or at the very least the owner gains valuable business experience for the next venture.  But an Olympic Curler, after 4 years and thousands of dollars is left with little media coverage, no endorsements, and, if it’s the US team, no real shot at a medal.  That’s commitment.

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KikScore interviews Virna Lisa, creator of RedBud Body Care

Virna Lisa , shares with KikScore the history of RedBud Body Care and her unique approach to small business. Virna is truly an inspiration not only to women in business but more importantly to the inner strength of women overall!

Redbud Body Care was named after the Eastern Redbud Tree found in North America. The uniqueness of this Tree is how the flower buds shoot directly from the bark. The flowers are also edible and contain health enriching anti-oxidants.

1. Tell us about RedBud Beauty and who you focus on serving?

Our philosophy is based on the Ayurvedic principle that whatever we put on our skin should be good enough to eat. In addition to the freshness of the product we take into account that every one’s constitutions and predispositions are drawn towards particular scents and textures. RedBud Body Care respects the truth that nature provides us with all that we need to stay in healthy rhythms with ourselves and the world around us.
In support of eco awareness and upholding standards that sustain our planet, we use organic ingredients, glass containers, recycle and compost our soil enriching ingredients.
This product is good for everyone. Take into account that some people have allergies to certain flowers and herbs.  First do a test patch on the inside of your wrist before using.

2. How did you get started selling RedBud Beauty products online?

The business was first introduced on Shustir.com and then posted on a partnering website that sells products to Yoga Studios, Spas and Yogi’s & Yogini’s.  We are already selling our products in a few venues right now that were generated through Redbud Body Care directly.

3. Where will RedBud Beauty focus most of its energy in 2010?

Our focus is getting the name Redbud Body Care out to the public via the internet since so many folks do their shopping online.  We would like to have the product out regionally and then move to a national market.  Redbud Body Care is also working with Eco Yoga (TM) which is another business I own.  Yoga & Ayurveda are sister sciences so the businesses dovetail nicely.

4. If you had 2 lessons learned from your business that you could pass on to others about selling online, what are those?

Being in business for yourself can get daunting, I always try to remember to do nice things for myself, like walks out in nature, warm baths with yummy herbal infused oils (that RB sells) and spending time with people that believe in your mission.  Support in a new venture takes a lot of support.  Take advice from people that have been there before you and have something of value to add to the company.

5. As 2010 begins, what do you see as 2 new trends in your business this year?

The small business market has an incredible opportunity to make a mark for itself in this market.  Big business is struggling with their big budgets.  Creating handcrafted products that are of great value to the customer as well as the public at large is in demand.  People want to feel like they are getting their money’s worth.  I also think that the Green movement is finally to take the market by storm.  We have to take into consideration how we spend our money in the business so that it supports the market as well as the planet.

6. If your business/store could be any movie or movie character, what movie/movie character would it be and why?

This one is tricky since it’s still in its infancy stage.  I was once told by Horst Rechelbacher that a business is like a baby that needs to be nourished.  I am not sure what it is going to grow up and be.  I would want RB to grow up to be an inspiration for others a source of wisdom and leadership.  I’ll have to work on this vision and get back to you when it gets into the teen age.

7. If RedBud Beauty could have a token spokesperson for your company who would it be and why?

I would love to have Oprah be it’s spokesperson because she is a beacon of hope in my eyes.  She has overcome so many obstacles and has risen to incredible heights.  If I ever meet her I’d thank her for her leadership and tenacity.

8. Do you have any parting thoughts for our readers and the small business community?

To quote Hillel “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, than what I am? If not now, when?” We must believe in ourselves, love ourselves and try our best to live the dream we embody. Having said that I believe it’s important to have some kind of spiritual grounding that creates community as opposed to separating us.

Thanks again Virna and best of luck to RedBud Beauty!

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Social Commerce Camp DC Wrap-Up, Summary and Presentation Slides

Shashi B talking social media at KikScore's and Network Solutions Social Commerce Camp DC

Social Commerce Camp DC speakers and Sponsors Network Solutions, KikScore and MyBusinessAssistant

Last Saturday morning, KikScore, Network Solutions, and MyBusinessAssistant.com put on the first ever Social Commerce Camp DC at the downtown offices of Mayer Brown.  The event actually sold out after receiving considerable coverage in a number of places like  Techcocktail the Washington Examiner, WomenGrowBusinessand GrowSmartBusiness. More than 70 small businesses, social media enthusiasts and online sellers showed up for networking and learning.  The event featured three sessions from social media experts that included practical tips for using various social media tools, a real case study of social commerce success and great PR tips for small business. Pictures of the event, including the post-SCCDC Chipolte run, can be found here.

The morning got kicked off with some early networking, a great breakfast provided by the sponsors and everyone’s excitement about being in the absolutely gorgeous town hall conference room overlooking 19th Street.  After some introductory remarks, Network Solutions’ Shashi B got Social Commerce Camp DC going with his rousing, often funny and super useful Social Media 101 for Small Business. Check out Shashi’s slides below that cover a range of subjects on social media including the basics of a small business social media plan which are: 1) Set up Google Alerts about your business, industry and your own name; 2) Start participating in conversations; 3) Become a content publisher via Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, podcasts, Facebook etc 4) Claim you business on Yelp; 5) Encourage customers to review you and 6) Start using videos.

After a quick networking break, Steve Fisher and Mike Doughtery began the second session with an energetic and highly informative case study presentation on Creating a Killer Social Commerce Website Experience.  It featured the very interesting discussion of their launch and promotion of the movie Browncoats: Redemption. Steve and Mike got the audience engaged as they walked through the basic components of building a successful social commerce experience which are: 1) Social Shopping; 2) Ratings & Reviews; 3) Recommendations & Referrals; 4) Forums & Communities; 5) Social Media; and 6) Social advertising.

After setting the baseline for the audience of the basics of the social commerce experience, Mike highlighted how the Browncoats: Redemption experience used a 6 step strategy to create awareness and buzz around the movie.  The 6 steps were: 1)   Establish your goals; 2) Build the community; 3) Give them good content; 4) Get them involved; 5) Get them investing and 6) Share the success.  Check out their slides and the embedded video clips in them for more on the highly anticipated movie, their case study and these 6 steps:

The final session of the day featured the very highly regarded PR and social media specialist, Shonali Burke, who gave the attendees a great hands-on tutorial on PR Best Practices for Small Business. Shonali stressed that so much of PR today for small business is about relationships, presenting yourself in a consistent and presentable manner through your various online and offline channels.  The audience got great tips on tools to use to get to know their customers better with survey tools like Survey Monkey along with good press release tools like Pitch Engine.  Here are Shonali’s highly informative slides:

Some quick final thoughts.  We think it was a great first event and thank all of the participants and speakers.   Check out the hastag #sccdc on Twitter for the stream and conversation about the Social Commerce DC.  Lastly, look out as the next Social Commerce Camp will be in Denver later this spring.  In the meantime, we encourage all participants to keep up the good vibes and connect with each other! Also please check out the KikScore (SCCDC’s sponsor!) website out. We would love comments/feedback/thoughts on our new look and feel.  We encourage you to sign up for our service if you have a business online. Its completely free.  Try us out.

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