2011-5
10

First Watch Restaurants Expanding in South Florida

Category: BusinessNews | Tags: | No Comments

When I was in graduate school, it seemed there was never a moment when my friend Hope and I were both asleep at the same time. We were both working and studying throughout the day and night. And we would call each other and joke, “OK, I’m going to sleep — you keep watch.”

So of course I love the name of the Bradenton-based restaurants called First Watch, which are already in Jupiter, Boca Raton, and Sunrise. The restaurants serve breakfast, lunch, and brunch. Management team members are currently scouting new locations in Wellington and Weston, while also inviting franchise partners in Miami-Dade.

According to their website, employees can enjoy benefits including a 401K, tuition reimbursement, and (of course) “all your nights free.” And customers can enjoy complimentary newspapers and free Wi-Fi, all starting at 7:00 a.m.

To learn more about First Watch, click here: First Watch: The Daytime Cafe. They’re also featured in this week’s South Florida Business Journal.

2011-5
9

Kudos to Cisco for Accelerating Managerial Decisions

Category: Leadership | Tags: | No Comments

A classic textbook on Organizational Communication identifies a top theory of decision-making as the “garbage can model” because people at meetings are simply throwing out ideas and tossing them around, until a decision finally emerges. There’s rarely any kind of systematic process involved before a decision is finally made.

So kudos to Cisco for recently eliminating several layers of bureaucracy between regional managers and their own decisions. Discussions no longer need to take place within panels, councils, and other groups before a final verdict is handed down. Consequently, regional managers can make swifter decisions and take more immediate action on those decisions.

Executives often lament or even detest the agonizingly slow decision-making process taking place daily in corporations around the globe. As smaller, nimbler companies quickly respond to the latest data, larger companies tend to inch toward a course correction very slowly. Cisco is taking steps to change all that.

How fast does your business make decisions and act upon them?

2011-5
6

Friends for Cancer Research Hope to Fashion a Cure in Palm Beach

Category: Philanthropy/Society | Tags: | No Comments

On Saturday afternoon, 5/14/11, join doctors, nurses, journalists, cancer survivors, and other South Florida residents in the Grand Court of the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens for a high-energy fundraiser called “Fashioning a Cure.” Enjoy some hors d’oeuvres and wine while enjoying an amazing fashion show, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Kristin Hoke Breast Health Program at Jupiter Medical Center.

To read a full article about the event, see the TC Palm article Fashioning a Cure.

Tax-deductible tickets are $30 (or $50 for VIPs.) You can buy your tickets by calling 561-290-8843 or going to the Friends for Cancer Research (F4CR) site: www.F4CR.org.

2011-5
5

Event Strives to Reduce Unemployment in South Florida

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On Wednesday, 5/18/11, the Florida Income Fair is being held at the open grounds of the Swap Shop (3291 West Sunrise Boulevard) in Fort Lauderdale, with the goal of reducing local unemployment and stimulating small business growth. Attendees will have the opportunity to apply for over 500 open jobs, learn about funding opportunities for small businesses, and attend free workshops throughout the day on topics such as Low-Income Assistance and Housing. Raffle prizes also include computers, digital devices, and productivity tools.

Sponsors of the event include Barry University, Florida Career College, The Art Institutes, Novo Mundo Foundation, Beauty Schools of America, Everest University, DeVry University, and more. According to the official event website:

“The Florida Income Fair is a project inspired by concerned citizens, with experience in the fields of  business, academia, recruitment, and events planning. Our Mission is to find imaginative and effective ways to reduce unemployment in Florida by exploring different possibilities integrating the several options offered by our society. In doing so, we have the interests of the community, businesses and the individuals at heart. We represent, therefore, the belief that responsible citizens can do something for others; because, in the end, the ‘others’ are all of us.”

Tickets to the event are $10. For more information, email info@thefif.org or call 305-999-7203.

2011-5
4

Prepping for the Next Tax Season

Category: BusinessBooks | Tags: | 1 Comment

quickbooksAs a former member of a math team in high school, I found my classes in algebra, geometry, college-level logic, and other math topics pretty interesting and generally easy. But when I hit my accounting class in my MBA program, I struggled mightily to focus my attention on a topic that felt incredibly dry and boring to me. Whereas MBA classes in financial management offered insightful and compelling ideas about analyzing and improving the financial health of a business, accounting felt like a dull chore.

Many small business owners share my complete lack of enthusiasm in basic accounting. As a general rule, business owners with the stereotypical entrepreneurial spirit are far more interested in big ideas, bold creativity, and broad strategic thinking than dry, rigid accounting principles. So if you have receipts stuffed into your glove compartment, drawers, pockets, purse, etc., then you’re not alone. 

So what book would I recommend to clients who had a tough time during tax season last month, and are looking for a smoother tax season in 2012?

To be honest, I haven’t found a book that I would recommend without hesitation for all small business owners. But if you like working with software (e.g., computing Excel formulas, or adding custom animation to your PowerPoint presentations, or color-coding your Outlook calendar), then you might enjoy learning about QuickBooks 2011. After all, accounting itself might not be that interesting, but learning how to use technology to save time and money might capture your attention. If QuickBooks allows you to download bank statements, credit card statements, receipts captured by a mobile app, and countless other possibilities, then investing some time in understanding QuickBooks could be a great way to maximize technology and learn about accounting at the same time.  

QuickBooks 2011 All-in-One for Dummies is one book that could be useful, especially if you skip the accounting primer at the beginning and jump right into “Getting Ready to Use QuickBooks.” There’s also a good chapter on Financial Management. If you don’t want to buy it, you might be able to just check it out from your local library (in Broward, see www.broward.org/library.)

If there’s another accounting book that you would recommend for small business owners, please leave a comment!

2011-5
3

Next Energy Coast in Palm Beach County?

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What if we could release significantly more energy from natural gas without burning it? What if solar power could be captured and stored more efficiently? These are just two of the questions being pursued by biomedical giant Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, positioning the area as “the next ‘energy coast’,” according to Professor Roy Periana. Supporting that vision, Scripps Florida has announced a new partnership with FPL (Florida Power and Light), whose parent company is NextEra Energy. According to this week’s South Florida Business Journal, the companies will be working together on a number of projects, including making important chemical changes to the design of solar panels.

Scripps is primarily known for applying chemical principles to pharmaceutical reserach, but Periana pointed out that “hardcore, fundamental chemistry” is also at the root of our nation’s energy problems.

The exciting research being undertaken by Scripps and FPL not only offers Palm Beach County a chance to become the next energy coast of the United States, but it also offers students a glimpse of the knowledge and skills that future energy jobs might be demanding. If today’s students are interested in improving solar panels and developing new natural gas technologies, they might want to pay extra attention during their chemistry classes.

A Google search for chemistry energy jobs results in over half a million results, including an open requisition for a nuclear chemistry consultant job, a supervisor of environmental chemistry job, and an environmental chemist job. According to the American Chemistry Council:

“American chemistry is a ‘green jobs’ industry that offers exciting potential to drive further energy savings and job creation in the coming decades…. Look inside a solar panel, wind turbine, lithium-ion battery, or compact fluorescent light bulb and you’ll find chemistry. Building insulation, lightweight vehicle parts, fuel additives, ‘cool roof’ coatings, and energy-efficient tires, windows and appliances—all are made possible by chemistry. Chemistry innovations empower advances in energy efficiency and renewable energy that help Americans save energy every day.” 

To find job openings, postdoctoral positions, and student programs currently available at Scripps Florida, see Scripps Careers.

2011-5
2

Successfully Targeting Osama bin Laden: Three Leadership Lessons

Category: Leadership | Tags: , | 4 Comments

I’m not qualified to comment on the political ramifications or ethical issues surrounding the successful targeting of Osama bin Laden, but I’d like to point out some leadership lessons from the event.

1. President Obama is being credited for taking a big risk in approving a dangerous mission, but in taking that risk, he worked with the military to ensure that contingency plans were in place. For example, when one helicopter went down, another helicopter flew in to lift troops to safety. The troops were also fully prepared to blow up the grounded helicopter before leaving. The President’s decision was risky but not rash; it was made only after careful planning that took months.

2. It’s my understanding that many different areas of the government were involved in order to make the mission successful. According to the news program I heard this morning, Navy SEALs were on the ground, an Army aircraft probably helped fuel the helicopters in the air, the CIA was responsible for providing the necesary intelligence, counterintelligence officials were involved, and many other Americans around the world played key roles. In short, this was a massive team effort, and that meant excellent communication and coordination among all people involved as they worked together to achieve their common goal.

3. In a letter commending people for the success of the mission, CIA Director Leon Panetta praised team members not only for their skill and experience, but also for their creativity. It doesn’t matter if you happen to have the best technology in the world; human creativity still has limitless value. When creativity is nurtured, appreciated, and acted upon (instead of squelched or ignored), leaders are more likely to enjoy positive results.

Unless you’re in the medical field, you’ll probably never have to make any life-or-death decisions on the job. But the leadership lessons from this event could still serve you well in whatever your industry might be.

2011-4
29

Kentucky Derby Fundraiser for Troops, Students, AVDA

Category: Philanthropy/Society | Tags: | No Comments

Multiple charities will benefit from an upcoming fundraiser where people will gather on Saturday night, 5/7/11, at the Boca Greens Country Club to watch the Kentucky Derby on big screen TVs. Starting at 6:15 p.m., the event will include an open bar, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, desserts, games, prizes, raffles, a silent auction, and more. Charities benefiting from the event include Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, the Dolores Taylor Scholarship Fund, and Aid to Victims of Domestic Violence (AVDA.)

Tickets for the event are $60. For more information, or to RSVP, click here: Kentucky Derby Fundraiser. You can also learn about this year’s Kentucky Derby (#137) by watching the video below:

2011-4
28

Economic Woes and Unemployment: The New Normal?

Category: BusinessEvents | Tags: | 1 Comment

On Thursday morning, 5/5/11, come to the Tower Club at the top of One Financial Plaza for a one-hour program called, “The New Normal: What is the Reality of Our Economy?” The program will be presented by Dr. William Dunkelberg, Chief Economist for the National Federation of Independent Business. Breakfast and networking begin at 7:15, followed by the one-hour program from 7:45 – 8:45. Admission is free for Tower Forum members and $35 for non-members.

According to the Tower Forum site:

“While President Obama and the United States Congress wrangle about how best to revive the American economy, everyday people in Broward County are unemployed or underemployed, struggling to make ends meet, and many Broward businesses are hurting as a result. Is this the New Normal or will things get better?”

For more information about the event, contact Executive Director Jerome Majzlin at (954) 383-0654 or towerforum@towerforum.org.

2011-4
27

7 Habits: Easy to Read, Hard to Practice

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7HabitsMost business leaders are probably familiar with Stephen Covey’s bestselling 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, but it’s much easier to read the book or attend a workshop than to put those lessons into practice every day.

For example, you might catch yourself saying something like, “I can’t do it” or “They make me so mad” or “I have to do this.” Those kinds of comments reflect reactive thinking — reacting to a challenge by giving up, reacting to someone else with anger, or reacting to your to-do list as if you’re its victim instead of its creator. The first of the seven habits is to be proactive in changing what you can within yourself and your sphere of influence, and letting go of the rest. 

Here’s another example: imagine a solopreneur with a very clear vision for the type of work she wants to do, but she keeps accepting whatever work comes her way without focusing her energies on bringing in the work she wants. She quickly finds herself feeling overwhelmed by her many different types of projects, which lead to even more types of projects, none of which support her vision. Her dilemma reflects the second of the seven habits: begin with the end in mind.

The remaining five habits are:

  • Put first things first.
  • Think win/win.
  • Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
  • Synergize.
  • Sharpen the saw. (As Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”)

This book is not only worth reading, but it’s also worth re-reading. Practice the habits that will make you a highly effective person!