Wow did I have a great time attending this event!  I would like to thank my SCORE mentor, Caryl Sharp, for asking me to speak at this event.

The crowd loved my presentation and I’m looking forward to connecting with SCORE to offer training on social media, blogging and using technology to gain more exposure for this amazing all volunteer organization know as SCORE!

Mentors and Mentees kept coming up to congratulate me and ask more questions about how SCORE could get online.  One woman said afterwards, “If you teach ‘ Facebook for Seniors’ I’ll attend!”.

A quick summary on SCORE – It’s the Social Core of Retired Executives where people who have gained vast amounts of experience in the business world connect with SCORE to do business mentoring.  They have chapters all over the United States and you can find your chapter on their website.  It’s completely free!

Here is the audio I recorded of each speaker using my iPhone. It turned out great!

Introduction

Link to mp3

Julie Moore Rapacki

Link to mp3

Laurie Crow

Link to mp3

T Lee

Link to mp3

Adria Richards (That’s me!)

Link to mp3

Since it was a luncheon, we actually had lunch and it was, again, outstanding!

Photo Slideshow

I’ll be one of the 3 featured women in business at SCORE’s upcoming luncheon this Wednesday!

We’ll be on a panel and share how we became business owners, how SCORE helps us to build thriving businesses through mentoring and tips for women thinking of becoming entrepreneurs.

From Star and Tribune:

What: An annual luncheon featuring a roundtable discussion with three female business owners who have launched and are growing businesses.
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 16 at the Oak Ridge Country Club, 700 Oak Ridge Road, Hopkins. Advance registration is required.
To register: Go to www.score-minneapolis.org or send a check to SCORE, Bremer Bank Building, 8800 Hwy. 7, Suite 103, St. Louis Park, MN 55426.

I am honored to be asked to speak this year and would like to thank my SCORE mentor, Caryl Sharp for nominating me!

Haven’t heard of SCORE?

SCORE stands for the Social Corps of Retired Executives.  It’s mission is to empower business owners to be successful through direct mentoring.  It’s completely free and I strongly encourage you look into it if you are starting a business or already have one.  The wisdom and feedback I’ve received from my mentors has been invaluable to my growing success.

I purchased a book last October that got me on the right path to do this

Get Clients Now!
A 28 Day Marketing Program for Professionals, Consultants and Coaches!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Important Mastery Items for Business Owners

• Where to find leads
• Managing leads
• How to qualify potential customers
• Attending events and participating to network and be visble in your field
• How to land deals
• Using the right technology to grow your business
• What it takes to maintain a satisfied client base
• Collaborating with other business people
• Create authentic value in business relationships

This list can seem daunting if you’ve not done it before.  For me being an IT consultant, I didn’t like “networking”.  I had this idea that all networking events were shallow, superficial and forced interactions where I would be expected to vouch for other business owners and recommend them.  I wanted to make sure I always remained authentic and honest.

What Marketing Strategy Fits You?

C.J. Hayden’s book opened up a whole new set of possibilities to connect with potential new clients.  She identifies 6 key marketing strategies you can use to grow your business:

• Direct contact & followup
• Networking and referral building
• Public speaking
• Writing & publicity
• Promotional events
• Advertising

It didn’t have to be about cold calling people and having meetings all day!  Instead, I selected public speaking and writing as my vehicles to gain visibility in my market of technology consulting.  The benefit is that these methods would also build my credibility which is especially important if people hire you to speak.  They want to make sure you know your stuff!

Armed with my new knowledge, I began to identify opportunites where I could use these marketing strategies.

Hey!  I Have a Lifestream Show!

Through a series of events, I ended up starting a live technology show due to reading this book.  I had purchased a Logitech webcam so I could do video conference calls with my clients using Skype.  I saw this as a great way to stay in contact and build on existing work relationships without having to drive all over town.  Then, I found the website of Owen JJ Stone aka Ohdoctah who was doing all sorts of videos about work, life and answering questions people submitted.  I also bumped into Chris Pirillo’s live show because he embedded it into his Lockergnome technology website so when he was live, I would hear his show whether I wanted to or not!  Finally, even Santa Claus was in on this whole live video streaming thing!  I saw a tweet saying you could catch Santa online granting wishes so away I went to check it out!

Networking and Developing A Memorable Format

Shortly after, I contacted Owen and Chris to find out what it would take for me to do my own technology stream.  I offered to answer technology questions for Owen and asked Chris what specific advice would he give me in making a successful show.  He said to have a topic and record the shows.  Armed with a webcam, a desire to be successful and empower people through technology, I began streaming my very own show on Ustream.  Now I have an archive of recorded shows which I can use to land public speaking opportunities.  The format I use is hour long shows on a single technology, business or personal communication subject.  People join in and participate via a chat window and I record them.  I’ve continued to receive good feedback both from people who watch live and people who watch later on.

A Series of Favorable Events

One thing I directly credit to Get Clients Now! is how well I did when I appeared on national television on MSNBC’s, “The Rachel Maddow Show“.  I was asked on the show in connection with the Norm Coleman Database Leak.  I calmly and effectively explained how I’d found the database file and how the DNS problem had exposed the insecure data storage habits of our former Minnesota Senator.  This was due taking charge of my success.  By the time I went on the show Friday March 13th, 2009, I’d already been doing my lifestream show for more than two months.  During that time, I had built up my skills on:

• Speaking to an audience
• Timing and segways
• Making effective hand gestures
• Eye contact with the camera
• Being comfortable with “Camera time” (time seems to go slower in front of the camera)

I was also better prepared for the storm of inquries, phone calls, Twitter shout outs,  Facebook friending, LinkedIN connections and website traffic due to C.J.’s book.

Success is Based On Setting Goals

One of the things I like about her book is that it offers a variety of ways to achieve the same result.  You can figure out what you feel comfortable with and take it from there.  The important thing is to set your sights on a goal and go after it.  If you get stuck in the planning stage…afraid to move forward, you’re not going anywhere fast.  C.J.’s books is great because it says, “OK.  What’s holding you back?” and seeks to help move you past your obstacle.

Don’t Fall Behind The Times

Books and tools are great; as long as they’re current.  This book is so powerful because it addresses your business workflow.  That’s timeless!  David Allen became famous because he developed a system processing information know as GTD (Getting Things Done).  I think Get Clients Now! is just as powerful because it’s a blueprint that can work for anyone.  I like that C.J. is on Twitter and is actively using technology and social networking.

Keep It Going

I recommend this book to my clients now once we start working together because I understand that work I do for their computer networks and websites does not always translate into more business.  My technology services create a strong foundation for their business to run on.  My speaking and consulting services offer solutions and ideas.  Businesses and organizations still need to take action to draw attention to their products and services.

I started meeting on Wednesday’s with a client/friend about C.J.’s book.  We go over the action worksheet, talk about how things went in our business, discuss obstacles and offer ideas and suggestions.  I get great value over these business meetings because we can always refer back to action items in the book.  Recently, I started posting about the meeting on Facebook and folks are starting to join.  Meeting on a regular basis adds accountability.  Who knows, I may contact C.J. Hayden about becoming a facilliator one day but for now, I’m happy to share my experience and success with the book!

Audio Presentations

Kay Hendrikson

Anne McInerney

Rachel Peterson

Adria Richards (me of course!)

Kathy Sheilds

One of my early accomplishments was getting hired by Geeksquad in 1999. Back then, they were receiving over 500 resumes a week.  My focus and persistance paid off to land me a job at the very first Geeksquad, hired by Robert Stephens himself!

Back then, I didn’t understand just what this meant but now I do. My entire technology career has been composed of me focusing on goals and achieving them. That’s what I’ll be sharing tonight; how to identify your goals and reach them.

Short List For Success in IT

• Don’t give up
• Find mentors and use them
• Find something you love to do
• Negotiate for salary
• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
• Get certifications to prove to yourself you know your stuff
• Do informational interview
• Keep your resume up to date (I updated mine in February)
• Practice at interviewing until you’re really good at it
• Be prepared at any moment to change direction

Further Reading

I’ll be bringing along some books that have been instrumental to my progress as well to share with folks.

Here are videos I’ve created for further reading if you want to step into a career in IT.  Don’t be afraid to strike out boldly into technology!

6 IT Certification Skills That Will Get You Hired In a Week

What The Heck? The Difference Between Firewalls, Antivirus and Spyware

So You Just Got Laid Off, Now What?

So You Just Got Laid Off, Now What? Part 2

So You Just Got Laid Off, Now What? Part 3

Benefits of Remote Meetings, Services, Support and Training

But My Computer Was Fine Yesterday

How to Talk To Computer People (and get your problem fixed)

10 Signs Your Boss Sucks

What the Heck is Skype?

Moving Towards Your Paperless Office

Career Options

• Computer  networking
• Cloud computing and SASS apps
• Data center management
• Database administration (especially mySQL)
• Dynamic websites and Content Management Systems (CMS)
• Blogging, WordPress and online communities
• Open Source LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL Php
• Technology training
• Project management
• Linux
• Mobile devices
• Development and programing
• Security and penetration testing
• API (Application Programming Interface)
• Technology training
• Forensics
• Social networking and social media
• Apple, Mac and iPhone technology
• or anything under the sun that resembles a microchip!

Resources

Get a free business mentor from SCORE

photo credit: JohnSeb

I will be presenting on Monday, June 22nd, 2009 for Kane Consulting’s Social Media 101 Bootcamp and my topic is blogging. I will explain what makes a good blog, the benefits of blogging for your business, tools to measure success and how to get started.

Resources for attendees

I recommend these upcoming workshops

10 Essential Things About Starting a Blog
July 8th, 2009 at 1:30pm
Duration: 1 hour
Location: Online

Setup Your Own Blog At WordPress.com With A Domain Name
July 22nd, 2009 at 2pm
Duration: 2 hours
Location: Online

10 Oh So Essential Links To Start Blogging On The Right Foot!

1. How to Write an Article in 20 Minutes
2. WordPress for Beginners
3. 16 Important but Potentially Distracting Blogging Tasks
4. A Complete Guide to Finding and Using Incredible Flickr Images
5. Search Engine Optimization for WordPress
6. 20 Types of Pages that Every Blogger Should Consider
7. Is Viral Marketing for Everyone?
8. Are You Blogging With Purpose? (If Not, 5 Ways to Fix That)
9. How to Stop Being Invisible – Copyblogger
10. Self Promotion – Seth Godin

All these links can be accessed from my Delicious social bookmarks http://delicious.com/adria.richards/sm101bootcamp

Presentation Link

Photo credit: by Jacob Bøtter

Today I’m heading to WordCamp Chicago which is June 6th and 7th.  There are speakers all day Saturday and part of Sunday with lots of unstructured time to allow for networking.  I have my Moo cards in hand and am ready to rock!

Speaker lineup at WordCamp Chicago

Last week, I was invited to speak at the Twin Cities Web Design and Standards group.  The topic was how to build secure websites so I tailored the content for website designers and programmers who run up against objections from their clients when the topic of security is brought up.

Norm Coleman’s website problems started long before I found his unprotected database.  The programmer who designed the site, did something that made my stomach turn; he stored the full credit card numbers with the expiration date and 3 digit code the back of the card in the database.  The programmer had created a custom CMS (Content Management System) for the Norm Coleman Campaign.  I suspect that at sometime during the planning phase or development, he was asked to store the credit card numbers for “convenience”.  This was what did Norm in.

Often, people see website security as something that can be taken care of “later” after the shiny new site is launched.  Things like PCI security compliance seem complicated and unnecessary.  I’ve heard clients say, “I doubt anyone is going to try and hack our site or our network”.  Visa and Mastercard require than any company doing credit card transactions agree to take certain steps to keep that data safe; that’s known as PCI (Payment Card Industry) or CISP (Cardholder Information Security Program)

I spent time talking about common website attacks hackers used and how to educate your clients.  One of the hardest things in the technology world is getting “buy in” from the people who will actually use the stuff!  Maybe it’s human nature to resist change.

Below you will find the list of the 12 things businesses are expected to do if they accept credit cards.  From an IT person’s perspective, they seem very ordinary and essential…things you would just do because you are in charge of a network.  I see that there often a disconnect between a company’s technical staff and the website development/programmer folks.

Photo Credit: Locks by Leonid Mamchenkov