Be an Original

By Tom Irmen

Few things are more exciting to an impassioned entrepreneur than to observe a new product or service winning acceptance in the marketplace, unless it’s their own product or service. I guess you could place just about anything Apple touches into this camp.

It’s equally interesting to watch the long line of want-to-be’s that inevitably come on the scene soon after a successful launch in an attempt to capture their share of this new market for themselves. Despite their attempts, however, few, if any, of them seem to gain traction over their competitor, and most fall by the wayside almost as quickly as they came onto the marketplace.

It is my belief that the primary reason for the failure of the want-to-be’s is their choice to ignore, or perhaps their inability to understand, the consumer. The marketplace is much more sophisticated and discerning than many want-to-be entrepreneurs may imagine. Merely duplicating a product or service on the surface, without duplicating or enhancing its true substance, is a recipe for failure. Just look at the number of iPhone want-to-be’s that have been released since Apple’s successful launch that had consumers camped out overnight to become the coveted first owners of this sensational new phone that has taken the cellular industry by storm. Even Apple’s choice of carrier, AT&T, which left most new iPhone users holding their noses, couldn’t derail the iPhone.

Want-to-be’s are an interesting breed. Their efforts are directed, or should I say misdirected, at duplicating the success of a competitor through sheer imitation. What they neglect to do is take the necessary time required to research their marketplace, or to differentiate their product or service, offering a product or service experience superior to the market leader. Their fundamental error is in believing that their poor attempt at imitating the market leader will result in capturing market share or displacing a competitor who has a superior product or service.

The “secret sauce” that want-to-be’s inevitably attempt to replicate is the superficial qualities of the market leader’s product or service rather than its true intrinsic value. To compete with Superman, they would purchase blue tights and sew a large red “S” on their chest, but I would not recommend leaping from tall buildings in a single bound.

True success doesn’t result from imitating your competitors, but rather from offering a product or service that can be differentiated in the marketplace with clear, distinct advantages to the consumer. A visit to the supermarket will prove my point. Check out A.1. Steak Sauce. It’s been around since 1824. Competitors imitate the packing, the bottle and label, but A.1. continues to enjoy a 54% market share nationally. Do you think the secret sauce is inside the bottle?

Success is not as elusive as you might imagine if you choose to become an original and not an imitator. Provide the marketplace with a product or service that is clearly differentiated from your competitor, that offers superior features and benefits, and customers will be camping out on your doorstep.

Take the path less traveled. Be an original.

So Where Are the Jobs?

By Tom Irmen

I think each of us reaches a time in our lives when we think we’ve seen it all. For me it was when my life’s odometer turned over to 60.

I was raised in one of the nation’s largest cities, had a union job with a Fortune 100 company, graduated from a mid-western university, spent two years in the military, lived in Europe, worked for three different Fortune 500 companies, traveled extensively, have been self-employed for 26+ years, and as I stated earlier, turned 60.

What else could life show me? Nothing, right? Wrong!

Hopefully, by the time you read this article, the issue of the great debt-ceiling debate will have been resolved, conveniently, until after the next election. With our debt-crisis, and not its consequences, averted until after the 2012 election, the nation’s attention will likely refocus on our stagnating economy and growing unemployment problem.

It seems that D.C.’s response to our nation’s unemployment crisis is to invite a handful of small business owners to Washington for an hour-long meeting, a photo-op and press conference. Problem solved.

Is it likely that we will continue to experience a “jobless” recovery? Here are some thoughts worth considering.

Over the last decade, according to the U.S. Commerce Department, U.S. multinational corporations shed 2.9 million jobs in the U.S., while increasing their overseas workforce by 2.4 million. That means that 2.4 million U.S. jobs weren’t lost, but rather were outsourced.

What possible incentive do these companies have to bring these jobs back home? They’re likely gone forever.

And within the small business community, often touted as “the engine that drives our nation,” extraordinary changes have occurred. Going largely ignored during this recession, America’s small business leaders have done what they do best, they’ve reinvented themselves.

Untethered to government bailouts, small business owners have relied on their own resourcefulness and resiliency to recreate themselves. In less than five year’s time, small business has and continues to employ new business models, strategies and the latest technology to significantly improve their productivity and bottom lines.

During this time, small business has deleveraged by shedding marginal and duplicate goods and services, shrinking infrastructure and eliminating jobs. And many of these job losses will likely be long-term despite an economic upturn, as small business is likely to return to the status quo.

While small business will continue to create new jobs as the economy struggles to recover, these opportunities will likely be at a slower pace from that experienced from other post recession recoveries. Ironically, what has been a crisis for the nation may have turned out to be good for American small businesses. Leaving the nation’s small business community to fend for itself may have been a blessing in disguise, as entrepreneurs across the country, once again, demonstrated their resourcefulness and resiliency to overcome adversity and reemerge on top.

With many former U.S. jobs having been permanently exported overseas, and with small business employing new strategies that require fewer employees, unemployment will likely remain high for the unforeseeable future.

Promote! Promote! Promote!

By Kiley Niles

If you’re a small business owner, you understand the absolute necessity to promote your company. The challenge for most entrepreneurs, however, is the overwhelming number of advertising platforms available and determining exactly which vehicle represents the most effective and cost-efficient choice. In other words, which advertising platform truly represents a legitimate investment and not just an unnecessary cost?

Recently, I combined my 11 years of experience as a news reporter, promotional director, news anchor and producer to create an opportunity for Knoxville area small businesses through Niles Production, a company that I founded and manage. At Niles Production, I produce 16 top local news headlines every Monday through Friday on Knoxville’s 100,000 watt news-talk leader, WNOX. And 16 times each weekday I incorporate a 30-second commercial spot which allows your small business to promote itself in a very effective and cost-efficient manner.

That’s why Everything Knoxville magazine selected Niles Production to help promote its publication and its commitment to Knoxville’s small business community by sponsoring Top Local News Headlines 16 times each weekday on Knoxville’s WNOX 100.3 News Talk.

If you would like to discover how Niles Production can help your small business to promote itself in this rapidly evolving marketplace, call me, Kiley Niles, today at (865) 755-8502, or email me at kiley@nilesproduction.com.

Niles Production
865.755.8502
www.nilesproduction.com

Transforming Economic Headwinds into Tailwinds

By Tom Irmen

Recent economic news has been anything but encouraging. New job creation has slowed sharply. Unemployment has risen. Consumer confidence has fallen. And home prices have dipped below their 2009 lows. But perhaps most worrisome is the nearly 10% decline in consumer confidence.

So just what does all of this data mean to our small business community? I, for one, have never been as concerned about negative financial news or economic fundamentals as I have been by how consumers respond to these reports.

A word of caution is in order, however. Several weeks or months of negative economic indicators may be no more than a bump in the road to recovery. Small businesses must exercise caution and not overreact. But should these current trends be followed by even more evidence that the economy is indeed slowing, it would be prudent to act.

So just what actions are called for by small business owners if earlier economic forecasts for future growth fail to materialize?

Don’t panic. Emotional, knee-jerk reactions can prove to be even more harmful to your business than a downtrending economy.

If faced with an economic headwind, your best course of action is to carefully and thoughtfully consider its potential impact on your business and then adjust your marketing strategy accordingly. In fact, these same headwinds can be transformed into tailwinds that can actually be used to your competitive advantage. And remember, headwinds impact not only you, but your competitors as well.

Make a thorough analysis of current downward trends and consider how they will likely impact your customers’ emotions and buying habits. And, in light of these changes, what actions or adjustments to your marketing strategy can you put into place that will not only retain your existing customer base, but might make inroads into your competitors’ customer base as well, increasing your market share.

Can you offer volume discounts? Introduce a new value-oriented product line which offers greater customer appeal? How about a generic product or even a rewards program? The possibilities are endless, and of course must be appropriate for your type of small business and, more importantly, must appeal to your clients’ new needs which have changed in response to an evolving economic environment.

A great tool which you can use to assist you in determining just how to reposition your small business in this changing marketplace is a SWOT Analysis. The analysis begins by defining a goal or objective for your company and is followed by evaluating your firm’s Strengths and Weaknesses, which are internal factors, and its Opportunities and Threats, which are external factors. This analysis, which can usually be completed in less than half a day, can become the catalyst that can propel your small business past the competition, regardless of existing economic conditions.

The opportunity exists today for every small business owner to transform current economic headwinds, which threaten your future growth, into friendly tailwinds which can accelerate future growth no matter what economic conditions exist. Should you choose to ignore the current economic trends, you may discover your market share eroding and your competitor seizing that coveted number one spot that was once yours. Or worse yet, you may find yourself out of business.

By Tom Irmen

This economic recovery has produced a wide array of emotions in all of us, both highs and lows, on almost a daily basis. Employment numbers drop one week and then unexpectedly spike the following week. The housing market shows signs of a recovery and then experiences a sharp reversal a month later. And just as we’ve come to believe that recent changes in Washington might precipitate a desire on the part of politicians to reign in our out of control deficits, we witness little fundamental change and mostly political posturing.

I recently had a fellow self-employed friend describe this phenomenon by saying that he can experience euphoria one moment, and in the next, feel like throwing himself from his upper floor balcony.

So how should small business owners react to such uncertainty? With a well thought-out and carefully implemented strategy that will take advantage of this uncertainty to create opportunities for future success.

But just how does small business set a future course for success when so much uncertainty exists? And coupled with the instability in the Middle East, which threatens our already fragile recovery, doesn’t this task appear even more challenging? Is it even possible to implement a strategic plan for the future? Absolutely!

So where do you start?

Uncertainty is the common denominator, and every business, including your competitors, is immersed in it up to their necks. But what you’re likely to find is that others, and that includes your competition, may ignore the need to plan, electing to do what’s always worked in the past or, better yet, fly by the seat of their pants rather than to deal with an uncertain future which is admittedly difficult to predict. And while uncertainty will make your planning efforts all that more difficult, any plan will certainly outperform no plan at all.

Try to predict what the future will look like. Will unemployment remain high? Will incomes remain stagnant? Will inflation and higher prices become part of our futures? If the answer to any or all of these questions is yes, then your clients will likely respond more favorably to your message if it conveys greater value for them. Added features such as greater cost effectiveness, improved efficiency, reduced waste and any number of important characteristics unique to your product or service will likely be responded to favorably by your customers, providing you with a clear competitive advantage.

It’s important to anticipate the future and then meet it head on with solutions that will demonstrate to both your existing clients and potential new customers that your business is prepared to meet the uncertainties of the future with bold, new and innovative ideas designed to help them and you to succeed. The future of tomorrow’s successful small business belongs to the entrepreneur who embraces uncertainty and develops a winning strategy for both their business and their clients. I’ve never been more certain of it.

Unique Company, Unique Product

With offices and showrooms around the world, Granite Transformations offers new and exciting alternatives to traditional countertops. Their core product, Trend Stone, is formulated from 95% natural stone from the finest quarries throughout the world creating an engineered surface that is heat, stain and scratch resistant. Essentially maintenance free, that provides greater strength and durability than ordinary granite. And all backed with Granite Transformations’ Limited Lifetime Warranty.

Husband and wife team, Buddy and Patti Baker, combine years of retail experience and Granite Transformations’ cutting-edge technology to offer East Tennessee and Knoxville area homeowners a far superior alternative to ordinary slab granite. Overwhelming homeowner response has resulted in annual growth of over 30% since 2007 and the launching of Granite Transformations’ new, state-of-the-art, 3,500 square foot Design Center in Knoxville.

Everything Knoxville: Provide our readers with some insights into Granite Transformations.

Buddy: Our core product line, Trend Stone (Engineered Granite), was developed in Italy in the mid 70′s. It was originally used as a flooring material to cover cracked, sagging, and chipped granite floors.

EK: Are there other Granite Transformations locations?

Buddy: Yes. We are part of an international franchise system. There are about 80 locations in the U.S. and Canada, and more around the world. Granite Transformations has become the largest factory direct countertop company in the world.

EK: Both you and business partner and wife, Patti, left your retail careers to pursue your dream of being self employed

Buddy: After conducting a thorough investigation of available business opportunities, and possible locations, we opened Granite Transformations of Knoxville in January 2006. Both the product and community provided a perfect opportunity for success. Granite Transformations was clearly an innovation driven company that produced both unique and superior products that are preferred by most homeowners.

EK: How are Granite Transformations’ products used in the home?

Patti: Our products have so many more applications than just countertops. They can be used on fireplaces, bars, showers, baths, floors, furniture and backsplashes. That’s why we opened our new Design Center. We can now showcase the versatility and beauty of our products.

EK: Consumer reports rates engineered stone their top choice for countertops. Why is that significant to homeowners?

Buddy: It’s simple. It outperforms all other countertop options in key categories. It is heat, stain and scratch resistant. It is the cleanest and safest option.

EK: Granite Transformations’ engineered granite, unlike ordinary slab granite, is the only granite countertop approved by the National Sanitation Foundation. Explain.

Patti: The National Sanitation Foundation has put its name on our product because it exceeds all standards for safe food preparation. Unlike natural stone, our product is non-porous and won’t absorb bacteria.

EK: In addition to being the innovation leader in engineered granite countertops, Granite Transformations is also an innovative leader in installation as well.

Buddy: That’s correct. Granite Transformations, in addition to offering superior countertops, also offers a totally innovative approach to fabrication and installation. Most countertop installations are completed in a single day.

EK: Granite Transformations is also a recognized leader today in Green Technology. Explain.

Patti: Granite Transformations is approved by the U.S. Green Building Council and is a recognized leader in both Green and renewable resource technologies.

EK: With the wide variety of surfaces available from Granite Transformations, do you offer homeowners design consultation?

Buddy: Yes. We have fully certified Design Consultants. This service is a very important component of our fully turn-key approach and is offered in your home or at our “new” Design Center absolutely free.

EK: How has Granite Transformations’ innovative approach to the marketplace impacted you?

Patti: That’s easy. We have experienced a 133% increase in sales volume for the last four years. In fact, due to the overwhelming response of East Tennessee area homeowners, we’ve just completed a new 3,500 square foot Design Center to replace our original center which we outgrew in less than five years. We believe that showcasing our products helps our customers to visualize their own unique project that will create a showcase quality room in their home.

EK: Anything else you would like to tell our readers?

Buddy: Most important is a very sincere thank you to homeowners in East Tennessee and Knoxville for their support. To them, and our future customers, we owe our success.

We’d also like to extend a special invitation to all of your readers to visit our new Design Center. They too can create their own dream kitchen or bath without the demolition and the inconvenience of weeks or even months of construction.

Welcome to the fastest growing membership-based professional women’s networking organization in North America covering the United States and Canada. This organization is recognized as the #1 resource for connecting and promoting women and their businesses and it has become a loyal, dedicated community of women-owned businesses, corporate professionals and entrepreneurs who want to support and network with other dynamic women. The members of the organization share information, leads, contacts and business. It is an organization that is committed to helping women and their businesses achieve, succeed and thrive in this new economy.

Everything Knoxville: For several years now, you have been a small business owner in Knoxville. Can you tell us a little about your business, Elegant Essentials?

Linda: Actually, it has been a little over three years now and I am still overwhelmed with the response from Knoxville. Three years have flown by and I have met and learned so much in such a short time. Elegant Essentials Home Décor and Gifts is a gift shop with a twist. I am a master florist and a certified interior designer, so my shop is not just shelves and product. It has an ambiance all its own, with a personality. We have jewelry, handbags, candles, diffusers, home décor and custom floral arrangements. I also am the first and largest Chamilia dealer in Knoxville.

EK: As a big advocate of small business networking, can you tell us how this has fit into your business plan and how successful it has been for you?

Linda: It was really hard initially to get started. It took a lot of prompting from fellow business owners to get me out there. I found that with networking with the right organization I was actually bringing clients to my store. It has been very successful. Customers recognize me through advertising and then meet me in person; they now have a connection to me. It has paid off several times over. I have built an army of networkers that network Elegant Essentials for me all over Knoxville and the surrounding areas.

EK: You’ve participated in a variety of networking organizations. How have they differed?

Linda: All networking is good. I think you have to find the right fit, and once you do stick to it. You can’t be part time; it takes time to build relationships. You didn’t build your business overnight and you can’t build your networking relationships overnight either. People have to trust you, like you and then they will do business with you. Build the relationship first and the business will come.

EK: Recently you have become the Executive Director of eWomenNetwork. Can you tell us a little bit about eWomen?

Linda: eWomenNetwork is the #1 Networking Resource for Women in Business in all of North America. They support women in small business with Accelerated Networking Events all across the country. We have over 113 chapters and over 30,000 members. Their motto is to give first share always, and to raise as we climb. There are resources available to our members, including publishing network, premiere coaching sessions, events, posting your business profile on the website, which are only a few advantages to membership. The eWomenNetwork Foundation supports local non-profits in each chapter to help women and children. Eighty-five non-profits have been awarded cash grants and 110 conference scholarships have been awarded to emerging leaders. This year Knoxville had the 2010 Emerging Leader Young Entrepreneurial award, which went to Julie Fincher with Babysitter Express.

EK: Why do you feel it is important for women-owned small businesses to join eWomenNetwork?

Linda: I feel it is an absolute must. I am connected with more women business owners and resources than I ever would have been able in one organization. I believe it is the only game in town and no other comes close to having all the resources that are now available to me. Through my contacts at eWomenNetwork I am a contributing author in a book that will be available in February, “Networking for Novices,” along with Sandra Yancey, the CEO of eWomenNetwork, and 12 other authors across the country.

Positive Economic Indicators to Be Thankful For

By Tom Irmen

It’s difficult to determine what has been more challenging over the last three years, the recession itself or the uncertainty surrounding this financial chaos that often appears to have no end in sight. Hardly a newscast passes without conflicting data supporting either a potential end to our financial woes or data supporting continuation of one of the longest recessions in U.S. history. Add to this the political infighting, posturing and one-ups-manship in Washington and you have a formula for continued uncertainty.

That was, until just recently.

Financial news as of late seems to support the belief that the light at the end of the tunnel is not another oncoming train as many might have feared. Here are some of the indicators I am referring to:

• Unemployment has dropped .4 of 1% to 8.6%.
• Black Friday sales skyrocketed 16% over same day sales in 2010.
• Cyber Monday sales increased 18%.
• Sales of existing homes have unexpectedly risen.
• GDP has grown, albeit modestly, every quarter this year, with economists forecasting growth of 3.2% in the fourth quarter.

So just what does all of this mean to your small business?

Many, perhaps most, small business owners are beyond overwhelmed with the whipsaw effect of conflicting data. Yet this is undeniably the most compelling positive data we have received since this stubborn, and seemingly endless, recession began.

So what should you do with this information?

Well, you don’t want to sit on your hands. Many small business owners elected to hunker down over the last several years rather than attempt to outguess this sea of uncertainty that has overwhelmed our best instincts and predictions for the future.


One thing most of us can agree on is that the future will likely look much different than we might have imagined. It’s doubtful that any of us will return to business as usual anytime soon.


With deteriorating home prices, declining retirement account values, and future economic uncertainty, it is likely that the consumer will continue to focus on both value and higher levels of service. Small businesses that meet the challenging future needs of this very different consumer demographic will benefit greatly. Those who ignore these changes, returning to the status quo, will experience erosion in both their consumer base and future revenue growth.

This new year represents the best opportunity for success for your small business that has existed since 2008. But only if your marketing strategy going into 2012 reflects recent changes in consumer spending habits. Small businesses that continue to hunker down will lose irreplaceable market share to their competitors who act boldly and decisively, taking advantage of this surge in consumer confidence.

Jennifer Connelly

“Hey Jennifer… I’m cured!  You rock; thanks for all your patience.”  Emily, age 17

“Ms. Connelly, I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t helped me.  I’ve been working on this sound for SOOOO long – you were the only therapist that helped me finally get it!”  Conner, age 14

“How can one therapist demonstrate consistent discipline, establish fair expectations, motivate, and still make us laugh and want to come to therapy?  Thank you so much for helping both of my kids and seeing their individuality.”  Parent

These are typical letters from individuals seen at Verbal Design Services, Inc.  Jennifer Connelly is a dedicated speech pathologist who specializes in articulation (speech), stuttering, tongue thrusting and prolonged thumb & finger sucking, as well as presentation skills.  Children and adults are seen at our beautiful Franklin Square office.

Our typical patient has a strong desire to improve in the least amount of time!  Therapy is individualized and goal oriented.  No matter the age, every individual is well aware of what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how a particular exercise will help them improve in a timely manner.  Parents participate in all sessions making it easier to help at home between visits.

No need to miss school or work as therapy can be scheduled in the evenings or on Saturdays.  Many insurance plans cover treatment, but if yours doesn’t, a no-interest payment plan is available.

Isn’t it time to gain clearer speech and feel more confident at work?  Wouldn’t it be nice to see your child less frustrated?  Fall is a great time to address these goals.  Discuss your concerns with Jennifer personally by calling 865-357-6550.  Let’s start talking!

Verbal Design Services, Inc.
9724 Kingston Pike #1102
Knoxville, TN 37922
865.357.6550

A great vacation begins with the careful selection of your hotel.  And to ensure you enjoy your vacation, be certain Fido enjoys his.
How do you select a great vacation kennel?  Here’s a helpful checklist:

• Tour the kennel.  If tours are not permitted, cross them off your list.
• How does the kennel smell?  If the lobby smells, cross them off your list.
• Are water and food bowls clean?
• Does the kennel have a state-of-the-art ventilation and sanitation system?
• Clean outdoor play yard?
• 24/7 surveillance and on-site supervision?
• Caring, loving and detail-orientated staff?

Ms C’s Bed & Biscuits offers all these basics, plus many additional amenities including:

• Free bath after five-night stay
• Indoor & outdoor play areas
• Sunday pick-up
• Special handling of elderly dogs
• Nightly “tuck in” with homemade biscuits, doggy ice cream on Wednesdays, all-meat hot dogs on Fridays, special treats such as almond biscotti’s on holidays
• Room in suites to accommodate dog’s own beds, or Kuranda beds and plush cushions are available
• Surround sound music

Call Ms C’s Bed & Biscuits at 865-986-6325 for your tour and arrange your dog’s special vacation so you can enjoy yours.  Daycare is also available.

Ms C’s Bed & Biscuits
2145 Beals Chapel Rd.
Lenoir City, TN 37772
865.986.6325