Inner Circle Media

In anticipation of WXW’s Goal Setting event on September 18th, I wrote a quick article for annarbor.com about goal setting. Specifically, I noted that just because the economy is in the dumps, it doesn’t mean that you should stop aspiring toward big goals for the future. The “bad” economy is an excuse many people need to slack off. But it’s not an excuse; it’s a motivator, a reason to step up our game.

Here’s a link to the entire article – “Goal-Setting: Set your intention on success”

And here are some handy tips for starting your own goal-setting regimen:

1. Break your big goals down into smaller steps – annual goals, quarterly goals, weekly goals. If your goal is to pay yourself $100,000 next year, then what will it entail in the coming months to make that money?

2. Change your goal of “Increase sales,” to “Close four deals at $25K (or more) by the end of October.”

3. Aim for high yet attainable goals. If you usually land one new client per month, set a new goal of two or three.

4. Be persistent and adaptable: If you are new to goal-setting, it may take time to get the hang of it. Don’t give up. Reassess your goals monthly and make adjustments as necessary. Write your goals in red marker on a dry erase board where you can refer to them often. You’ll find that goal-setting gets easier because as you achieve your initial goals, you’ll be motivated to set and achieve even bigger goals.

The Ann Arbor News ran an excellent section called “Outlook – Survival Mode: A time to transform” in its March 22, 2009 edition.� The Outlook section featured stories about companies and people who are adapting and transforming during Michigan’s trying economic times. (Unfortunately, the next day the Ann Arbor News announced its own transformation – to annarbor.com, an online publication that will distribute printed papers only twice weekly.)

Stephanie Murray, Ann Arbor News reporter, asked me to provide 100 words of insight for people who are thinking about starting their own companies. Here are my words of wisdom that were included in the paper:

“In 2001 I left a cushy corporate job. Without an inkling of business experience, I started a small company that now has seven employees. How can you do the same?”

• Go after your dreams right now. Ignore the ‘what ifs.’ At 80, you will marvel at your braveness.
• Share your business with everyone. Ask others about their best/worst business decisions. Listen carefully.
• Be persistent and adaptable like a dandelion.
• Give your best to people. Put your integrity where your mouth is.
• Don’t be so gol’ darn serious. Have fun, and let your wild ideas rip!

And here’s a link to the article online at mlive.com.

On February 18, 2009, Concentrate (the web site and weekly online magazine) featured little ol’ me, Carrie Hensel, as one of Ann Arbor’s “Masterminds.”

For those of you who haven’t seen it, Concentrate “tells the new story of Washtenaw County� — a narrative of creative people and businesses, new development, cool places to live, and the best places to work and play.” It’s one of Issue Media Group’s numerous city-specific publications, all of which focus on small businesses that are bucking current economic trends by growing, hiring, producing creative products and services, and helping improve their communities.

The writer, Kimberly Chou, was a joy to talk with. I’m amazed that she took such thorough notes, since prior to speaking with her I consumed some extremely caffeinated coffee at Caribou, and then proceeded to spout off at 100 miles per hour. My pals who read the article said it captured my creative spirit, so clearly Kimberly has a gift for taking nonsensical jibber jabber and turning it into a story.

The article features a summary of my extremely convoluted career path, a history of our company (Inner Circle Media), and some great promotion for the new women’s� business group we started last year, the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw (WXW). WXW has become my second full time occupation, and I love it. As the article says about WXW, “Our tag line is ‘Now we’re talking’ and that’s what we do. We TALK.� That is really where the magic happens… and that’s the place I want to be — when you’re talking with people and really figuring stuff out.”

I’m super flattered that Concentrate deems me a “Mastermind” and I’ll do whatever I must to maintain that title.

> Check out the full article here.

Does your website look a bit rusty? Is it time for a fresh new site design? Often prospective clients come to us with websites that were built at the turn of the century (the 21st century that is), and they want to get a head start on planning for their new and improved site. If you are revved up to revamp your old, stagnant website, you can get a jump on the process by considering the following questions before you even meet with a web development company:

GOALS:

• What are the high level business goals for your company or organization?
• What are the goals for the new web site?
• How are those goals different from your previous website?
• How will you measure success of the new web site?

AUDIENCE & MESSAGE:

• Who is the primary audience? Secondary targets?
• What will visitors do on the site? Consider age, education level, gender, tech savvinesss, and any other visitor attributes that might help you understand how they’ll use your site.
• Please sum up your customer’s/audience’s needs and concerns in a sentence.
• What are your key marketing and communications messages?
• What does your audience think you do/are? What do you want them to think?

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN:

• Will the new site’s architecture differ from that of the current site?
• Have you established hierarchy and labeling for navigation for new site? (Global navigation/main buttons, local navigation/subsections, etc.)
• Has style guide been approved by your company? (i.e., colors, fonts, etc.)
• What is the desired site attitude/look and feel?
• What sites inspire you? What do you find appealing about these sites?
• Who are your competitors (or comparable organizations)?� What do you like/dislike about their sites?

CONTENT:

• Is content already prepared for the site, including illustrations, photography, and other graphic or audiovisual content?
• Who will write the content for your site? Who will be the main editor?
• Do you have a plan for creating, gathering, tracking, and managing site content assets prior to site development?
• How will the site be maintained?
• Will you use a Content Management System (CMS?
• Do you have a specific CMS in mind?

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION:

• Search Terms: Please list the most common terms that users might type into Google to look for a company/organization/service like yours:
• Outgoing Links: Please list sites that your site links to.
• Incoming Links: Please list websites that already link to your site.

FUNCTIONALITY, IMPLEMENTATION, INTEGRATION, AND LAUNCH:

• What functionalities will the site incorporate? � Here are some possible items you might want to consider: keyword-based site search, advanced search (specific parameters – i.e. search by last name, title, city, etc.), Flash / animated areas of site, blog, discussion forum, wiki, RSS feeds, online forms, online surveys or polls, eCommerce/shopping cart, online donations, event calendar, event registration, photo gallery, video clips, audio clips/podcasts, web cams, advertising/sponsorship, member/user management, password protected content
• Do you have/use a database for contacts, membership, products, etc.? Do you want your site to tie to your database?
• Do you have any requirements for how the site is built? i.e. you would prefer the use of open source technologies.
• Are there any 3rd party applications which will integrate with the site?
• Did you buy your domain name(s) yet?
• Do you have a hosting company in mind?
• Who will test the website? (It’s best to test the beta site with at least 7-10 actual site visitors)

If you complete this long list of questions, you’ll be well on your way to a well-planned website. But hey – you’re not off the hook yet. This is just the start. You should expect (or even demand) that your chosen web company bombard you with further questions.

In March, our company (Inner Circle Media) built a web-based tool for the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority that allows visitors to the DDA website to see how many parking spots are available in each parking structure downtown. That means that right now you can check the DDA site to figure out where to park before you make the trek downtown. Isn’t that nifty?!

Last year the DDA and Republic Parking invested in equipment (signs, servers, etc.) to display the number of available parking spots on electronic signs outside each structure. We worked with Republic Parking to make this parking information available online. Right now the DDA site is the only spot to find this info, but soon other downtown organizations may incorporate our widget into their sites as well. Read an interview with Stephen Smith (IT Manager at Republic Parking + DDA technology consultant) on Teeter Talk where he explains the project (and yes, he did the interview while on a teeter totter with a storm approaching).

During the next phase of the project, we’ll make the widget accessible for hand-held devices (PDAs, phones, etc.). Neato!

Congratulations Ann Arbor! Our city ranked #42 on the list of the “100 Best Places to Live and Launch” in a survey by Fortune Small Business. Towns across the country were evaluated based on business friendliness and lifestyle offerings, and Ann Arbor was cited as a good location for entrepreneurs to consider when starting and/or growing a company.

Why is Ann Arbor such a great place to start a company? Fortune Small Business says we have a strong high-tech industry. We’re also eco-minded people with a vibrant arts scene, award-winning restaurants, easy access to Northern Michigan’s freshwater lakes, and highly ranked college sports teams.

I would add that we also have a supportive and inclusive business community. We started Inner Circle Media in Ann Arbor nearly seven years ago, and had it not been for the relationships we’ve built in this town, we would not have made it past a year or two in business. Our success can be credited to our strong ties with other tech companies, marketing firms, groups at the University, and our heavy involvement with organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, Ann Arbor SPARK, the New Enterprise Forum, and the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw.

If you’re competitive by nature and wondering how we stack up against other Midwest towns, Ann Arbor scored higher than Madison, WI (#46), Brookfield, WI (#72), Zionsville, IN (#57), Colombus, IN (#74), and Pittsburg, PA (#60). The only Midwest city to rank higher than Ann Arbor was Naperville, IL – which is just outside Chicago and ranked at #29.

Over the past few months, I’ve been talking with other Ann Arbor web companies and discovered an interesting trend – WE ALL TRYING TO HIRE THE EXACT SAME PERSON. Well, not exactly the same person, but we’re all trying to hire for the same job position.

We need experienced web programmers, especially those brilliant PHP and/or Ruby geeks who can jump right into projects, trouble shoot, and work well with a team. It’s also highly likely that these folks drink vast quantities of Mountain Dew, write code at 2 AM, and haven’t had a sun tan … ever. I say all this with kindness and admiration because our company depends on YOU. We want you join our team, and we promise to praise and reward your big analytical brains.

Seriously though – why are Ann Arbor web companies struggling to recruit for the same position? Why aren’t there enough good web programmers to go around? And how can we bring more of them here?

I think our local companies have an opportunity to band together and recruit more web programmers. Once they see that there are MANY career opportunities in Ann Arbor, they’ll be more likely to move here. They’ll understand that our region can offer them lots of job options and a career path where they quickly advance and easily change companies if need be. If you have ideas for how we can bring more experienced web programmers to the area, please comment on this post.

And for all you wonderful geeks looking for a new job, here are some Ann Arbor web firms who need you badly:

• Inner Circle Media (of course, I have to put us at the top of the list!)
• Dynamic Edge
• Ingenex Digital Marketing
• Igadea
• Boxcar Studio
• Linux Box
• MetaSpring (they’re looking for a designer right now, but always seeking great programmers)

I’ll keep adding to this list, so please let me know if you’d like your company added.

In the past 2 months, Inner Circle Media was honored with a Silver Addy Award and recognized by Corp! Magazine in their “Best of Michigan Business” competition (in the Marketing & PR Company category). Gosh, we sure are thankful when people like our work enough to give us awards!

First, let’s talk about the Addy… (By the way, that’s a photo of Carrie at the event)

Each year the American Advertising Federation receives 60,000 entries for its Addy Awards Competition. The Ann Arbor Ad Club calls for entries from local creative firms and determines winners who will compete on the regional and national level. We entered the web site we developed for Soul Tracks in the category of “Interactive Media: Web Site, Consumer HTML.” Soul Tracks is the premier online destination for soul music enthusiasts. Interestingly, Soul Tracks was started by Chris Rizik, co-founder and Board member of Ardesta, who’s passion for soul music is contagious. Boasting over a million hits a year, Soul Tracks is a vibrant web community with many contributors.

When designing SoulTracks.com, we focused on both aesthetics and flexibility. As all you web developers know, there’s always a worry that when the client takes over the upkeep of a website, the aesthetics of the user interface will quickly slide downhill. With SoulTracks.com we knew we had to build a pretty website that would stay pretty even when new content (photos, ads, videos, news, etc.) was added daily. Inner Circle built the new site on the Drupal content management framework which allows contributors to continuously add new information – like free mp3 downloads, new artist photos, bios, album updates, critical reviews, and soul music news. Drupal also allows Soul Tracks staff to manage an increasing number of advertisers.

Keeping all this in mind, we entered SoulTracks.com in the Addy competition because the site is a great example of an well-designed, technically astute website that lets our client easily manage a booming online community. We thought it deserved recognition as an example of a truly INTERACTIVE website where the content is always changing. We were right – our entry was awarded a Silver Addy and we were invited to attend the Addy Award Gala, which took place at the beautiful Rackham building on the University of Michigan campus, just a short walk from ICM’s office.

Carrie and I attended the gala, and gained keen insight into what else is going on design-wise in Ann Arbor. We learned some important things at the gala:

• Ann Arbor has some major design talent. We were super impressed with the work displayed in the Addy gallery: standouts (our favorites) include Heidi Woodward Sheffield’s work for the Ann Arbor Book Festival; Scott Pryor of Pryor Design’s sales promotion for ele Cake Co.; and Perich Advertising + Design’s entire advertising campaign for the Detroit Institute of Arts.
• The Addy Awards are based on design, not function, and this is especially true in the web site categories. Winning (Addy-worthy) entries included beautiful, expansive photography and simple, clean home page designs. Addys don’t give extra credit for functionality or recognize the power of an online community. We’re not saying that this is the Addy’s role: we could enter our sites for other awards that look more at the technical side, but it was an important lesson for us.
• They ran out of dessert. Carrie and I were devastated to find that very early in the evening, the dessert table was empty and never refreshed again. Katherine’s Catering provided the food, which was delicious, and the wine and beer selection, as well as the jazz trio, were a great enhancement to the festivities, but no chocolate for us was sad indeed.
• The price tag was a bit steep: $50 for Ad Club members (or $60 for nonmembers). The event was a great opportunity to meet other creative types in the Ann Arbor community, but I wonder if attendance would be boosted if the entrance fee was lower.

Now let’s talk about Corp! Magazine’s “Best of Michigan Business” Award…

Corp! magazine asked 1000 readers which companies they considered the “best” in Michigan. Those kind readers chose Inner Circle Media as one of the “best” in the “Marketing & PR” category. It was not clear to us how they categorized winning companies, as our firm could have fit in the “Technology Firms” or “Small Business” categories too. Winners were featured in the January/February 2008 edition of Corp! magazine and at a breakfast event in Troy, MI last week. Several other Ann Arbor companies made the list including:

• Accent Reduction Institute (Small Business $1-10 Million- also an ICM client)
• Busch’s (Grocers)
• University of Michigan Health System (Health Care Provider)
• Uproar Communications (Marketing & PR)
• Milliken Realty Company (Real Estate-Commercial/Industrial)
• Gandy Dancer (Restaurants)
• Running Fit (Retailers)
• Menlo Innovations (Small Business)
• Ardesta (Technology Firms)
• Fry, Inc. (Technology Firms)

Congrats to all the companies who made the “Best of Michigan Business” list. We should all be proud of our combined accomplishments and our efforts to build and grow great companies in the Great Lakes State.

Here’s an interesting Harvard Business Review article by Boris Groysberg (I found it on the BNET website). In his article, Groysberg says when star performers switch companies, they often fail to be star performers at the new company – except if they’re women. Groysberg found in his study that women are more successful in transitioning from one company to another. Here are the top reasons why:

• Men typically form in-house bonds at their company, while women are better at building external relationships and networks with customers, mentors, colleagues, partners, vendors, etc. outside their own company. When they leave one company and go on to the next, they take these strong connections with them.
  

• Men typically consider compensation first when selecting a new position. Women are more likely to evaluate a variety of factors when considering a new job –especially cultural fit, values, and managerial style. Women often choose to work at companies that are receptive to female talent, open to a range of personal styles, and impartial in their performance measurement systems. Because women select new jobs based on a strong personal fit, they are more likely to find success in those jobs.

If this topic interests you like it does me, then this might interest you too (especially if you live in Ann Arbor / Southeast Michigan). We are forming a new women’s group called the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw. Our focus is on helping women build and lead strong companies. The first WXW event will be held in early May. We’ll feature a panel of high-powered business women (a C-level corporate leader, a successful company founder, and a soon-to-be successful entrepreneur). Unlike many other local business groups, we’ll also have break out sessions where all participants will discuss struggles and solutions common to growing and leading companies. The event will end with the happiest of happy hours (my favorite). Topics and agendas for future WXW events will be determined based on the outcome of this first event.

Please let me know if you want to know more and/or get involved. More info will follow on this blog, on the Chamber website, and in the press soon.

Inner Circle Media has been lauded as a commuter-friendly business by the getDowntown program, which is committed to promoting alternative transportation options. Click here to read more about our sweet award.

There are so many people we’d like to thank: our parents, who taught us how to walk, ride the bus, and drive; our family members for supporting our carpooling efforts. Oh wait, there’s the music telling us to wrap it up…