Today I was a contestant in an Elevator Pitch Contest sponsored by CT Showcase and Microsoft.

There were about 25 of us competing. I decided to pitch my other biz, group88, for the contest. All were small biz folk and ranged from my pal Cherie Griffith-Dunne of VLO Group Northeast who is on a mission to bring affordable but sleek houses to the underserved market of young professionals and the winner of the contest, Dori DeCarlo of S1 Bags who produces see-through bags and backpacks that helps make security check-throughs a breeze for travelers and high school kids.

The first contestant was a cookie lady who brought props, a.k.a. cookies! She handed them out to the judges and the entire room. Dang it! I half thought of running into the back room to grab the tray of fruit for my pitch but I couldn’t figure out how to make the connection from cantaloupe to coworking. The cookie lady was pretty good but I have to say she quickly fell into a classic mode of thinking, “well, I’ve 60 seconds so I might as well fill it right to the brim.” Kind of like a big cookie that has chocolate chips, pecans, butterscotch, craisins and dates. The cookie was great until you hit the craisins. And the dates were just not necessary at all.

Some folks were pretty seasoned pitchers. Others had tons of hootzpah and will be great if they keep at it. I was somewhere in the middle. The night before the pitch session, I was meeting with my top client and I had the chance to bounce my pitch off of them. They had some great feedback which I incorporated. Being able to verbalize my pitch outloud the night before was just what I needed to juice up my confidence and tighten up my goods.

Here was my pitch (although somewhat morphed because verbally it was a bit more cas):

“Hi, my name is Suzi Edwards and I’m with group88. group88 is a community of independent professionals on a mission to stay independent. At our facility in Simsbury, we share work and meeting space, office equipment, wifi, coffee and knowledge. Our members are freelancers, ecomm entrepreneurs, laptop loungers and road warriors. Starting at just $18 per day, members can use group88 when they need it: either 1 or 2 days per month or every day. You can find us at www.group88.us or call us at 860.658.4888. Our motto at group88 is, ‘hey, if you can work from anywhere, why not here?”’

Blech. Well, it was okay but I could have done better and this is how:

“Hi, my name is Suzi Edwards and I’m with group88. group88 is a community of independent professionals on a mission to stay independent. At our facility in Simsbury, we share work and meeting space, office equipment, video conferencing, wifi, coffee and knowledge. Our members include a doctor venturing into ecommerce, a marketing consultant, an executive search professional and other mobile workers. Our relaxed but professional environment helps solo professionals break the chains of solitary confinement and save on the costs of working solo. Starting at just $18 per day, members can use group88 when they need it. Some members drop in 2 days per week and others come and go when they need it. You can find us .88 miles from the Avon line on Route 10 in Simsbury. Check us out at www.group88.us or call us at 860.658.4888. Like we always say at group88, ‘If you can work from anywhere, why not here?”’

In listening to the other pitchers, I have to say that I see three top elements to a great pitch:

1) Pain Point: You need to express pain with pleasure. Connect with your audience by presenting the problem, a.k.a. “pain,” and the solution that will take the pain away. My pitch still needs help on this one but I’m getting there. John Stroiney from Microsoft, our host, picked his personal fav as the winner, Dori, because she hit the pain and solution points perfectly.

2) Illustration: Use stories and examples. Any time your audience can visualize how your schnizit rolls, you can take them 5 more steps into understanding what you offer. The third place winner was Princess Bola Adelani of Royal Proclamations. She was the only person to make personal contact with the judges. She walked right up to them, shook their hands and walked down the table to make direct eye contact with each of them. With her passionate words and interaction, she killed the judges and the crowd.

3) Clarity: Say what you mean and do it 30 seconds or less. Don’t say that you “build relationships” (which I did not hear today thankfully) or that you “provide solutions.” Terms like that mean nothing and get you nowhere darn fast.

So, I didn’t win. But, that’s okay. Dori, the gal that did win, totally blew us all to bits and she deserved it. It was definitely worth my time. I made some great connections and learned some good tricks. I might even steal the idea for a group88 event. The cookie lady will be invited for sure.

My pals Sonny and Kara Parlin have launched Sparrow Lounge, a site to showcase their amazing photography. The below pic of yours truly was taken in Hartford by Sonny.

Along with a sharp eye for perspective and in-the-moment portraits, Sonny and Kara are doing some amazing post-processing work. The work showcased on Sparrow Lounge is phenomenal.

Equally as awesome as their work is the lightening speed awareness Sonny and Kara are receiving via flickr. Within one day of posting the “Dreaming of Infinity” pic, Sonny received a two-page list of comments. Some spammers were among them but quite a few were either “love it” comments or “can I post this on my site?” questions. Sonny also joined the CT Meetup for flickr so he could hang with other photophiles.

This is a great example of social media turning the corner. flickr is a soc media granddaddy, for sure, but for many it’s still an online photo album. But, while kids and moms are posting photos for the heck of it, photographers are getting discovered and connections are being made.

If you have been one of those folks wondering what usefulness social media would ever have beyond a water cooler chat, get yourself on flickr. For the mainstream, flickr and other soc media giants are finally beyond the honeymoon stage. One of the biggest reasons for this is volume. With typically 5,000+ uploads per minute, flickr’s flurry of activity is more than just photos and comments. It’s art, laughter, friendship, innovation, intensity, transparency, discovery, and, for some, opportunity.

This week my biggest mission has been sleep. Last Saturday I worked a marathon, from 9am to 3am (no joke), as I attempted to fix a project that I had delegated and poorly managed. Lesson learned. Each night since Saturday I’ve snagged maybe 3 hours of sleep, until last night when a heavenly 8 hour slot opened up and I jumped all over it like a squirrel at nutapaloooza.

Speaking of paloozas (cheeky segue, I know) . . . when I arrived at the Greater Hartford Women’s Conference yesterday, I was less than my usual energy-infused self. But, thank goodness I pulled my sorry act together to go. It was exactly what I needed.

Last week, I met with a really sharp, creative client potential. He’s forward-thinking, cool and just the type of folk I want to be associated with. At some point in our chat he said, “So, what is it that you really want to do?” Oh boy. Not this question. I never have a good answer for this one. Sad, but true. My answer was wishy washy and vague. I knew it was yucky even as it came out of my mouth. I can’t remember exactly what I said but the translation was pretty much, “I don’t know.” He picked up on it right away and said, “Well, when you get your s*&% together, give me a call.” No lie, those were his exact words.

Oy! There’s nothing like thinking you’re making a great impression on someone and then kicking yourself square in the nuts (so to speak, of course). So, fast forward to yesterday. I’m tired, I’m drowning in project work, I’m fuzzy, I’m kicking myself for recently taking on some projects that I don’t want, I’m anxious to spend time on my favorite baby, group88, and my 37th birthday is coming up in 3 days. That number is like 3 years from that zero number that I never thought I’d have to think about or face.

The first session at the conference is a panel of some very cool, smart women. They include Janet Peckinpaugh (award-winning TV anchor), Renee Sherman (Ameriprise Financial mover and shaker), Laurie Rosner (Rockville Bank bigwig), Karen Rossi (artistic entrepreneur) and . . . WHAT?!, who is that I see up there, is it, could it be? . . it is! Regina Barreca, UConn professor and sharp-tongued killer of bulls&*#. I could never get into her classes when I attended UConn and one time my mom (also a huge fan) and I tried to get to one of her speaking engagements and it was snowed out. Then I moved to NYC and life got in the way and so, meeting Gina has been a long time coming for me.

As I’m listening to the panel, my energy is coming back in full force. The discussion volleys back and forth between personal stories of the Old Boys Network pioneers and what, if anything, has changed since then. It’s good bonding that needs to happen at something like this. Chics bond, that’s what we do.

After the session ended I thought of something smart to say. Of course. If I could go back, this would be my commentary:

I think it’s great for younger women to hear about the early battles of feminism. We need to know our roots. Let’s face it, I just don’t have to work as hard because of their hard work. And, this leads me to my main point: I think the women who have fought so hard for respect and career advancement need to know that they have succeeded. We are there. We have accomplished the first “it.” I’m a great example. I was never told, “you can’t do that because you’re a woman.” I face different challenges. A friend of mine once said, “Women are a real pain in the ass to work with,” and he laughed it off like a joke. So, I think women today face more subtle challenges. The old mindset still exists but it has, for the most part, morphed. Saying degrading things out loud is now a no-no so they come out in fuzzy tones versus actual dialog. Often times I’ve thought, “Am I being treated like this because I’m a woman or because this guy thinks I’m a jerk?”

My point is that we are there, we did it. So, why are we still rehashing the old stuff? It’s time to take two steps into the future and kill that one leg in the past that is dragging us down. I realize that I just created a three-legged scenario here but, that’s what it feels like. If we’d just chop off that one unnecessary carnival-freak leg, we can sprint forward.

Either way, the humor and insight of Gina and Janet and the rest of the panel was the beginning of a day that has become a turning point for me. Here are the highlights:

1) I had a quick chat with Gina and bought her new book, Babes in Boyland. After finding out that I was an English major at UConn, she said to me, “How come I didn’t have you in a class?” I was impressed that she didn’t say, “did I have you in a class?” I’m guessing she does remember all of her students - or she can at least fake it really well which is just as good.

2) I attended three sessions. Two were excellent and one was not (that’s okay, it happens). My favs were “Designing the Life You Want” with calming Feng Shui expert Lin Huntting Congdon and “Great Presenters and Presentations: Fact vs. Fiction” with spitfire Debbie Fay. Both sessions were complete opposites and both were excellent. Both Lin and Debbie are extremely generous with their knowledge and time and I know I will be learning a lot more from them in the future.

3) Marcia Weider. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. I didn’t realize it but I sat with Marcia during lunch. I was across the table so I didn’t get the chance to chat with her. But no matter because her talk after lunch was worth every penny of my $129. Typically, I roll my eyes at motivational speakers. I have a bit of a closet arrogant side and usually am skeptical of someone else inspiring me about things that I already know or feel like I should know. Marcia is different. Marcia’s schtick is about dreams. But she doesn’t talk about dreams in a floaty, head cloudy kind of way. She talks about dreaming as a way of living. So, you want to be a dentist? You want to live in Key West? What are you doing about it? Her approach focuses on understanding that our realistic side is really just doubt’s ugly step sister. Our doubt paralyzes us. This is not revolutionary, of course, but the way she frames it has made me think about my own approach to life. The time has come to get off my arse and start doing the two things I really want to do: 1) become a great commentary writer and 2) make group88 successful. I have morphed her ideas into one, simple, three-word question that I will now forever ask myself each time I doubt my decisions: “Who will die?” Really now - if the result of my decision is not death for someone, either family, friend or stranger, than I have no excuse.

4) Dr. Norling. This week we rented out the group88 space to Dr. Sharon Norling and crew from the Mind Body Spirit Center in Westlake Village, California. Dr. Norling is a renowned optimal health expert who focuses on integrating natural and traditional practice. Dr. Norling, massage therapist Lorri Dzuiba (had a chair massage today - she’s awesome!) and Biofeedback Specialist Jim Holton have been meeting with their East Coast clients all week. They love the space and I love having them here. They’re good people. When my group88 co-founder, Jaye Donaldson, said, “Why don’t we have Dr. Norling do a lunchtime talk before she leaves town?”, I thought - can we really pull that together in 2 1/2 days? Well, yes we can! While at the conference Janet made an announcement about our very reasonable $10 lunchtime session on Friday with Dr. Norling and I immediately got 3 business cards handed to me. Dr. Norling’s session at the conference was packed and there were a lot of chics, like me, who weren’t able to get in there so we’re really happy to be able to do this. And, we’re getting the group88 name out there in a big way. Niiiiiiiiice!

5) I know Debbie Fay is reading this and seeing that I now am presenting a list of 5 things which, according to her is okay but not as good as just having 3 things because we all can’t handle more than 3. She’s absolutely right about that. But, frankly, I think 4 things is too weird and I wasn’t about to cut any of them. Odd numbers just seem to work for me which is not odd at all considering I like to think of myself as sufficiently odd. So, number 5 is really just that, number 5.

My crossroads has arrived. I have two career priorities that have been lost in the everyday shuffle of life but no more. I’ll let you know how it goes. Now that I’ve written out my dreams in this blog, I’ve gotta do it, right? Marcia will be proud, I’m sure.

And, by the way, the end of the day topped off with a great bonus: I won a raffle prize! I won by default because 2 other chics were not present, but who cares? It was the perfect prize too of a massage appointment and spa stuff. I deserve it after this week of laptop hell.

Thank you to the South Windsor Chamber and the committee for the Greater Hartford Women’s Conference. The event was phenomenal. Next year will be even better.

To Connecticut businesses big and small: where are you? A small scant of you I met this morning at Connecticut Business Day (if there was more information on this event, I’d link to it). Others are skimming this post and asking, “what is Connecticut Business Day?” Sounds impressive doesn’t it? It’s really less of an event and more like a half day of discussion and stale danish.

I didn’t know Connecticut Business Day existed until I attended a Simsbury Chamber of Commerce event last week. I also didn’t know what to expect. I attended the open session to hear Governor Rell and legislators speak about the top priorities in Connecticut business. Mission accomplished. I also attended with the intention of raising my hand to ask Gov. Rell if any incentives or programs are being discussed to support the growth and unrelocation of mobile and solo entrepreneurs. Oops.

Well, I missed my chance with the governor but I was able to pose the question to Rep. Kevin Witkos (Avon, CT) and we also had a quick chat about coworking. Kevin will be one of our first group88 speakers and seemed jazzed about the idea. I also had a half-second drive-by chat with the ever-effervescent Rep. Rob Simmons, Connecticut’s Business Advocate. I will be taking Rob up on his offer of 15 minutes of his time (your place or his), and hope to get his thoughts on how we can introduce Connecticut to coworking and other new ways that entrepreneurs are doing business.

Walking out of Connecticut Business Day (which, by the way, is from 7:30-noonish, so not so much of a “day”), I felt both inspired to get more involved with the state (did I just say that outloud?) and edgy about possible outcomes from upcoming sessions: either paralyzation of possible incentives or overreaction of useless mandates. Below are a list of action points discussed and WallFly’s review categorized as “Inspired” or “Tired”:

High-tech Corridor – TIRED: Discussion of this state’s wish to be nano-pioneers and the mayor of high-tech is great but what communities are we building for innovators? We have pockets of innovation via Yale, CCAT, UConn, CCSU and others. Resources, programs and seed/investment dollars are available. What we lack is real-world connections and initiatives that move at the pace of business versus government. Government needs to understand the unique mojo of young entrepreneurs. The new mobile, home-based and start-up workforce requires different environments, culture and interaction. Unfortunately, I feel like that by the time government gets it, the trends will have moved on.

Many times today, I heard “You entrepreneurs need to reach out and get involved. Talk to us. Tell us what you need.” All true, we do need to get more invovled. But, to be candid, the Connecticut government needs to work on its rep for newbies to even consider reaching out. If you are new to entrepreneurship, the word on the street is that state government will slow you down and pain up the process of doing business. Is it true? Honestly, I don’t know. The few folks I’ve met in the state are sharp and very helpful. Is the state my first choice when I need help? No. Last summer I presented the idea of coworking to one state-funded org. Discussions were encouraging and there were many Hollywood “yes’s” about the project. But, eight months later, I’m still waiting to hear if they’re going to move forward.

Transportation – INSPIRED: If you’re not trapped under something heavy during the hours of 7a.m. to 6p.m., driving in this state is an issue for you. Gov. Rell gets this. Her recent proposal to split the DOT may or may not be the best answer but at least the discussion will (fingers crossed) lead to a real reorg. As State Senator John McKinney commented, the best solution for transforming the DOT is up for grabs right now but, one thing is for sure: “the answer is not more roads.”

Energy – TIRED: There are no energy-related bills on the table this year. The state is currently implementing and “administering” the building of transmission lines so any other discussions on energy is apparently not a priority. Connecticut has the highest energy costs in the nation. According to State Senator Donald Williams, we pay $300-500 billion in energy costs due to out-of-state purchases and then paying for it all year long. Rep. Larry Cafero told the story of a business who increased prices 75% to cover the cost of his skyrocketing electric bill. He also discussed a recent article in Expansion Management magazine that ranked Connecticut as 50th in attractive business-friendly political climates. How is it possible that energy and cost-reduction measures are NOT a priority?!

Health Plan – INSPIRED & TIRED: Gov. Rell discussed her Charter Oak Plan (insurance for those of us in the gap – i.e., one of this state’s primary workforces) and her distress on this bill (and others) that will “break the bank.” Her original proposal would cost the state $15 million while the current proposal on the table is peaking at $15 billion. Ouch.

Entity Tax Repeal – INSPIRED: Okay, it’s only $250, but for a tax that did nothing except take money out of our pockets, I think we can all be happy to say goodbye to that one.

Overall, Gov. Rell’s message is to be “cautious and realistic” as we bear through this thing that her advisors are afraid to call a recession. I agree with cutting costs, for sure. But being “cautious” doesn’t exactly fit right. Yesterday was the 75th anniversary of FDR’s famous “the only we have to fear is fear itself” first inaugural speech. For those kids out there who have heard the “fear itself” quip many times, he was not talking about Al Queda. He was talking about beating the Great Depression and building a vibrant economy that required action and didn’t bow to self-fulfilling financial doom prophecy. Today it’s true that our economy is built on stilts right now. However, if we don’t move forward and be aggressive and smart, we are sure to fall on our face.

I hope to meet with more legislators to discuss the new business environment. If there is any mandate out there to discuss, it should be the requirement of new businesses to meet with government in some fashion. Talk all you want about inactivity or overactivity in state government, until we all make our Who voices heard to the Hortons at the Legislative Office Building on Capitol Ave., can we really complain about it?

It’s not about “how” can I get successful but “how successful can I get?”

This week I attended two girl power networking events, both discovered while rummaging through MeetUp.com. Although hosted in the organizer’s home, each event was very different. The first was The Professional Women’s Lunchtime Collaborative in Springfield, Mass., a small group of business indies who gather once a month with a purpose. Each month a member takes the wheel and presents a project or challenge for the group to nosh on. I like this approach. We bring our lunches, get to know each other in small bits and do our best to stay on topic.

The second event was a wine and chocolate half-social, half-networking evening. About 20 gals and one unsuspecting guy (don’t worry, we went easy on him) gathered in a very cozy fireplaced family room. The group is the Western Mass. sect of eWomenNetwork. This is atypical of their monthly meet ups which are usually a paid-speaker-dinner event. The flow of this event was possibly too casual, as discussions drifted here and there, but I didn’t mind. We kept topics to 90% business and the ideas flowed plenty regarding marketing, staying motivated and looking for new avenues to grow business.

Both events confirmed a gut feeling that I’ve had for several months now: women are itchy. Today’s professional women are energetic, smart and eager to suss out new opportunities. We’re competitive and supportive all at once. Business networking has really grown up and we all recognize the value in creating communities that have direct and indirect impact on our business.

I believe the focus for women succeeding in business is finally shifting from isolated big strides to a multitude of smaller but more effective leaps. In the early days of my career I worked with several women who were still living in the residuals of vigilante feminists. Don’t misunderstand me here – I am a huge proponent of competition and empowerment. I also believe competition is at its best when it coexists with mutual respect and support.

With the long-time career women I encountered in the 1990s, fear of not getting ahead was the driver and an expectation of suppression was a natural response. They were still “fighting the good fight” but their fight was not of 1970s and 1980s solidarity. Their fight had moved from “the man” to protecting their hard won territory against the younger women who were looking for mentorship and empowerment. It was a weird time. My views of this time were possibly skewed because I was green and new to office politics but I doubt this is the case since I see a definite change these days.

We are beyond the 1990s confusion of “every woman for herself while pretending to stick together.” Today, it’s not an either/or situation. In the U.S., it’s not about conquering territory and making a claim anymore. Now is the time for action where the focus is not reaction but impact.

The opportunities now open to everyone in business is causing an itch. I can literally see it in people at the networking events – they’re jumping out of their skins. The breadth of opportunity is immense. It’s not about “how” can I get successful but “how successful can I get?” Moms take time off to hang with their kids and then they float into business whenever the opportunity strikes. I met a woman the other night who quit her job last summer and is just now thinking about getting another one, if the right one comes along. The organizer of the eWomenNetwork group home schools her six kids, yet finds time to help build a community of professionals who are focused on motivating and philanthropic business practice.

Man or woman in business, it’s time to scratch that itch. I want 2008 to be defined by action. Your actions should result in success for your business and for others in your community. Big or small, the actions we take to improve the business environment for others will always have great rewards for our own growth and success.

Predicting what 2008 will bring is tricky business. It’s an election year, housing is moving on from sellers-market denial, credit card debt continues to eat away at our economic stability, the U.S. dollar has seen better days, old media continues to fight the once-good fight while new media prepares for all-out infiltration and conglomerate air time is continually consumed by the Writer’s Guild strike and Britney Smears instead of our troops.

Armageddon? Not yet. As far as I can tell, turmoil breeds panic for the timid and intrigue for everyone else. The business climate, depending on the business, is at once volatile and filled with opportunity. I see the upcoming two years as less of an end to a decade than a precursor to the incredible shifts that will take place beginning in 2010. Virtual living and working will cause person-to-person business to make room for better online practices and philosophies. To be truly successful in the Web 2.whatever, businesses must synergize online and offline activities. Your business’ relationships, revenue and mojo depend on it. Enough about the decade, let’s just focus on 2008 for now.

Below are WallFly’s top three predictions for the upcoming year. I have to admit they are a mix of prediction and hope. Maybe I should have called them “Business-Fulfilling Prophecies” instead?

Recession Schmession

Smart companies will improve relationships, not business plans.

I’m not suggesting you avoid streamlining. We’re all making measured decisions with our cash flow. Just last week I considered not sending out a business mailer for the holiday season. Instead I opted to spend less money at Panera and wait until the new year to hit Staples.

Move your numbers around all you want but if you’re not taking time out to do the following, you are losing ground with clients: a) connecting with your clients on a regular basis (phone, mail, email or events) to increase opportunity for more interaction b) learning when, why and how your current clients interact with you, and applying that knowledge to improving your value and c) feeding your positioning with a menu of competitive activity, impending growth and your customer’s changing climate.

We all know that getting a client takes double the effort versus convincing a happy client to stay, so why do companies continue to neglect clients in the off-season of interaction? Think about your best personal relationships and what makes them tick. Making someone happy in a relationship 90% of the time requires improving their life every day (i.e., taking out the garbage) versus buying an expensive gift one day out of the year (i.e., buying an iPhone). Next time you consider dumping all of your marketing dollars into a big trade show, think about the low-budget things you can do to reach out to clients throughout the year: start a monthly newsletter, make quality control phone calls, talk about how other clients benefit from you, make in-person annual visits or even send out a short quarterly email that shares info on upcoming developments.

Ecomm Grows Up

Utility will emerge from 80 gazillion social media apps.

I’ve seen some pretty useless Facebook applications - from starting a virtual snowball fight to getting hugged by a zombie. How do these strides in web development improve your business? They won’t. But they will change the way users interact with the web and that’s what you need notice. Once users start expecting things from the online world, they want it from everyone - a streamlined user experience, content that takes into account context and a site that understands the concept of easy.

The massive amount of activity taking place among developers for Facebook and now Google’s universal app platform will both increase the size of our kids’ behinds as they play less soccer (or play more virtual soccer) and generate technologies that users will want to see everywhere. If you have a website, start paying attention to the activities happening online. You don’t have to apply them all but you have to understand how it will affect your clients. I’ve advised some clients to skip blogging because it didn’t make sense for them. It’s not about jumping on the latest, new technology - it’s about understanding how all new technology is driving the way we do business.

Marketing Gets Stuck

New media will drive marketing. The stories that stick, win.

I was wondering when some smart marketing guy would take Chris Anderson’s Long Tail and extend it by applying it to branding. The smart marketing guy is Mohammed Iqbal and the essay is The Elongating Tail of Brand Communication, as found on ChangeThis.

One-hit wonders are not only increasingly rare in this climate of targeted success, aiming for them is the same as denying the tastes of various music fans. We are a culture of choice and highly personal demand. One size does not fit all and this philosophy applies to both your products or service and your brand position.

I recently discovered this in my research for finding a market for a Connecticut coworking space, Group88, that I will help manage in 2008. Some of the area professionals liked the idea of getting out of their home-based office to meet with other folks while others had no need for networking at all (I think there’s always a need for networking but I’m partial to the practice). You can’t be all things to all people so don’t even try. You can, however, choose the primary values of your positioning that appeals to your variety of customers. Using new media channels to test an idea and then kill it or expand it will yield higher results than picking one thing and crossing your fingers that it will stick. Don’t egg your basket - add crates and buckets and other things to put all your eggs into.

Yesterday I attended a Hasbro vendor fair at their Pawtucket, Rhode Island headquarters. If you think hanging out all day at the birthplace of Mr. Potato Head is all candy canes, pumpkin pie and green apple licorice . . . Yahtzee! You’re right.

The purpose of the fair is to connect freelancers (writers like me, product and package designers, molders, illustrators, photographers, etc.) with in-house Hasbroites. I have been doing some work with excellent copywriter Kara Parlin at the East Longmeadow, Mass. location and was really psyched to attend this one-day only event. I invited my graphic design co-hort, Amanda Bedard of Spielman Design. Amanda does incredible work and she’s a networking hound like me so it was a perfect fit.

First things first, I need to give some major props to our organizer, Susan Algeo. Susan has more energy than Spiderman on speed and could give lessons on how to keep an event ticking while dealing with 800 interruptions, competition with the buzz of daily life at headquarters and a four-hour window to ensure a productive day for 50+ folks who have traveled as far as Portland, Oregon. At one point, I caught Susan attempting to fill up a plate for lunch and told her that I had a question for her when she was done. Nonsense! We chatted while she tried to eat and then, of course, also took care of a few more interruptions along the way. Along with a catalog of all vendors, a fab hot lunch, an afternoon snack of kettle corn, access to the discounted Hasbro boutique (Christmas for my nephew is done!), we also received either Scrabble or Yahtzee! as a parting gift. It was better than spending the day in Candy Land.

Talking with the Hasbroites was really refreshing. These people love what they do. I talked with copywriter Danielle Slawsby who has great war stories from the dotcom days and is working on some cool web stuff for Hasbro, Joanna Kalafarski who manages packaging and product copy and was kind enough to let me bend her ear while I could tell she was swamped with work, Art Director Kathleen Murray who apparently loves pop culture more than me (although I think it might be a tie) and Design Director Melissa Mips who began with Hasbro at the East Longmeadow branch and seems to know just about everyone in Hasbro’s extensive network of past and current employees. I also met tons of designers like a kid (I think he was older than 12 but I’ll still call him a kid) who designs GI Joe and a guy who’s worked on Play-Doh for ions.

Equally cool was hanging with the other vendors. Here’s a list of my favs:

Fuszion - Killer design company located in Virginia. Rick and Jeff let me babble on about branding and marketing so I loved them even more. How can you go wrong with a name like Fuszion? These guys have awesome years ahead of them.

Smith Design - Mr. and Mrs. Smith are green-concerned packaging and product designers out of New Jersey. Their daughter Jenna, an ex-Silicon Valley girl, represented the fam and did a great job of showcasing their excellent work.

Gary Leveille, Berkshire Creative - Gary is a fellow writer who has quite an extensive list of experience in the biz. He had some great writer-to-writer advice for me which I will keep to myself.

Smartshape Design - Did you know Cleveland is really just an old ‘burb of Connecticut? These guys did - they know everything! Smartshape are innovative engineers who can also hook clients up with tooling and manufacturing. Smart.

Gary & Maggie Houston, A Printer’s Film Service, inc. - Gary and Maggie are a husband and wife duo who met in Providence, RI and worked for Hasbro “back in the day” and now live in North Carolina. Spunk doesn’t begin to describe them.

Philip Hatter, Thistledown Puppets - You have not seen puppets until you’ve met Philip and his puppet posse. His work is incredible and his love for puppet theater really shows in his designs. I kept meaning to ask him why he went with the name Thistledown versus a play on Mad Hatter. For another day.

Pumpkin Pie - Jennifer and Sheridan specialize in branding, logos and package design. They practice what they preach and have done some of the best branding for their own company that I’ve seen in a long time.

Adam Gillespie, Night Light Graphics - Adam is an extremely talented illustrator and graphic designer of cool other worlds. He has a very bright future ahead of him.

Floating Pear Productions - Digital animation experts, Floating Pear were our neighbors and Hasbro’s too since they are based out of Providence, RI. Co-founder Dee Boyd’s bubbly personality and their cool mug give-aways kept the traffic flowing our way. Thanks Dee!

And last but absolutely not least . . .

The Linnett Sisters - A long-forgotten ’50s pop band? Nope. Two creative New Hampshire gals, Katie and Patti, daughters of illustrator Charles Linnett (also an ex-Hasbroite) and owners of Linnett Studios. The Linnett Sisters are talented illustrators and innovative package and product designers.

All in all a great networking event. I’m sure Susan will be looking for feedback on how to make the day better and I really only have one suggestion:

The Catalog - The catalog of vendors was not distributed to Hasbroites unless they strolled down to the event. I would flip this entirely. Why not offer up an electronic catalog teaser to those groups (Design, Creative, etc.) one week ahead of time? In the teaser, I would allow the vendors a quick promo paragraph and also a chance for them to say which Hasbro projects (or types of projects) they’d like to work on.

Life gets in the way - meetings, sick days, unexpected work issues - if someone isn’t able to meet with the vendors on the day we’re there or from the 10-2 time frame, it’s possible that Hasbro staff might want to meet with vendors before or after the event. I say promote the folks who are traveling to Pawtucket, RI as much as possible. There was a lot of talent hanging out in that Hasbro hallway. Keeping us a secret is like telling kids about this great movie where funky fighting, car-morphing machines attempt to destroy the world versus showing them this.

Either way, I’ll be back again next year. To those vendors who declined to attend because they considered it a Trivial Pursuit: you’ll be Sorry! next year if you Boggle an opportunity to Connect Four hours with folks that could move you along in The Game of Life. And let’s not forget the kettle corn. That’s worth the trip to Pawtucket alone.

I have never been tempted to drag myself out of a post-Thanksgiving coma to mingle with the early morning freaks on Black Friday. But darn that Kohl’s if they didn’t have the best deal on digital photo frames. So, there I was, pulling into Kohl’s at 4:15 a.m., and under my droopy eyelids I suddenly notice not 1, 2 or 3 but like 8-10 women strolling out of the store with purchases in hand. The store had only been open for 15 minutes! These gals must have been camped out since 2 a.m. and, obviously, knew exactly what they wanted - my digital photo frame. Dang it!

I parked the car, in the second back lot since the first was a complete nightmare, and strolled into the store. After finding the empty shelf that was home to my digital photo frame and catching a glimpse of the frenzy throughout the store, I split. I then strolled over to Best Buy, which was opening at 5 a.m., and got in the line about 300 people deep. A guy in front of me told another guy that he’d need a ticket or he’d be forced to wait outside and, by the way, they weren’t giving out tickets anymore. Back to the car I went. I’ll spare you the details of the rest of my day, which I now call Black-Eye Friday, for the elbow-throwing crazies who will do anything to grab the biggest deal first.

Have we totally lost our minds? Retailers are pointing to high fuel prices (which are definitely a factor but not always a deal breaker) and the mortgage crunch for pre-blame commentary on how they will have a tough holiday season. Dozens of surveys and reports such as this one by U.S. News predict consumers will tighten their belts and spend less than we have in the past 5 years. Fooey! It’s not the holidays we should be worried about. Consumers won’t spend less between now and December 25. They’ll just jack up their plastic and then, starting January 1, try to figure out how to pay for it. And that’s when we’ll all be in trouble.

I don’t think we’ll have an all-out recession (plus, who am I to predict such things?), but I do think that businesses will be tightening up in every area: resources, marketing, advertising, overhead, employee benefits and anything that isn’t instantly reflective of the bottom line. You will see tons more businesses investing marketing dollars in online within the next two years. This isn’t difficult to predict based on the recent growth in trends and the Googlization of advertising, but I believe more businesses will be open to online for basic cost-saving factors. As long as they can be sure of the return and, with online, tracking the return is as easy as a few clicks and a scan of the data.

You can take all the surveys you want that will predict a slow in spending, and they might be true, but I’m less concerned with the economical effects of not buying Johnny an iPhone in Christmas 2007 versus the after-effects of a nervous economy that breeds less investing and ostrich-like spending in 2008 and beyond.

A few months ago, I wrote about the Coworking trend and gave Betahouse a bit of flack for structuring their Coworking space versus going the hippie “free love for all” path that most casual groups have adopted. Time to eat my words.

I am currently embarking on helping The Donaldson Group, a very cool Simsbury, CT design and ad agency, set up a structured Coworking space within their building. The space has 2,500 square feet, a kitchen, bathrooms and raw space that will be outfitted with office areas, conference rooms and open hang-out corners for us couch potatoes.

We’re looking to build the space with the folks that will join the group. We want a mix of 4-5 anchors (members that have dedicated office space) and floaters (mobile workers who plan on using the space part-time). Currently, we’re conducting market research to garner interest level from various industries. Ideally, we would like an environment that mixes industry – IT, creatives, road warriors, start-ups, legal beagles – anyone that is interesting in networking outside their circles and requires office space that won’t kill their budget.

Know of anyone in the Simsbury, Farmington, West Hartford, Avon areas that might be interested in joining? Contact me at suzi[at]wallflymarketing.com.

Last week I was fortunate to have presented to XCellR8, part of the Connecticut Growth Network, an eclectic mix of technology start-ups, academia, reps from the state, VCers and consultants. After a shaky start, literally . . . (I stupidly skipped breakfast and wore shoes that crunched a broken left toe, sparking nausea and a blood sugar drop that almost landed me on the floor - I wish I were kidding) . . . my very patient, considerate crowd and I tackled a few topics on brand synergy and top online and offline marketing channels for pocket-friendly budgets.

If I could redo the hour, I would’ve focused it more on the area of high-return marketing channels. Brand synergy is important stuff, particularly for companies looking to build loyalty and find a competitive voice, but this group needs more “what can I do right now that won’t kill my budget” options. So, here are three areas that I believe hatchling start-ups should contemplate, keeping in mind that each business requires unique strategies:

Strategize, Don’t Agonize

During the discussion, the group expressed a few pain points that need further discussion. In particular:

“My business is not ready for marketing.”

RESPONSE A: If you’ve got a website and/or clients, you’re already marketing. The trick is focusing those energies to ensure the right message gets to the right markets and leads to more clients.

RESPONSE B: Remember that commercial that showed a start-up company’s excitement turn to panic as they launched their website and then watched purchase orders pile up into the millions? Never happens. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have your infrastructure in place before you reach out to the world, but avoiding marketing because you think you’ll be bombarded with clients that you have to turn away is causing you to miss opportunities. Building a product (or service or organization) and marketing it are joined at the hip. While you are building, you should be marketing. This doesn’t mean printing flyers or hiring a PR guy. It does mean engaging your market on the groundfloor to grow your audience, learn from them and then reach out to places where there are more of them. More tips on what marketing to tackle first are coming up.

“My clients don’t live online.”

RESPONSE: Are you sure? Call them and find out. Spend a few hours to reach out personally to clients and ask them questions about their challenges, the benefits you’ve been able to provide, how you can make it better, where they spend their time, publications they read, what types of programs they’d participate in and how they prefer to interact with you (email, print, etc.). When you have this information, compile it into a spreadsheet and compare notes among the clients based on their industry, purchase history and other defining features. This knowledge will help you finetune the channels you use to reach out, what you say and how often. By calling, you have also just made yourself top-of-mind with a client who was thinking about solving a production line problem or how they could improve efficiency. You never know where conversations can lead.

“My background is tech-based and I can’t afford to hire out for marketing or I only want to spend XXX, where do I invest?”

RESPONSE: Consider setting a budget, even if it’s only $500 and pick one or two initiatives. Based on what you know about your current clientele, target efforts that make sense for your business and what your audience is willing to do. Some ideas include: starting a referral program with clients or building a “beta or advisory group” of select clients where they give you feedback on your product/service in exchange for giving them something they can use (access to you, discounts, etc.). If you’re going to spend your money in online advertising, first find out how your current clients found you. Get the keywords they used, who mentioned you or, if cold calling, what sold it on the phone. Google Adwords (and the like) are cheap but worthless if you don’t use them wisely and keep an eagle on eye on their return. I believe, for start-ups, you’ll get more leverage out of building unique content and generating PR buzz.

Every business is different and requires a unique, tactical approach that aligns with your business strategy. If you’re starting out, focus marketing efforts on areas that get you noticed, provide the biggest return and allow you to be agile. You are testing the waters of what works, how to best market yourself and where to find your audience. Where you spend your time and money now will become building blocks for your brand’s unique value and will set the stage for bigger marketing initiatives.

Become A Resource

These days, out of sight ensures out of mind. Depending on where your audience lives, online or offline, reach out with unique content or activities that sparks more interaction with you and adds value to their day. Here are some ideas:

1) One Paragraph Tips. Spend an hour and write out 5-6 different paragraphs on using your product/service, business ideas, ways other clients have been successful and dos and don’ts. Use this content to post on your homepage (and in your blog if you have one) and email to clients in a quick “Tip of the Week” type email, always linking back to your site for them to read the archived tips. When you run low, sit down for another hour and write out 5-6 more.

COSTS: If you can easily post items on your website and can manage email campaigns, this will cost you 3-5% of your time per week. If you need to pay your web developer to do this for you (yuck - that will add up!), it will cost you a few hours of their time per week.

2) Get Out There. Conferences and seminars always need speakers. Find outlets where your audience is future clients, not just colleagues. The key here is to use the opportunity as networking and leveraging. Before your talk, announce your appearance to clients and encourage them to join you. Maybe a client you’re very close with will want to help you present and give their view from the in-industry side? Be sure to follow-up with clients after the event with a recounting of the experience that includes what you learned at the conference and trends to watch.

COSTS: Again, your time is required on all aspects: putting the presentation together, participating in the event and reaching out to clients and prospects. Make sure the investment is worth it by ensuring the audience is within your target market and that buzz you create around the event will engage your current clientele.

3) Pitch It. I realize that not everyone is comfortable with talking to the media or don’t even know how to go about it. Getting major PR does require connections and a savvy PR guy or gal who can make it happen. However, media is always scrambling for fresh stories. Especially in these days of constant content when they have paper and/or a website to fill and a narrower audience base to reach. When you reach out to a publication, have a game plan. Give them a story idea that fits their audience and makes their publication look like they’re on the cutting edge. Maybe you and a client are working on an unusual project or maybe you see a trend in your industry that no one else is catching on to. The goal is to a) get published for visibility and b) use that publicity as a conversation starter with clients and prospects.

COSTS: This requires more time with gathering a list of media outlets, writing press releases and/or pitches. Consider contacting me for a free needs assessment. If you’ve got a budget for this, I can work with it. If you have a zero budget, I can give you more ideas of things you can do yourself - just be prepared to invest time that may take you away from your core business. How do you like how I did that – I pitched myself in a post on pitching. See how easy it is?!