SPLAT! is i a meet and greet for members of the creative class, located in SE Michigan, SW Ontario and NW Ohio. Come join, mix and mingle and converse on topics and areas of concerns for all creatives and creative aligned industries.

Time:  July 22, 2008 at 5:30 pm until 8:00 pm
Location: Black Lotus Brewing Company
Street: 1 East 14 Mile
City/Town: Clawson, MI
To RSVP: 248-408-7766

After reviewing my current circumstances, I have made the following personal and professional decisions:

1. I will be hosting additional RP&P business building events in the future. However, I will be hosting them less frequently. These events will be of the highest quality that will empower our attendees. I am looking forward to sending you more details later.
2. I am actively seeking employment opportunities with an outside employer.

I’m asking all readers of my blog if you would assist me by expanding my search to include your network of contacts, opportunities and options?

The idea position for me would be one in the areas of my primary skill sets: publicity and public relations, communications, promotions and business development.

I am also open to a quality sales and marketing position as an account executive or business development professional. My needs include that any sales position has a base wage or draw and also has expenses reimbursed. (I am not interested in commission-only jobs with all expenses out of pocket.)

My initial preference is for opportunities located in Oakland and Macomb Counties. I am however open to a strong opportunity almost anywhere, including relocating.

If you feel you can comfortably refer me, I would appreciate any and all introductions to decision makers and hiring managers or leads for openings of which you are aware.

Thank you in advance for your support, actions on my behalf and well wishes.

S P L A T -  “See People and Let’s All Talk!

SPLAT! is intended to be an after five gathering in real space for the Creative Class to meet, network and discuss. The proposed topic of discussion for the premier gathering is “What role will the Creative Class play in the Resurgance of South East Michigan”? The only cost is your time and your food and beverage tab plus tip. You have to eat anyway, so why eat alone? Please let us know if you think you will join so that the venue can staff accordingly

Time: June 10, 2008 from 5pm to 8pm
Location: Bo’s Bistro
Street: 51 N. Saginaw Street
City/Town: Pontiac
Contact Info: 248-408-7766
Event Type: Discussion, and, Networking
Organized By: Laurie Slade and Dean La Douceur

The talk for DCFCC went real well. I was overall pleased with the presentation, and hope those in attendance received value for their time invested. Thanks to Mark Tremper for inviting me.

The night before a speech, you will think, act out, role play and practice several different speeches. My goal is to always bring the best parts of all of them with me to the front of the room. I want to say something that can entertain and impact those who attend. I appreciate that Mark Tremper has given me the chance. Now, I take that chance and honor my responsibility to deliver.

Just in the process of looking at my career from all sides … having to weigh a bunch of details and make a few critical decisions too. I appreciate all the support from everyone that has posted, emailed and called.

On Wednesday May 28th, I announced a decision putting all the remaining Roundtable events on a vacation for the summer. This was one of the hardest decisions that I’ve ever made.

By many metrics, the Third Thursday’s have been a success. Past TTR’s have had generally good attendance, are considered one of the better business building events and have given me and my company a strong and respected name value in a short amount of time. I was sincerely looking forward to hearing many of our presenters. Some have been friends since before we started, while others I have just met. I hope to work with all of them again in the future.

But, after much debate and counsel, a tough decision had to be made. Summer has always been our down season. In this business, we go head to head against events such as golf outings for people’s networking activity. Also, this is vacation season - people are traveling to amusement parks, cottages and places near and far. Our attendance traditionally drops by one-half or more. With the amount of expenses, time and effort involved to stage an event, I can’t cost justify doing a roundtable for only 9 people.

One of the challenges in promoting an open business building event is to make it such a tough decision for you, your time and your dollar. Unlike membership-based networking groups, people can emotionally support the event, but don’t have to invest until they make the decision to attend. I have fought these membership-based model, since one of the motives was I wanted to make the events so compelling that you couldn’t stay away. I must report that all options for the future of the Roundtables are on the table right now.

I also am at a place where I want to make all the events better. I know that there is a lot of room for improvement and enhancement. Some of the attempts to diversify through hosting other events have been met with less than robust reactions … and attendance. One of the challenges is that I have as a sole prop, I can really only do so much with the same 24 hours we all have been given. I have great help on the days of the events, but not as many hands helping in between them.

Many of the ideas implemented to grow the events or get participation at higher levels haven’t been as well received as has been the discussions about them. I do welcome ideas how to make the events a better value, more enjoyable or improve the outcomes.

For those who have truly been friends of the Roundtable, I do appreciate your attendance and support. I hope you found value in our efforts and trust you will return when we come back.

Making the tough decisions are what life is all about. I am in the midst of one and am looking to decide then act on a course of action. I will announce what my course of action is during this coming week.

I watched the PBS special on Harry S Truman on Sunday night. It’s interesting to watch how he made the decisions. I think the most amazing thing is how he kept moving forward even though his father preferred his brother … and then suddenly died of a tumor, his mother in law never approved of him … but seems like she would never approve of anyone, his wife seemed quite uncomfortable with the risks he took as a politician and his life had its own share of achievements and moving past failures. He was put in to the Vice President’s job as a placeholder, and then as President, had to oversee some of the most turbulent times of the last fifty years.

My wish is that I make decisions with as much wisdom and fortitude as Harry S. I hope the things I’ve done, am doing and will do will benefit the people in my life, my community and the world. Yes, I have have my own share of achievements and learning through past failures. I pray for wisdom, guidance and support as I do what I need to specifically do to achieve my personal and professional goals.

I am working with a person who has a great idea for a book. She is bright and motivated, knows her subject well and has a real creative spark. I just have to keep reminding her that you don’t get to keep 100 pennies of every dollar the book earns.

Since she’s self publishing, I showed her where a percentage of the book is in the printing and binding. Since she has a target market, another percentage is going to be in promoting the book to those persons who can influence sales. A part of the costs are in the sales and distribution of the work, meaning a shopping cart. And she is going to have to also figure in the costs of running this business enterprise. She also wants to donate a percentage of each sale to charity. So, I looked at her and told her that once it’s written, formatted, bound and printed … her net will be 25 to 30 cents on the dollar.

I had to remind her that the key was to sell a lot of books quickly and then repeat the concept again. Best sales model is found on the back of the shampoo bottle: Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Now that my presentation to my group, The Third Thursday Roundtable, is over, I can relax. It felt more like a conversation between friends then a formal presentation. A number of people were quite kind in their comments about my content and my delivery.

The room was 40% fellow creatives and 60% traditional employment. So, one of my concerns was having something for everyone. I also felt a real deep seated responsibility to these people - most of them I knew. I wanted them to take something from it, even if it was a few good laughs.

While there is a side of me which could do that for a living, I also enjoy the writing and promoting work. I do wish that there was more opportunities to do all the various things. But for the 30 who showed up, I appreciate the chance to give them some of my thoughts, shift their focus and tell my story. If you missed it and would like to hear me, I am speaking downriver at a breakfast meeting on June 3rd. Check the calendar for details.