Lorraine Ball in Action

Are you looking ofr a speaker for your next meeting? I would love to talk to you about my small business programs on marketing, networking, business planning, and team building.

To get a preview, check out some of the previews below.

Lunch and Learn with PinpointMultimedia

My good friend Dave Anderson has asked me to be part of his Lunch and Learn program next week.   The topic is social media, and I will be sharing the panel with some of my favorite local social media experts; Colin Clark, Dave Anderson and Michael Reynolds.

The event will be from 11:30 – 1:00 on December 2nd, at the Fox and Hound on 82nd Street in the Castleton Area. There is no cost to attend the informal event, but RSVP’s are requested since space is limited.

Hope to see you there, for what is sure to be a lively conversation!

Shop Local!

As the internet makes the world seem smaller and smaller, it is easy to forget that you are part of a local business ecosystem.  As you make purchase decisions you choices impact the local economy.  If, like me you are concentrating in a specific community, hoping to generate revenue from the community, then you need to put money into that community.

As consumers, we have power.  Use it to actively support the businesses you care about and force change in the ones we don’t.  Seth Godin summed it up well when he said:

If you don’t like what an organization stands for, work actively to spread the word and force them to change
AND
If you will miss a product, a service, a book, a site or a professional when they close up shop, stand up, speak up and bring them masses of new business.

This was the theme of my presentation at Rainmakers last month.  ( I just got the video links) .    The video is in two parts and it contains a serious call to support local businesses.

With this local focus  in mind, I thought I would  share just a few of my favorite local restaurants.  These are places I would miss if they were gone. .  I hope you will consider voting with your dollars this holiday season, paying them a visit, and helping to build a strong local economy.

No links to websites sorry, but more importantly I have listed address so you can check them out yourself.

Ocean World on 86th Street and Ditch. Some of the best and most reasonably priced sushi in town. The food is so good it is easy to overlook the mediocre service. It is usually busy, but not overcrowded at lunch time, 1/2 prices specials on Sunday, and always a long wait on Friday night.

LaPeidad 6524 Cornell Ave – Great, authentic TexMex. Fast friendly service, good food, reasonable price. Nice outdoor dining when the weather permits. When I need a TexMex Fix this is my favorite.

Kona Jack – Meridian and 96th Street – Not to be confused with the Kona Grill chain in Clay Terrace. This Indy tradition has a wonderful, diverse fish menu, and even sells fresh fish for you to take home and prepare yourself. Sharing a kitchen with Daddy Jacks, you can often convince your waitress to serve something off the menu from the other side.

Santorini Greek Kitchen – 1417 Prospect Street, in Fountain Square – Well worth the trip to Fountain Square for the huge portions, home-style Greek food, and great service. It is also the only place in the city that makes Eggplant parmesan the way I like it – I think you will too.

These are  just a few of my favorites. What are yours? List them here, and more importantly, pay them a visit this month!

Last Days of the Presidency

No I am not talking about Obama.  I am talking about me.  Tonight I step down as President of Rainmakers. It has been an amazing three years, in which I have met  incredible people, learned  and grown so much, and seen my life and business move in directions I would never have anticipated.

And so, as I get ready for my last speech as President, I have really struggled with what I want to talk about.   In the last three years, I have given more then 100 speeches, so what is left to say?  After weeks of planning, I have decided to keep it simple, and focus on one theme – ATTITUDE.

I did have a nice 3 part concept working, attitude, action and accountability but attitude was running about 11 minutes, so with a few thank yous along the way, there isn’t much time for the other two.  And  if you have the right attitude, it is easier to move toward action.

So tonight I will be talking about attitude, how you determine the outcome of your day, by your approach.  Why this topic and why now?  There are lots of things in the world which distract and impact us as individuals and as small business owners. There are things I can not control, but I can control, how they make me feel, and how I react in response.

And there is power in attitude!  Ask any doctor about the patient who lived or died, long after all medical treatments had been exhausted.  Patients Will themselves to Life and Will themselves to Death every day.   That same powerful energy can will your business to life or death.

I know the economy is still depressing, and many companies are struggling, I simply choose to focus on what I can do to be successful now. I chose to act with enthusiasm despite the outside world.  I choose to make today great, and as a result it will be.

So if you can’t make it to the Rainmakers Main Event tonight, you just got the short version of the speech, and if you do, you get to hear the stories which go with the message.

What Is Web 2.0 And Why Do I Care?

Roundpeg Founder and small business expert Lorraine Ball will share her favorite strategies on how to become more productive using Web 2.0 tools  in a 90 minute Rainmaker University Class: “What is Web 2.0 and Why do I Care?”

The class will be held from 12:30 – 2:00 pm in the Yeager office buildings located at 11650 Lantern Road, Fishers, IN 46038.  The Fee to attend is $75/person.  Rainmaker members receive a discounted rate of $25.

For more Information or to Register go to: Rainmaker University

In Search of Authenticity

I just finished reading a wonderful book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Ann Barrows.  Not exactly a marketing text, so why write about it here?

Because the book, in combination with Seth Godin’s blog today made me stop and think about the type of communication I was sending.

The story of the people of Guernsey is told in a series of letters  – and it is the writing style I found so appealing.  Even though it is fiction, the writing style gives the book a feeling of authenticity.

In contrast, most of my recent marketing communication seems flat, and without personality. And so, this morning my challenge to myself, is to bring back the authentic feel to this blog.  Why? Because it will be more interesting, and because – if you believe Seth Godin, and I do, it is a great way to avoid the Dead Zone

Do’s and Don’ts of Rainmaking.

As president of Rainmakers, I see a lot of business owners making simple mistakes, missing opportunities by not paying attention to a few simple rules.