Annual Meeting Notice
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP: Springboard
PRESIDENT'S COLUMN
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION - Individual and/or Secondary Members from the
Same Company
COMMITTEE HIGHLIGHTS
FUTURE MEETINGS
Registration & Informal Networking
Educational Presentation:
Charles Schaffer
Small Business Assistance Office
MN Department of Trade & Economic Development
ME, Inc. Announcements & Vote for New Board of Directors
Inspirational Presentation:
Scott and Bill DeWitt of American Financial Printing
Post Meeting:You are invited to join us for Late Night Networking at Patrick
McGovern’s Pub & Restaurant at 225 W. 7th Street in St. Paul.
Charles Schaffer
Small Business Assistance Office
Charles will also discuss the many free booklets of resources that they have
available at DTED, including the Guide to Starting a Business in Minnesota.
printing for various types of public offerings, mutual fund printing, proxy services,
regulatory, compliance and annual report printing. In addition, we offer a number
of electronic services including EDGAR compliance filings, web document
management and Internet postings of various public finance offerings.
American Financial Printing Incorporated began 30 years ago with a commitment
to quality print output and customer service. This focus enabled them to emerge
as a diversified print communications company.
Landmark Colour Communications
AFPI Fulfillment
AFPI Publishing
successful business!
MEI monthly meeting at Minnesota Business Academy, starting at 7:00 PM. (This
will follow the educational presentation at 6:00 PM, and precede the inspirational
presentation at 7:15 PM.)
organization. We will also be voting on the updated set of By-laws,
pending approval at the October 20th Board Meeting, as well as the new slate of
Directors for 2003.
Chris Andryski
Bill Lehnertz
Roger Zahn
Nudrat Qidwai
Todd Mortenson
Maria Kannankutty
Jim Poole
Christy James
Ed Palmer
Todd Mortenson
Maria Kannankutty
Jim Poole
Mike Ellsworth
Cory Danks (waiting for his confirmation)
the Nomination process due to schedule conflicts with Board of Directors
meeting times. (The Board meets the third Tuesday of the month at 4:00
PM.) They will, however, support MEI as members of committees.
Past President and Chairperson of the Advisory, Nominations and Elections
Committee: bill@tlcfinancial.com, TODAY so that we may prepare the ballot.
YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUES MUST BE CURRENT TO VOTE!
(Note: At this time, we only accept checks or cash.)
Springboard: Midwest 2003 Venture Capital Forum. As such, we want to share
with you some information about this unique opportunity to present your business
proposition to investors.
equity markets as both entrepreneurs and investors. Springboard presenters
across the nation have raised over $750M to date. Springboard: Mid-West 2003
will be a one-day investor forum held on April 30th, 2003 in Chicago in which
select women entrepreneurs will have 10 minutes to present their business
model and value proposition. Presenters will also have a booth to display their
products/services. Attendance at the forum is limited to investors and forum
sponsors.
dates, eligibility requirements and application process please go to:
http://www.springboard2000.org, or contact Kathy@mn-entrepreneurs.org
President, Founder, Co-Founder, CFO, CTO or COO that has a significant equity
stake in a company and is based in the Midwest area, please share this
information with her and encourage her to apply to present at Springboard:
Midwest 2003.
before, during and after the monthly meetings.
quick start suggestions for beginning to emerging stage entrepreneurs!
by entrepreneurs that have been successful. They share how they
overcame obstacles, and offer inspiration by sharing stories of their success.
We are developing a new interactive web site. In 2003,
members will be able to access information about each other's business on-line!
participant as we bring this association to the next level.
http://www.mn-entrepreneurs.org/join.htmfor a membership
application form.
accept additional members from the same company at half price! So, the
second, third, fourth persons, and so on, from the same company and same
location, can now join at half the price of the main member ($60 each). We will
no longer have 'global' corporate memberships, but rather each membership will
be attributed to a particular person.
November 2002
opinion on “opinions”, while these thoughts are fresh in my mind. When I started
SolarAttic, I knew that I was in for a real business grind. I didn’t have any
illusions and it didn’t matter to me as I felt it was my destiny and calling. I still do.
In fact, I chose it as my “Definite Chief Aim” in life, which is the one thing you
would do if you knew you could not fail. I talked about this in an earlier column,
which gets me into “opinions.”
to become your reality.”Wow! Think about that statement for a moment as a
huge grain of truth lies within it for the entrepreneur. Let me repeat it again:
“Opinions do not have to become your reality!”
now think I am literally nuts. I can almost hear them thinking aloud: “Poor Ed, he
doesn’t know when to quit.”Likewise, some people think I am a genius and still
others may admire my fortitude. I have had conversations with all three types.
Whether or not you like it, opinions will be given to you, even some outright
directions of what you need to do next, by people who are earnestly interested in
helping you out. Or, at least that is what it would appear on the surface.
However, wisdom dictates that you guard your heart and keep your own counsel.
Why? Simply because opinions are the cheapest commodity in the world and
everyone has them, especially those presumed to be financial and capital
experts. People “in the know.”
their minds and they wouldn’t even give your project 1/2-hour of serious time
before rendering their expert opinion.
had ideas for me to consider. When I got together with him, he made no attempt
at rendering a how-to go forward idea. Instead, there was only a lot of
badgering, disparagement, ridicule and attempts to diminish the value of what I
have accomplished to date. Of course, he was the presumed expert and “in the
know” and he took it as his duty to educate me in all the facts.
was upset, to state it mildly. I am very hard skinned and it takes a lot for me to
get upset or angry. Still, I came for his advice and only got emotionally
hammered. Thus is the life of the entrepreneur. It happens.
and for the most part I am emotionally strong and have a shell that is very thick.
(Unlike certain thin skinned and bald politicians that I know.)
Have a board of advisors you can trust who will be honest with you. However,
you need to recognize that the cheap shot will come at your most vulnerable
time. It could also take place just to test your metal to make sure you have the
fortitude and conviction to continue the venture you’ve started.
life in any endeavor. Certain people enjoy putting other people down, especially
if they can witness an emotionally upsetting moment or if they build themselves
up in the process. No doubt, you know of people who are like this. Then, there
are people who will get emotionally upset at the drop of a dime. If you are one of
them, entrepreneurism is not the field to be in.
I have already mentioned the roller coaster ride your emotions can take as an
entrepreneur. You need to give yourself permission to feel this wide range of
emotions, as they will come at you when you least expect them. At the same
time, you need to thicken your skin, your resolve, and who and what you will
allow into the deep recesses of your heart and soul. The old adage to “keep your
own counsel” and “guard your heart” is true.
mentoring someone, you should recognize that your words may carry significant
weight with the individual and might have some devastating consequences. Like
the father or mother who says to an offspring: “You are worthless and won’t
amount to anything.”Keep your own sense of direction and self worth. This has
to come from within you. Keep company with those supportive of your
endeavors. You might have heard it said: “Beware of who you tell your goals to.”
I.E. What gives you the right to have big goals?
reality.”Recognize also that “Opinions are the cheapest commodity in the world
and everyone has them.”Cheap shots will come! Count on them.
and have walked in your shoes. Having said that, it must be an individual who
will take the time to dig into your venture and get to know it well. It has to be
someone who will not give you simplistic surface answers. It needs to be
someone who will give you quality time to discuss your needs. This is hard to
come by.
than it is to get a quality discussion of your business needs from them. TIME is
more valuable than money to a lot of people.
with the advice of someone who won’t even take the time to read your business
plan? Someone who wants to project their opinions on you as “the” expert
without doing even the most basics of trying to understand your business? That
was my reality in a meeting this last month and that was my conclusion.
experts as well. I witnessed this again on my Chicago trip. I made two
presentations to prospective energy investors and I observed others. One
particular presentation that caught my attention was an “inspection technology for
utility poles.”Over lunch, the table conversation seemed to mock the very idea
of this venture. In the presentation, a lead venture capital partner made the
company pitch. To him, it was the best thing since sliced bread and he made it
known that “he was the expert.”He even said there was no competition. Yes, a
venture capitalist actually said that! When an investor challenged him by pointing
out 3-4 competitors, he dismissed it. He was the expert [capitalist], after all.
Arrogance coupled with hype is what I observed. The investor’s opinion didn’t
seem to matter to this “expert.”
private and try not to give anyone the satisfaction of knowing they got under your
skin. I am so unflappable that I didn’t even realize how upset I was until later on
when I mentally analyzed the meeting I had attended. My mind then recalled the
truism; “Opinions do not have to become your reality!”
Ed Palmer, President
Which committee will you join?
volunteer to serve on a committee. This is another avenue to "Network" and
make new contacts.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT - This committee is led by a Past President and
monitors and implements our nominations and elections process. Look for their
involvement as we vote on the new volunteer leadership to the Board of Directors
in the next month. Bill Lehnertz, formerly a president of ME, Inc., chairs this
committee.
STRUCTURAL SUPPORT & GUIDANCE - The bylaws committee seeks new
leadership! We are in the process of updating and revising our bylaws, as well
as putting them on-line for membership review. If you are up to the challenge of
recognizing and supporting the structural component of this organization, please
contact Ed Palmer (ceo@solarattic.com), Eric Strauss
SPONSORSHIP & FINANCIAL SUPPORT – We are looking for financial support
in exchange for recognition. If you would like to support any of our monthly
activities, or provide a donation towards purchase of supplies or equipment for
the organization, please contact Maria Kannankutty for further information at:
mkannakutty@charter.net.
PROVIDING A TEMPLATE for YOUR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT - Plans are
underway to develop an annual educational program for business start-ups. If
you are interested in being a part of the Educational Committee please contact
Christy James at cj@vezone.com for further information. NOTE:Christy has
done an excellent job for us this past year! We'd like her to continue, however
her job travel commitments are increasing, and she will not be able to attend as
frequently, though she'll still serve on the committee! If you'd like to consider
chairing this committee and serving on the board, please contact Ed Palmer:
ceo@solarattic.com.
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY - The Finance Committee is working with the
Development Committee to make sure that our budget goals and expectations
are met for the year. They have also been asked to find a partner for credit card
processing for dues, sponsorships and registration fees. If you'd like to assist
with this committee, please contact Kathy. Chris Andryski has volunteered to
assist us on this committee, and graciously offered to volunteer as Chairman for
the coming year.
COMPLIANCE - The Legal Advisory Committee keeps a watchful eye on our
activities and our partnerships. Presently, we are reviewing the bylaws and
articles of incorporation for changes. If you'd like to assist with this committee,
please contact Roger Zahn at rzahn@e-lawfirm.com. In addition, we need to
make sure that a representative of this committee, if not the chairperson, is
present at every monthly meeting and every board of directors meeting. It would
be helpful to have at least one other lawyer serving on this committee.
NAME RECOGNITION - Eric Strauss has been working diligently at developing
our name recognition in the community through press releases, networking
groups, and trade show participation. In addition, Eric is in the process of
supplying the infrastructure to upgrade our website and automate our
membership roster and on-line newsletter as well. If you have any interest in
supporting these activities and would like to serve on the committee, please
contact eric@entrepreneursforhire.com.
GROWTH and SYNERGY - The membership committee seeks your involvement!
Slava Thaler is working on this committee. If you are up to the challenge of
building our organization, please contact Eric Strauss
(eric@entrepreneursforhire.com) or Kathy Gatliff (kathy@mn-entrepreneurs.org).
INSPIRATION - Jim Poole has recently volunteered to chair this committee. He
will be working closely with the Education Committee to find inspirational
speakers that will complement the monthly educational programming. If you are
"well-connected" or "in-the-know" and want to help contact speakers for these
programs, please contact Jim at jpoole@sotk.com.
RESOURCES - ME, Inc.'s goal is to keep up with the changes in our age of
electronic commerce. This committee serves as a resource for the ME, Inc.
organization, as well as developing a resource pool for the individual members.
We are in the process of switching our web site to a new service provider. If you
have talents in this area and would like to share your skills and expertise, please
contact Joe Betz at joeb1993@aol.com.
That's right! For $120 per year, you have access to 12 months of programming -
with two presentations at each evening event!
ME, Inc. Membership Campaign:Every new and renewing member will get 2
certificates to bring a prospective member to a meeting to check us out! We will
track referrals and recognize you for bringing in any new members! See Kathy at
the registration desk to get your certificates!
Get a sneak preview.... Tune to KCCO at 950 AM on the first & second Tuesdays
of the month at 6:23 a.m.
All meetings will begin with registration at 5:30 PM, followed by the program from
6:00 – 9:00 PM at the Minnesota Business Academy Wabasha & Exchange
Streets - Downtown St. Paul.
(Educational Seminars begin at 6 PM and the Keynote Presentation begins at
7:15 PM)
Internal Revenue Service - Alan Gregerson
Learn how resources from the IRS can assist emerging and small business
owners via:
Workshops and people.
company, and entity choices
with Registration and Informal networking at 5:30 PM, at the Minnesota Business
Academy.
month at 4:00 PM. Call 651-687-0272 for Board Meeting location. Board
Meetings are open to ME, Inc. Members only.
651-687-0272
$25 at the door, cash or check – or $20 if you register in
advance.
on parking, please copy this address and go to:
http://www.mn-entrepreneurs.org/addr_map2.htm
Streets in St. Paul (the old Science Museum of Minnesota) Registration opens at
5:30 PM
because you are on our mailing list. To no longer receive our newsletters or
other information, simply reply to us. We will promptly remove you from our list.
Thank you for supporting entrepreneurship in Minnesota.
downtown St. Paul (formerly site of the Science Museum of Minnesota) and learn
more REAL LIFE ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPERIENCES from someone in the
know. Directions on our web site at http://www.mn-entrepreneurs.org.
