CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

SMALL BUSINESS
Entrepreneurial group drives professional, personal growth

By ANNE BRENNAN

4:30 am, April 14, 2008

Herding cats. That's what it's like getting a group of entrepreneurs together. By nature, they're an independent bunch.

“We don't do what people tell us to do,” said Steven Shaffer, who owns Lighting Max Inc., a 30-year-old family business in Bedford Heights.

Participating in the Entrepreneurs' Organization, a global community of 6,600 business leaders based in Alexandria, Va., is one of the exceptions to that rule.

In fact, some of the Cleveland chapter members revolve their schedules around the monthly meetings and say their experiences with the organization have been invaluable to running their businesses.

“I look forward to meetings. I schedule everything around them. The experience has really been amazing,” says Keith Strauss, president of Sales Concepts Inc. in Westlake.

While some organizations are open to anyone with an interest in starting their own business, the Entrepreneurs' Organization appeals to a specific population of entrepreneur. To qualify, prospective members must apply before age 50 and be the founder, co-founder, owner or controlling shareholder of a company that grosses more than $1 million annually.

The Cleveland chapter, founded in 1998 and once known as the Young Entrepreneurs' Organization, has 99 members with average sales of $9 million, according to a fact sheet from the organization. The average member age is 40, and the average number of employees is 41.

“You're looking to make a mark, looking to help and receive help and looking to get value,” Mr. Shaffer said. “I've learned a lot and I love it.”

Lean on me

Members say meetings aren't an excuse to exchange business cards and pitch a product to a potential customer. EO focuses on the peer-to-peer learning experience with members sharing their experiences and not offering advice. Everything is confidential.

Before joining, members spend a day learning how to participate in forums.

“Eighty percent of life, you can talk about. Ten percent is crappy stuff — like divorce. You don't have anyone to talk to,” Mr. Shaffer said. “And 10% is good, like buying a Ferrari.”

EO members will share anecdotes about everything — good and bad. It's a helpful approach for anyone, but especially entrepreneurs who are on their own and whose business bleeds into their personal lives.

“For entrepreneurs, there's a huge toll on the family. Personal relationships are likely to suffer,” said Raj Aggarwal, dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of Akron, who's not a member of the EO.

To avoid any conflicts, members are not grouped with competitors in their fields.

“You can let your guard down. The people in the group are able to help with all areas of life for you,” Mr. Shaffer said.

Mr. Strauss, for one, had a potential acquisition for his company. He sat with some members, who all asked questions and shared their experiences. “It became apparent it wasn't a great idea,” Mr. Strauss says.

Before presenting an issue, members are coached to fine-tune the topic for discussion and to find the root cause of the problem, according to Mr. Strauss.

“The amazing thing is, we've all had pretty much the same problems — personally and in business. We're able to lean on the group,” Mr. Strauss says.

Tuned in to a network

Dean Aggarwal attributes some of the EO's success to matching business owners at similar levels of growth.

“Networks are always useful. None of us wants to reinvent the wheel. You want to look for people at the same stage of development. If higher, their experiences may be quite different,” he said.

Along with sharing experiences, EO members have opportunities to meet with top business leaders. For instance, Bruce Carbonari of Fortune Brands, the parent company of Moen Inc. in North Olmsted, recently shared his story at a breakfast event.

For Mr. Strauss, improving sales was the No. 1 reason he joined the EO.

“I didn't have resources for help,” he said. “Now, I'm looking at double-digit growth.”

Tim Bleich, co-president of the CPS chapter of The Entrepreneurs Club of America in Twinsburg, another entrepreneurs group, agrees networking and learning is a critical component of support organizations.

While the EO restricts its memberships, The Entrepreneurs Club of America is open to entrepreneurs at all levels of business, with members meeting for a monthly luncheon during which a speaker talks about his or her business.

“You can always learn from someone else,” said Mr. Bleich, who also is owner of Vector Technical Inc., an employment agency for high-tech and industrial workers in Mentor. “There are the same issues (with other business owners), even if they are in different areas. Networking is an opportunity to grow business and to talk to decision-makers.”

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Fashion: 

Playing with plaid

Checkered pattern can make a bold or subtle statement

Date: Wednesday, September 6, 2006

By Anne Brennan,

Special to the Tribune

OK, let's get all the usual plaid puns and references out of the way. You know, the Catholic school uniforms, the highland flings, the tartan tag lines. Those are all soooo yesterday. Plaid has something new up its sleeve this fall. And it seems to be contagious.

"The love for plaid begins with the fondness for everything British," says Stephanie Solomon, vice president of fashion direction for ready to wear at Bloomingdale's.

British designer Alexander McQueen caught everyone's eye in May when actress Sarah Jessica Parker showed off his deconstructionist twist on plaid and tulle at the Costume Institute's Party of the Year at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan.

And designers from Diane von Furstenberg to Kate Spade to Marc Jacobs have put their own stamp on plaid.

"Designers have been exploring the use of traditional fabric ... making it feel modern and new," says Gregg Andrews, a fashion director at Nordstrom.

Draping or wrapping plaid "in an artful way," Andrews says, tweaks tradition, as do new colors, such as navy with shots of hot pink or lime green, and different cuts, such as on the bias.

Once a certain plaid catches your eye, whether it's a pastel blue or a classic brown, you need to know how to incorporate it into your wardrobe. A soft blouse or sweater will balance plaid's traditionally masculine and heavy fabric.

"Plaid is best teamed with something feminine -- it's a great juxtaposition," Andrews says.

Fashion-forward women will want to consider a bold plaid bag, cape or miniskirt, he says. But even fashionistas will want to avoid mixing plaids.

"It's a hard look to carry off on the street. It's best left on the runway," he says.

But plaid can work with a chic look that translates from runway to reality: skinny pants with a voluminous top or jacket.

"Don't be afraid to try it," says Melissa Ryan, a trend correspondent for Marshall Field's, soon to be Macy's. "As long as it fits without being Saran-wrap tight."

For the not-so-bold, a fun boot, oversize bag or a scarf will update a wardrobe, she says. Other subtle options are a tone-on-tone suit or slacks.

"Plaid can look sophisticated or whimsical ... that's the fun thing about it," says Laura McDowell, fashion spokeswoman for T.J. Maxx.

But whether you're going for sophistication or whimsy, remember one of fashion's basic guidelines: For bold, colorful patterns, most women will want to keep plaid in proportion. Larger or tall women can wear bigger plaids. Small plaids suit small women.

Chicago Tribune
Copyright 2003 Chicago Tribune

Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 
By Anne Brennan, Tribune staff reporter.

Cool wheels are turning heads

Ladies, start your engines.

If you're a single woman who needs to rev up your love life, you may already hold the key to a new romance.

When Beth Kress, 39, an artist who lives in Chicago, bought a silver/black top 2002 Mini Cooper, she got a fully loaded car--and one extra feature. The car attracted a lot of attention.

"I definitely get a lot of people asking me what's that? How much is it?" she said.

Men are especially enthusiastic. "A carload of guys will drive by and give me a thumb's up," she said. "A guy in a Lexus pulled up to me [in traffic] and said, `Nice car.' I'm like--`You could buy five of them for what that car cost you."

Some women are learning by accident what many men have known for a long time: A cool car attracts attention from the opposite sex.

So instead of scheduling a manicure appointment and searching the closet for that little black dress to catch someone's eye, try heading for the open road or go four-wheel driving--and get some dirt under your fingernails.

Don't worry about needing to be a grease monkey. Mary Jane Duffy of Chicago, an artist and teacher at DePaul University, owns a '97 BMW F650 motorcycle. She acknowledges she doesn't know how to fix anything on the bike and that she always has someone else change the oil.

Duffy, 36, started riding 10 years ago, after taking a State of Illinois motorcycle safety program. She since has learned that "guys are really interested in women who ride bikes."

She said the most common experience is when people at a stoplight say, "Oh, cool motorcycle!"

"It's a general approval--thumbs up," she said. "Because usually women rode on the back, when I started 10 years ago, it felt good when people said things like that."

Duffy learned to ride when she was married, but she has continued her interest since her divorce. She rides with a motorcycle club, "not the wild bunch, but a group that includes single guys, people in their 90s, couples. They have a couple of trips a year, dinner rides," she said.

She has traveled as far as Mexico, with a local club, the Streeterville Scramblers, a group started by her dad years ago.

She hasn't met the love of her life yet, but Duffy recalls meeting a guy (through a personal ad) who also had a BMW motorcycle. "It was very romantic, we'd go on rides," she said.

Both single and married women enjoy the occasional flirtation across the dotted yellow line. "I'll flirt with anyone--and my husband knows it," said Alison Wilson, a 35-year-old marketing manager who lives in Woodridge. After years of longing for a vintage Mustang, she finally bought a red 1966 Ford Mustang coupe. She joined the Chicago Vintage Mustang Club to get advice and information about which car to buy.

Even though she's not in the market for a date, Wilson enjoys the perks of having a head-turning car. "I enjoy that the flirtation is a result of having a car they find interesting, and they want to talk to me," she said.

She highly recommends car clubs as a way to increase your potential dating pool.

"For single women, it's a safe way to meet men, it's something we're both interested in, without the threat of rejection," she said. "You know you can talk about the car--if nothing else."

Dora Fang, 27, not only met men via her Jeep, she started a business. Fang runs Chicago-based Adventure 4WD, which offers four-wheel-driving training outings.

She drives an eye-catching 2001 Solar Yellow Jeep Cherokee, which has flames along the sides of the car, and a '97 Jeep Wrangler. One of her license plates is "JEEP CHK."

Fang bought her first Jeep in 1997 for practical reasons; she needed a vehicle to "haul and tow stuff, " she said. When Fang signed up for a Jeep Jamboree, a weekend outing of four-wheel driving for Jeep owners and their families, she got hooked on off-road driving.

"I showed up by myself, guys all around me in other vehicles, and then decided to try this obstacle (driving through water). I ended up getting stuck. Guys put on boots and waders and stomped through the water to help me," she said.

The camaraderie with other Jeep owners after the trail ride, despite almost "drowning" her own Jeep, was as enjoyable as the driving, she said. Especially after the other women there, the girlfriends and wives of the guys, realized she wasn't there to "steal their men."

Fang has met some guys through her business whom she ended up dating. It all started out innocently enough--she asked one guy for help with parts for the truck. Fang said she's currently "consciously single," meaning she's taking a break from dating.

She agreed with Wilson that men tend to try to get to know you by talking engines and parts.

"I think my vehicle is so overwhelming that they end up complimenting the car, they say `nice' whatever: `heavy duty bumper,' or `nice roof rack,' or `well put-together system.'" They're so in awe--they don't know what to do," she said.

Kress also remembers when her Mini Cooper overwhelmed an awestruck pedestrian.

"A guy came running across the street and almost got hit trying to get my attention, " she said. "He was literally dodging traffic to ask me where I got it."

These love affairs with SUVs, motorcycles and cars, and the flirtations they generate, have not escaped the attention of vehicle manufacturers. One of them is even offering help for shy types.

Mini Cooper, for example, gives new car owners a set of flash cards, with messages like "Hi sexy" and "Nice smile," to flash at a cute driver.

The company's unofficial car manual also offers a tip for "shameless flirtation at a red light," which seems to be a common opportunity for single drivers: Mouth "olive juice" for "I love you."