volume 2 issue 3

volume two issue three

Gil Lantini | From The FoUNDer

fromthe founder

Welcome to Volume 2, Issue 3 of RISBJ. You’ll find

many familiar faces in this issue, along with first

time contributors Michael Raspallo, Akanksha Aga

and Jeanne Hulit. We’ve also featured four inspiring

startups: Aircus, Ecotop, Petrocelli Marketing and RoMor

Creatives. In addition to this new issue of RISBJ, we are

hosting several upcoming events to help with business

education and networking.

Our partnership with NetworkingRI has been a huge

success. Working together with Peter George, Jay

White and Susan and Rick Lataille, our events held on

the first Monday of each month have averaged over

300 business professionals from all size companies in

a variety of industries. Our next event will be held on

Monday May 6th. Check our website for more details

and be sure to join us.

From an educational standpoint, RISBJ is helping the

SBA and SCORE to promote a series of workshops

during 2013 Small Business Week in June. In addition

to a weeklong celebration of Rhode Island Small

Business award winners, several workshops will be held

throughout the week including our lunch and learn series

which will cover a variety of topics related to marketing,

finance and technology.

Also during Small Business Week, RISBJ has teamed

up with our friends at GoLocalProv to host an event on

Tuesday June 11th to recognize and celebrate this year’s

award winners. This event will feature over 30 exhibitors

as well as a series of short speaking segments from

some of Rhode Island top business leaders. This free

event is one you won’t want to miss! Be on the lookout for

more details coming very soon.

And last but certainly not least, I want to welcome the

newest member of the RISBJ family Stacy Ambroziak.

Stacy joins RISBJ as a client marketing consultant and

account manager. In her role, Stacy is helping our clients

gain maximum exposure to their market through our

magazine, website and email. You’ll be sure to see Stacy

at upcoming networking events.

2 RISBJ | rhode island small business journal

RWU.edu(401) 254-3530

Courses, Certificates, DegreesDowntown Providence and Online

3www.risbj.com | volume two issue three

www.facebook.com/risbjtwitter.com/risbj

401 831 [email protected]

©MMXIII Rhode Island Small Business Journal

Gil LantiniPresident, Founder

ralph CoppolinoVice President, Operations

& Business Development

Danny AngeliAccount Executive

Stacy AmbroziakAccount Manager

James Pardee JrCreative Director and Design Editor

mike CasaleGraphic Designer

Aaron CadieuxVideo Production Manager

Contributing WritersAkanksha AgaRichard Austin

Lisa BubenJeffrey S. Deckman

Gordon D FoxAdam Harvey

Jeanne A. Hulit Douglas Jobling

Carolyn LavinDave Lubelczyk

Donna Mac Kristin Carcieri-MacRae

Ralph MollisNick Pereira

Elizabeth Pierotti Chris Poe

Patricia RaskinMichael Raspallo

Yemi SekoniDr. Ronald G. Shapiro

Chris SheehyLisa Shorr

Tim SullivanAngel Taveras


TABLe oF CoNTeNTS | What’s Inside This Issue

what’s insidethis issue


Secretary Of State

How Low Can You Go?

Exporting Can Help U.S. Businesses Expand, Create Jobs

Spotlight On Startups

Of SEO and Whiskey

Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day

Hey Mr.! Is Your Wardrobe Selling You Short…?

The Three P’s Of Starting A Business

Networking And Workshops

From Idea-To-Product…It Gets Personal

Organize Your Home Office

Communication 3.0, Live & Virtual

Raise Your Bottom Line By Lowering Your Bmi

Working From Home: The Pajamification Of The Office?

Kill The Ums

Agents – The Business Kind

Transforming Big Obstacles Into Big Opportunities

Share If You Dare…

Support As A Leader

A Reinvestment In Rhode Island’s Economy

Focusing On Your Long-Term Personal Financial Goals

Featured Story Astonish

Social, Visual, Mobile, Virtual

Photos From Statewide After Hours

Chamber Chat

Lessons From Alice In Wonderland

Providence Talks

Substance & Style

SEEED Summit

Viktar Khamianok And Alicia J. Alexandra

Featured Nonprofit Boys Town New England

GoLocal

Commercial & Appraisal Board Of Realtors

Community Cornner

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What’s Inside This Issue | TABLe oF CoNTeNTS


SeCreTAry oF STATe | Ralph Mollis

RI Government Owner’s Manual

The Secretary of State’s office is offering

Rhode Island business people a useful new

tool for connecting with local, state and

federal officials. The 2013 edition of the

“Rhode Island Government Owner’s Manual”

includes contact information for the state’s

Congressional delegation, municipal

leaders and key officials in all three

branches of state government.

“My priority is making government more

open and accessible. Town halls and the

State House belong to the public. Our

guide acknowledges the important role that

Rhode Islanders play and links them with

the assistance that government offers,” says

Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis.

This year’s owner’s manual is available free

of charge at the Secretary of State’s Public

Information Center in Room 38 at the State

House. Reference copies are also available

at the state’s public libraries. In addition, a

searchable, electronic version is posted on

the Secretary of State’s website at sos.ri.gov.

The cover features the opening sentences of

the historic document, which gave colonial

Rhode Islanders an unprecedented degree

of self-governance and religious liberty. The

back cover features a photo of the charter,

which is on display outside the Senate

Chamber at the State House.

Mollis, Gov. Lincoln Chafee and the RI

1663 Colonial Charter Commission are

planning a series of events this summer

to mark the 350th anniversary including

opening the State House to the public on

Sat., June 22, and a lecture by U.S.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena

Kagan on Tues., Aug. 20.

Secretary of State Mollis is committed to

making it easier to vote, making it easier to

do business in Rhode Island and making

government more open and accessible. For

more information about the programs and

services the Secretary of State offers Rhode

Islanders, visit sos.ri.gov.

by Secretary Of State Ralph Mollis

we are making iteasier for people to

connect with officials, express their opinions,

contribute their expertise and learn more aboutthe way public policy

is made

“No matter which format you prefer, our

directory is a one-stop resource for contact

information for elected officials at every level

as well as key staff,” says Mollis.

Mollis produced 5,500 copies of the 300-

page directory for distribution. Printed every

two years to reflect the results of November

elections, the book has historically been

popular with the public.

The new owner’s manual includes contact

information for hundreds of officials

including every member of the General

Assembly as well as city and town councils

and school committees. The directory

even lists key staff for state agencies and

municipal departments.

“We are making it easier for people to

connect with officials, express their opinions,

contribute their expertise and learn more

about the way public policy is made,”

says Mollis.

The guide also continues a practice Mollis

introduced six years ago – publishing the

name of every registered State House

lobbyist as well as the clients they represent.

That information is available on the Secretary

of State’s website, too.

“Rhode Islanders deserve a comprehensive

guide to the business of government. This is

a useful tool for making their voices heard,”

Mollis explains.

The guide also promotes the 350th

anniversary of Rhode Island’s Royal Charter

of 1663, which gave Rhode Island the well-

known phrase “lively experiment” that has

been carved into the face of the State

House and adopted as the title of RI PBS’

long-running public affairs show.


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Minding Your Own Brand | STArTUPS

by Dave Lubelczyk

While judging a freshman business plan

competition at a local university, I noticed a

pattern. Each of the student groups said they

were developing a premium brand, but they

would use a low-cost penetration pricing

strategy. Even though they were often selling

at a loss, they explained that by entering the

market as the low price leader they would

gain market share, people would fall in love

with their product and they could raise their

prices once they had built customer loyalty.

I could not think of any company that after

entering the market with low-cost pricing,

went on to be a dominate premium brand

and could command an above market price.

So, as a judge, I reminded them that “using

this logic, they will develop a commodity

level brand with very little loyalty and being

a commodity is a hole few companies could

ever hope to dig themselves out from.”

I know what you’re saying, “they are

freshman and have a lot to learn about

business.” Hopefully these students have

learned from this and will think differently

when it really counts. However, this flawed

thinking is not reserved for the business

school novice because most companies

can’t get it through their thick skulls that a

low-cost pricing strategy doesn’t work and

does not build customer loyalty.

Big box store “low-price guarantees” are

creating a marketplace full of people who

are fixated on price. Customers are no

longer loyal to most brands and will switch

from their “favorite” brand for a few pennies.

These customers are loyal to low-price, not

a particular brand. Because loyalty cannot

be based on price, I

would much rather

see a company say

that they were 10%

higher than their most

expensive competitor

and then prove that

they are well worth the

price. This is a better

positioning strategy

than to bow to the unprofitable

pricing practices that the current

marketplace demands.

The only companies who have escaped

this madness are the ones that realized a

low-cost pricing strategy will never lead

to long-term brand success. Once they

stopped worrying about how competitive

their price is and started focusing on their

brand experience, they have now avoided

being a low-cost provider and have a better

chance at gaining customer loyalty. By

doing this, they are seen as a premium

brand which attracts true passionate

advocates and builds a lasting relationship

with their customers.

Customers will not become advocates if you

have lured them in with a low-cost pricing

strategy. The only true way to build advocacy

is to find a unique way to stand out from

the crowd by providing extraordinary

brand experiences. Unless you provide an

extraordinary brand experience, customers

will see you as a commodity and will lack

brand passion. Advocacy only comes from

people who create a true relationship with

the brand and that loyalty is priceless.

Dave LubelczykImage Identityimageidentity.com

customers are no longerloyal to most brands and will switch from their favorite brand for a few pennies


by Jeanne A. Hulit

SBA wants to give small businesses the WORLD:Exporting Can Help U.S. Businesses Expand, Create Jobs

SBA | Exporting Can Help U.S. Businesses Expand, Create Jobs

In today’s global economy, selling goods around the world can bring

large rewards. It just makes good business sense to expand your

prospective customer base to the more than 95 percent of the world’s

population outside our country whose demand for American goods is

growing every day.

Small businesses now constitute 34 percent of total export dollars, and

comprise approximately 97.8 percent of all exporters. At the U.S. Small

Business Administration (SBA) we provide counseling, training and

financing to ensure that small businesses have the tools they need to

tap into the global market—and we’re seeing results. Since fiscal 2009,

SBA has guaranteed 6,400 loans to small business exporters for over

$3.3 billion and supported more than $6.3 billion in exports.

The SBA and other federal partners are all working toward the goal, set

by President Obama through the National Export Initiative, to double

our exports by 2014. To help us reach that goal, the President recently

signed trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea, and Panama

to expand export markets for American companies. Additionally, in

his State of the Union address, the President announced that we will

do more by launching talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade

and Investment Partnership with the European Union. This National

Export Initiative is a win-win, because access to more markets

means more customers, more sales of U.S. goods and more

jobs here at home.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s

International Trade Administration, export-supported

jobs linked to manufacturing are approximately 2.7

percent of all Rhode Island private-sector jobs and

15.1 percent of manufacturing workers depend on

exports for their jobs. Exports sustain thousands

of Rhode Island businesses – 90 percent of which

were small or medium-sized businesses with fewer

than 500 employees.

If you are a small business looking to export, U.S.

Export Assistance Centers are a great resource.

The mission of the Export Assistance Centers, which

are staffed by professionals from SBA, Department of

Commerce, the U.S. Export-Import Bank and other

public and private organizations, is to provide the

help that small businesses need to compete in today’s

global marketplace. The export center in New England

is located at the Office of International Trade in the JFK

Federal Building in Boston.


Exporting Can Help U.S. Businesses Expand, Create Jobs | SBA

Jeanne A. HulitAssociate Administrator for Capital Accessand Acting SBA New England Regional Administrator

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SBA has made it a priority to help small business exporters by

providing a number of loan programs specifically designed to help

develop or expand export activities. If you own or wish to start a small

export business, the following SBA loans may be available to you:

The Export Express Loan Program offers streamlined financing up to

$500,000. It is the simplest export loan product offered by the SBA.

Any business in operation at least one year that can demonstrate that

the loan proceeds will support its export activity is eligible.

The Export Working Capital Program offers financing up to $5 million as

a credit enhancement. This program is delivered through SBA Senior

International Credit Officers located in U.S. Export Assistance Centers.

The International Trade Loan Program offers loan financing for

fixed assets and working capital to businesses that plan to start

or continue exporting, or that have been adversely affected by

competition from imports.

If you already export your goods or services around the world and

have used a federal government program or assistance to get there,

the SBA also has something for you. SBA and Visa have launched

the “2013 Export Video Contest” that will offer current small business

exporters the opportunity to educate other small businesses about the

benefits of exporting and the government programs that can help.

Winners can receive up to $10,000 in prize money from Visa. We’re

accepting entries through April 5, 2013. Visit challenge.gov for more

information on eligibility and contest rules.

If you’re ready to explore the possibilities and challenges of

exporting, SBA and the federal government’s trade promotion and

export finance agencies are ready to help U.S. businesses meet

the challenge. Whether your firm is new to exporting or in need of

a refresher on the latest ideas and techniques, www.export.gov

provides need-to-know information for small businesses on how to

meet the challenges of the world economy.

access to more marketsmeans more customers,

more sales of U.S. goods and more jobs here at home


Open Date: December 2012

Employees: 2

Address: Prague, Czech Republic

Website: www.aircus.com

Twitter: aircuscom

Biggest challenge: discover

something people or companies

really need.

Profile: Aircus let business or

individuals to create simple

responsive website for free. They

don’t need any technical knowledge,

they just follow simple wizard.

Created website works on all

different devices from PC, tablets to

mobile phones.

Our platform is based on structured

business data (location, contacts,

about, services, …)

We are planning to help businesses

by connecting created website (and

their structured business data)

with other Internet projects and keep

them synchronized.

We are also working on “stream of

business oriented data”, which will

help SME get better understanding

what is going on the internet about

them. We will enrich created website

with data from other Internet projects

and also enrich those project with

data between each other.

Examples:

1. Business has a new photo on

Google Places, we will allow

them to add this photo on

Facebook and their website.

2. Business has a new review on

yelp, we will allow them to review

it and add it to their web or

Facebook.

Open Date: Summer 2012

Employees: 0

Address: Warwick, RI

Website: ecotopusa.com

Facebook: ecotopusa

Biggest challenge: I have been

disappointed to find a wall of

bureaucracy at the entrance to major

retail outlets. Even the best, most

wonderful businesses (you can

guess several) are too big to consider

something new, even when they say

they are creative and innovative!

They all want emails and months to

perhaps respond. No phone calls

please. I am a champion of small

business but even though local stores

are more receptive they are afraid

to risk capital on new products or to

open up new vendors.

Profile: I am a resident of Rhode

Island, where I am a 12th descendant

of Roger Williams. I am now the

President of our 6th generation family

business, Palmer Spring Co, in

Providence.

About 5 years ago I noticed an

amazing waste and inconvenience

regarding simple home mugs and

cups! I followed my inspiration and

now I have patented, produced, and

manufactured

a simple little

Rhode Island

invention which

I hope will be a

contribution to daily life.

I am sure you have seen

displays of mugs and cups in stores

and souvenir shops. What do they all

have in common? Well, if you pour

coffee or juice in a mug and walk with

it, the drink might spill. Why does it

spill? Because there has not been a

cover/top to put on the mug or cup,

until now! My Ecotop has a pair of

gaskets that let it set inside common

mugs and cups. A rocking lid opens

and closes the opening to the liquid.

Now anyone can use his or her

favorite mug as their travel mug, or

just not spill around the house. Your

cup, our Ecotop, fewer spills!!

Open Date: November 1999

Employees: 4 full time

and 5 independent sales reps

Address: Bristol, RI & Merrimack, NH

Website: www.petrocellimkt.com

Twitter: @petrocellisport

Facebook: www.facebook.com/

rpetro1967

Biggest challenge: As we look to

STArTUPS | Spotlight


expand out business into

the Rhode Island and

Southern Massachusetts

markets we have two main

challenges. First is how

do we take a very successful

business formula from our main

office in Merrimack, New Hampshire

and find ways to establish a business in

a new geographical area in Rhode Island

through a virtual office. Second, is finding

ways to spread the word to businesses and

organizations that they have a new source for

all of their Promotional Product needs.

Profile: Petrocelli Marketing was developed

to assist organizations with their branding

solutions through the power of promotional

products and corporate apparel. These

products provide a unique branding vehicle

to be used in everyday life from home to work

and recreation. These products can be used

at countless events associated with a company

or organization. They can even be used to

reward loyal customers of your business and

as gifts for your employees. Promotional

products are one of the most powerful forms

of marketing and one of the least expensive!

The ROI is tremendous because recipients

tend to hold onto these branded items for long

periods of time therefore creating repeated

brand exposure for weeks and months without

any additional cost. We have access to

over 600,000 products that we can put your

company or organizations logo on. We even

have clothing that we can embroider to outfit

your employees or customers. If you can think

of the item we will find it for you!

Open Date: January 2013

Employees: 0

Address: 18 Brailey Street

Website: www.romorcreatives.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/

naturallybytoni

Biggest challenge: The

biggest challenge for me

was after setting up and

organizing my front & back

office, was cold calling and

getting my foot out the door to sell.

I realized I was holding myself back because

of fear. Each time, it just got easier and I

gained a level of confidence and comfort

with my pitch, and with my products virtually

selling itself.

Profile: My name is Toni, I am a wife and

mother of three now living in Cumberland,

Rhode Island. I was born and raised in West

Wareham, Massachusetts. I can remember as

a child, the large beautiful pine trees, finding

pine cones, jumping the cranberry bogs and

picking blueberries. As much as I miss those

things, they haven’t left me or my products

that I create.

So, I am bringing to you my line of All Natural

Skincare Products that captures the essence

from the small farms to the beautiful beaches.

If I couldn’t find healthy food or skincare

items, I would try to make them from

scratch. That is how my beloved

hobby of mixing natural ingredients

in my kitchen turned into my All

Natural Skincare Line, starting with

the lip balms to body butters.

I use all natural 100% Shea, Cranberry

and Mango Butters whipped up using pure

essential oils, combined with an added

touch of pure premium fragrant or flavored

oils, and are all packed with their own natural

healthy and healing properties.

My Goats Milk Soaps are farm

fresh and pure, which are

gentle and creamy

with lots of lather.

Spotlight | STArTUPS


Of SEO and Whiskey | SmALL BUSiNeSS

of SEO andWhiskey

After tasting a single malt whiskey from

Rhode Island’s Sons of Liberty distillery, I

have developed an appreciation for the

subtleties that quality ingredients and time

make in crafting a top-shelf Whiskey.

Perhaps it was the aftereffects of the elixir,

but it occurred to me at some point, that

search engine optimization shares a lot in

common with whiskey making.

For instance - the search for the finest of

ingredients for whiskey making, is akin to the

arduous selection process for picking out the

best key-words for your internet marketing

strategy. Both are foundational elements that

ultimately determine the end-result of your

efforts. Screw this up, and everything goes

down the drain.

As a distillery will rely on its vendor-partners

in providing their ingredients in exacting and

predictable quality, so too does SEO rely

on consistent authority ranking and link-

attribution through its linkbuilding partners.

Whiskey makers create a mash by

mixing their ingredients, this starts the

fermentation process in preparation for

the next step of aging. Similarly, search

marketing integration interconnects a

business’ website (on-page) and off-page

digital assets (backlinks, social media,

blogging), which strengthen a brand’s

overall internet marketing authority and

ranking for building long-term internet

marketing sustainability and relevance.

SEOer’s are guided by a complex set of

largely unpublished rules and standards

that are learned in time - through failure,

success, and experimentation. Just like

making whiskey!

And then there’s time. The most important

element to both SEO and whiskey making,

for without time, a master whiskey distiller’s

only product is beer (not the good drinking

kind), and with a SEOer, rhetoric (not the

good reading kind).

Be it whiskey or SEO, it is the element of

Time that provides the maturity that results in

controlled and expected results. Successful

outcomes are only realized when ingredients

and time are not compromised . . .

And there you have it, a story of SEO and

Whiskey, along with a list of ingredients for

successful search engine marketing.

Keyword Research | Website

Optimization | Linkbuilding

So go ahead, take a shot at each - allow

9-12 months to ferment, and you’ll soon be

tasting the sweet rewards of your efforts.

by Chris Sheehy

Chris SheehySidewalk Branding Co.www.sidewalkbranding.co


SmALL BUSiNeSS | Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day

select their parent from a panel of parents based

upon asking work related questions. Students

performed at chance. This year I repeated the

activity with another group of mothers and

daughters and they were 100% correct! I do

not know why there was a dramatic difference

in performance. Perhaps, the judges were

more lenient on which questions were related

to work. Perhaps, the parent’s careers were

more diverse. Perhaps, the students knew

their parents better.

What may come as a surprise is that

when this year’s daughters were asked

to provide a one word description of 1)

How their mother would describe them,

2) How they would want their mother to

describe them, and 3) How they would

describe their mother only16.6% of the

mother-daughter answers matched perfectly

and another 16.6% answers were synonyms.

Two thirds of the descriptions did not match!

Additionally, in all cases, mothers correctly predicted that the way

they would describe their daughters would not match the way their

daughters would want them to describe them.

by Dr. Ronald G. Shapiro

Thursday, April 25, 2013 is the 20th annual Take Our Daughters

And Sons To Work® Day (TODASTWD). This year’s theme, work

in progress, is most appropriate for small businesses which are

constantly evolving, growing and seeking new customers.

Encouraging your employees daughters and sons to spend a day at

work, gaining an appreciation for what their parents do, and thinking

about their careers will not only be of benefit to your employees and

their children, but also to you. TODASTWD may also provide an

excellent opportunity for students and parents to begin an ongoing

discussion of what parents do at work as well as an opportunity

to negotiate some work life balance issues which are of concern

to daughters, sons, parents and employers alike. Employees may

perform better knowing that their families are supporting them and

that families will understand if they have to work a long day or work

on a weekend.

The intent of TODASTWD is to be a highly interactive day for parents,

sons and daughters. A well run day would include an opportunity

for students to shadow parents as well as to be engaged in some

meaningful activities. The TODASTWD foundation provides numerous

activities available at www.daughtersandsonstowork.org. You may, of

course, develop your own activities, too!

Last year my TODASTWD Rhode Island Small Business Journal

(Volume 1, Issue 3) article featured a game titled Do Your Children

Know What You Do at Work? in which mothers and daughters were to

employees may perform better knowing that theirfamilies are supporting them and that families will understand

if they have to work a long day or work on a weekend


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Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work® is a registered trademark of the Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Foundation.

I would like to thank Dr. Margarita Posada Cossuto for helpful comments and Ms. Arlene Harnett for arranging the Girl Scout event featuring the networking and other Education by Entertainment games.

The four fabulous mother-daughter Girl Scout pairs who participated

in the activity are shown in the photograph at the top of this page.

Daughters (blindfolded with fabulous scarves) are holding white

boards with their mother’s three descriptions. Daughters provided

their answers orally. The audience, comprised of other Girl Scouts

judged the accuracy of the matches.

On May 2nd, one week after TODASTWD, Uncle Jays Networking,

Out of the Box Networking, Marley’s on the Beach restaurant and I

will be hosting a business and family networking event. One of the

objectives of the evening is to encourage students to learn about

how their parents network, and to meet some of the people their

parents network with. Hopefully, we will be able to discuss some great

TODASTWD experiences. We may have a parent-student networking

game. The event will be at 5:00 PM on May 2 at Marley’s at 885

Oakland Beach Avenue Warwick, RI and will include free pasta dinner

(water is free; other beverages are available at normal restaurant

prices). Reservations are required and space is limited to 200, so

please contact me, [email protected], to reserve today.

Please do schedule a TODASTWD this year. If you decide that it is

not practical to host your event on a school day, please schedule it

immediately after school concludes for summer recess. If you have

a successful program, please send a note and possibly some high

resolution photos to me and I’ll try to feature your experience in a

future column.

Dr. Ronald G. ShapiroIndependent Consultant in Human FactorsLearning and Human Resources

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employees may perform better knowing that theirfamilies are supporting them and that families will understand

if they have to work a long day or work on a weekend

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Hey Mr.! Is Your Wardrobe Selling You Short…? | SmALL BUSiNeSS

Hey Mr.! Is Your Wardrobe Selling You Short…?

For the guy who habitually skips over the

fashion advice articles, this one’s for you

- have you ever bumped into a business

acquaintance, potential client, or even,

possibly, the future Mrs. You, while you

were out and about on a day that you didn’t

anticipate meeting with anyone. Did you

feel a tad awkward, or did you not give it

another thought?

Like it or not, everyone you meet is sizing

you up; pigeon-holing you. Your apperance,

your carriage, your posture (or the lack

thereof) help people define who you are.

Many a woman will check out your footwear,

wristwatch or cuff links first - not to see how

cheap or expensive they are, but how much

attention you pay to detail.

Whether you are attending a meeting, a

networking event or taking that lovely lady

out on a first date, it is crucial that you take

the time to choose the appropriate attire.

Knowing how to put yourself together and

what wears well on you, are critical non-

verbal cues telling the world a lot about how

you care for everything else.

So let’s look at some DO’S and DON’T’S

for the Men Folk.

If you are going to a business networking

event, or meeting a new client:

1. You don’t have to wear a suit and tie to

look professional. Unless your line of work

requires it, that’s okay - we don’t want

you to look uncomfortable or pretentious.

However, DO ditch the overalls, ripped

jeans or other work attire that you

normally wear on the job and clean up a

little - a clean, crisp dress shirt and pants

or dark jeans are perfectly fine

2. If you normally wear a business suit,

DO ensure that it’s the right fit

3. Either way, DON’T go looking like you

are out for a drink with ‘the boys’.

4. DO ensure your hair is nicely trimmed

and of the appropriate length

5. DON’T wear shoes that are scuffed

and unpolished (this one applies ALL

the time)

If you are going Business Casual, you can

still look dapper, yet professional:

1. DON’T fall back on the standard

khakis, baggy pants, oversized polo

shirts and sneakers

2. DO try a tailored jacket or blazer over

an open-collar button-down shirt and

slim cut pants

3. DO a V-neck sweater over an open-

collar button-down shirt, or a dress shirt

and tie under a button-down cardigan

or sweater vest

4. DO a pair of dark-wash jeans with a slim

fit or a straight cut leg and dress shoes

And how about that date to seal the deal

with the lady you’re shooting to impress?

1. DON’T go for a full suit. Unless you are

pulling out all the stops and taking her

to a really formal event, you’ll look like

you are trying too hard.

2. DO opt for a sports jacket or blazer,

with a pair of dark denim pants and an

open-collar button-down shirt.

3. DON’T do a shirt and tie – you’ll look

too uptight

4. DO a sweater and shirt look

5. And for your shoes, DO a pair of lace-

ups or loafers

Also, be aware that your individual body

shape and type will dictate subtleties

like the fit, cut and style of your clothing.

Nevertheless, ask yourself this, “Am I

making a great first impression with my

choice of attire?”

If your answer is “No”, then you are most

definitely selling yourself short. In which

case, you’ve got some updating to do!

Yemi SekoniDirectorDonahue Models

by Yemi Sekoni


SmALL BUSiNeSS | The Three P’s of Starting a Business

by Douglas Jobling

There is a famous concept in the marketing discipline called the 5 P’s.

It describes the five principles of marketing, including:

1. Positioning (the strategic position of the product

in the marketplace)

2. Product (the qualities, features, and benefits of the item for sale)

3. Promotion (advertising and other methods of communicating to

the marketplace)

4. Placement (sales channels and other aspects of getting the

product to customers)

5. Price (charging enough to be profitable considering the price

of competitors)

This is an oversimplification of the 5 P’s but I refer to it because I want

to suggest something similar – the 3 P’s of starting a business.

I have made it a habit when conducting training programs for start-up

businesses to ask them to identify the one, and only one, reason

to start a new business. Few people get the right answer. They tell

me that they want to be their own boss; that they want to make a

lot of money; that they can’t find a job so they want to try something

different. These may be good reasons but none of them is the reason.

The one, and only, reason to start a new business is because there is

an opportunity in the marketplace. There are enough People who will

buy the product or service at a Price at which the company can make

a Profit. And those are the three P’s.

This sounds simple enough perhaps. But each of these P’s has

enough behind it to fill a book. The entrepreneur has to determine

whether there are enough People – customers. How to determine

that? Market research is the answer, and a lot of work has to go into

determining what the right customer demographic is for a particular

product or service; who is buying something similar now; how much

they are spending on it; how much of those dollars can be diverted

to the new product.

of Starting a Business


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The Three P’s of Starting a Business | SmALL BUSiNeSS

Douglas JoblingRegional Director, Northern Rhode IslandRhode Island Small Business Development Center

The entrepreneur has to know what Price to charge for the product

or service. S/he can’t know how much to charge until s/he knows the

costs of making the product or delivering the service, bringing it to

the marketplace, making sure all of the costs are covered, making

enough to produce a Profit. And that’s only one aspect of pricing –

what is being charged by competitors for similar products? Can

the new entrepreneur fit his/her price into the marketplace without

charging such a low price that profitability is impossible or such a

high price that no one will buy the product or service?

There are so many questions to be answered that it is usually advisable

to prepare a complete business plan which provides a standard format

for thinking through, and answering, a lot of these questions.

By the way, a couple of paragraphs ago, I didn’t want to seem like

I was insulting people who give me the wrong reason for starting a

business. These are creative, independent, sometimes courageous

individuals who are striking out on their own and deserve a lot of

credit for that. But it is a new path they are following, one that requires

a lot of new learning. As hopefully has become apparent from this

article, knowing the one reason to start a business is just one of many,

many lessons that new entrepreneurs have to learn.

If you are considering starting a business, turn yourself into a

sponge! Soak up all the new learning you can get your hands on.

Take advantage of training programs and other resources to learn

about managing a business. The U.S. Small Business Administration

offers a number of such programs, either on their own or through

one of the programs they support: the Rhode Island Small Business

Development Center at Johnson & Wales University; the Center for

Women & Enterprise; and SCORE: Counselors to America’s Small

Businesses. The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation

offers programs and they are also offered by your local Chamber of

Commerce and at various colleges and universities, as well as online.

Take advantage of these programs and learn all you can about this

exciting new venture you are embarking upon.

of Starting a Business

the one, and only,reason to start a new business is because

there is an opportunity in the marketplace


eveNTS | Networking and Workshops

Wednesday, April 10Research and Innovation ShowcaseMemorial Union BallroomURI Kingston Campus11 am - 3 pm

Thursday, April 11East Greenwich ChamberHere’s to the Ladies at Quidnessett Country Club5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Saturday, April 13East Greenwich ChamberEast Greenwich Wedding WalkMain Street, East Greenwich11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Saturday, April 13 North Central Chamber of CommerceEarth Day 2013 -North Providence Clean-upMeeting Place -John E. Fogarty Center

Wednesday April 17Business After Hours hosted by Twisted Throttle 5:00 pm -7:00 pm

Wednesday April 17RI Small Business Recovery ProgramHow to Attract an Instant Flood of New CustomersCenterville Seminar Center6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Wednesday, April 18Financing Your Small Business Workshop - Access To Capital Panel DiscussionCenter for Women & Enterprise8:30 am - 11:00 am

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From Idea-To-Product…It Gets Personal | SmALL BUSiNeSS

from idea-to-product…it gets personaltips from the trenches

Images of experiments and prototypes come to mind when we

think of transforming ideas into innovative products. While these are

essential exercises, don’t believe for a minute that this journey is

solely an objective scientific one. In fact, the entire process is loaded

with emotional content and feeling that can be triggered at any time.

Bottom line… it gets personal.

It gets personal from the moment the idea begins to take shape.

We get advice warning us not to fall in love with our ideas. And it’s

true that we need to make decisions based on objective criteria, but

consider this: without the excitement that invariably accompanies a

new idea, who would take any steps at all to pursue its possibilities?

Whenever I meet inventors who have come up with a new idea, they

are full of enthusiasm and hope, as well they should be. If they’re

not committed and passionate about their ideas, it’s doubtful anyone

else will be. Passion at the earliest stages of a project is a gift if it

leads to action.

It gets personal the first time we speak about the idea and the

naysayers chime in with “dream killing” comments. That negativity, if

taken to heart, can raise doubts and be the end of a good idea. Of

course, we need to reach out to smart people for constructive criticism,

but there is a time to engage with others and a time to nurture the idea

until it can be articulated clearly and is ready to be tested.

It gets personal at every stage of concept development since each

can mean the end of the dream. And so with every success, a kind of

trepidation can set in as we become more emotionally invested in an

idea that may actually work. It is said that testing celebrates failure,

but when our own ideas are at risk, that’s hard to stomach. This is

typically a time when mood swings can kick in ranging from elation

(when things work out) to depression and abandoning the idea (when

they don’t.) On the bright side, it can also be a freeing experience if

a project doesn’t prove viable. We can now move on to the next idea

grateful not to have invested a lot of time and money.

It gets personal when our development team weighs in and we

have to keep our emotions in check to keep the project on a positive

track. It’s not easy watching our ideas morph into something different

from what we originally intended, even if it means something better.

Another emotional low point can be when our target consumers in

focus groups do not respond well to the concept. On the other hand,

some great suggestions for improvements can result from these

sessions. A bigger test comes when it’s time to get the idea in front of

a prospective customer or investor. Watch someone dismiss your idea

after all the work you’ve done as “not ready for prime time” and you’ll

understand pain.

This process from creative concept to innovation takes guts. We

are not our ideas although we are invested in them. Be prepared to

get out of your own way. Even after all these years, I have to remind

myself daily to leave my ego at home. As to your own personal

moments, and they will come, these are all opportunities to

realize your passion by focusing on what matters most...

advancing the idea one step at a time.

Elizabeth PierottiThe Inventing Lifewww.theinventinglife.com

by Elizabeth Pierotti

the entire processis loaded with emotional

content and feeling that can be triggered at any time


Monday, April 22Resources Available to Start & Grow A Small BusinessCentral Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce9:00 am - 11:00 am

Tuesday, April 23North Central Chamber of CommerceBusiness Booster -Branding your BusinessPresented by Gil LantiniUNO Chicago Grill of Smithfield11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Tuesday, April 23East Greenwich ChamberBusiness After Hour at Yardney Technical Products2000 South County Trail, East Greenwich, RI5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Thursday, April 25Business After Hours-The Newport Beach Club22 Newport Harbor Dr. Portsmouth5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Thursday, April 25Business After Hours-The Newport Beach Club22 Newport Harbor Dr. Portsmouth, RI 028715:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Thursday, April 25North Central Chamber of CommerceApril “Business After Hours”Navigant Credit Union of Chepachet5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Friday, April 26Central RI ChamberLEADS LuncheonHosted by Basta Ristorante12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

Tuesday, April 30Central RI ChamberYoung Professionalshosted by Potowomut Golf ClubGolf & Networking 3:00 - 7:30 pmNetworking Only 5:30 - 7:30

Tuesday, April 30RI Small Business Recovery ProgramCrowdfund Your Way to Business SuccessCenterville Seminar Center6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Wednesday, May 1Northern RI ChamberAffirmative Action: Plan Design OverviewNRI Chamber Conference Room8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Tuesday, May 2North Central Chamber of CommerceBusiness BoosterSix Steps to Small Business SuccessPresented by David Lucier11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Friday, May 3 First Friday Coffeehosted by Orange Leaf 8:00 am - 9:00 am

Saturday, May 4East Greenwich ChamberArts on MainEast Greenwich Town Hall12:00 pm -3:00 pm

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Organize Your Home Office | SmALL BUSiNeSS

organize your home office

Many people are working out of their homes these days. Get your home

office organized so you can be efficient and productive while you are

working. Have filing systems, procedures, and processes in place.

Set up an area in your home for your office. Maybe you have a spare

room, an area in the basement, or maybe you have a walk-in closet

that isn’t being utilized. The key is to set up your office in an area in

your home where you can focus and not be easily distracted.

Most disorganized home offices all have the same issues; People are

drowning in paper. Their filing cabinets are exploding because they

haven’t re-visited their files in quite some time. Some businesses do

not have working systems and processes in place. Most keep too

much on their desk and are not housing their files in an efficient way.

Time management is imperative when working out of your home.

There is always something going on in the house. Map out your days

the week before. Write a to-do list of everything you need to get done

so you stay on track with your tasks.

Try not to let your office paperwork spill into other areas in your home.

You have an office; keep the information contained to that office.

Purge all old files. At one time you may have saved something because

you thought it might be of importance, but now a couple of years may

have passed and you realize you really don’t need that information.

Now is a great time to get rid of it and make room for new files.

Try not to overload the top of your desk. Keep only what you are

working on that day or week on your desk. If you don’t need it on a

daily basis, get it off your desk. Do you really need 20 pens on the

top of your desk? Downsize the top of your desk and find a system to

house the items you don’t need on a daily basis.

You will save time and money by keeping your office supplies

organized. Keep them contained to one area and organized in that area.

You probably have tons of business cards. Find a home for your

business cards. Either purchase a system to scan them into your

computer or develop a filing system. The key is to keep them off your

desk if you don’t refer to them on a regular basis.

When clients get ready to start an organizing project they want to

go out and purchase filing cabinets, containers, book shelves, filing

trays. Wait, stop! Go through your home office first and figure out what

you actually have. Think about how you want to efficiently store those

items so that you can be productive. Purchase according to what you

have and the systems you want to create. There are so many great

office supplies on the market. Find ones that best suit your needs in

the most efficient and productive way.

If you are in the developing stages of your business, the best piece

of advice I can give is to have a system in place on the back end.

Once you start your business, you are going to be so focused on

your clients, sales, marketing, etc., your back end operations will fall

apart if you don’t have those key systems in place. Make a plan now.

Organize! Energize!

by Kristin Carcieri-MacRae

Kristin Carcieri-MacRaeOwnerOrganizing In RI, LLC

most disorganized home offices all have the same

issues; people are drowning in paper


Monday, May 6RI Small Business Recovery ProgramLunch & LearnCenterville Seminar Center12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Tuesday, May 7Northern RI ChamberCommunication Skills & Conflict ManagementNRI Chamber Conference Room, Lincoln8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Tuesday, May 7Central RI ChamberCoffee & ContactsStart your day off rightHosted by Courtyard by Marriott8:00 am - 9:00 am

Wednesday, May 8Northern RI ChamberAffirmative Action: Performing the Statistical Analysis(2 Day Program)NRI Chamber Conference Room, Lincoln8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Thursday, May 9East Greenwich ChamberSummer Stroll”Just in Time for Mother’s Day! & Military Spouse Appreciation Night”

Friday May 10Newport Chamber of CommerceChamber Connections8:00 am - 9:15 am

Monday, May 13Northern RI ChamberNetworking at Night @ NavigantNavigant Credit Union, Central Falls5:00 am - 7:00 pm

Tuesday, May 14North Central Chamber of CommerceAnnual Dinner “Night of the Rising Stars”Crystal Lake Golf Club

Tuesday, May 14East Greenwich ChamberBusiness After Hours at Besos Kitchen & Cocktails5:30 pm -7:30 pm

Wednesday, May 15Northern RI ChamberAffirmative Action: Performing the Statistical Analysis(2 Day Program)NRI Chamber Conference Room, Lincoln8:30 am - 4:30 pm

be sure to visit isupportsmallbusiness.comto view all updated and current events and workshops

for this month

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Communication 3.0, Live & Virtual | SmALL BUSiNeSS

by Donna Mac

Donna Mac OwnerDMacVoice & Media

Communication3.0 Live & VirtualWhy it’s Imperative to Tap Into Both Left & Right Brains!

Ask yourself if you are a left or right brainer. Left-brainers are described

as more analytical and right-brainers more visionary. If you like to work

with numbers, you’re more apt to be a left-brainer and if creating and

designing come easily to you, you’re more likely a right-brainer.

On a similar note, ask yourself if you’re an introvert or an extrovert.

An introvert prefers quieter settings and craves solitude while an

extrovert thrives amongst people and often seeks them out for ideas

and social purposes.

When it comes to great communication, it doesn’t matter whether

you’re left or bright brained or an introvert or extrovert. What matters is

that you’re aware of the type of person you are and that you’ve taken

the time to be aware of which of your skills are innate and which skills

could use some sharpening.

When it comes to communication everyone is created differently and

if we move forth with the attributes of both left and right brainers; both

introverts and extroverts, we’re much more able to ensure that our

insights and opinions are heard, and well represented!

For example, if you’re an introvert who’s more left brained, you might

want to make sure you speak up when you have the opportunity.

That’s because someone who prefers a quieter way of life is more apt

to shy away from communication, which can sometimes be described

as painful. But if this happens, you may miss many opportunities from

building relationships to garnering a raise or promotion.

On the other side of the coin, if you’re a more extroverted person who

has big-picture thinking like a right brainer, it’s important to be aware

of how you’re presenting your case. That’s because someone who

is more outgoing might forget that people need to be able to digest

new information that’s being presented. And like our last example, this

could also lead to lost opportunities like building relationships and

garnering a raise or promotion.

Once you’re taken the time to figure out what your communication

type is: left or right brained; introverted or extroverted, now ask

yourself another question: “What type of person or people am I

communicating with?”

When you determine that, you’re now much more able to move

forward with a conversation or presentation that’s less about you and

more about them. And that is the key to great communication in the

21st century. If you can mirror your audience while delivering a well

thought out piece of information, you’re much more apt to receive buy-

in for your products and services—and even your ideas and vision.

If you think these communication techniques take a considerable

amount of time, you’re right. But just like building a business, a plan

and a foundation is imperative for a structure that’s sound, safe and

enduring. So take some time to tune in (to yourself and others) before

your next big presentation and I promise, it will be an investment well

worth the effort!

Communication 3.0 Formula:

1. Understand Yourself

2. Understand Your Audience

3. Understand Your Content

when I get ready to talk,I spend two-thirds of the time thinking

about what they need to hearand one third of the time thinking

about what I want to say Abraham Lincoln


SmALL BUSiNeSS | Raise Your Bottom Line By Lowering Your BMI

by lowering your

BMIyOuR BOttOM LIneRAISE

Numerous studies that point to the

phenomenon that a healthier workforce is

more productive, and therefore saves a

company money. The current mathematical

model for measuring the health of a group

over time is to measure and average their

“Body Mass Index” (BMI) over time.

The term BMI was coined by nutritional

pioneer Ancel Keys in 1972, in response

to a phenomenon that was noticed by life

insurance actuaries that overweight policy

holders experienced a higher rate of mortality.

The calculation itself was originally developed

by a Belgian Mathematician, astronomer and

statistician named Adolphe Quetelet in 1832.

Quite simply it is the ratio of a person’s mass

(kg) divided by the square of their height

(meters); the formula in America translates to

“703” times Mass (pounds) divided by height

(in inches) squared.

Although Ancel Keys is credited with

coining the term BMI, his writings indicate

a less than enthusiastic appraisal of its

usefulness; in his paper “Indices of Relative

Weight and Obesity” (1972) he states that

“The Body Mass Index seems preferable

over other indices of relative weight…on the

simplicity of the calculation and, in contrast

to percentage of average weight, the

applicability to all populations at all times.”

Is hardly a ringing endorsement of BMI as

the “be all end all” measurement for health

and wellness?

A few examples illustrate how BMI might

come up short as a method for comparing

the wellness of individuals. Using BMI as

the only benchmark, a body builder and a

couch potato who are both 6 feet tall and

250 pounds would each have a BMI of

by Tim Sullivan


Raise Your Bottom Line By Lowering Your BMI | SmALL BUSiNeSS

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33.9 Would anyone consider each of these

people to be equally healthy?

Both Tom Brady (6’4” 225# BMI 27.38) and

Deion Branch (5’9” 195# BMI 28.79) of the

New England Patriots would be individually

considered overweight if BMI were the

only measure of their wellness. I don’t think

anyone would characterize either of them

as overweight!

Body shape, frame size, and muscle

mass are all factors that can skew BMI

numbers from being an idea measure of

overall wellness.

It is believed that BMI is a much better

measurement for population studies over

time than it is for static comparisons on

individual groups or as a method for

individual clinical evaluation.

A simple way to measure group health is to

take an average of their BMI and compare

those values over time. The quality of the

evaluation and the usefulness of the data

improves, if you are able to factor diet,

exercise and habits into the wellness picture

for a particular group of people.

Underweight BMI under 19

Normal BMI between 19 & 24

Overweight BMI between 25 & 29

Obese BMI between 30 & 39

Extremely Obese BMI between 40 & 54

Measuring BMI gives a business or

organization a methodology by which it

can gauge the savings associated with the

implementation of a successful wellness

program. If a company wellness program

results in a reduction in average employee

BMI by .2 over a given period of time, and

their overall health related expenses also

drop; it can be calculated that for every

.1 drop in average in the group BMI, the

company saves X dollars.

Tim SullivanLife-Panelwww.well-track.com


SmALL BUSiNeSS | Working From Home: The Pajamification of the Office?

the Pajamificationof the Office?

WOrking FrOmHOme:Quite often, you hear people joke about how nice it is to work from home, citing that they don’t have to change out of pajamas to put in a day’s work. While not having to wear pants is certainly a huge benefit for some, there are many other positive things about telecommuting that makes it a great option for both employees and employers. Let’s check it out!

happier PeoplePerhaps the most positive thing about allowing employees to work from home is that it makes them happier. According to a recent survey, the average employee says that telecommuting decreases their stress by at least 25%. Companies who allow employees to work from home at least a day or two per week report less absenteeism and a much lower turnover rate than those that don’t.

Workers are happier when they can work from home for many different reasons. For the overwhelming majority of those workers, the greatest benefit is that it makes the work/home balance much easier to manage.

Being able to care for children while earning a living at the same time is a big deal for working parents. Others are keen on avoiding the environmental and financial costs associated with commuting to work. Some folks say that working from home is quieter and enjoy being free of office politics and the distractions caused by coworkers.

Basically, working from home relieves a lot of different kinds of stress, which leads to happier, more productive workers.

Yes, I did say “more productive.”

increased ProductivityIt seems counter intuitive to think that people who work from home are more productive, but they are! It would be easy to assume that since they’re home, they’d be taking naps and watching TV when they should be working, but according to a study done in China, telecommuters are actually 10- 20% more productive than people who work in an office. If you consider all of the stressors and distractions that working from home can relieve, it makes sense that productivity goes up as people are happier and more comfortable.

by Adam Harvey


Working From Home: The Pajamification of the Office? | SmALL BUSiNeSS

WOrking FrOm

Benefits to EmployersAside from creating happier and more productive workers, allowing employees to work from home at least some of the time has many benefits for employers as well. For one thing, you can reduce the amount of paper and other supplies (pens, printer ink, coffee, etc.) being used in the office. You’ll need less space in general as you’ll have fewer desks around, so that means paying less rent (Some employers have “hotel space” in the form of a spare desk for folks to use if they need to come in occasionally.)

Another great benefit to employers is that they have more access to the best, most talented employees. If you think about it, you’re limited to only those people who live within your vicinity. Allowing employees to work from home opens the door to being able to hire anyone, anywhere.

Setting expectationsFor employers who haven’t yet tested these waters, it may seem a bit scary. After all, if you cannot witness productivity, how can you be sure it’s happening? Just because someone is physically present doesn’t mean he or she is actually being productive. Just as with any work arrangement, a good manager needs to establish a rhythm, set measurable goals, and keep lines of communication open. By staying in touch with remote employees and holding them accountable for deadlines, you should be able to make sure that work is indeed getting done. Presence is not a prerequisite for productivity.

What you Need to Get StartedThere are many options available to you when setting up a virtual office, but there are some basics you’ll probably need. Clearly, you’ll need email, but also an instant messaging client, a VPN (Virtual Private Network), web conferencing capabilities and reliable anti-virus programs to start with. You can get fancier as you discover what your specific needs are.

The work from home trend shows no sign of slowing down as more companies are finding out that it’s a system that absolutely works for everyone involved. Will you be the next one to try it out?

Adam HarveyGLAD WORKSwww.gladworks.com

working from home is quieterand enjoy being free of office

politics and the distractions caused by coworkers


Kill The Ums | SmALL BUSiNeSS

KILL THE UMS TOP 10 STRATEGIES

Have you ever heard someone say

something like this? “So, um, well, I guess

you know that, um, we should, like, you

know, be doing something about that, um,

you know, problem that you, um, have?”

Just typing that was painful. Listening to it

is maddening. Yet, lots of us talk like that

to some extend. These words are called

“verbal fillers”.

Why do we use “verbal fillers”? One of

the biggest reasons is we hate silence. If

someone isn’t talking (like us), we need to fill

the void. Silence makes us uncomfortable.

Martin Tupper, a 19th century English writer

and poet put it well when he said “Well-timed

silence hath more eloquence than speech”.

Or in other words, silence makes you more

eloquent by allowing your listener to reflect

on, or interpret what you just said. If you

continue speaking just to fill the silence, those

wonderful, inspirational and well-intended

words you just spoke can easily be muddled

or missed completely as you babble on.

Another reason why we may use fillers is

that we are talking too quickly to allow our

thoughts to keep up. We hesitate, and, to fill

the silence that follows, begin to “fill in” the

empty space with noise. Nervousness can

also force us to flounder as we cast about

in our now blank minds for the thoughts we

wanted to express next. Finally, fillers can

be “extra words” that we don’t really need. If

you tell someone, “honestly, this is what we

do.” might they think, “so wait, now you’re

being honest? What about before?” Likewise,

you may say, “Basically, this is what do.”

Someone may be inclined to ask, “what are

the non-basic things you do?” Added fillers

words simply serve to dilute your message.

Why are fillers so difficult to overcome? For

once, I have an easy answer. Habit. You know

what a habit is right? Something that you have

done over and over again until it is ingrained

in you and seems to be a part of you.

Some habits are good. That sweet golf swing

or the way you say “thank you” to everybody.

Other habits, not so much. I would list some

here, but the RISBJ only has so much space.

Back to verbal fillers. How can you get rid of

them? I have listed here my

TOP 10 STRATEGIES FOR AVOIDENCE

AND CONTROL

1. Identify your own verbal fillers

2. Pause

a. Embrace the silence

b. Look more thoughtful

and confident

3. Breathe

a. Reduces stress and relaxes

b. Build breathing into your normal

speech patterns

c. Fillers sometimes replace

proper breathing

d. Avoid losing track by

reducing nervousness

4. Listen to your own speech

5. Listen to others

6. Preparation/practice

a. Predict and prepare

for questions

7. Body language, presence

8. Slow down

9. Monitory your progress.

10. Improve your vocabulary

a. Helps to avoid searching for

the “right” word

If you would like some help identifying

and eliminating your own verbal fillers give

me a call.

by Richard Austin

Richard AustinPresidentThe Learning Curve LLC


SmALL BUSiNeSS | Agents – The Business Kind

AGENTSThe Business Kind

As your business starts heading down the

road of success, you will likely find yourself

in a position to hire employees. What you

need to know, is that any person whom

you hire to work for you is essentially an

extension of you and can bind you or your

business or subject you to liability by their

actions. In general, the law may consider

your employees to be your “Agents” and

under certain circumstances will consider

their actions as actions of your business. If

you conduct your business as an entity, such

as an LLC or corporation, the business will

most likely be held liable, but if you do not

conduct business as an entity, but only as a

sole-proprietor or partnership, then liability

can and may flow directly to you personally.

The reciprocal rights and liabilities that flow

between the employer, or principal, and the

employee or agent, reflect the “real-time”

realities of doing business. Business owners

often rely on others to conduct their business,

and in the case of a corporation, must rely

on human agents because the corporate

form is a legal fiction. Generally, the authority

of an agent is defined by the scope of their

employment and an agent may only bind the

principal where it is acting within the scope

of the agency or employment.

Where a third party relies, in good faith, upon

the representations of an agent, where the

agent was acting within the scope of his or

her authority, even if the principle disagrees

with the action, the agent can still bind the

principle. Alternatively, where the agent was

acting outside of the scope of his or her

authority, the agent will generally be held

liable, but it is possible that a court of law may

require the principle to compensate the third

party and seek reimbursement from the agent.

As stated above, in order to bind the

principal, an agent must be acting within

the scope of authority created by his

or her principal. In reality, the scope of

authority would generally be defined via

an employment contract or by a course of

conduct. Authority generally takes two forms:

Actual authority and apparent authority.

Actual authority comes in two flavors:

express or implied. Express actual authority

means that an agent has been expressly

told by the principal that he or she may act

on the principal’s behalf; implied actual

authority is authority an agent may have by

virtue of it being reasonable necessary to

carry our his or her express duties. Apparent

authority exists where a principal’s words or

conduct would lead a reasonable person in

the third party’s position to believe that the

agent has the authority to act, even if the

principal and agent never discussed it.

The laws of agency can seem very technical,

but it is important to have at least an

understanding of how they work in order

to protect oneself and one’s business from

liability. This foregoing article is meant to be

informative only, and if you have a particular

questions or concerns you should seek the

advice of an experienced attorney to help

guide you through the minefield.

by Nick Pereira

Nick PereiraAttorneyHarmony Law Group


SmALL BUSiNeSS |

tRAnSFORMInG BIGOBSTACLES IntOBIG OPPORtunItIeS

Most of us in business have had turning

points where the failure of losing a job

or company opened the door to a great

opportunity. In my book, Pathfinding,

Seven Principles for Positive Living, my

father tells this story that was handed down

to him. It speaks to transforming obstacles

into opportunities.

Here it is:

One day the owner of the building tells his

caretaker that he must go out of town for a

day, but that he expects a most important

letter. He informs the caretaker that he

must make sure he gets the registeredletter

himself because it is a very important letter.

The owner leaves the next morning. That

afternoon the letter is delivered, butrequires

a signature.The caretaker tells the postman

that he doesn’t know how to write. The

postman explains that he must obtain an

actual signature, no marks or X’s. Since the

caretaker can’t write, the postman refuses to

leave the letter.

When the owner returns and learns what

happened, he becomes furious and fires the

caretaker on the spot. The caretaker finds

himself without a job and without an income.

To support his meager existence, he starts

peddling whatever goods and services he

can to survive. His business begins to grow

and improves to the point that he is able to

open a little store.

By the time his sons are old enough to help

him, he has become well established. The

sons inherit the business when the caretaker

retires and decide to build a larger store.

They ask their father to help them borrow the

money to finance their ambitious undertaking.

The father asks the banker for the loan and

the banker says, “No problem. You can have

whatever you need. Just sign on the dotted

line.”The caretaker looks at the banker and

replies, “I can’t sign. I never learned how

to write.” In astonishment, the banker asks,

“How is it possible that a man who can’t write

could amass the wealth that you have?”

“Ah,” says the caretaker, “If I could write, I’d

still be a caretaker.”

So many of the experts and authors I have

interviewed have overcome circumstances

in their own lives that have led them to their

passion, cause, work and often writing a book.

On my Positive Business radio show, I

interviewed Kevin O’Leary from ABC’s Shark

Tank and I remember him talking about how

the television opportunity came to

him shortly after great business upheavel

and loss.

Candy Lightner founded MADD (Mother’s

Against Drunk Driving) in 1980 after her

daughter Cari, was killed by a repeat drunk

driving offender. MADD has evolved into one

of the most widely supported and well-liked

non-profit organizations in America.

We all have challenges, some bigger than

others. We can all learn and grow and go on

to do great things. It takes courage, belief,

support, and grace.

Patricia Raskin, President of Raskin Resources Productions, Inc., is a radio talk show host, award-winning producer, media coach and speaker. She is the host of “Positive Business” on AM790 on Fridays from 3-5PM, “Patricia Raskin Positive Living” on WPRO -630AM & 99.7FM on Saturdays from 3-5PM and “The

Patricia Raskin Show” on WSAR – 1480AM on Fridays from 10-noon. www.patriciaraskin.com

Patricia RaskinRaskin Resources Productionswww.patriciaraskin.com

by Patricia Raskin

we all have challenges, some

bigger than others. we can all learn and

grow and go on to do great things.


Please Join UsAdoption Rhode Island's

Annual Spring Fundraiser

at

566 S. Main Street, Providence

Friday, May 3, 2013 - 7:00 pm

Dinner, Music, Dancing, Cash Bar...

Tickets, available at Adoption RI, are $50/ personCall 401-865-6000 or

email: [email protected]

RSVP by April 23

Rock rut for Kids

Rock rut For Kids

Attire is Casual & Eclectic

Every Child Deserves a Home

www.adoptionri.orgAdoption Rhode Island

Vanity

tRAnSFORMInG BIGOBSTACLES IntOBIG OPPORtunItIeS


SmALL BUSiNeSS | Share If You Dare…

Share If You Dare…Three Risks of Cloud File Sharing

She came and she went…. she left quite a legacy. This year’s

Nor’easter NEMO is one for the history books! Although we did not

have the same extreme snowfall like her predecessor The Blizzard of

’78, Nemo evoked a new fear in New Englanders; if I lose power, how

will I stay connected?

In 1978, the idea of The Cloud and file sharing were just notions acted

out in popular T.V. shows like Star Trek and The Jetsons. It was not

until 1992 that IBM would introduce the first Smartphone nicknamed

“Simon.” The true smartphone revolution began in 2002 when the

famous Blackberry was introduced. This set the course and demand

for workforce mobility and the need for file sharing.

Today, small businesses are becoming more distributed, as employers

are no longer requiring employees to work under the same roof. Not

only are employees mobile, but servers are being replaced by cloud

solutions and we are saying good-bye to laptops/desktops and hello

to tablets and smart phones.

Thanks to this technology explosion, small-to-medium size businesses

are looking to manage and access their data from anywhere

around the globe. Free, easy-to-use programs such as Google

Drive, Dropbox, and YouSendIt enable users to read, write, edit

and share documents with one-another virtually! Utilizing these

applications, employers have certainly seen a boost in collaboration

and productivity. Employees do not have to be beholden to their office

to share information. All that is needed is Internet access and their

preferred device and file sharing is at their fingertips!

But do employers and employees know the risks involved in free

cloud file sharing? What should businesses be aware of when

incorporating this cloud solution into their strategic plan?

1. Security – Many of the free application files are not encrypted

(scrambling a file that cannot be read without a special password

by Lisa Shorr


Share If You Dare…Three Risks of Cloud File Sharing

out of the boxthinking lending

Capital for all the right reasons

THE BUSINESSDEVELOPMENT COMPANY

www.bdcri.com 401 351 3036

Share If You Dare… | SmALL BUSiNeSS

called an encryption key). This vulnerability is an invitation to hackers

to steal data. In July of 2012, Dropbox experienced an attack that

stemmed from an employee’s stolen password that opened the door

to the company’s user accounts, passwords and ultimately data files.

Rule of thumb: Do not save files that contain confidential information

like financials or human resources unless you make sure they are

encrypted before they are saved to the cloud.

2. Privacy – There are 2 points to be made here. First, Get to know

the privacy policy of the hosting company. Many of these applications

have policies that state that not only can they access your data but

their partners can as well. The 2nd point is that 60% of companies

have employees that store confidential files in the cloud without

permission from their employers. File sharing services are so easy to

use that employees can unknowingly compromise sensitive files.

3. Loss of Control – Once the company understands the breadth

of the Privacy Policy, it is important to realize that when the data is

moved to a cloud file sharing service, the company has very little

control over who can access and share their data. Free services

lack centralized administrative tools to easily set passwords and

access rights.

You truly “get what you paid for” when signing up for the free service.

It is important to note that there are enterprise-class paid file sharing

services that will help overcome these risks. They provide security,

privacy and access control.

Our usage and demand for information has taken a radical leap over

the past few years. Even though my roads have not been plowed

in 2 days, thanks to having power and file sharing applications like

Dropbox, I am still able to write this article and share it electronically.

In our information driven society we would rather dare to share then

be buried under a snowdrift by our competitor.

Lisa ShorrPC Troubleshooterswww.pctrouble.com

do not save filesthat contain

confidential information unless you make sure

they are encrypted


SmALL BUSiNeSS | Support as a Leader

supportas a

leaderI recently designed a “Train the Trainer”

program for a large organization that is

modernizing their leadership culture. My role

is to develop the program and train the folks

at the Director level on the process. They

then provide the training to the managers and

supervisors of this 400+ person organization.

The topic of this program was how to

become a “Supportive Leader.” The

following are excerpts and nuggets from that

training that I hope you will find beneficial

both personally and for your organization.

Defining the Framework

When designing a professional development

program it is imperative you define the

fundamental thinking the training is based

upon. To not do so significantly limits the

impact of the training.

The following items define that thinking.

“Support” is an Organizational Asset

Supporting another is one of the most

powerful relationship and culture building

tools we have available to us. A team that

has a supportive culture has a very powerful

asset that it can use to goals that otherwise

would be unattainable.

Nothing says that you care about another

more than when you work to support

them and their growth. And when one

gives support to another the favor is often

returned. Over time this dynamic goes viral

in the organization with people becoming

intrinsically motivated to insure it continues.

Encountering Well Intentioned Resisters

When working to support another it is

possible to encounter well-intentioned

resistance. While some people crave

support, others have difficulty accepting

it. The reasons can range from pride to

embarrassment or simply that the person

believes one resolves their own issues.

Others still are so self sufficient that they

don’t think to ask for help.

When encountering this type of resistance

try nudging around the edges to find a way

to offer the type of support that is in the best

interest of everyone involved.

Support Does Not Always Feel Good

People often associate being supported with

being agreed with or being given a helping

hand. But sometimes the best support one

can give is to disagree with someone or to

have them address an issue on their own. It

is in times such as these where the leader

is supporting another’s growth instead of

their wants.

The Importance of Communication

When you are supporting another’s growth

instead of their wants, be aware they

may feel abandoned because you are

not “making their problem go away.” If

these feelings arise and are not addressed,

they can create resentments and damage

relationships.

Therefore, it is important you stay tuned in to

the “energy” of the person in question. If you

sense a problem arising, be proactive and

explain what you are doing and why you feel

what you are doing is in their best interest.

While you should not abandon actions you

feel are in an individual’s best interest, it

is the leader’s job to insure those negative

feelings are picked up on and addressed.

The Ultimate Goal - Growth

Regardless of the type of support you have

chosen to provide, if what you are doing

does not help the person or team to learn or

grow then you are not really supporting them.

In fact, “support” that is not empowering

is not support at all. It is enabling and/or

teaching weakness.

Making it Relevant

The following are some tips you can use

to increase your and your organization’s

supportive leadership skills. Supportive

by Jeffrey S. Deckman


Support as a Leader | SmALL BUSiNeSS

leaders create supportive cultures and

supportive cultures are resilient cultures.

Understanding Your Role

as a Supportive Leader

1. See yourself as a steward, a “protector”

and a coach of your team. Stewards

provides provide wisdom. Protectors

provide safety. And Coaches

provide challenges.

2. Be committed to supporting the

personal and professional growth and

well being of those around you. Focus

upon supporting their long-term needs

not on gaining their short-term approval.

3. Remember that support could be either

giving them a helping hand or giving

them room. (When helping a baby to

learn to walk we often do it by staying

out of their reach, but within their sight

and encouraging them.)

4. Stress that support is always

bi-directional. They cannot expect to

get what from others what they don’t

give to others. So make sure you help

them to understand that support is a

two way street.

Tips for Leaders to Support

their Team Members

1. Understand the individual, as best you

can. If you don’t understand them you

will struggle to understand how best to

support them.

2. Ask questions. I often will ask a person

how it is I might best support them. Why

guess when I can simply ask? I can

then decide if what they want is in their

best interest. If it isn’t I can explain why

it isnt, followed by an explanation of the

support they can expect and why.

3. Be as transparent as possible about

your motives and reasoning. Helping

them to understand your “why” you

are choosing to support them in the

way you are eliminates confusion and

reduces frustration.

4. Allow for failures. Failures and their

consequences are like rewards - they

are excellent teachers. Just be certain

the size of failure is a bump and

not a bomb!

5. Be consistent with accountability, yet

allow for enough flexibility to leave room

for innovation and creativity.

6. Allow for them to express their

individual and collective creativity

especially when it comes to problem

solving. Support them in finding and

using a style that works for them. What

do you care if they do it differently

than you would, as long as you get the

desired result?

7. Teach them independence by

“teaching them to fish” as much as

possible. But don’t let them starve if

they aren’t catching any.

When an organization’s leaders are

supportive of those around them and

are committed to making the concept of

everyone supporting one another a pillar in

their culture everyone wins.

Morale increases, production increases and,

as a result, profits increase too.

It is a simple formula.

And it always works.

Jeffrey DeckmanCapability Acceleratorswww.capabilityaccelerators.com

Point of Sale Solutions

We Install and Service Point of Sale Systemsfor any Restaurant or

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supportinganother is one of

the most powerful relationshipand culture

building tools we have available

to us


SmALL BUSiNeSS | A Reinvestment in Rhode Island’s Economy

a Reinvestmentin RI’s EconomyAs the leader of the Rhode Island House of

Representatives, I have pledged that we

must focus on the economy as our highest

priority in this legislative session. We will

be devoting our time to developing a clear

economic vision for the Ocean State--one

that appropriately reflects the best interests

of all those fortunate enough to reside in

Rhode Island.

A reinvestment in our economy deserves

the attention of lawmakers from both sides

of the aisle, as well as with those that will

be impacted by such policy. Promising to

lend an ear to affected groups, in January I

organized a special economic conference,

focused on discussing and developing a

strategic economic development plan

for the state.

The 75-member state House of

Representatives gathered at Rhode

Island College for a five-hour long economic

summit with local business owners,

education leaders, college presidents

and top advisers from Connecticut and

Massachusetts. Our first panel included

local business owners, who devoted

time to discussing challenges to small

businesses in Rhode Island, and

developed recommendations for

new legislative initiatives. These

proposals included the utilization

of professional trainers for new

businesses, the development

of programs to help companies

access capital, the installation

of an electronic building permit

system, and the provision of tax

credits for new business investment.

Our panel devoted to workforce

development focused on Rhode Island’s

continuing investment in education, and

provided recommendations including the

implementation of state-of-the-art job training

programs for skilled professions, matching

programs to pair skilled workers with

skilled jobs and initiatives to

help students navigate

different resources

available for social

and economic

support.

Advisers from neighboring states

commented that instead of competing with

each other, we must work as partners so as

to best compete with national and global

markets. Through the development of a

comprehensive economic strategic plan,

we can determine how to most effectively

make long-term investment in education,

innovation and infrastructure, building on our

state’s existing strengths.

I especially agreed with the testimony of URI

President David Dooley, who noted that we

can and must use the size of Rhode Island

to our advantage as we look to strengthen

our economy. With an incredibly high caliber

of learning institutions in our state, we have

tremendous opportunity to rebuild, revitalize

and modernize our economy.

The Economic Summit only reiterated to

me that improving Rhode Island’s economy

must remain the preeminent issue of this

legislative session. Rhode Island’s future is

bright, and a reinvestment in our economy

is what will pave our path. I look forward to

leading our House through the process by

which we are able to reach our full potential.

our first panel included

local business owners,

who devoted time to

discussing challenges to

small businesses in Rhode

Island, and developed

recommendations for new

legislative initiatives

42 riSBJ | rhode island small business journal

by RI House of Representatives Speaker Gordon D Fox


Rock Networking | SmALL BUSiNeSSA Reinvestment in Rhode Island’s Economy | SmALL BUSiNeSS


SmALL BUSiNeSS | Focusing on Your Long-Term Personal Financial Goals

Focusing on Your Long-Term Personal Financial Goals

As a business owner, it’s often difficult to separate nights from days,

weekdays from weekends and personal from professional. You have

to be 100 percent invested in your company in order for it to succeed.

You’re in the weeds and you hardly have time to think about your

long-term personal financial objectives beyond knowing your picture

of success may be a desire to live comfortably, own a home, be able

to afford to send your children to college and, perhaps, even drive

a favorite kind of car. In order to achieve those goals, however, you

need to be deliberate in your planning and use the same kind of

strategies in your personal life as you would utilize for your business.

Achieving financial success is dependent upon writing a road map to

your end goal, identifying your milestones and attaching hard costs

to your stepping stones to happiness. Whether it’s travel, financial

stability, long-term care planning or purchasing material goods, you

need to determine the cost of attaining particular lifestyle objectives

and transforming those dreams into real, hard numbers.

While your golden years may seem far off in the distance, starting with

a picture of what your successful retirement looks like is a good place

to begin charting your personal financial planning road map.

Use your current income as a starting point

It’s common to plan your desired annual retirement income as a

percentage of your current income. Depending on who you’re talking

to, that percentage could be anywhere from 60 to 90 percent, or even

more. The appeal of this approach lies in its simplicity, and the fact

that there’s a fairly common-sense analysis underlying it: Your current

income sustains your present lifestyle, so taking that income and

reducing it by a specific percentage to reflect the fact that there will

be certain expenses you’ll no longer be liable for (e.g., payroll taxes)

will, theoretically, allow you to sustain your current lifestyle.

The problem with this approach is that it doesn’t account for your

future situation. If you intend to travel extensively in retirement, for

example, you might easily need 100 percent (or more) of your current

income to get by. A percentage of your current income may be a

good benchmark, but it’s worth going through all of your current

expenses in detail, and really thinking about how those expenses will

change over time as you transition into retirement.

Project your retirement expenses

Your annual income during retirement should be enough (or more

than enough) to meet your retirement expenses. That’s why estimating

those expenses is a big piece of the retirement planning puzzle. You

may have a hard time identifying all of your expenses and projecting

how much you’ll be spending in each area, especially if retirement is

still far off. To help you get started, here are some common expenses:

• Food and clothing

• Housing: Rent or mortgage payments, property taxes,

homeowners insurance, property upkeep and repairs

• Utilities: Gas, electric, water, phone, cable TV, Internet

• Transportation: Car payments, auto insurance, gas, maintenance

and repairs, public transportation

• Insurance: Medical, dental, life, disability, long-term care

• Healthcare costs not covered by insurance: Deductibles, co-

payments, prescription drugs

• Taxes: Federal and state income tax, capital gains tax

• Debts: Personal loans, business loans, credit card payments

• Education: Children’s or grandchildren’s college expenses

• Gifts: Charitable and personal

• Savings and investments: Contributions to IRAs, annuities, and

other investment accounts

• Recreation: Travel, dining out, hobbies, leisure activities

• Care for yourself, your parents, or others; costs for a nursing

home, home health aide, or other type of assisted living

• Miscellaneous: Personal grooming, pets, club memberships

Don’t forget that the cost of living will go up over time. The average

annual rate of inflation over the past 20 years has been approximately

2.6 percent. (Source: Consumer Price Index data published annually

by Michael Raspallo


Focusing on Your Long-Term Personal Financial Goals | SmALL BUSiNeSS

by the U.S. Department of Labor, 2011.) And keep in mind that your

retirement expenses may change from year to year. For example, you

may pay off your home mortgage or your children’s education early

in retirement. Other expenses, such as health care and insurance,

may increase as you age. To protect against these variables, build

a comfortable cushion into your estimates (it’s always best to be

conservative).

Decide when you’ll retire

To determine your total retirement needs, you can’t just estimate how

much annual income you need. You also have to estimate how long

you’ll be retired. Why? The longer your retirement, the more years

of income you’ll need to fund it. The length of your retirement will

depend partly on when you plan to retire. This important decision

typically revolves around your personal goals and financial situation.

For example, you may see yourself retiring at 50 to get the most out

of your retirement. Maybe a booming stock market will make that

possible. Although it’s great to have the flexibility to choose when

you’ll retire, it’s important to remember that retiring at 50 will end up

costing you a lot more than retiring at 65.

Identify your sources of retirement income

Once you have an idea of your retirement income needs, your next

step is to assess how prepared you are to meet those needs. In

other words, what sources of retirement income will be available to

you? This may include a traditional pension that will pay you monthly

benefits. In addition, you can likely count on Social Security to provide

a portion of your retirement income. To get an estimate of your Social

Security benefits, visit the Social Security Administration website

and order a copy of your statement. Additional sources of retirement

income may include a 401(k) or other retirement plan, IRAs, annuities,

and other investments. The amount of income you receive from those

sources will depend on the amount you invest, the rate of investment

return, and other factors. Finally, if you plan to work during retirement,

your business earnings will be another source of income.

The advisors at Corner Office Financial, LLC are ready to help guide

you in deciding the various options to fund your version of a wise

retirement, based on your situation and individual circumstances.

We get to know you, your dreams, how you’re working to achieve

those goals and how much risk you’re willing to take along the way

to obtain them. You DO have time to plan for your future. Don’t leave

your retirement years to chance. Be as deliberate in life as you are in

business. If the golden years appear to be a long way away,

plan now and use the time wisely to ensure a relaxing, enjoyable

transition into retired life.

Michael Raspallo, CLU, ChFC, AIFPresidentCorner Office Financial, LLC

Our clients know we’re herefor them year-round, notjust at year-end.

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it’s worth goingthrough all of your current

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those expenses will change over time as you transition

into retirement


F E AT U R E D S T O R Ye all know the amazing story of Alex and Ani, Rhode Island’s fastest

growing company, but have you heard of the third fastest growing company

Astonish Results? Recently ranked #267 on the Inc 500 list, Astonish might

not be a household name, but this high-tech, high-growth digital marketing

company is headquartered in Warwick, Rhode Island.


F E AT U R E D S T O R Y

Adam DeGraide,CEO and Founder of Astonish


FeATUreD STory | Astonish Results

Co-founded by successful entrepreneur,

record producer and motivational speaker

Adam DeGraide, Astonish Results helps to

change the lives of independent insurance

agencies while changing their business.

No stranger to building a high tech, high

growth startup, DeGraide co-founded BZ

results in 1997. BZ Results was a digital

marketing company that helped car dealers

use the Internet to grow their businesses. In

2006, with over 1,600 dealership clients and

150 employees, DeGraide and his partners

sold BZ Results to Advanced

Digital Processing (ADP).

Searching for the next startup challenge,

DeGraide and his partners founded Astonish

Results. DeGraide took his experience from

BZ and created a company with a similar

portfolio of services but in a different industry.

Astonish started working with mortgage

companies, but quickly moved to the

insurance industry with the collapse of the

housing market in 2008.

After addressing the challenge of which

industry was in need of their services,

Astonish then focused on its next challenge

which was accessing startup capital. As

a self-funded startup, DeGraide and his

team needed to address how they were to

capitalize on the product, build it and go

to market with it. Given the success of BZ

there was a shorter learning curve, however

Astonish was still dealing with online

technology that is ever changing.

As a company, Astonish Results provides

insurance marketing, SEO, website design,

CRM tools, social media strategy and

implementation, email marketing, consulting,

valuation, brokerage and other services that

allow insurance agencies to compete with

direct writers and future-proof their business

The web and insurance marketing services

provided by Astonish Results are aimed at

helping agencies grow internal business and

gather more leads through the tactical

use of social networking, customer

relationship management and other

insurance marketing tools.

“Small business struggle with the same

problems as bigger companies. The modern

consumer has changed their online behavior.

Brand loyalty is down, patience is down and

mobile connectivity 24/7 is up. So how do we

find a high quantity and quality of traffic, how

do we convert that traffic to opportunity and

how to we automate our lives to help us stay

in communication with our customers and

keep them?” Astonish has

developed a system that focuses on a

niche. They work exclusively with community

based, local centric insurance agencies,

helping them compete online with the larger

insurance agencies.

Astonish has built a complete digital

marketing system founded upon a “FIND -

SELL - KEEP” methodology. That is to say,

the Astonish system helps their clients:

• FIND a higher quality and quantity of

sales opportunities for less cost

• SELL a higher percentage of those

customers through training and

technology

• KEEP more customers for life

“We don’t live in their house so we can

sometimes smell the dog better than those

that live with the dog everyday”

added DeGraide.

With all three partners originally from Rhode

Island, Astonish has made it a point to keep

its headquarters in our state. When asked

what the driving force was behind building a

Rhode Island based company, DeGraide said

“There are many amazing talented people

here in Rhode Island. Staffing resources are

a big benefit in our state along with great

interns from our prestigious local universities.

” Now with over 100 employees, Astonish

continues to grow and provide high-tech,

high-paying jobs in our local economy.



Astonish Results | FeATUreD STory

With over 800 customers, ranging in size

from $500,000 to $150 million in annual

revenue, Astonish’s recent ranking on the Inc

500 list was a true testament to the service

they provide their clients. “Everyone at

Astonish from our employees to our clients to

our investors to our friends and family were

totally blown away and grateful to be named

on this list,” said DeGraide.“It’s a testimony

not only to us as a company but also to our

clients who have impacted the insurance

industry in a powerful way.”

DeGraide added, “Astonish is completely

committed to the local insurance and financial

services distribution system to change the way

they sell and serve the modern consumer not

only for today but into tomorrow as well.”

In order to continue their growth, Astonish

integrates a blended marketing strategy.

Customer acquisition comes from traditional

print ads in industry magazines to SEO/

SEM, email marketing, social media,

conventions and territory reps that generate

leads to fill the pipeline. DeGraide believes

that Astonish needs to “Be in as many of the

places your potential customer is based on

your budget.”

When asked what advice he has for

anyone considering starting their business,

DeGraide commented “I would tell a starting

entrepreneur, if you’re given a strong vision

and you have passion to do something

you can see in your mind’s eye where you

need to go. You just need to start walking

in that direction. There are always going to

be obstacles that come into your vision but

as long as you keep walking in the direction

that you saw that vision you’ll get there. It’s if

you get distracted or blinded in any way you

don’t. Passion and inspiration are the driving

centers for any successful entrepreneur.”

astonish has developed a system that

focuses on a niche. they work exclusively with

community based, local centric insurance

agencies, helping them compete online with

the larger insurance agencies

ONE INDUSTRY. ONE SOLUTION.

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the best in digital marketing

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for our clients. Over the

past 15 years, our system

has helped our clients

FIND, SELL, and KEEP more

customers profitably.

DISCOVER THE POWER

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SmALL BUSiNeSS | Social, Visual, Mobile, Virtual

ReAdy OR nOt, theSe FOuR MeGA tRendS WILL AFFect yOuR BuSIneSS

Part tHrEE: Mobile by Chris Poe

Social, Visual, Mobile, and Virtual: I refer

to these as Mega Trends because they

are (1) happening on a grand scale, (2)

affecting business owners and executives

whether they choose to do anything about

them or not, and (3) they are changing the

world as we know it. Moreover, while these

Mega Trends are enabled by technology,

they are more representative of the grander

transformation that is happening as a result.

Ready or not, these Mega Trends are here;

as a small business owner, what are you

doing in the face of them? This article is

the third in a series that focuses on the four

Mega Trends in more detail, and discusses

the options available to small business

owners and professionals building a career

alongside them.

CONNECTED

Are you more likely to return home to pick up

a forgotten mobile phone than a forgotten

wallet or purse? I’m guessing that your

answer is yes. Why is that?

We once took our Atrion team on a retreat

where we brought in a Public Speaking

coach to work with them on their technique

and I learned something compelling. Did

you know that the single biggest fear human

beings have is public speaking? More so

than bankruptcy, divorce, losing a loved

one, or even death. There’s even a running

joke on the subject that says, at a funeral,

people would rather be in the coffin than

giving the eulogy. It turns out that this fear

is quite primal and goes back to the origin

of our species. Back when times were a lot

tougher, people joined together for safety.

And if an individual was separated from the

tribe or group they became prey. In that kind

of a scenario, the instinctive fight or flight

mechanism kicks in, raising our heart rates

and pumping adrenalin in anticipation of

preserving our existence in a hostile situation.

Public speaking invokes the same response.

When one is up onstage, it is as if they are

separated from the herd, they stand out and

don’t have the comfort of the collective. I

thought that very interesting.

Why mention this example? Because I

believe the anxiety we feel when we are

without our mobile devices is rooted in

the same concept. We have become so

accustomed to being connected due to

these technologies that we feel isolated and


Social, Visual, Mobile, Virtual | BUSiNeSS ProFiLe

alone without. We don’t even need to be

talking to anybody, but we take comfort in

that accessibility.

Quite simply put, the Mobile Mega Trend

is about connectedness…the ability to

be reached or to reach out to anybody, at

anytime from anywhere. Now many of us

might say that this isn’t such a Mega Trend

anymore, I mean, after all most of us have

mobile devices today anyway, right? In fact,

just how many of us leverage mobility?

There are approximately 7 billion people on

this planet today. How many mobile device

subscriptions do you think there are?...over

6 billion. How many mobile devices are sold

every second?...40! Cisco predicts that

within the next 4 years there will be 15 million.

More than 48 million people on earth have

mobile phones but DON’T have electricity

in their homes. Mobile technology has not

only enabled this freedom that we enjoy, but

has become a great equalizer for millions of

people who might not have otherwise been

connected to the world.

Work is no longer a PLACE,

but an ACTIVITY

So how does this impact business? Well,

this Mobile Mega Trend has and continues

to change our lives in that the line between

professional and personal is virtually non-

existent. Our society is steadily evolving

from a work-week/working-hours labor

mentality to a “working moments” mentality,

where we are more productive due to being

able to insert work decisions intermittently

in to our personal time. The Mobile Mega

Trend had made us far more productive.

But there’s a trade-off. Clients expect us

to be more responsive and our employers

expect us to be more accessible and

productive. But if we’re going to give up

personal time to be accessible by mobile,

we should also be permitted to use the same

device for personal cases. Only fair, right?

This is one of the biggest conundrums with

organizations embracing Mobile, “how do I

ensure productivity if I also allow personal

use?” The answer is that we will all need

to become more results focused and hold

people accountable for those results. In so

doing, employees will have to figure out that

balance between business and personal use

of mobile technologies around the clock.

These devices are so personal to us; they

even become a symbol of our personalities. I

believe that productivity is further enhanced

through freedom of device choice due to

the comfort level we have with its use. Some

people are iPhone folk. Yet others are

Android fans. More and more people feel

this way, and if organizations want to take

advantage of this, we have to embrace this

trend and ask ourselves not only how do we

manage it, but even more importantly, how

do we leverage it even more.

Think Big

It’s been predicted that there will be another

7 billion new mobile devices by 2015…that’s

not far away. And while this presents a

considerable challenge to IT organizations

from a cost and control perspective, I believe

that we need to be more broadminded of

the possibilities. I would speculate that the

majority of technologies that get deployed

are probably no better than 70% utilized

for what potential they could bring the

organization. We don’t take the time to

explore new ways in which they can be used.

We don’t spend as much time as we could

to drive adoption. With Mobile being such a

prevalent trend today, we should be looking

more and more at mobile app development.

Think big.

I recently heard a story about a grocery

chain in South Korea who thought big.

Recognizing that a significant

percentage of their customers

were working professionals with

no time to get to the store, they

created an online shopping

experience. Of course, that idea

isn’t unique. But what IS unique

is that they recreated the store

shelves using pictures and

displayed them on the walls of

the subways and public transit

stations. As people waited for

their trains they could peruse

the virtual aisles. Using only their

phones, they are able to scan,

pay for, and specify the delivery

address so that their groceries

arrive at their door without ever

having to enter the physical store.

Now THAT’s thinking big. We all

can think yet bigger with regard

to the impact mobile can have

on our own businesses, even

if simply looking at any remote or road-

warrior employees that we have. Mobile

app development to better streamline

business processes that these road-warriors

contribute to can make a tremendous impact

on productivity. Remember, that mobile

device is not just a phone, web browser, and

email platform…it can do a whole lot more if

you embrace it.

Chris PoeChief Technology OfficerAtrion

quite simply put, the mobile mega

trend is about connectedness...the ability to be reached or

to reach out to anybody,

at anytime from anywhere


STATeWiDe AFTer hoUrS | March 19th

Thank you to everyone who attended the Statewide After Hours

on March 19th at the Rhodes on the Pawtuxet.

We hope to see you all again next year!


What’s New | ChAmBer ChAT

Central ChamberLauren E.I. Slocum, President/CEO

3288 Post Road, Warwick, RI

401 732 1100 | www.centralrichamber.com

“Your Business Resource…if you have

a question, ask.” The Central Rhode

Island Chamber of Commerce strives

to help its members reach their goals.

The dedicated staff, volunteer Board

of Directors and Ambassadors are

available by phone or email to assist

members maximize their membership.

Each month there are a number

of business opportunities where

individuals can meet potential clients

or further develop relationships with

existing ones. The Central Rhode

Island Chamber is always expanding

what they have to offer their members

based on what needs are being

expressed. If you are looking for a

working partner for your company that

is friendly and accessible give us a

call we welcome the opportunity to

speak with you.

New Members

Airgas East

Bankers Life and Casualty Company

Bella Gente Italian Bistro

Corner Office Financial, LLC

DAK Family Medical

Dottie LeBeau

eNow, Inc

Gentiva Hospice

Hobby Lobby

McArdle Chiropractic Wellness Center

Microtech Staffing Group

Nerium

Original Bradford Soap Works, Inc

Prudential - Michael Lukas

ReStyle Design Studio

Robert Half Management Resources

SBR Network International, Inc.

Tollgate Orthodontics

Transtrade LLC

TRICOM

Ugly Duck Communications

Ultimate Party Town

US Nails

photo credit John Lovgren Photography


SmALL BUSiNeSS | Lessons from Alice in Wonderland

entrepreneurial lessons from

If you don’t know where you are going, then it doesn’t matter which road you take. BUT,

you may lose a few customers taking the

wrong path.

As Alice navigates Wonderland, she

stumbles upon the Cheshire Cat – a

“Management Guru” in feline clothing. His

advice to her is extremely relevant to

entrepreneurs. Alice asks the Cheshire

Cat which way she should go and his wise

response is, “Well, it depends on where

you’d like to get to?” When Alice indicates

she isn’t sure, the Cat’s sage advice is, “If

you don’t know where you are going, then it

doesn’t matter which road you take.”

As entrepreneurs, we can easily get caught

up in the day-to-day operations of running a

business and lose sight of our overarching

goals. The unfortunate result? Like Alice we

can get lost in wonderland! Your customers

and vendors don’t have the time for you to

figure things out, and as a small business

you definitely don’t have the luxury of

making costly mistakes. To be competitive

it is imperative for you to find a clear and

effective path to your business goals.

Easier said than done, when you are trying

to increase sales, cut costs, build a social

media plan, pay taxes, and the list goes on.

With limited time and competing priorities,

running a business can be overwhelming.

Here are a few tips that my husband and I

can share as fellow small business owners:

• Set time aside during your lean period

for goal setting and make it an annual

planning activity.

• Invite your supporters (including friends

and family) to join a relevant part of

the goal setting process. Think of your

friends and family as your starter board.

It might be best to skip Twiddle Dee

and Twiddle Dum though!

• Goals are incomplete without deadlines.

Consider which goals you’d like achieve

in the next five years, three years and

the coming year. And, schedule time

to check the status of your goals in the

next six months. In the absence of the

mystical Cheshire Cat or an expensive

project manager use a simple excel

spreadsheet. Call that friend who likes

to tabulate and color code so you can

track the progress of your goals.

• Develop your identity. Alice is

constantly being asked who she

is – and so will you. Your brand is not

just your logo; your brand identity

represents your business’ services,

values and personality. A consistent

and well-positioned identity can

generate customer loyalty and make

you the envy of your competitors.

• The next time you get ready to make

a budgetary decision for your small

business, think about where it fits with

by Akanksha Aga


Verizon Wireless

Western Coventry Fire Department

Cranston Chamber

Stephen C. Boyle, President

150 Midway Road, #178, Cranston, RI

401 785 3780I | www.cranstonchamber.com

The Cranston Chamber continues to

take the lead with regard to health

care issues and the implementation

of the Health Insurance Exchange

with its sponsorship of several

forums in cooperation with the Small

Employer Health Insurance Task

Force.. The Chamber has partnered

with BNI to bring the first BNI chapter

to Cranston to have a true, results

oriented networking experience for

chamber members. The Chamber is

also in the process of several internal

enhancements with the purchase of a

new computer system and website. The

Chamber was awarded a

$5,000 legislative grant from

Majority Leader, Nicholas Mattiello

to upgrade its systems and business

presentation technology.

New Members

Amazing Specialties

ProMail Etc.

Corvus Technolgy Resources, Inc.

RI Telephone

Stacey Arruda-Tracy, LISWLiberty

Mutual

McArdle Chiropractic and Wellness

Center, LLC

East GreenwichStephen Lombardi, Executive Director

580 Main Street | East Greenwich, RI

401 885 0020 | www.eastgreenwichchamber.com

The East Greenwich Chamber of

Commerce prides itself in its varied

membership working together to build

a better local economy and improving

the quality of life in the community.

your goals. Will this investment get

you closer to your goals? Will it make

your customers happier? Improve

operations? Build your brand? If it

isn’t going to help you meet your short

or long-term goals then you may be

going down the wrong road and should

reconsider that expense.

• That being said, make the occasional

exception and take a risk. It is okay to

go mad, bonkers, and completely off

your head. As Alice said to the Mad

Hatter,” All the best people are!” The

journey down a possible “rabbit hole”

may result in a new opportunity that

you may not have initially mapped out.

Use your starter board to help you think

through the implications of a major

expense or new opportunity so you

don’t make a hasty decision.

Figuring out where your small

business is going is one of your most

important responsibilities.

So, where would you like to go?

Akanksha AgaCo-FounderMy Méz



ProvidenceTalks

by Mayor Angel Taveras

CAPiTAL CiTy | Providence Talks

Education is inextricably linked to economic

development. In an urban setting, where the

challenges of poverty and language and

cultural differences exist, we have to work

harder to give our children a level playing-

field, with a first-class education, so they are

able to fulfill their potential and grow up to

become strong members of our society.

The ability to read on grade level is one of

the greatest predictors of a student’s future

success. Up until third grade, children are

learning to read. After third grade, they

are reading to learn. With that in mind, we

launched Providence Reads last fall - an

initiative in partnership with more than a

dozen businesses and organizations to

increase grade-level reading, promote school

readiness, improve school attendance and

support summer learning in Providence.

GTECH and Walgreens are the lead

sponsors of Providence Reads, and today,

160 volunteers are serving as mentors

and helping students learn to read in

Providence’s schools.

It takes an entire community to transform

public education. We are working closely with

the Providence Children and Youth Cabinet,

a diverse team of 130 community leaders

helping to guide the future of education in

our City. Through the baseline data they

have collected, we have been able to create

metrics to measure our children’s success

from cradle to career.

We also know that children born into low-

income households hear 30 million fewer

words than their middle- and high-income

peers, by the time they reach their fourth

birthday. To deal with that difference, we

devised a plan to increase the number of

words our Providence children hear. Our

proposal was selected by Bloomberg

Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge as one of

20 finalists, in a $5 million grant

competition, up against more than 300

submissions nationwide.

Providence’s innovative idea is to employ new

technology and partnerships with the State

of Rhode Island’s home visitation programs,

to give families in our city the technology and

coaching they need to measure and rapidly

improve their child’s household-auditory

environment. We

have been reaching

out to others to help

bring Providence

Talks to fruition,

and if you visit —>

you will learn more about our proposal and

even have a chance to cast your vote to make

Providence the Mayors Challenge

Fan Favorite.

And while the Fan Favorite award will not

influence the outcome of the Bloomberg

Philanthropies competition, the city that

earns the most votes will receive funding from

IBM and other promotional opportunities with

The Huffington Post. Winners of the Mayors

Challenge and the Fan Favorite competition

will be announced this spring.

In Providence, our fingers are crossed.

Together, we can make a lasting difference for

Providence’s young people and the economy

of this city, state and region.


UP UnTil Third

grade, children are

learning To read.

afTer Third grade,

They are reading

To learn



No greater example of a variety of

different members coming together

to make something happen was our

recent Business After Hours at the

Greenwich Odeum. The EG Chamber

of Commerce, for the past two years,

has worked hard with the Odeum’s

Board of Directors, volunteers, Town

officials, community leaders, and the

business community to get the Odeum

re-opened. We feel that a vibrant

Odeum will be a great contributor to

the Town’s economy while boosting the

Town’s quality of life.

Besides Business After Hours

events, the EG Chamber will be

very active in promoting Main Street

Strolls, Arts on Main, the annual

Summer’s End Concert, the East

Greenwich Arts Festival and in the

fall, East Greenwich’s second annual

Restaurant Week.

New Members

Yang Yu Learning Center

David Max

Eastland Electric

Meritage Restaurant

Raskin Resources Production Inc.

Atmed Treatment Center

NewportJody Sullivan, Executive Director

35 Valley Road, Middletown, RI

401 847 1608 | www.NewportChamber.com

On Tuesday, April 23rd, the Newport

County Chamber of Commerce will

be hosting their 2013 Annual Meeting

at OceanCliff Hotel & Resort in

Newport. Captain Douglas Mikatarian,

Commanding Officer of Naval Station

Newport, will be the guest speaker and

provide an update on Base Operations

including the current impacts of the

federal budget facing the Department

of the Navy and an overview of the

Installation’s wind energy study.

During the event, the Chamber will

substancestyle:

the makingsof a great presenter

In today’s competitive business

environment, being a good presenter

has a direct impact on your success

and recognition. But even the most

accomplished professionals sometimes

struggle with official presentations beyond

mere one-on-one conversations.

You may be asked to give an informal

business pitch to a small group of potential

clients or customers, or to deliver a more

formal presentation to a charitable board

or civic gathering. Your opportunity to shine

may take place at your own salary and

performance review, or an internal staff

meeting where you are asked to share your

expertise with your team. Whatever the

situation, expertise alone is not enough to

deliver a captivating presentation.

The success and quality of a stellar

presentation depend not only on what you

say but how you say it. In fact, while no

great presentation is built on technique

alone, communication analysts agree that

80+ percent of your success depends

on your delivery style. Yikes! With those

daunting figures in mind, it is obvious that a

reasonable amount of time spent preparing

and practicing will greatly improve your end-

results and avoid embarrassment that may

derail your career growth.

Tips On Substance

• Do your homework. Investigate the size,

age, position and potential biases of

the expected audience in advance. Ask

about hidden agendas. Know where

you are going, the room layout, parking

availably and options for technology

and visuals. [continued on page 59]

by Carolyn Lavin


SmALL BUSiNeSS | SEEED Summit

registration is now open for the2013 SEEED Summitat Brown University

SEEED, which stands for Social Enterprise

Ecosystem and Economic Development, is the

first national conference that focuses on what

is needed to build an effective social enterprise

ecosystem to drive economic development. It

aims to convene all ecosystem stakeholders

including practitioners, business leaders,

academics, impact investors, students and policy

makers. Brown University will host the second

annual SEEED Summit from April 26-27, 2013.

Keynote speakers include Ira Magaziner (Clinton

Health Access Initiative), David Cicilline (Rhode

Island State Representative) David Brancaccio

(PBS’ Now), and many more. At the Summit

you will attend panels and workshops, receive

free one-on-one expert coaching, shop at the

Buy With Heart Marketplace, and network with

ecosystem builders. Participants will also enjoy

an evening social event at the Steelyard, with

Mayor Angel Taveras, David Brancaccio of

PBS’ Now, food and drink from social enterprise

vendors, and performances by local musicians.

The conference is an incredible opportunity for

individuals and groups at levels of involvement

in the social enterprise sphere - from those

interested in becoming entrepreneurs, policy

makers, impact investors or any other enterprise

stakeholder, to those already developing

ventures. There are opportunities to learn from

experts in panels and keynote speeches, network

with potential employers, and receive free one on

one coaching from experts in the industry.

Visit www.seeed.org to view our growing

list of renowned speakers and participants,

see the conference schedule,

and register now for SEEED!

SEEED is organized in collaboration with SVPRI (Social Venture Partners Rhode Island),

and Brown’s SII (Social Innovation Initiative) and the student group SEEED at Brown.



announce the winning recipients of the

Community Fund Grants. A Cocktail

and Hors d’oeuvres Reception

will follow the Annual Report and

presentations. Please RSVP at www.

NewportChamber.com or call 401-847-

1608 for more information.

New Members

Revel Valet Parking

Reckoner Group

Aquidneck Auto Repair

It Works!

Roggero Construction

x10industries

Parker Brown Macaulay & Sheerin

Kimberly at Sydney’s

Home Healthsmith LLC

Island Carpet Tile & Hardwoods

Aquidneck Honey

Ocean Color marine

Century 21 Trend Realty

Veterans Assembled electronics (VAe)

Tresor Estate Sales & Fine Consignment

Bank RI

Beach Wine & Liquors

North Central ChamberDeborah Ramos, President

255 Greenville Avenue, Johnston, RI

401 349 4674 | www.ncrichamber.com

Spring has finally sprung! At the

North Central Chamber of Commerce,

we want to help YOU “spring” into

new business”!

We have lots of great networking events

and more planned for the North Central

Chamber of Commerce! The Chamber

will be stopping at many of our

communities over the next few months -

Johnston, North Providence, Smithfield,

Scituate, Foster & Glocester. So be sure

to stop in and network with us.

Our Business Booster Series is

beginning soon, followed by another

great “Taste of North Central RI”, while

our usually “Business After Hours”

• Create an outline. Identify the burning

issue and state your main points

first. Then add compelling examples

and data to substantiate and expand

on your main points. Use cue cards

or mind maps but don’t shuffle a

script. Utilizing a visual more than

doubles your audience’s chance of

remembering your message.

• Practice. There is no substitute for

practicing your presentation out loud.

Practice with colleagues, friends or

family. Stand in front of a mirror.

Use the record feature on your phone

and play back and critique your

practice session. This is the step that is

most often overlooked in the last minute

crunch. However, seasoned presenters

agree that a few dry runs instill

familiarity with the flow of the content

and offer a healthy dose

of self-confidence.

Tips On Style

• Dress up. Your audience will make

judgments about you based on your

attire so don’t let your clothes work

against you. Select an outfit that makes

you feel confident and comfortable.

Show your audience that you think they

are important so you have dressed up a

bit for them.

• Focus on your voice. Eliminate the

fillers: the “uhms” and “you knows.”

Become comfortable with a few

poignant pauses and incorporate action

verbs into your talk. Your goal is to

be friendly and conversational while

enjoying a commanding presence.

• Be aware of body language. Stand up

when you are the presenter.

Use hand gestures for emphasis,

but in moderation. Avoid “closed”

non-verbal communications such as

crossed arms, hands-on-hips, and

hands-in-pockets stances.

• Leverage eye contact. It keeps your

audience engaged and is often the

barometer of how well you are doing.

Use eye contact to convey your passion

and punctuate your message. The ears

[continued from page 57]

may hear but the eyes communicate.

If you want to know if someone is truly

listening to you, look into his/her eyes.

A practical approach for the busy

professional is to identify one or two

behaviors you can change and a few new

techniques to adopt. Next time you are

called upon to address a group, strive to

combine your knowledge and expertise of

the substantive matter with the most

dynamic aspects of your personal style to

deliver an engaging presentation that will

advance your career.

Carolyn LavinLavin Marketing Communications


interviewwith the ceo, Viktar Khamianok and

Alicia J. Alexandra from

Rhode Island of WebMeUp,

a new SEO application service

SmALL BUSiNeSS | Viktar Khamianok and Alicia J. Alexandra

It debuted in July 2012 in beta. I have had

the pleasure of test driving this service

and found it very helpful in finding useful tips

on my website’s performance with their SEO

monitoring tools. Many small

businesses may test it out via their

FREE trial for their websites.

What made you start WebMeUp with many

other SEO application services out there?

VK: SEO is a relatively new industry

but now I guess it’s already come to

that stage when high quality and user

experience have to matter.

We tried to look at SEO software not only

from features/price approach. There are

numerous tools that claim the same set

of features as we now have in WebMeUp.

But what’s important after you get all these

features is, how fast your software works,

how deep the insights are, how convenient it

is. Do you have to make unnecessary clicks

all the time, or have the developers thought

about your needs and how you’re going to

organize your work with this tool?

So we decided that an SEO app should be

created that would change the attitude of

a user. So that SEOs would take the SEO

features for granted, like you take for granted

that your bicycle has two wheels and a

handlebar. We thought about creating more

value thanks to user experience, and thanks

to the depth and quality of data our app

would be offering.

So you’re right, we’re getting on a high-

speed train already. But we’re traveling

business class ;)

AS: If we try to get a bit down to

earth… The market is now in a

transitional state: SEOs are no longer

fans of desktop SEO tools, as they don’t

want to have all these proxy troubles, and

they want access from anywhere in the world,

and they like the idea that in online apps the

data is checks automatically and you just

come and see it. But on the other hand, only

a small percentage of such SEOs are ready

to pay for web-based tools (which obviously

cost more than desktop but are mainly very

limited in features and amounts of data).

So besides being inspired by what Viktar

talked about, we are trying to offer a web-

based app that would be as data-rich as

desktop tools are, so that you don’t have to

compromise on the quality you’ve had before.

How do you compare to the competition

in services and pricing?

AS: Right now we’re introducing 3

pricing plans on our website, but

while we’re in Beta, only one plan is

available. This Standard plan is not only

called standard: the set of available features

and the price are basically the same as

the most popular online SEO apps are

currently offering, so it’s more like an industry

standard in both the price ($99.95) and

options. It’s almost for sure that we will revise

the plans to offer a bit more keywords, links

etc. but this won’t change much. They will be

just in the same ranges as competition.

The costs let us offer a discount for early

adopters. However damping wouldn’t be

our policy. I clearly see our competitive

advantages and they shouldn’t have to do

with price.

VK: As I already mentioned, we’re not

trying to be compared in features. We

want features to be taken for granted.

And then we want to show SEOs that they

by Lisa Buben



and Speed Networking events will

be taking place. And don’t forget our

Annual Dinner “Night of the Rising

Stars” scheduled for Tuesday, May

14, 2013 at Crystal Lake Golf Club.

For more details, please visit www.

ncrichamber.com and be sure to make

us one of your “Favorites”.

New Members

Chelsea Ann Photography

Sovereign Bank – Johnston & Smithfield

Gentiva Hospital

Livingstone Photography

Rhode Island Local Magazine

Northern RIJohn C. Gregory, President/CEO

6 Blackstone Valley, 301, Lincoln, RI 02865

401 334 1000 | www.nrichamber.com

The Northern RI Chamber of

Commerce annual Night Out at

McCoy Stadium will take place on

Wednesday, June 5 at 5:00 PM. Join

the Chamber under a private tent with

premium seating, a BBQ dinner and

photo opportunities with Paws, the

official PawSox mascot. The PawSox

will play the Charlotte Nights and

attendees will have an opportunity

to take a chance to win a Luxury

Hospitality Suite for an upcoming

PawSox game scheduled for August

20. The Hospitality Suite winner will

receive preferred accommodations

for up to 20 people and a $400 food

and drink voucher – a prize valued at

$1400. Visit the NRI Chamber website

at www.NRIChamber.com/events to

purchase raffle tickets or to register

for upcoming events.

New Members

ADM Construction

CertaPro Painters of Northern RI

Craft

Eastern Insurance

Goodman, Shapiro & Lombardi, LLC.

Roberts, Carroll, Feldstein & Peirce, Inc.

can be treated differently by their

software provider.

Many SEOs are still patient when their

software crashes, when it misses checks

or offers incorrect data, they are fine using

the application that reminds rather a set of

separate tools only united by a common

brand name, so you’re switching between

them and see no integration.

We change this for good – yet the price is

the same as others offer.

How long have you been in beta?

VK: Our first release was in July,

2012. It wasn’t even a beta, we made

the alpha version public. Back then,

the one thing we wanted is to check if the

software would be attractive to the market

at all. We’ve seen quite impressive interest,

and we also got some impressive feedback

that helped us adjust usability (navigation ,

features, load, order of data checks etc.).

After that we stormed into the next stage of

development full-force. In the end of summer,

besides inviting 3 more developers to our

team, we also hired 3 new quality engineers

to ensure double testing of the software.

The result is impressive: when the software

was released in beta on January, 9th it

had so few bugs that customer support

found themselves doing nothing and only

answering positive feedback and thanks-

emails. So for the first time in my 16 years of

developing software tools, a beta showed

the stability of established software that’s

been in the stable stage for about a year.

When will the beta end?

VK: Right now, our beta is

not about being “buggy”

but about have some

important features on

the roadmap that we

consider essential for a serious SEO toolkit.

We add reports on February 19th, then data

export and copying data to spreadsheets,

Google Analytics integration, multi-user

options and user role management. We’ll be

done with these features in late spring and

this is when, I guess, we’ll feel absolutely

proud of it. That’s when I think we will remove

the beta marker.

How many have been using your

services?

AS: Since January 9th 2013 a little under

11K people have tried this tool. We’ve been

offering a loyalty discount for early adopters

so as you might guess the number of paid

users is also quite impressive for a beta

start-up.

How have you been spreading the

word on this new service?

AS: It’s only online so far: we’ve been

running ads – banners and PPC, we’re trying

to engage with people on industry forums

and on social networks where we’re glad

to invite everyone to try our new software.

We’re paying good attention to SEO so a

greater portion of visitors comes through

Google search when they’re looking for an

SEO solution for their business.

We’ve already got quite a lot of

coverage on blogs, and we

gladly invite bloggers to

check and review

our software. If

you are a

blogger

you

So you’re

right, we’re getting on a

high-speed train already. But we’re

traveling business class ;)

[continued on page 62]


SmALL BUSiNeSS | Viktar Khamianok and Alicia J. Alexandra

can write me at [email protected] and we

can discuss a review.

We also have a few partners – the providers

of desktop SEO tools. Some of the clients

have been looking for an extra, web-based

solution for SEO, so we offered special

conditions to their users if they want our

online app.

The WebMeUp community and its viral

stuff helps a lot, too. Users earn the internal

currency (WebPoints) by doing simple

actions that help spread the word among

their contacts.

How many SEO specialists do you have

working there?

AS: We have 3 experts full-time,

doing SEO for our website,

consulting the dev team,

testing software usability,

providing R&D inputs

and assisting

in software

requirements.

And of course we

consult other SEOs

when needed.

What’s more important, every

person on the team has at least one

own SEO project to promote with other tools

and with our software. Surprising thing, we

don’t require that. This is just how it happens,

joining WebMeUp team is life-changing for

some of us.

Why choose WebMeUp?

AS: It’s the SEO software with a

grown-up approach to users. We

understand that there are SEO

features that just must be there, and

offering them is obvious to us. You have

300+ search engines, keyword research

and rank checking (daily!), links and social

metrics, lots of ranking factors, site audit,

on-page (content) optimization; you get the

most profound competition reports in the

industry, a wealth of metrics.

But with WebMeUp you also get this huge

intangible extra which makes you feel like

you’re using the BMW of the SEO tools.

We will offer you anything else you can find

in other online SEO software. But every

feature will be double-tested and brought to

perfection in both, tech and usability. Join

us and you will see that we care to make

users happy. Whatever you try to do in

WebMeUp, you’ll see we’ve taken an extra

step for you.

What is the community on

WebMeUp?

VK: It is also different from other

SEO communities. What is unique,

WebMeUp community is built around a

gaming element. You not simply earn karma,

you earn WebPoints that you can later trade

for a software subscription. Based on how

active you are on the forums (and later on

the blog which will be added to the site in

a few weeks) you also appear in the user

ratings, with a link to your profile and your

company website.

Community is simple, friendly and easy

to moderate. We talk SEO and Internet

marketing, meet other people, have fun and

share our problems and achievements. We

will start publishing guest blog posts soon

so if someone has an interesting white-

up to offer, you can contact Alexandra at

[email protected]

Anything else you can tell us about

WebMeUp?

AS: We’re so excited about this

new product, and it feels like we’re

changing something in the SEO world.

We’re introducing our users to a new level

of SaaS SEO software. The app that is

user-oriented. The one that’s comfortable,

powerful and productive. The SEO Software

that not only checks data but gives it to

you exactly when you need it; makes it

actionable and does not waste your time on

clicking through different modules. The one

that doesn’t crash, that’s thoroughly tested,

that takes into account every request from a

user. And the one that, after all, looks good

and makes you happier as long as you’re

using it :)

VK: It has been a dream and the

goal of our whole team – making an

app with love and respect to the user.

WebMeUp is the result, and unlike many

competing tools, it’s not just usable but

convenient.

It is still to be enhanced with more valuable

industry-standard features, but in the end,

what we’re aiming at is perfection. The app

thinks a few steps ahead for you, giving you

more confidence and available in different

categories so that one can start small and

then upgrade.

Come and join WebMeUp for a free trial, and

you’ll feel what I’m talking about.

Lisa BubenFancy Scrubswww.fancyscrubs.com

we’re trying to engage with people on industry forums and on social networks where we’re gladto inviteeveryone to try our new software



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Southern RIElizabeth Berman, Coordinator

230 Old Tower Hill Road, Wakefield, RI

401 783 2818 | www.srichamber.com

Every month, the Southern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce

runs two great events, First Friday Coffee and Business After

Hours. At each event, business professionals have the opportunity

to network with each other to enhance and promote business.

Each event is held at one of our member’s businesses. The First

Friday Coffee is the first Friday of every month and averages

40-60 people, and the Business After Hours is every third

Wednesday of the month and averages 80-100 people. Come

meet other business professionals and be sure to bring plenty of

business cards! Each event is $5 and open to everyone. For more

information please visit our website at www.srichamber.com

New Members

Rock Spot Climbing

Centreville Bank

be sure to visit risbj.comfor all the latest chamber news & events

happening this month


FeATUreD NoNProFiT | Boys Town New England

Throughout Rhode Island, children and

families are struggling with problems that

are increasingly difficult to manage on their

own. Each day that they do not receive the

support they need, the more likely it is that

the situation could worsen until it reaches

a crisis point. In most families, issues of

abuse and neglect are usually a symptom of

the stress, which could stems from a lack of

job opportunities, untreated mental health

problems, or just basic parenting and

social skills.

Boys Town New England understands the

stress these families are experiencing and

knows how to help. Since opening in 1991,

Boys Town New England, an affiliate site of

the national Boys Town organization, has

brought effective, compassionate care to

thousands of children and families in Rhode

Island and nearby states. For more than

twenty years, Boys Town New England has

worked with our community supporters,

our neighbors, our clients, and officials

at the local and state levels to help effect

permanent, positive change in the lives of

New England families.

The key to success for those served by

Boys Town New England is the Integrated

Continuum of Care®. This Continuum

is made up of services that vary in their

intensity, from parenting class workshops

to out-of-home placements for children. By

providing timely, targeted interventions

to address the problems confronting our

children and families, Boys Town New

England has helped parents and kids

increase their independence from formal

services, and to build their community

support networks for long-term success.

These services include:

The Family Home Program, where children

of all ages receive care and treatment from

married couples, called Family Teachers,

in five Family Homes on the site’s 18-

acre Bazarsky Campus in Portsmouth,

Rhode Island. Family-Teachers provide

compassionate, effective treatment while

meeting the daily needs of each child.

Children are provided with 24 hour care and

support, and learn pro-social skills to help

ensure their success.

In Foster Family Services, committed

and caring people in the community, Foster

Parents, open their homes to children who

need a safe place to live. These Foster

Parents undergo rigorous, ongoing training

to ensure that the children they foster are

receiving the best care possible. The

children and Foster Parents receive 24 hour

on-call support from a dedicated Foster

Care Consultant.

Through In-Home Family Services, trained

Family Consultants work with families to

help them stay together and to prevent

children from being removed from their

home. Consultants work right in the home,

helping parents to improve their skills and

use resources in the community to solve

problems on their own. Consultants are on

call 24/7 to provide support.

Boys Town Family Visitation Services work

with parents whose children are not in their

care, but are working to get their kids home.

Family Support Specialists provide

individual parenting-skill coaching and

supervision for parents during their visits in

order to help parents successfully reunify

with their children.

Recently, Boys Town New England expanded

its services so that even more people in the

community can find the effective care they

need. One of these services is Common

Sense Parenting® classes, where parents

learn how to discipline their children safely

and effectively, and develop stronger parent-

child relationships.

Any child or family can fall victim to tough

times. Life’s stressors cut across all socio-

economic, racial, cultural and religious

boundaries. No matter the circumstances or

causes, Boys Town New England

brings life-changing results to those who

need a helping hand.

For more information on Boys Town New

England go to www.boystown.org/new-

england or call 401-845-2250.

Our Mission: Changing the way America

cares for children, families and communities

by providing and promoting an Integrated

Continuum of Care that instills Boys Town

values to strengthen body, mind and spirit.

Boys Town New Englandhelping Children and Families Find hope and healing

65www.risbj.com | volume two issue threeSaving Children, Healing Families®

Invest in Her Future

Not all children have the opportunity to grow up in a safe and caring home. But with your help, Boys Town New England is giving them a second chance. Partner with Boys Town New England and make the difference in the life of a child today.

401-845-2250 • boystown.org/new-england

1303-063-01a


applicants for awarded partnerships, the

actual number of RI employers providing

work-related services through the Innovative

Partnership grants number more than 50.

“Workforce development and training is a

major economic development priority of

my administration,” Governor Chafee said.

“To accelerate Rhode Island’s economic

recovery, we must continue to work to

better address the training needs of our

businesses. By connecting employers with

educational providers to serve the needs of

the unemployed and underemployed, we are

making real progress toward closing some of

the skill gaps in our state.”

GWB Executive Director Rick Brooks

added that the response to the Innovative

Partnerships Request for Proposals was “very

competitive,” garnering 32 applications that

represented a total of $5.4 million in grant

requests. Brooks expects the 10 partnerships

to become operational by late spring.

Organizations that have received Innovative

Partnership grants will recruit their own

program participants. Those interested

in consideration should contact the

organizations directly.

Grant awardees

The community-based organization

Amos House of Providence was awarded

$145,282 to enroll 60 homeless and low-

income Rhode Islanders in an expanded

culinary program that includes training

in customer service and front-of-house

operations. Employer partners include

Blount Fine Foods, Bristol Harbor Bake

Mixes, Friendship Café, More than a Meal

Catering, Rhode Island School of Design

and White Glove Service. White Glove

Service also serves as an education partner.


Connecting for Children and Families

of Woonsocket was awarded $168,366

to provide experiential culinary arts and

hospitality training to 60 unemployed and

underemployed area residents. Employer

partners include the Cakery, Grumpy’s

Restaurant, Head Start Child Development

Association, Kay’s Restaurant, Kevin’s Galley

Fish & Chips, The Lodge Pub & Eatery,

NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley,

Riverfalls Restaurant and Lounge, Olly’s

Pizzeria, St. Antoine Residence, and Uno

Chicago Grill. Education partners include

the RI Hospitality Education Foundation and

Chef Mario Santilli.

Educational provider the New England

Institute of Technology in East Greenwich was

awarded $250,000 to provide 50 unemployed

individuals with entry-level occupational skills

training within the shipbuilding and machine

technology industries. Employer partners

include General Dynamics/Electric Boat,

Guill Tool and Engineering, Jade Engineered

Plastics, SENESCO Marine and Swissline

Precision Manufacturing.


OpenDoors of Providence was awarded

$130,423 to provide transitional employment,

Chafee Announces $1.97Min Innovative Partnership GrantsGovernor Lincoln D. Chafee announced

today that the Governor’s Workforce Board

RI has awarded $1.97 million dollars in

Innovative Partnership grants, which bring

employers and educational providers

together to develop career opportunities

for students, out-of-school youth and

unemployed or underemployed adults.

Ten grants, ranging in size from $130,000 to

$250,000, were awarded to three community-

based organizations, three employers, three

GWB industry partners and one educational

institution. These include Amos House,

Connecting for Children and Families, New

England Institute of Technology, OpenDoors,

RI Hospital, RI Marine Trades Association,

St. Antoine’s Residence, Stepping Up,

Tech Collective and the J. Arthur Trudeau

Memorial Center.

Collectively, the grants will serve more

than 540 participants in such industries

as hospitality, health care, information

technology, marine trades and green

technology. Funding for the innovative

partnership comes from the employer-

financed Job Development Fund. Of

the participants, 420 are expected to

gain work experience and/or internship

opportunities through the training programs.

The Governor’s Workforce Board projects

that more than half of the participants –

approximately 300 – may find permanent

employment related to their training.

Extended impact

While three employers served as lead


Providence | GoLoCAL

Duffy & Shanley Hits 40-Year MarkDuffy and Shanley is now 40 years old. The

Providence-based ad agency started back in

1973 as a public relations firm, and has now

grown into a full-service agency servicing

some of the top brands in the country.

Since 1973, the agency has grown and

added services over the years including

advertising, digital marketing and media.

The firm was originally founded by Dave

Duffy; his sons took over the firm in the

past decade. Jon Duffy serves as CEO and

Jeremy is the point-person on new business.

When it was founded, Duffy and Shanley

was arguably the first PR-only agency based

in Providence. It was founded with just

two people in the office and four clients –

Reynolds Metals Development Corporation,

Rhode Island State Nurses Association, the

City of Cranston, and Tupperware employee

relations. Advertising was added three years

later and began to flourish in the early 1980s

with the addition of The Providence Journal

and Rhode Island Tourism as clients.

Later, Duffy and Shanley worked with The Big

East, consulted for Governor Don Carcieri’s

campaigns, handled PR for Deepwater Wind,

and helped message for EngageRI.

“To celebrate 40 years in the marketing

communications industry is a remarkable

achievement and I want to acknowledge

our founder, Dave Duffy, for his vision and

inspiration in the development of a dynamic,

community-focused organization,” said Jon

Duffy, president of Duffy & Shanley.

“We believe we are only as good as our

people. Thank you to the more than 300

employees throughout our 40 years in

business who have been committed to

developing standout, innovative campaigns

for our clients. And thank you to our clients

who continue to believe in us and our

passion for delivering results and creating

buzz on behalf of their brand,” said Duffy.

additional certification training and post-

certification internships for 20 ex-offenders

ages 25-30. Employer partners include

Office Recycling Solutions and Providence

Computer Resources. The RI Department

of Corrections and Providence Computer

Resources serve as education partners.

Area employer Rhode Island Hospital

of Providence was awarded $226,848

to provide accelerated certified nursing

assistant training to 45 unemployed and

underemployed Rhode Islanders. Additional

employer partners include Miriam Hospital

and Summit Commons. The RI Nurse

institute Middle College Charter School

serves as an education partner.

The RI Marine Trades Association of

Bristol—a GWB Industry Partner—was

awarded $142,788 to offer a pre-

apprenticeship training program for 20

unemployed and underemployed Rhode

Islanders. Employer partners include Bristol

Marine, Freedom Boat Club, Hinckley

Yachts, Hunt Yachts, LaserPerformance

and Newport Shipyard. Education partners

include Confident Captain, the Gowrie

Group, International Yacht Restoration

School, JH Restorations, Kellogg Marine

Supply, New England Institute of Technology

and SkillsUSA.

Area employer St. Antoine Residence of

North Smithfield was awarded $248,823

to provide certified nursing assistant and

health care career training, in combination

with career counseling, job readiness

training and case management services, to

151 Rhode Islanders. Additional employer

partners include the Ballou Home, Evergreen

(Northern RI Assisted Living), Hebert Health

Center, Heritage Hill, Homefront Healthcare,

Overlook Nursing Home and Trinity Health.

Educational partners include CareLink, the

Community College of Rhode Island, Family

Resources Community Action, Haig and

Associates, the Pathfinder Foundation, RIRAL

and Stepping Up.

Stepping Up of Providence—a GWB

Industry Partner—was awarded $247,363

to create clinical residency opportunities

and mentoring for 24 unemployed and

underemployed, newly licensed registered

nurses who have already earned an

associate’s degree. Employer partners

include AccessPoint RI, Butler Hospital,

Emerald Bay Retirement Living, J. Arthur

Trudeau Memorial Center, Kent Hospital,

Miriam Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital,

Thundermist Health Center, VNA of Care

New England and Women & Infants Hospital.

The RI Action Coalition serves as an

education partner.

The Tech Collective of Providence—a GWB

Industry Partner—was awarded $218,118

to provide work readiness and technology

training, as well as certification and

experiential learning, to 15 unemployed and

underemployed Rhode Islanders. Employer

partners include AAA Southern New

England, Atrion Networking Corp., Brave

River Solutions, CVS, Envision Technology

Advisors, GTECH, PC Troubleshooters,

NetSense, and Vertical Performance.

Education partners include New Horizons

Computer Training Center and the Bryant

University Executive Development Center.

Area employer the J. Arthur Trudeau

Memorial Center of Warwick was awarded

$192,865 to provide training and internship

experiences to 100 job seekers interested

in becoming Direct Service Providers for the

state’s disabled and senior populations. The

Community College of Rhode Island serves

as an education partner.

read the rest at www.golocalprov.com


THE RHODE ISLANDCOMMERCIAL & APPRAISAL BOARD OF REALTORS®

Butler RealtyGroup

Commercial • Investment • Residential

401-886-7800www.ButlerRealty.us

Several Prime Office Locations: Providence, Warwick, Johnston, North Kingstown, South

Kingstown, and Exeter. Call for details and address Several to choose from, Some For Sale or lease. Financing available.

Call for details.

635 Arnold Road, Coventry: Great location at Exit 7 near Centre of New England. 800’ front retail/office- Rear 1700’ warehouse service area with 14’W x 10’L O.H. door. Fully air conditioned!! Recently TOTALLY RENOVATED!!! Reduced to $2290 per/mo.

RILiving.com MLS #1024237

577 Tiogue Avenue, Coventry: 1210 sq ft retail space; former salon in this first floor left unit. Located in a very nice building. Ample parking. RILiving.com MLS#1032118 Two 1220 sq ft adjacent spaces (2240 sq ft total) on the second floor.

Located in a very nice building! Big picture windows in the units with waterviews! Elevator available and nice common area. Join the newest

Dragon Palace Restaurant. MLS# 1032254

333 Main Street, East Greenwich: Best location on Main Street. Bright and open 2nd floor unit with high ceilings. Parking lot across the street. Great office

or studio space! 1,250 sq ft, $12. psf/yr.RILiving.com MLS #1018391

2006 Nooseneck Hill Road, Coventry: Class A Coventry Credit Union Corporate Office (CCU occupies entire 2nd floor). 1st floor space available from 1880-8200sq ft. Very nice common area’s include cafeteria. Plentiful parking. On Rt3, 1 mile from Rt95 & Exit 6. Office, medical, studio...

$12 psf. RILiving.com MLS #1036614

845 North Main Street, Providence:Great location. 919 sq ft office condo in a medical building near Miriam Hospital. Easy highway and city access by the corner of Branch Ave and North Main. Waiting room, recep-

tion, private bath, 3 exam rooms, office. RILiving.com MLS #1029891

20 Centerville Road, Warwick: Former school; solid brick construction. Very nice 2nd

floor space; owner on 1st floor. Space plan attached. Great Apponaug location! Quick highway access and walk to Ap-

ponaug Village amenities!RILiving.com MLS #988739

39 Nooseneck Hill Road, West Greenwich: Great Rt.3 location just a mile north of Rt.95 Exit 6. Versatile build-

ing. 13,000 sq ft clear span with high ceilings, plus two offices/service areas, 2000 & 4000 sq ft. May divide. Up to 40,000’ for Lease or buy at $1.6 Million. From $5,50 psf/yr. RILiving.com MLS #1022330

74 Nooseneck Hill Road, West Greenwich: Great Route 3 location just ½ mile from Rt 95 exit 6,

nicely appointed office or retail suite with several officesand open area,was HQ for Bess Eaton & Tim Hortons.Fresh paint and carpets. 600-3600’, from $10 psf/yr.


1755 Smith Street, North Providence: Former Dunkin Donuts for over 30 years (they bought &

moved across the street). Seats 30+. Has a drive-thru. Park-ing for 20+. GREAT for ANY fast food concept.

2000 sq. ft. $3,200/mo. RILiving.com MLS #1028322

4 Grafton Avenue, Coventry: Free Standing Commercial Building-PRIME location next

to The Centre of New England-Exit 7 on Rt95.The building has many offices,a kitchen/cafeteria area,reception,storage & IT room. 1st floor office is 1650 sf, 2nd fl. office 2,000 sf, the warehouse is 1600sf w/650sf mezzanine. Sale at

$495,000 or lease at $10 psf. RILiving.com MLS #1031877

1 Brown Street, North Kingstown: Wickford Village- Excellent location on corner lot. Visible from three streets. Big windows, good foot traffic. Larger

unit (1,500 sq ft) beautifully finished, windows on two sides. Smaller unit (1,000 sq ft) needs finishing. Can be combined.

CALL NOW! RILiving.com MLS #1030851

PROPERTY FOR LEASE

Many more Commercial Properties@ www.ButlerRealty.us ....

or email Jeff Butler at [email protected]

Trusted Real Estate Service Since 1977

Looking to Buy or Lease? Call the Butler!


THE RHODE ISLANDCOMMERCIAL & APPRAISAL BOARD OF REALTORS


Butler RealtyGroup

Commercial • Investment • Residential

401-886-7800www.ButlerRealty.us

400 South County Trail, Exeter: Great location!! Design Award of Excellence. Private baths. Centrally located 6 minutes South of Home Depot in North

Kingstown. Easy access at the gateway to South County. Taxes are approximate. Assessment as unfinished. 900-4,000 sq.ft.

available. From $124,000 RILiving.com MLS #995461

2614 West Shore Road, Warwick: Busy Rt 117/Wildes Corner location opposite new Burger King & TD Bank,adjacent to Bennys.New roof,siding,windows,panel box,wiring,fire alarm&heat sensors. Ready for your finish. 1st Fl 2400’,2nd Fl 1200’,basement storage/walkout. Planned for Pub/

Cafe $475,000 RILiving.com MLS #1032619

132 Meadow Street, Warwick: Great location off Rt.117, 1 mile East of Exit 10. Office/

Mfg Wrhse combo. Great value for user. Nice, clean, bright space! This bldg has been substantially updated & is turn key ready to go. Owner can also modify to suit! Lease op-

tion available. $525,000 RILiving.com MLS #1013527

1801 Smith Street, North Providence: Great little 2 unit commercial, completely rebuilt in 1982.

Could be a live-in/ office/ retail. $195,000 RILiving.com MLS # 1032623

157 Granite Street, Westerly: Great corner location at signaled intersection. Many major

retailers are in this area. Building could be rehabbed or knocked down. $650,000 Also available: The adjacent 2

family lot (lot #274) 8,712sq ft for $200,000.RILiving.com MLS #1034320

39 Nooseneck Hill Road, West Greenwich: Large multi-use building offers great flexibility, possible

multiple tenants. The church would consider a lease-back of 10,000-15,000sq ft. Additional 14 acres adjacent also available. Great Rt.3 location just a mile north of Rt.95, Exit 6. Reduced to

$1,500,000 Motivated Seller! RILiving.com MLS #1029643

747 Pontiac Avenue, Cranston: Great location near Rolfe Square. Three floors of office suites from 200 sq ft and up. Good income generator or large owner

occupied office. Owner keeping several suites clear anticipating a larger user to buy/occupy and have income. $875,000

RILiving.com MLS#1020960

222 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick: Class “a” law office includes conference room, 4 private

offices, lavette, reception, storage, kitchen. Reduced to $179,900


400 South County Trail, Exeter: Approved Development Zoned Business 17+acres.Current per-

mitted plans for 7 office building for total of 86,000net sf.MANY POTENTIAL USES. Central Rt.2 location minutes from Home Depot/Walmart in N.Kingstown. Easy highway access-strong traffic count! Reduced $800’s RILiving.com MLS #1029590

111 Hopkins Hill Road, West Greenwich: ½ acre – 16 acres Very fast growing area off Exit 6A near GTech, Amgen & Centrex. Front pad is busy Dunkin Donuts, balance of

site permits office, retail, warehouse & light industrial. Traffic count 15,000 and growing! Multitude of possibilities- 6 other

avail. lots. From $150,000 RILiving.com MLS #855989

4 Grafton Avenue, Coventry: Free Standing Commercial Building- PRIME location next to The Centre of New England-Exit 7 on Rt95.The building has many offices,a kitchen/cafeteria area,reception, storage & IT room. 1st floor office is 1650sf, 2nd fl. office 2,000 sf, warehouse is 1600sf w/650sf mezzanine. Sale at $495,000

or lease at $10 psf. RILiving.com MLS #1031857

7265 Post Road, North Kingstown: 7.82 acres on US Rt.1. Zoning permits apartments/office/medi-cal/retail. Many possibilities!! Will build to suit, sale or lease,

or land only. Great location. Dozens of acres and walking trails behind property. Adjacent 5+- acres also available.

Call For Details! RILiving.com MLS #856381

PROPERTY FOR SALE

HUGE REDUCTION

Many more Commercial Properties@ www.ButlerRealty.us ....

or email Jeff Butler at [email protected]

Trusted Real Estate Service Since 1977

Looking to Buy or Lease? Call the Butler!



Inside Cover C March 8 - 14, 2013 New England Real Estate Journal Visit the paper online nerej.comRhode Island

ProofSize: full Section: rIfrom: Karen Dowell x254 [email protected] Date: 3-8

Changes Proof ApprovedNew Proof

crop

2”

NE NYREal EstatE JouRNal

Tel: 781-878-4540

Peter M. Scotti & Associates, Inc. • 401-421-8888246 Hope Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02906Visit our web page at www.scotticommercial.com

Peter M. Scotti & Associates, Inc.Brokerage/appraisal/ManageMent

A full Service Real Estate Company

MEDICAL OFFICE SUITES FOR LEASE49 SEEKONK ST., EAST SIDE/PROVIDENCE

2,000 - 9,400 SF SUITES AMPLE ON SITE PARKINGWET EXAM ROOMS, LABS GROUND LEVEL H/C ACCESSIBLEWAYLAND SQUARE LOCATION COMPETITIVE RENTS

RETAIL CENTER FOR SALE440 STAFFORD RD., FALL RIVER, MA

63,000 SF GROCERY ANCHORED RETAIL SHOPPING CENTER. 95% OCCUPANCY WITH GREAT HISTORIC CASH FLOW. 6 ACRE LAND PARCEL WITH SUBSTANTIAL ON SITE

PARKING. PRICE: $6,500,000 JIM MOORE EXT. 14

RESTAURANT FOR SALE248 ACADEMY AVE, PROVIDENCE, RI

3,400 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING CURRENTLY REGIONAL FRANCHISE USER OPERATING TURN KEY FACILITY IN MT PLEASANT AREA WITH DENSE

DEMOS, OFF STREET PARKING. PRICE: $295,000.00

INDUSTRIAL FOR SALE20 HIGH ST. PLAINVILLE, MA53,500 SF STEEL BUILDING ON 9.66 ACRES OF LAND

20-24 FOOT CEILING HEIGHTS, DOCK & OVERHEAD LOADINGHEAVY POWER, OFFICES, PAVED PARKING 50 CARS. PRICE: $2,495,000.00

AUTO DEALERSHIP FOR SALE296 G. w. HIGHwAY, SMITHFIELD,RI

15,680 S.F. BUILDING WITH SHOWROOM, SERVICE, BODY SHOP, OFFICES8.25 ACRE SITE WITH 300 CAR PAVED PARKING zONED PLANNED CORP.

SELLER WILL CONSIDER OWNER FINANCING, PRICE: $1,975,000.00

MIxED USE bUILDING FOR SALE29 POwEL AVENUE, NEwPORT, RI

2,862 SF BUILDING ON 8,275 SF LOT ACROSS FROM NEWPORT HOSPITAL1ST FLOOR LEASED OFFICE SUITE 33K/YR, 2ND FLOOR RESIDENTIAL APT.

AMPLE PAVED ON SITE PARKING. PRICE: $389,000.00

wATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT SITEPARASCANDOLA wHARF, NEwPORT, RI

57,900 SF LAND SITE, 74,000 SF WATER- 1,000 FEET ON NEWPORT HARBORWATERFRONT BUS zONE ALLOWS HOTEL, REST, MARINA, MUL FAM, MIX

LAST WHARF DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY IN NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND

Peter M. Scotti & Associates, Inc.Brokerage/Appraisal/Management

A Full Service Real Estate Company

Peter M. Scotti & Associates, Inc. • 401-421-8888246 Hope Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02906

Visit our web page at www.scotticommercial.com


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