Every Wednesday morning the Eden Prairie Chamber holds Business@Breakfast, a networking group that brings a great mix of new faces & regulars. Every attendee is given the opportunity to present a one-minute informercial about their business before hearing a 10 minute presentation from a featured Chamber Member.

If you are looking for new connections, leads & a great place for referrals then this group ...]]> Location: The Colony at Eden Prairie, 431 Prairie Center Dr.
Date: Wednesdays 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM

Every Wednesday morning the Eden Prairie Chamber holds Business@Breakfast, a networking group that brings a great mix of new faces & regulars. Every attendee is given the opportunity to present a one-minute informercial about their business before hearing a 10 minute presentation from a featured Chamber Member.

If you are looking for new connections, leads & a great place for referrals then this group is the right one for you. Come to The Colony at Eden Prairie at 7:30 AM for breakfast, coffee & networking! The Colony is located at 431 Prairie Center Drive in Eden Prairie and their front desk staff can direct you to the proper meeting room.

The cost to attend B@B is $10 for Chamber Members and their guests or $15 for Non-Members. Breakfast, coffee & juice from D.Brian’s Deli & Catering is included in the cost. Online registration will close at 2PM the day prior to the event. Walk-ins will be charged an additional $5 and any no-shows will be billed.

You MUST RSVP for every B@B! Sign-up online BEFORE 2PM the Tuesday prior or call the Chamber at (952) 944-2830 to get your name on the event roster.

However, many creative professionals have the same traits you do. The key to achieving success is mental, reflected in one’s attitude and totally controlled by the individual.

How many times have we seen the underdog team or player win over the more talented opponent? The difference is often attitude.

It all starts with a passion for what you do Work should be fun. Your passion ...]]> Attitude over arrogance can put you in the right mindset and give you an edge over other creative professionals.

However, many creative professionals have the same traits you do. The key to achieving success is mental, reflected in one’s attitude and totally controlled by the individual.

How many times have we seen the underdog team or player win over the more talented opponent? The difference is often attitude.

It all starts with a passion for what you do
Work should be fun. Your passion and staying true to your values will help you overcome difficult moments and project an attitude that makes people want to work with you. Passion can’t be taught. When it wanes take some quiet time. Whether it’s an hour or a week, take an inventory of all the reasons you started your profession and why you like being in the creative field. That should renew your passion.

Be accountable
People have confidence and trust in people who are accountable. Individuals and customers want to work in a culture of integrity.

Be flexible, except with your core values.
It’s a given that your customer’s plans and strategies will change as time goes on. Flexibility for rapid change is an inherent advantage in today’s market. However, no matter the pressure, do not compromise on core values.

Risk is part of the game
Failure is an opportunity to learn. All things being equal, clients would rather invest someone who brings fresh thinking to the mix rather than someone who never tried.

Confidence
You need to believe in yourself and that you will be successful. This confidence is contagious with your peers, customers, stakeholders, suppliers, and everyone you deal with.

Keep your ego in check
Don’t think you are the gift to all companies who need your services. It is not about how great your ideas are but how successful you can make your clients. This also means hearing out new ideas no matter who they come from.

Accept criticism graciously
You need to constantly work on convincing your customers that it’s okay—even necessary—to state their honest opinions.

Maintain a strong work ethic
Your clients will follow your lead. It will also help you beat your competition.

Rebound quickly from setbacks
Life is full of surprises, learn from them and move on. You can’t change the past.

Step out of your comfort zone
You will feel uncomfortable in implementing change. To grow, you sometimes have to step out of your comfort zone.

Make timely decisions
It’s okay to use your intuition. Planning and thought are good. But procrastination leads to missed opportunities and the perception of not being responsive.

This blog post is based on the contents of the book Bootstrapping 101 by Bob Reiss. Reiss is an Army veteran and graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Business School. He has been involved in 16 startups and is a three-time INC 500 winner. He has been the subject of two Harvard case studies and is a frequent speaker at University Entrepreneurial classes.

Traditional marketing approaches are not producing the results they once did and are a drain on your marketing budget. W Creative can help sift through the new marketing techniques and help you reach your target audience.

Ultimately, your goal is to strengthen your relationship with your target audience. At W Creative, we “right channel” ...]]> Understanding that the economic downturn has been tough on businesses and shows no sign of changing anytime soon, it only makes sense to attack the situation head on.

Traditional marketing approaches are not producing the results they once did and are a drain on your marketing budget. W Creative can help sift through the new marketing techniques and help you reach your target audience.

Ultimately, your goal is to strengthen your relationship with your target audience. At W Creative, we “right channel” your audience—we get the right message to the right person at the right time through the right channel.

We know that a strategic foundation is critical to any marketing initiative, and we also know that creating this foundation can be very costly. W Creative has scaled down its strategic process to match an economy that now requires businesses to push innovative thinking and work smarter.

We set you up for success, affordably.

We define your business objectives and understand the needs of your target audience; we work with you to engage your target audience.

Send us an email or give us a call and learn more about how you can engage your target audience and explore new ways to build lasting customer relationships.

FACT: 98% of businesses rely on referrals to gain new business. FACT: only 3% of businesses have a strategy for referrals.

There’s business waiting to be referred to you! We would like to extend an invitation for you to join us at our next West Metro Alliance Chapter BNI breakfast meeting and see how BNI (Business Networking International) and ...]]> With a little effort, a networking group is a great way for a small business to build its sales force in an affordable way.

FACT: 98% of businesses rely on referrals to gain new business.
FACT: only 3% of businesses have a strategy for referrals.

There’s business waiting to be referred to you! We would like to extend an invitation for you to join us at our next West Metro Alliance Chapter BNI breakfast meeting and see how BNI (Business Networking International) and word-of-mouth marketing builds business.

Date: Every Tuesday
Time: 7:00-8:30 am, Coffee & OJ will be served.
Location: Wayzata Country Club, 200 Wayzata Blvd W. Wayzata, MN 55391
Directions: North From 394 (US-12)
· Take the Co Rd 101 N/Central Avenue Exit
· Turn left at Central Avenue N/Co Rd 101
· Take the 1st Right onto Wayzata Blvd
· Turn Right at Old Long Lake Road (parking lot will be on your right hand side)

RSVP, or questions: contact Alan Wallner at awallner@wcreative-mpls.com 612-723-1473.

Membership Benefits Include:
- increased exposure to many other people and businesses.
- Substantially increased business through referrals.
- A structured environment and tools to network more effectively
- Participation in up to 52 networking meetings a year
- Free listing on the BNI website directory.
- And more…

In the last 12 months our 3,700 members in 148 chapters have passed $89,203,583 in business. That’s an average of over $24,000 per member! In BNI, only one person is allowed to join per professional specialty. Once you are accepted as a member, your competition is locked out of your chapter!

To Learn more about BNI check out www.BNI-MN.com