It was thoughtful and interactive and she kept us involved and interested. The feedback I received was all positive.  For more information about Elizabeth and her work please visit  www.TransformationThroughEmpowerment.com.

We had about 35 attendess which is what we have been averaging for the past few months.

Coffee was available thanks to our “coffee sponsor”  Sara Cornwall, Certified Reverse Mortgage Consultant with Wells Fargo Reverse Mortgage. Sara.Cornwall@wellsfargo.com 866-494-1248 x5014.

Our speaker for next month was at the meeting. Rosann Levy, President of the Roart Group, LLC. , www.theroartgroup.com will be talking about how to save money by doing ”High Impact Low Cost Promotion”. I’ll be posting the details soon.

Geri Sutton, Business Development Manager for ActionCOACH – www.actioncoachnow.com offered to be the coffee provider for June.

Would you like to feel and be in control of your finances? Enjoy more security and peace of mind? Be empowered to set new goals? Join Elizabeth on a gentle yet powerful journey where you will uncover & understand the unconscious beliefs that drive your decision making with money.  She has mastered the strategies to financial empowerment in her own life and has helped both men and women in all financial walks of life for the past twenty two years.

Combining her 22 years of experience as a CPA, business consultant, successful entrepreneur, and working mother, she now owns and operates a successful personal development business, Transformation Through Empowerment, where she specializes in teaching people who want more out of life, how to create it, with passion, joy, and ease. For more information about Elizabeth and her work please visit  www.TransformationThroughEmpowerment.com.

Coffee will be available thanks to our “coffee sponsor”  Sara Cornwall, Certified Reverse Mortgage Consultant with Wells Fargo Reverse Mortgage. Sara.Cornwall@wellsfargo.com 866-494-1248 x5014.

The networking activity was strong among the 28 people who attended.  We got started a bit late which seemed fine with everyone as they got to know each other better. And people lingered and stayed around after the meeting was over. 

Josh gave me a copy of a two page paper he did on networking to share with the group and I’ve uploaded it here. It offers some good practical pointers on what to do at networking events. 

Geri Sutton, Business Development Manager at ActionCoach, handed out a flyer about their services which range from one-on-one to group sessions and seminars. For more info, visit www.ActionCoachNow.com.

Josh (joshslavitt@actioncoachnow.net) has had a highly successful 25-year business career. At the Philip Morris family of companies, which included Kraft and Miller Brewing, he created and implemented programs that netted more than $600 million in savings. Josh also selected and supervised more than 130 employees and consulting firms. In addition, Josh worked on Corporate Social Responsibility campaigns for a number of multi-national corporations including: Diageo, Darden, General Motors, GlaxoSmithKline, Western Union and Mercedes Benz.  Visit the ActionCOACH of CT website at http://www.actioncoachnow.com.

The doors open at 9AM with the opportunity to network, followed by a welcome and each attendee giving their “30 second elevator pitch”. This is followed by the presentation and then additional time to network. The meeting concludes by 11AM. 

FINE is a networking group for small business owners, entrepreneurs, independent professionals, consultants and those in transition from the corporate world who are considering going out on their own. FINE provides a forum to meet people, exchange ideas and grow your business. Meetings are held in either the Westport Library or Westport Country Playhouse and are open to the public. A small donation (five dollars) is requested to cover expenses. For more information, contact Ed Fitzgerald, via email at ed.fitzgerald@coldwellbankermoves.com, go to www.finenetworking.org or call 203-227-8424.

We liked using the ‘barn” (the Lucille Lortel White Barn Center) at the Playhouse and will consider it for future meetings, otherwise we will be in the Smilow Lounge on the second floor. The Playhouse will be our home for the remainder of the year.   

Ed.

If you’re not sure of the costs involved, if the timing is right, if you’re cut out for it, what business makes sense and if it is safe, then come to the FINE Business Networking meeting on March 18th, 9AM, at the Westport Country Playhouse. Luc Deslauriers, owner of FranNet CT (www.frannet.com), will share his years of franchise business ownership experience in this informative seminar.

Topics will include:
• How to identify franchise business choices that best fit your skill set, needs, and goals
• Why consider business ownership now
• Growth trends and choices in franchise ownership that offer stability and success in weak and strong economies
• Safely and affordably transitioning from employment into business ownership
• Costly mistakes to avoid
• Advantages of buying a franchise vs. other businesses
• What franchises cost and how to finance the purchase

The doors open at 9AM with the opportunity to network, followed by a welcome at 9:15 and each attendee giving their “30 second elevator pitch” as an introduction. This is followed by the presentation and then additional time to network. The meeting concludes by 11AM.

There will be coffee at the meeting! Thanks to Elizabeth Brown, CPA, Tracy Boyce, FSPO and Bette Lynn Paez, MBA, CFP™ who are conducting  a “Keys to Financial Well-Being” seminar on March 20th. For more info. 

Note we will be meeting in different place at the Playhouse, the Lucille Lortel White Barn which is a building next to the Playhouse to the left of the main entrance where we usually enter.

Here are a few of the comments taken off of the MeetUp site –

“Well organized and attended. Good information presented by speaker.” 

“The meeting was very interesting. The group was well diversified and the people were very nice. Good presenter.”

“John Carroll was an EXCELLENT speaker. Great topic. Well presented. Thanks.” 

A big thanks to our coffee sponsors for the meeting, Arty and Rosann Levy of the Roart Group.  Here’s a brief overview of what they offer and how to get in touch with them.    

The Roart Group LLC, “Your Link To Financial Success”, an accounting, tax and business consulting firm for small and family businesses is now able to provide financing for restaurants and other retail businesses. We offer funding when traditional lending institutions will not. There is no fixed time or schedule of repayment and no fixed interest. No personal guarantees are required and funding is available much more quickly with a fraction of the paperwork. We believe small businesses need money to survive and grow. If you are a restaurant or retail business owner email arthur@theroartgroup.com for further information. 

Check our website www.theroartgroup.com for more information and learn how you can grow a more profitable business.

Individuals, at birth, are “wired at the factory” to be different.  Behavioral and communication styles further develop as a result of upbringing, parents, education, etc.  By adulthood all of us have an established style with our communications and behavior with other adults.  When you understand your own unique style and that of others then you can adapt yours to fit the situation …. whether it be working with someone in your office or business, cold calling, closing a sale, or making a product or service presentation.

Don’t miss this entertaining, useful and memorable presentation.  You can learn more about John at www.JohnCarrollInternational.com.