'What's on your Mind' a brilliant beginning

Published in the Culpeper Star Exponent
Monday, April 18, 2011



The Small Business Committee of the Chamber of Commerce met on Friday morning with a transformational focus. At the suggestion of Chris Pearson – the Chairman of the Chamber committee, we had an open round table for small business. I say open because we had no agenda other than “What’s on your Mind” as a small business.

There is always a temptation to say that we are going to have a subject matter expert come and talk about an area of apparent interest. However, our local business owners and representatives are “subject matter experts” about what is going on in business in Culpeper. Who would have predicted that the discussion would be “brilliant” on so many levels?

With a cup of (local) coffee, an open ear, and a commitment to myself to say as little as possible, I watched the discussion unfold. Caroline Gortler from Stellar One opened the forum by discussing the improved status of lending options for small business. Good news!! This sparked a discussion lead by Carl Sachs – Director of Economic Development for Culpeper County, about where our challenges / opportunities are for small business in Culpeper in a broader sense, commenting “What are the top 5 ways that we can improve the business environment for small business?”  Great Question!! Beverly Herdman of Wine Trail Homes followed with comments about our opportunities in Culpeper. “We hear it all the time, Culpeper is a great place.” So true!! So far so good….

At this point the meeting broke into new territory. The discussion followed along the lines of how social media and web presence has become the standard by which we are judged as business before we are ever contacted. This would lead one to believe that all of the answers are in social media and online. Not so fast… though it is true for many that an online strategy is essential, it cannot replace the value of something greater… What could that be? I will try to explain.

There is a random element about business and our ability to find solutions. What cannot be replaced by internet communication is something that we are naturally equipped to cultivate. We are in constant solution mode in business,  juggling a variety of issues at any given time. This is true in different stages for everyone.

Now for the obvious revelation…. the brain trust of one individual is not nearly as powerful as the brain trust of many. This is especially true when motivated business people meet to find solutions.  Trading emails and reading posts cannot tell the whole story and therefore cannot provide the same potential for solutions. For example, you may come to an open forum discussion with 9/10’s of the solution still trying to get the pieces to fall into to place. When there are motivated minds focused on the solution – the other 10th may simply fall into place.

Random cognitive solutions from open discussions – Yes! “What’s On Your Mind” – was a brilliant start – I am excited to see where it will lead. Join us!
Go to CulpeperChamber.com for more information. 

Jim Charapich, President/CEO fo the Culepper Chamber of Commerce

Getting out of the office more

I was talking with a business owner last week and he made a comment that made me think about an aspect of business that is often over looked. We spoke about the proverbial “getting out of the office more.”   Naturally it is winter and there is a lot to be said for being in the office because it is cold. However, there is an opportunity to get out of the office in a very productive way. Think education and networking…

I am a huge fan of using the internet for education; however, there is nothing like meeting others, learning together, and making new business contacts. Winter is a great time to take advantage of these types of learning opportunities. After all, it will be more fun networking on the golf course or at CulpeperFest when the weather is nice (yes I did say nice weather and CulpeperFest in the same sentence… lol).

There is a great opportunity on February 28th at the Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center. In a coordinated effort with Germanna, The Culpeper Chamber of Commerce, and many local organizations, we have just the thing to escape the winter office blues…. Take a day or a few hours to learn something new. In fact, it is just as important to take time to “learn what you don’t know” in order to be competitive.

We have assembled subject matter experts from the region in order to give you a great return on your time. The conference is called Business Basics Boot Camp and it is designed to “Strengthen the Business of Non-Profits and Small Business.” We know how hard it is to get out of the office, so we packed lots of learning into one exciting day.

Our lineup of subjects and experts include a highly recognized representative from Constant Contact to share the latest in Email Marketing and Social Media (this alone is worth the time).  We have experts from the Foundation Center in Washington DC coming to talk about “Grant Writing” and another session on “How to Search for Grants” on the Foundation Center database at the Culpeper Library (again this alone is worth the time). We have experts coming to talk about employment & HR issues, record keeping, starting a new business, strategic planning, Federal and State regulations, and more. These are basics and yet they change in subtle and significant ways.

To make this an over the top, off the charts, can’t believe it conference. We have invited Matt Thornhill – a nationally recognized expert on the “Boomer Consumer.” It is clear that the baby boomer generation has had a significant effect on products and services in our economy. Come and hear Matt Thornhill, our keynote speaker to learn how to make profitable adjustments in your business or non-profit organization. The conference is $25 with lunch included. Go to BasicsBootCamp.com to register.

Jim Charapich, President/CEO Email

Culpeper County Chamber of Commerce

Published February 7, 2011 in the Culpeper Star Exponent