Imago Summer & M3 Meetup Success

Imago Associates (www.ImagoAssociates.com) is weathering the financial downturn by doing what we've always done: providing high quality, used furniture to the commercial marketplace and managing successful liquidations of companies who are adding. moving or changing in some way. We've recently worked on projects with Women's Funding Network, Signal Demand, Rodan & Fields, One California Bank, Solairus and Mamasource. Quite a diverse group! We've also done some LEED consulting for commercial property managers. As always most of our business comes to us through our wonderful referral base. Thanks to you all.

A secret to our continued success is the relationship with the wonderful women of Count Me In For Women's Economic Independence. Back in July I was asked by them to spear-head a "meetup" group in San Francisco for entrepreneurial women. If you're not familiar with the "Meetup" concept check it out at www.Meetup.com. Simply put it's a website designed to use the power of the internet to bring people with shared interests together face-to-face.

We held our first meeting of the San Francisco/Bay Area M3 Race Group at the fabulous office of Eat My Words, Founder Alexandra Watkins ( http://eatmywords.com) and it consisted of members of One California Bank speaking about their wonderful mission to provide business banking to the underserved in California which includes---we KNEW THIS---entrepreneurial women. Great meeting. Great group.

Our next meetup...now you know what IT IS :)... was again held in the workplace of one of our esteemed members---and Assistant Meetup Organizer---Molly Fuller, Founder and President of Hands On Gourmet (http://www.handsongourmet.com) We met in her amazing kitchen and heard lawyer, Angela de la Housaye, De La Housaye & Associates and Jeff Brown, CPA of Jeff Brown, P.C. speak about the various business structures (LLP, S Corp, etc) and their legal and tax implications. Fascinating! Wendy Smith of Smith-Watkins ( http://www.smith-watkins.com) said about the meetup:

"The speakers ... were informative, enthusiastic and helpful. They clearly love their jobs, and we appreciated their willingness to share crucial knowledge with us. The setting was terrific, as was the food, and the women are great. This is a very encouraging environment for a woman business owner. ”

How cool is that?

Our next meetup is scheduled for October 26th in the headquarters of Nadine Johnson's Sous Kitchen ( http://www.souskitchen.com/in San Carlos) Our speaker will be Susan Knapp of A Perfect Pear (http://www.aperfectpear.com) who will share with us her experience participating in ABC's Shark Tank where she received a 250K investment in her business. Susan's tasty products have been seen on the Home Shopping Network and are available in fine food retailers throughout the U.S. Local girl makes good...money! Congrats to Susan. What a story she has to tell about the ups and downs of running and financing a successful food products business.

I cannot say how proud I am to have the opportunity to get to know all these fabulous women. Not a day goes by that one of them does not inspire me in some way through their attitudes and actions and sheer force of feminine WILL. I'm also very excited to say that as of today, our meetup, the San Francisco/Bay Area M3 Group (http://www.meetup.com/SF-BayAreaM3Racers) is the largest group of it's kind in the United States! Founded on July 17, 2009 we are 107 members strong and growing quite literally every day. Consider joining us!

Rofo.com

I was recently invited to participate as one of the "pilot" Service Providers for a very cool site called Rofo^TM.

Mike Gerrity of Rofo says,"Rofo.com was designed for entrepreneurs and small businesses who are struggling to find the right place to locate their business. Rofo targets users who are generally looking for less than 5,000 square feet and offers easy tools to identify spaces and rapidly connect with brokers and landlords who can help with their specific needs."

Imago Associates participates in Rofo's "QuickMove" program as the only USED and REFURBISHED commercial furniture provider. QuickMove simplifies your office set up into 3 easy steps:

• Plan Your Space
• Get Connected
• Settle In

How simple is that? Along the way they offer professional tips and connect you with local service providers to get your space ready on-time and on-budget--- including move management pro Rachel Walls of the GoldenGate Company www.goldengatecompany.com.

The idea for Rofo^TM—which stands for Right of First Offer—came from the firsthand experience of founders Alan Bernier and Garrett Krueger from their days as commercial real estate brokers. While larger businesses typically had the people and resources on-hand to find and compare space, they saw entrepreneurs and small businesses struggle repeatedly in their search for the right place to locate their business.

SoRofo^TM. was born. Check it out at http://www.rofo.com/quickmove and click through to http://www.rofo.com/user/rmoorad for the Imago profile.

Greenwashing

I haven't blogged lately---shame on me---but am doing so now because I was just forwarded an email from a friend that drove me WILD!

The email included an "Environmental Statement", and an "Introduction Presentation" among other things---I won't say the name of the manufacturer but for those of you who received the same you'll know---meant to promote the sale of a cubicle product for office environments. Anyway, it, as so many things that cross my desk today attempts---badly---to support why this product should be promoted as "green."" Shame. Shame. Shame. It goes on to reference LEED points that "may" KEY WORD "MAY" be applicable to their products when considered for a LEED project. This particular piece is so ill informed that it references points that are in no way applicable if they had taken the time to research Credit Interpretation Rulings within the USGBC. I was just sickened. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, there have always been segments of industry who have presented themselves as something they are not for the sake of increased sales. I guess I'm particularly bothered by companies that present themselves as green only for financial gain. Don't these people have children? A conscience? Any sense of their participation in the global community?

I can only hope that decision makers will check their facts before opting to make a capital purchase based on such poor information.

There. I'm tapped out. Angry still but trusting that people will DO THE RIGHT THING.

Ride The Wave!

I LOVE the article below titled “What Surfing Can Teach Us About Managing the Unexpected”

http://conversationstarter.hbsp.com/2008/11/how_to_anticipate_the_next_wav.html

For those of you who are NAWBO members you’ll recognize it from the link in today’s NAWBO Smartbrief---a super newsletter that I almost always find something of interest in. You can subscribe at http://www.smartbrief.com/nawbo/.

Anyway…in these unsettled economic times I find myself searching for ways to manage both my business and my mood. As a small business owner they are irreparably linked. What is the best course of action? Should I move more slowly or more quickly? Expand? Contract? Hide under a bush until it’s all over? Reading the attached brought a visual image to my mind so clear and compelling that I immediately felt at ease. Water. Ocean. Waves. The enormity of it. The seamlessness of it. My interpretation is this: business mimics the natural world with ebb and flow like the tide.

Don’t run from getting your feet wet. You can’t stay safe and dry on the shore or you’ll miss out.

Ride the wave!

Just discovered...Green Maven and Greenfly

Doing some surfing during my lunch break---I was on a conference call so had a minute---discovered two very interesting sites:

Green Maven www.greenmaven.com

Described as: Finally a website that brings the best of the Green Web together. Designed for Mavens that just can't get enough of all things Green. Use it as a research tool, or keep up to date on the latest trends in the Green Revolution.

Currently have three tools:

· Green Search Engine : the world's first comprehensive Green Search Engine based on Google's Coop Search technology. Rather than searching the entire web, your search yields "green" results. Soon will have the ability for anybody to be a Green Maven and help contribute to the research of mapping the Green Web.

· Green News Reader : Integrates the best of the green blogs into one, easy to read format. We receive new stories all day long day from channels of the best news on the web. Read all the news channels at once, or switch channels to read any specific news source. Use the "Share It!" feature to send a positive news story to a friend, family, or co-worker.

· Green Directory : This is the source for our Green Search Engine. If you'd rather browse than search, explore the Green Web using our comprehensive directory. Note, naturally I asked that Imago Associates (www.imagoassociates.com) and GQA (www.GQAFurniture.com) be added :)

And Greenfly www.greenfly.com

Where you can determine the sustainability factors for your product or project design. This one I’ll have to play with!