A Crash Course on Leadership

A Crash Course on Leadership from "Lead Right. Every Leader's Straight-Talk Guide to Job Success" available at www.walkthetalk.com .

The 10 most important words on Leadership: "What can I do to help you be more successful?"
The 9 most important words: "I need you to do this, and here's why..."
The 8 most important words: "That's my mistake and I will fix it."
The 7 most important words: "My door is always open to you."
The 6 most important words: "Let's focus on solving the problem."
The 5 most important words: "You did a great job!"
The 4 most important words: "What do YOU think?"
The 3 most important words: "Follow my lead."
The 2 most important words: "Thank You."
The MOST important word: "YOU."

Annual Adult Spelling Bee

The Havelock Chamber of Commerce Annual Spelling Bee is right around the corner.

How does it work? Teams of 4 will spell words in three rounds (easy, intermediate and difficult). Each round will consist of 20 minutes. The pronouncer, Tom Braaten, will call out a word and use it in a sentence. Your four person team decides on the spelling and writes it on a sheet that is provided. The judge determines if the word is spelled correctly. As long as your team spells correctly, you're in the game. OOPS! Did you miss one? No worries, you can buy it with a bee buck and stay in the contest until the final round or you run out of bee bucks!

Do you have to be a teacher or a school to participate? NO! Challenge a competitor, rival or friend to see who can stay in the contest the longest. Call the Havelock Chamber Office at (252) 447-1101 for an application or any questions.
 

Proceeds from the Annual Adult Spelling Bee are donated to each participating school.

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS! We need a time keeper, judges, and folks to sell bee bucks! If you are interested, please email stephanie@havelockchamber.org .

Two New Discoveries Today!

I learned two new things today that I must share with everyone.

First, if you need some work done and it can be done virtually, check out www.elance.com . This website allows for you to register the job you need - i.e. transcribing, copying files, illustrating, and people will "bid" on the job. Couple of really good things I like about the service: You get an expert and you only need to pay for the time you need them. Your expert could be someone with world wide exposure offering a service you might not be able to receive locally. What I do not like: the expert might be in another country and therefore, you are not helping the local economy. 
Another really good thing about www.elance.com , military spouses could use the service to stay employed while moving with their active duty spouse.

Backyard Produce...if you are on Facebook, make sure you "like" their page. Then visit their website at www.byproduce.com . What an amazing concept! How it works: Operating on a weekly subscription basis and offering four different sized baskets for delivery. Flying Solo, $25 w/ 40 points. Just for Two, $35 w/ 60 points. Family of Four, $45 w/80 points. Extended Family, $55 w/ 100 points. Points are used if you choose to customize your order.
Baskets are delivered to your home or office and are completely customizable based on the local and organic selections we receive from our farmers and producers.
Subscriptions are for weekly delivery, but Backyard Produce offers the option to place a hold on your delivery if you wish not to receive one.
Backyard Produce works with our farmers and producers to bring you a selection of organic and local produce, breads, cheese, & dry goods each week, which is posted to the website each Thursday afternoon. You are able to place your order between this time and Saturday at 11:59pm.
If you choose not to customize your order with the points Backyard Produce will email and post to Facebook page the weekly "Variety Basket" every Friday.
Leave the rest up to Backyard Produce. Backyard Produce will contact their farmers with quantities, pack up your orders, and deliver them to your home or office. By the way, Backyard Produce delivers to Havelock and New Bern.

Just two interesting concepts that I thought I would share with you.

www.havelockchamber.org

Marketing in the New Economy

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending "Marketing in the NEW Economy" in Greenville presented by WITN and Jim Doyle and Associates. Since the seminar, I have been thinking about what the presenter said and how it can be applied to more than just business. The main theme I took away was understanding your audience. Target to the right audience not the extreme. Who is your customer? If your customer (or target audience for non-profits) is the 45 year old, empty nester why are you marketing to the 23 year old college graduate? Is it because you want that customer? Look who is coming through your door, listen to who is calling you on the phone, who are the real demographics using your product?

I serve as the Havelock Chamber of Commerce representative on the Craven County Tourism Development Authority Board. On the agenda for the February meeting is a resolution to oppose Craven County Schools proposal to change the calendar. Some members of the TDA feels the school calendar has a correlation to tourism. Thinking back to the seminar yesterday my questions are: Who is visiting New Bern and Craven County? Are their families with school age children vacationing in New Bern and Craven County during the summer months? What percentage is this? Is there a larger percentage of empty nesters spending time here? If the larger percentage of visitors is empty nesters, why pass a resolution? Right now, I do not have those answers but I will be posing the questions.

One other interesting tidbit from yesterday's seminar: Women make 80% of the buying decisions. Um....something more to think about and ponder.

Pictured below is Diane Menger, Joni Thompson, Chaplain Koch and Mandy Kosner at the January 17 Business After Hours hosted by First Flight Federal Credit Union at Miller's Landing aboard MCAS Cherry Point. The next Business After Hours will be February 21 hosted by Trent Buick Cadillac GMC. This will be a joint After Hours with New Bern Chamber of Commerce, Havelock Chamber of Commerce and Pamlico County Chamber of Commerce.

I hope everyone is having a great week.

Don't forget to save the date: March 19 is the Annual Spelling Bee, April 26 is the Havelock Blues Festival and May 14 is Salute to Veterans.