business
‘Social Media Swag’
Pam Perry, who is hosting a seminar at
Schoolcraft College on Saturday, May 14, is
adamant about showing metro Detroiters how
to get some swagger and confidence in their
social media skills at her “Social Media Swag”
seminar.
There may be a connection between poor
social networking skills and unemployment.
Detroit, which has one of the of the highest
unemployment rates in the nation according
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, was recently
cited as one of the “least socially networked”
cities in the country. Mashable.com, a popu-
lar social media blog, listed Detroit 94 out of
100 cities assessed for its social networking
acumen.
Social media is the phenomenon that is the
game-changer for businesses and job seekers
today. A recent front page article in the Wall
Street Journal said technology jobs are hot
again with Google, Apple, Youtube and Skype
leading the hiring boom. But in a recent C-Span
broadcast, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL)
blames the iPad (produced by
Apple) for eliminating thou-
sands of jobs in the U.S. (See
video http://youtu.be/D5X8W-
7MgbhM.)
“Learning social media is
a way of life. We have to face
that fact. Ipads aren’t taking
jobs – they creating new
ones. Social media provides
a new method for generat-
ing buzz, shaping a brand,
creating a reputation, getting
media attention and bringing
in new business,” said Pam
Perry, a certified social media
strategist located in metro-
politan Detroit.
“Typically when a business Pam Perry
is savvy and gets traction on
Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin, they see an
increase in revenue because they are reaching
more customers faster, further and cheaper.”
Building a personal brand is also important
when in the job-hunting mode.
“If you’re not online, you will get left behind,”
said Hajj Flemings, who was recently cited by
BlackEnterprise.com as a “Twitter Person to
Know.” He is also the founder of Brand Camp
University. “Social media allows you to brand
yourself. How people view you today is directly
related to your online profile and information
you distribute through the social media chan-
nels and the friends you interact with.”
Perry and Flemings regularly teach and
speak about social media strategies in Detroit
and around the country. Perry, who is hosting
a seminar at Schoolcraft College on May 14, is
adamant about showing metro Detroiters how
POWERUP
Blue Cross
Blue Shield
of Michigan
employees to
honor Ernie Harwell
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is cel-
ebrating the life of Ernie Harwell by hosting a
tribute ceremony at the Detroit Tower on April
29. The Blues will unveil a mural painting of
Harwell at its headquarters, and will dedicate
the parking structure rooftop walking track
in the baseball legend’s
name. The ceremony will
take place in conjunction
with the Blues’ celebra-
tion of National Walk @
Lunch Day.
“Most Michigan resi-
dents have fond memo-
ries associated with base-
ball legend Ernie Harwell,
and the Blues are no dif-
ferent. To honor Ernie
and everything he did
for Detroit and the entire
state, we want to give him
a fitting tribute,” said
Daniel J. Loepp, CEO of
Blue Cross Blue Shield
of Michigan. “Ernie
touched the lives of mil-
lions through his work Ernie Harwell
as a broadcaster and in-
fluenced tens of thousands of lives through his
work with Blue Cross to promote good health. Twla Woolwine
The things we do for
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
to get some swagger and confidence in their
social media skills at her “Social Media Swag”
seminar. Flemings is also hosting an event,
“Brand Camp ’11: Personal Branding 2.0 Con-
ference,” in New York on May 24.
Not only is social media critical for business
marketing and personal branding, employers
often use social media to screen job candi-
dates.
“I interview 20 to 25 people
a week and look at about 100
résumés, but I also view can-
didates’ online activity. If
their social media messaging
is off or not congruent with
what the position calls for,
this is a way we weed them
out,” said Tammy Turner,
of Detroit, who is the owner
Kapstone Recruiting & Train-
ing Services, LLC and author
of a professional network-
ing book, “How to Talk To
Strangers.” “We also judge
people by the company they
keep, so if their online con-
nections are questionable,
we figure they probably are
not the ideal candidate.”
“Anyone can learn social media. I am de-
termined to teach the tactics and show people
it’s real easy to dominate the search engines
and attract business, build a brand and beat
out your competition for a job,” said Perry. “I
especially want to empower baby boomers and
minority business owners to have some confi-
dence online. That’s why I created the Social
Media Swag seminar – and coming soon the
Web show we’ll stream online.”
The Social Media Swag Seminar will be on
Saturday, May 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at
Schoolcraft College, VistaTech Center, 18600
Haggerty in Livonia. The cost for materials and
the session is $97 before May 1. For more infor-
mation, call (248) 426-2300 or visit the Social
Media Swag Seminar website.
His spirit lives on through his family, friends,
the Detroit Tigers and all Michigan residents.”
Harwell was a walking and fitness advocate
for the Blues for a number of years after being
the voice of Detroit Tigers baseball. Many em-
ployees had the opportunity to meet Harwell
and felt a connection to the local legend. In
addition to the new mural and walking track
dedication, Blue Cross will also honor Harwell
with an “EH” building light display from April
28 to May 4, and is the presenting sponsor of
“Ernie,” the much-anticipated play written by
Mitch Albom.
The Ernie Harwell tribute will take place as
Blues employees across the state celebrate Na-
tional Walk @ Lunch Day. This is the fifth year
that the Michigan Blues have taken part in this
national workplace program that encourages
employees to take a walk during their lunch
break.
National Walk @ Lunch Day is part of the
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association’s
WalkingWorks® program that was developed to
help Americans live healthier lives and reduce
unnecessary medical costs due to physical in-
activity. WalkingWorks
was developed in partner-
ship with the President’s
Council on Physical Fit-
ness and Sports.
The U.S. Department
of Health and Human Ser-
vices estimates that the
cost to treat illness and
chronic disease caused
by inactive lifestyles is
nearly $1,000 annually
for every family in Amer-
ica. Completing 30 min-
utes of moderate physical
activity, such as a brisk
walk, at least five times
a week, has significant
health benefits, lowering
the risk of developing or
dying from cardiovascu-
lar disease, hypertension
or type 2 diabetes, and
improving the health of muscles, bones and
joints.
www.53.com
April 27 - May 3, 2011 Page C-6
small
THE BIGGEST mistake many small business owners make is failing to reconcile their ac-
counts.
“Money, money, money. tracting new clients while re-
Got to have it…really need taining existing ones is always
it…” a challenge.
Those words were made ST: What advice would give
famous in a song by the O’Jays
back in the ’70s. Having fi- Ta l k to potential entrepreneurs/
small business owners when
nancial resources are crucial it comes to financial plan-
to building and sustaining a ning?
business short- and longer- TP: To have a business plan
term. However, many entre- and to effectively manage
preneurs don’t know what your finances, plan a real-
tools are available to manage
istic budget by determining
their business resources. the actual amount of money
To restate, the goal of a needed for startup costs and
business is to earn and grow for operating and expense
financial resources. And costs. The first step to build-
achieving this goal will enable ing a sound financial plan is
you to reinvest in your busi- to have a budget. Sound finan-
ness. cial management is one of the
best ways for your business to
While entrepreneurs work
hard for it, do you really know remain successful and profit-
with able. Each year thousands
how to manage it while grow-
ing your business? Mark S. Lee of businesses fail because of
poor financial management.
Small Talk recently inter- As the business owner, you
viewed Tracey A. Pruitt, presi- need to ensure that you will
dent, TAP Consultant LLC, for her perspective meet your financial obligations.
on why having financial management tools in
place is important for your business. ST: What are common mistakes entrepre-
neurs make when it comes to managing their
ST: What is the goal of your organization? books?
TP: TAP Consultant’s goal is to free up pre- TP: Lack of planning is the most common
cious time for business owners to spend time error. Many small business owners don’t rec-
running their busi- oncile their accounts. This includes reconcil-
nesses instead of wor- ing bank accounts, credit card accounts, sales
rying about accounting tax accounts and other accounts on a monthly
issues. We offer a full basis. Keeping your books up to date is a nec-
range of personalized essary task to running your business.
accounting services
and practical needs Here are a few tips:
for business owners • Update your books weekly.
without the overhead
• Ensure you record all your transactions.
of a full time employee.
Our consulting ser- • Keep receipts for all transactions.
vices range from soft- • Set up a filing system that is appropriate for
ware advice and setup
the size of your business.
for QuickBooks and
Peachtree to office or- ST: What financial tools should entrepre-
ganization and book- neurs consider using?
keeping services. TP: QuickBooks and Peachtree are good
software tools to use which helps develop cash
ST: What has been Tracey Pruitt
your most significant forecasts which is essential for a business.
business challenge during these tough eco- Managing cash effectively requires an entre-
nomic times? preneur to also focus on the proper accounting
software and monitoring their budgets, income
TP: Our most significant challenge is grow- statement, balance sheet and cash flow.
ing in a tough economy — in other words, at-
We remember you
EH!
Honoring a Legend
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will light day of Mitch Albom’s play “Ernie.” The memo-
its Lafeyette Building with the letters “EH” in
honor of Ernie Harwell on April 28, the opening
rial tribute will remain up through May 4, the
anniversary of Mr. Harwell’s passing.
MOVING UP
Woolwine
honored for
volunteer
activities
Twyla Woolwine, a claims special-
ist in the Homeowners Field Unit, has
been named AAA Ambassador of the
Year for her participation in AAA Mich-
igan community outreach activities.
Woolwine, employed with AAA
since 1995, was honored with the Auto
Club’s top volunteer award for her
many volunteer activities. Her com-
munity projects include Bowl for Kids’
Sake, WTVS Channel 56, Jack & Jill
organization (various senior nursing
home projects), Gleaners Food Bank
and Forgotten Harvest.
As a volunteer board member and
active participant with Big City Vikings
Youth Football, her work benefited the
families and children involved in the
Romulus-area program.
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