Connecting with Outside Resources
Dave Lathrop encouraged members to visit
http://www.boomerzwork.com.
Boomerz
mission is to fully engage the talents, energy and experience of
boomers to address today’s economic, social, and political
concerns. Boomerz believes that boomers can be an ever
increasing asset to society rather than a liability, and is
committed to making this concept a reality.
Boomers
have a lot to give, but they want to give it in their own way.
they want meaningful opportunities - whether it is volunteering
or a second career - on their own terms. Our outreach programs
are designed to get these bright minds focused on positive
change in the community - be it local, national, or
international. We empower boomers to think differently and more
creatively than previous generations about mid-life options and
provide a catalyst for action.
Questions to Ponder
How many have a cell phone? How many have PDA's? How
many are thinking about transitioning from their cell phone to a PDA?
Do you think have a PDA can help you be more productive?
MABE in the Community
This is the title of a new section of our website. It is for members to share the community projects they are
involved with. Look for more information to come.
Evolving with the Times
Very few members advertise in the Yellow Pages these days. Most of
us now have websites. Things change and MABE must also change
to stay relevant. That is why there is such a focus on social networking
and community right now. It all serves the purpose of
promoting MABE member businesses.
New Member
We have a new member...Please extend a warm welcome to Janice
Jaicks.
Member Leaves of Absence
Dave Lathrop has requested that we continue to
support members that take a leave of absence (phone call, visit,
business).
MABE has implemented a new leave/resignation policy.
The purpose is to protect MABEs interest. (Updated by board
after taking into account member feedback)....
Any
member wanting to suspend their attendance from MABE meetings has
the following options:
With
Board approval, that member can take a leave of absence and continue
to pay dues for up to 6 months and that member's membership will
remain active and that category will remain closed.
After 6 months that member will be asked to rejoin the group or
resign from MABE.
A member is allowed only one leave in any 3 year period.
If a
member wants to suspend their membership and not pay dues, their
membership is conditionally terminated.
The
category that they filled becomes open and a new member for that
category can be proposed using the procedures outlined on the MABE
web site.
Any
member who conditionally resigns can rejoin MABE at any time within
six months provided their category has not been filled.
After
6 months this member would have to reapply to MABE to be accepted as
a member.
Featured Speaker - Bob Busch, Lakeshore
Optical
As most of you know, Bob's father passed away recently. They were
very close. His father was a mentor to him. On a
brighter note, he is now enjoying being a grandfather.
While going to school, Bob painted and his wife worked as a dental assistant.
She told him to get a [real] job so he went to his uncle who was in the
optical business. After painting the building he went on
payroll and learned the business (with a few expensive bumps along
the way). At one point he was used as a roamer to fill in for someone on vacation. He
learned a lot doing this. Today you don't have people with
such well-rounded experience.
He started his own business in 1978. Along his
journey as a business owner he learned that "experience is what you get when you don't get what
you want." If you keep doing the same things all the time you
don't grow. Bob continues to try new things. Some things
work and some don't. He has been through so much change in the
last couple of months. He thought he was going out of business not too long
ago. The referrals were slowing down and expenses were going
up. He talked to friends and even competitors about it. He
learned from them. He has since taken on an associate (office sharing
only - pays minimal rent and collects his own fees - makes referrals to
Bob). Will it work? Time will tell.
He built his
office with the intention of selling it within 5 years. But
the economy changed his plans. Now he has no time table for
retiring. On an up note, last month was the busiest month he
has had in 3 years.
Bob told members about the statistics of children
these days. So much money is spent on children and the marketing
industry is focusing on them. There are a lot of things we can
do to grow our business if we also tap into this market. Many of us
have geared our marketing towards the baby boomers
with money, but they are passing away. We need to look to this
young generation. Children are much more susceptible to
radiation damage than we are because they are still developing.
They are also outside more than we are. They should all have
transitions or sunglasses. This is an area of the the young
market that Bob can tap into.
Most of the changes that he has done have been very
positive. He has a website and is going to be doing a lot of changes on it. A lot of new customers say
they found his store on the web. He is not happy about the
idea of selling
glasses on the internet so he doesn't want to make commitment to it.
He believes it is wrong and disastrous
because there are so many measurements and checks. But you
can't stop it. It is going to happen. So he needs to learn
how to do it and do is safely.