Members introduced themselves and announced leads.
Member Spotlight
This week's spotlight is
James Bache. Please keep this member top of mind
this week for referrals.
Board Meeting Update
We would normally begin the board election process at this time.
However, due to the unique circumstances of this upcoming term, an
election is not necessary. Althea Bussert is coming on to the
board as the MABE Historian. Bob Busch and Don Ellis will be
leaving the board. We are left with the appropriate number of
members. It was also decided at the board meeting that the
Vice-President would also be the Conflict Resolution chair.
Membership Report
Terry Schnelle visited our group today. Terry provides
window washing, sunscreens and handyman services. Andy Jensen
is his sponsoring member. Members have three business days to
object to this applicant. If there are no objections, Terry
will be invited join our group.
Terry got his start working at Home Depot. He began window
cleaning on the side and it grew into a full-time business. He
does mostly residential, a little bit of commercial. They will
also clean the mirrors and fans inside. He also provides
simple handyman services. He works mostly in the East Valley
but he has clients as far away as Payson and Tucson. He will
give a square footage estimate over the phone. He hopes to
gain more contacts and business knowledge from MABE.
Dave Lathrop is working on a new member. His name is Joel
Steenhoek and he is a home inspector.
Today's Program - John
Dennett, CG Promo Group!
When you think of promotions you think of the t-shirt
guy. We do far more than that. We do high-end trade show
booths. We are a part of your creative team. The product
is actually insignificant to the campaign.
John is married with two girls. His oldest is
graduating from college in May. His youngest is at NAU.
They are now empty-nesters. He is from upper New York.
He is one of eight kids. They were not rich, but they were
"resourceful". It was great chaos. Family reunions
are big and fun.
He came to Phoenix from New York in 1980 to attend
ASU. He quickly got a job at Alpha Graphics which he kept all
through school. He also worked at UPS during the holidays.
He was in a fraternity so beer money was needed.
All through growing up he was an entrepreneur.
One of his first gigs was painting the high school logo on helmets.
He unofficially started CG Promo during college. He had 10
sales people from different fraternities that he worked with to sell
promo items for different events. He officially opened his
office on July 3rd, 1984. The second day was his first day
off.
When you look at the big businesses like Federal
Express, the people that started them had crossroads that set the
course for them. John told the group about the crossroads that
he has encountered.
At one point John had a "midlife crisis" where he
joined with another group. They did some incredible, high-end
jobs. They invested a lot of money into it. Halfway in
they discovered that they would not get paid until the product was
delivered. There was a dock strike which delayed shipment.
He had to downsize quickly. When the product finally arrived,
it was damaged and needed to be returned. He had to wait
another year to see any money. And then the economy started to
change for the worse.
The crossroads keep coming and John keeps adjusting.
He is in a business that can mold and shift. He also likes to
be in a business that is fun. He gets to meet new and
interesting people.
John talked about the hedgehog and the purple cow
concepts. The ultimate goal is to marry the hedgehog and the
purple cow. He challenged MABE members to look at their
businesses and their industry and to think about what makes them
different and do their customers know? Find and market your
purple cow. It is the marketing campaign that will set you
apart.
John finished by answering member questions.
