From the President

by Linda McQueen

What does Rochester Professional Consultants Network (RPCN) stand for?   Let’s learn a little about our organization by studying the meaning of our name.  After doing a little research, here are some definitions that relate to who we are:

Rochester

Greater Rochester is the third-largest metropolitan area in New York State. It includes six counties: Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, and Wayne. The City of Rochester is the 79th largest city in the U.S.A.

Professional

A person who belongs to a profession; A person who earns his living from a specified activity; An expert.  People who are professional are unfailingly polite, courteous and well-spoken, no matter what the situation. Being professional means you keep your cool and remain calm under any circumstances. No matter how upset a co-worker or customer makes you, you don't react; you deal with the situation rationally and calmly.

Consultants

A consultant is a professional who provides advice or services in a particular area of expertise such as management, accountancy, the environment, technology, law, etc., often in a paid capacity.  A person or party that is consulted; a person whose occupation is to be consulted for their expertise, advice, or help in an area or specialty.

Network

An interconnected system of things or people; To communicate with and within a group.
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals (or organizations), which are connected by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.

I am proud and grateful to be a professional person, providing advice to my customers in the greater Rochester area, and connected with the other fine individuals in RPCN.  Let’s share this opportunity with other individuals in our social networks.

by Linda McQueen

What’s in RPCN’s future?

As we recently reviewed during our strategic planning session, our vision is:  “RPCN is recognized as the premiere resource for consultants.”  This vision has an intentional double meaning.  First, RPCN is an organization for consultants (or other small businesses) to provide resources that assist in conducting their business.  Second, RPCN is a resource for area businesses to find consultants.

Interestingly, our strategic planning session resulted in two major categories of strategic ideas.  First, RPCN will be focusing internally to provide value to our members: visibility, attaining business, meaningful programs, mutual support, etc.  Second, RPCN will continue reaching out to the community through alliances, communications, community involvement, and possibly geographical expansion.

Help us to formulate RPCN’s future by attending our second strategic planning session on September 17th, immediately following the business forum at the Pittsford Library.

Fall Seminar

Our fall seminar will be a half-day event on Friday, November 12th, instead of our speaker program.  Our committee kickoff meeting is Wednesday, September 1st, 3:30pm-5:00pm at the Bagel Bin on Elmwood Ave.  Joe Groden and I will co-chair the Events Committee, but there are several sub-committees required to conduct a successful seminar.  The sub-committees include: program, facilities, marketing, sponsorship, handouts, registration, setup and cleanup.  Anyone who would like to participate in any of these areas, please join us at the kickoff meeting.  Please contact me (585-330-3476 or Linda@BusinessToBEST.com) or Joe (585-388-8824 or jgroden@jgconsults.com), if you have any questions or if you can’t make the meeting.

Ripple Effect

We are working on an opportunity to create an alliance between RPCN and non-profit organizations in the Rochester area.  We have a potential sponsor who is interested in hosting monthly 1½-2 hour training programs presented by RPCN members.  The sponsor will provide the facility and marketing to other non-profit organizations.  As soon as we have more details, we will be asking RPCN members to volunteer to provide training programs on a variety of topics.  This will be an excellent opportunity for you to show your expertise, get exposure and increase your marketing gravity.  Start thinking of training programs that you can deliver – we may need you to share your expertise.

by Linda McQueen

Introduction

One month has already flown by and we’re off and running.  My board of directors and committees are established.  Great Friday and evening programs are lined up.  Fall and spring seminars are being planned.  We have a great year of experiences and meaningful growth planned for RPCN.

Leadership Team

Board Members:  Linda McQueen (President), Dave Bassett (Treasurer), Emily Carpenter (Past President / Social Media Forum), Lori Cohen (VP / Membership), Jen Ulrich (Secretary), Sue Kastan (Contingency Plan), Carol McManus (Alliances), Paul Lowans (Programs)
Committee Chairs:  Ruth Balkin (Library), Ingo Leubner (Hospitality), Paul Lowans (Programs), Bob Lurz (Strategy / Business Forum), Steve Royal (Webmaster / Technical Forum), Hans von Gehlen (Processes), Dave Young (Office Manager/Newsletter), Joe Groden & Linda McQueen (Events)

You can find their profiles on RochesterConsultants.org.  Please take the time to thank these people for the hard work they do to make RPCN successful for all of us.  Board meetings are scheduled following the Technical Forum on the 3rd Friday of each month at the Pittsford Library.  Everyone is welcome to attend and learn what we’re working on.

Let’s work together

To best match RPCN members to involvement opportunities, I plan to conduct a survey of skills and talents of all members.  No, you won’t be forced to “volunteer”, but if you are willing to share your skills and talents, we will call on you when there is a need.  The first volunteer I need is anyone who has any experience in conducting online or email surveys.  Please contact me at 585-330-3476.

We are planning two seminars, one this fall and another next spring.  Joe Groden and I will co-chair the Events Committee, but there are several sub-committees required to conduct a successful seminar.  The sub-committees include: program, facilities, marketing, sponsorship, handouts, registration, setup and cleanup.  Anyone who would like to participate in any of these areas, please come to our kickoff meeting which will be announced soon or call me.

Ripple Effect

The first step each of you can take to start your own ripple is to go to the RPCN website (RochesterConsultants.org) home page and join each of our social media sites.  Whenever you see a post by RPCN, forward it on to your social media network. 

Check out the events posted on the website and invite one guest to join you to each meeting.  I’m sure you can think of at least one person who would be interested in each topic.

Carol McManus is the chairperson of the Alliances Committee.  The survey we conduct will include a question regarding your participation in other networking groups and associations.  We are seeking a representative for each group to act as an ambassador for RPCN.  The roles are not completely defined, but would include announcing RPCN events, handing out RPCN rack cards, and reporting alliance opportunities to Carol.  More information on alliances will be published in next month’s newsletter.

As you can see, this is going to be an action packed year.  As I was thinking how to close this article, I thought of how Doc & Katy Abraham signed off their gardening radio show:  "Goodbye, friends. We gotta grow now!"  Let’s go and grow RPCN.

by Linda McQueen

Introduction
It is my honor to be the President of the Rochester Professional Consultant’s Network.  The first time I walked into a RPCN meeting at Penfield Wegmans, I was warmly welcomed.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I observed a business forum and learned answers to questions I didn’t even know to ask.  Subsequent meetings included a presentation on customer loyalty by Janet Nelson and a technology forum.  This winning mixture of meetings has been drawing people to RPCN for years.  So what, as a new President, can I do to improve RPCN?

RPCN – Network
The most valuable asset RPCN has is people, the members and guests of RPCN who make up our network.  The organization started twenty years ago with a handful of people with a purpose.  We continue today with the same basic purpose, but with a much stronger and larger organization.  To improve RPCN, I plan to work with the current members of RPCN to expand the influence of our network.

Solid Foundation
Over the past few years, the leaders have built a solid foundation for advancing RPCN to the next level.  The traditional structure of meetings was continued offering great business development and technology workshops to increase our skills and toolset, a variety of speakers to educate us, and technology and business forums to answer our questions.  We had successful social media and marketing half-day seminars. We introduced evening programs, social events, and our newest forum focused on social media.  To boost our professional image and marketing capabilities, we invested in a new trade booth and website.  We created an alliance with Rochester Works to present the value of networking with RPCN to unemployed people considering starting their own business.  Now is the time to leverage this strong foundation to draw more members and guests to RPCN.  

Ripple Effect
Each of us has a circle of people in our lives that we influence.  If you think of the one-hundred plus members of RPCN as rain drops in a pool of water, the people we influence are ripples radiating from us.  The effect is multiplied by each networking group, trade association and company we work with.  Throughout the next year, I challenge each RPCN member to be an ambassador for RPCN.  Use your circle of influence to start a powerful ripple effect that will create a rainstorm of excitement for RPCN.  

Let’s work together
An organization’s success isn’t built just by the leadership team.  Each member adds their personal value to the organization.  Let’s work together to make RPCN an organization that is valued for another twenty years. 

My commitment:  I will work with the leadership team to bring powerful forums, workshops, programs, and seminars to satisfy your needs and entice new members.  I have already taken steps to expand our network to network alliances to promote RPCN and prove the value of our organization throughout the Rochester area.

What you can do:  share how you benefit from RPCN with each of your networking groups and contacts, invite guests to each meeting, promote special events, draw traffic to the RPCN website, and forward all RPCN social media notices to your network.  Just think – our membership would double if each member influenced just one of their contacts to join RPCN.

I look forward to serving you and working with you during the next year.  In next month’s newsletter, I will introduce my leadership team.  Please remember to vote for your favorite Vice President candidate – Paul Lowans or Lori Cohen.  Mark your calendar for our strategy session on July 30th 8:00am-10:00am at the Pittsford Library.

by Emily Carpenter

It's hard to believe that nearly an entire year as RPCN President has gone by. What a great year it has been! I am continuously amazed at the willingness of members to jump in and help out by sharing their talents to make RPCN the organization that I love.

This has been a year for big changes. We have a new logo and a new website. We have a membership committee that is working to improve membership communication. They are organizing greeters for each meeting and a periodic RPCN Open House to welcome new and prospective members. Our Process Review Committee has worked all year to document and review RPCN processes.  We are offering a monthly Social Media Forum and other evening events.

I'd like to acknowledge the passing of the baton on a few of RPCN's key responsibilities.

• Steve Royal has officially stepped down as the RPCN secretary after nearly TWO decades of service. Thank you, Steve, for your service!
• With all of the automatic capabilities of the new RPCN website, Dave Young has been able to put aside things such as sending out membership renewal notices and other mailings. We are also in the process of converting the RPCN newsletter, which Dave has historically edited and produced, from paper to electronic. Thank you, Dave, for your Service!

Dave Young and Steve Royal have quietly performed these tasks year after year to make RPCN great. I am deeply grateful for all that they've done, and continue to do, in service to RPCN!

The success of this past year has been the collaboration of many people. The problem with thanking people is that I know that I will be leaving someone out (not my intention). However, I will do my best to at least mention some of the biggies from this past year. In no particular order:

• Hans von Gehlen for taking the role of Process Review Chair
• Lori Cohen for moving the Membership Committee initiative forward
• David Ingalls & Bill Vallee for being custodian of the projector
• Dave Bassett for creating a call script and entering new contacts into the database
• Paul Lowans  for taking on so many projects this year, including developing a new rack card and brochure, being the point person for the website and trade show booth, and bringing us great programs this year. In August, Paul will be opening his home to us for an RPCN family picnic (stay tuned for details).
• Sue Kastan for volunteering her services to develop a Business Continuity Plan for RPCN
• John Foote for preparing our tax return
• Bob Lurz, Carol McManus and Linda McQueen for presenting monthly to SEAP participants and cultivating a strategic alliance with the NYS Department of Labor.
• Barbara Moore for giving the new trade show booth a home (at least temporarily)
• Jen Ulrich for the extensive venue search she did for upcoming RPCN conferences
• All RPCN board members for their commitment and service to RPCN
• Every RPCN member and visitor that attends meetings and spreads the word about RPCN!

Thank you to all!

What a privilege to have served as President during this year of RPCN's 20^th anniversary! I'm excited to see what new things we will accomplish together next year!

RPCN has been referred to as "the best kept secret in Rochester." It's time to change that. Who can you tell about RPCN? How about a customer? A friend? A fellow consultant? Invite someone this week that you'd like to introduce to a fellow RPCN member! Look at upcoming topics on our website, and tell someone that could benefit from what we have to offer. Before you attend an RPCN event, update your status on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. After attending an event update your status again about what you learned. Keep in mind our goal of building RPCN membership and tell everyone about RPCN!

See you this Friday at RPCN!

by Emily Carpenter

The launch of the new RPCN website has been a smashing success!  Members are beginning to update their profiles and visitors are signing up for RPCN events online. A members-only area is set to roll out soon (perhaps before you read this) where RPCN members can engage in discussion with each other. We will also be offering RPCN badges to place on your website. Use a badge to show on your website that you are a proud member of RPCN.

The new RPCN trade show booth was a big hit this year at SOHO. Dozens of people came by to find out more about RPCN and everyone complimented on the professional look of the new booth. The next trade show is May 27^th at the RochesterWorks! Career Fair where we will be displaying alongside employers and other professional organizations.  Stop by and check it out or volunteer to greet visitors at the booth.

Wondering what happened to the donuts and coffee at Brighton Town Hall? Before I answer that question, I'd like to first thank Dave Young for his long-term dedication to keeping our bellies full at the Brighton Town Hall meetings! Among all of the myriad ways Dave has contributed to helping RPCN over the past 20 years, this has by far been the tastiest! Dave has recently retired as the bringer-of-donuts. We have asked for volunteers to sign up to help out, however, we have yet to have someone(s) come forward to take on this task. Until we get a new system in place, be prepared to bring your own coffee (BYOC)!

Thanks to Bob Lurz and helpers, so far RPCN has reached over 130 people in the SEAP (Self Employment Assistance Program) through the NYS Dept. of Labor. Each month Bob has been attending SEAP participant training to talk about basics of a consulting business and to answer questions people have about RPCN. Please contact Bob if you'd like to get involved in helping reach out to this group by participating in this mini-Business Forum that he conducts each month (sometimes twice per month).

RPCN has been referred to as "the best kept secret in Rochester." It's time to change that. Who can you tell about RPCN? How about a customer? A friend? A fellow consultant? Invite someone this week that you'd like to introduce to a fellow RPCN member! Look at upcoming topics on our website, and tell someone that could benefit from what we have to offer. Before you attend an RPCN event, update your status on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. After attending an event update your status again about what you learned. Keep in mind our goal of building RPCN membership and tell everyone about RPCN!

See you this Friday at RPCN!

by Emily Carpenter

SOHO (Small Office Home Office) is the first tradeshow where RPCN will be using our new tradeshow booth. We have traditionally done two tradeshows per year: SOHO and Digital Rochester, however, with our new investment we plan to do many more. The next one is May 27^th at the RochesterWorks! Career Fair where we will be displaying alongside employers and other professional organizations.

You may have some questions about why the RPCN board is deciding to make such drastic changes to our branding now. Here are some questions and answers that may help:

Q: Why do we need a new trade show booth?

A: The board has been considering a new trade show booth for awhile:

• Our current trade show booth is cumbersome to carry and outdated in both style and wording
• A new booth will put forth a professional image that we just can't reach with the current booth
• We will eventually be able to rent out the new booth: an added benefit to being an RPCN member.

Q: Why do we need a new website? The old one works just fine!

A: True, our current website has served us well since approximately 1996, with no major redesign to speak of. The current site allows us to do what we've always done, but does not structurally allow for the addition of many features that new technologies of our updated site will allow, including:

• Integration of Social Media
• RSS feeds to easily broadcast events and news
• Online event registration
• Online membership application and renewal
• Member-only area to share documents and information
• Member-only discussion areas
• Board-only area for the RPCN board to share board minutes and other information
• Self-editable member profiles, including ability to add a photo
• Advanced search function of member directory so we can be easily found by both members and potential customers.
• Contact Us and other online submission forms

Q: OK, so I get why we're updating the website and the tradeshow booth, but do we really need a new logo to boot?

A1: After much RPCN Board discussion, there seemed no better time than now to rollout a new logo. This is actually the third rendition of the RPCN logo. Although the color scheme is new, you will recognize some elements of the old design. We have preserved a double forward arrow signifying advancement, forward thinking, and movement into new areas of expertise. We have chosen blue and green because they are colors that evoke trust and prosperity. The word "Professional" and the "P" have been highlighted as we have always stressed that we are an organization of Professional consultants.

A2: The goal of the new website and trade show booth is to appear as professional as possible to potential members and customers. Slapping the old logo on the new site and trade show booth did not seem appropriate. Rather than spend money on developing a new website and trade show booth with the old look, we agreed that now was the best time to do a complete overhaul of our branding.

A3: RPCN is celebrating our 20^th anniversary this year. What better way to celebrate than to treat ourselves to a new look that will promote our advancement into the next 20 years!

This is such an exciting time to be a member of RPCN. These changes have been a long time coming, and I am thrilled to see them coming together all at once. Although the new website is scheduled to officially launch April 7^th, it may take a little more time to rollout all of the features mentioned. Rest assured, we will have a fully functioning, beautiful website before you know it. Something we can all be proud to show off to the world!

Volunteers Needed: RPCN is planning a half-day conference in June. The general theme of the conference will be "Business Boosters: Tools to grow your business" (although the exact title may change). Some topics will include Marketing, Social Media, "Beyond Networking", and Strategic Alliances.  We will need volunteers to help plan this event including marketing, facilities, registration, hospitality, and much more. Planning an event is a rewarding experience that helps you to showcase your abilities and get to know fellow RPCN members and guests. See myself or Linda McQueen if you would like to get involved.

RPCN has been referred to as "the best kept secret in Rochester." It's time to change that. Who can you tell about RPCN? How about a customer? A friend? A fellow consultant? Invite someone this week that you'd like to introduce to a fellow RPCN member! Look at upcoming topics on our website, and tell someone that could benefit from what we have to offer. Before you attend an RPCN event, update your status on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. After attending an event update your status again about what you learned. Keep in mind our goal of building RPCN membership and tell everyone about RPCN!

See you this Friday at RPCN!

Emily Carpenter
RPCN President