Hurry! Make Your Reservations for RPCN’s Entrepreneurs Wall of Fame Event, May 14, 2025!

Join us on Wednesday, May 14th, from Noon until 2:00 PM, at Red Fedele’s Brook House Restaurant, located at 920 Elmridge Center Dr. in Greece, NY. RPCN will celebrate those who have made noteworthy accomplishments to our community, our business eco-system, or to their enterprise. Annually, RPCN spotlights those who are making good things happen, and we want you there to celebrate and network with us.

Make your reservation HERE. Also, please forward this to any organization you think would have an interest in this type of community celebration.

This year’s recipients and their awards are:

• Davis Powe for Community Champion
• James Senall for Leadership
• Melissa Mueller-Douglas for Entrepreneur of the Year
• Melissa Cobo for The Linda Halliburton Friend of RPCN
• Dave Finger for The Dave Young Dedicated Service
• Bob Manard for the President's Award

Our Master of Ceremonies this year is Ginny Ryan, the popular former News Anchor and Reporter. Ginny is now the Director of Community Engagement at Canandaigua National Bank & Trust.

We look forward to seeing you there.

35 Years of RPCN Value

RPCN celebrates its 35th Anniversary in 2025. As I started to write about it, I discovered the article below, from our 30th anniversary year in May of 2020. We had just completed the 7th RPCN Consulting Business Boot Camp in March, just before the COVID shutdown. I didn’t mention the pandemic in the article, but it greatly affected RPCN. We responded by converting to Zoom “virtual” meetings, instead of in-person.

One positive result from virtual meetings was that we attracted new members from outside the Rochester area and outside of NY state. Our current RPCN president, Michael Roach, and VP, Tom Fecteau, reside in the Albany and Syracuse areas, respectively. Since COVID, we have provided many hybrid meetings, combining virtual and in-person attendees. Through the challenges of the last five years, we’ve adapted and continued to deliver the RPCN Member Benefits highlighted in the 2020 article. “Well done” to all those who played, and continue to play, a part in making it all happen.

May 22, 2020
30 Years of Value for RPCN Members
By Bob Lurz

Rochester Professional Consultants Network has thrived since 1990 because we continue to provide Value (Benefits) to our Members. Our benefits evolve to meet members’ needs as they progress through exploring, starting, and practicing their business. Three benefits stand out among many others: Learning, Networking, and Mutual Support. Let’s look at these in more depth.

RPCN provides Opportunities to:

Learn (how to):

• Explore whether the consulting profession is for you.
• Start and build a consulting business (around your skills & expertise).
• Identify target clients and the value you provide.
• Market your services. (Reach out and build reputation & trust with target clients).
• Price your services (Receive fair compensation for excellent service).

Network:

• Meet and interact with consultants, business people, and target clients.
• Gain contacts in other organizations through RPCN events, projects & alliances (Business, Nonprofit, etc.).
• Increase your visibility & credibility (Showcase your talent: Give presentations. Write articles for newsletters & blogs. Volunteer for RPCN committees & projects).

Gain Mutual Support:

• Get advice from RPCN members and visitors (Business & Tech Forums).
• Collaborate with other members on consulting projects.
• Combat the isolation of a one-person business. Develop camaraderie with other members. (Presentations, Forums, Events, Committees).

RPCN Activities that provide the Opportunities for Member Value:

• Programs & Forums: Seminars/workshops & roundtable forums (Four Friday meetings per month)
• Consulting Business Boot Camps
• Member Profile on RPCN Website (searchable)
• Outreach Consulting Projects: Pathstone, UR Simon School Vision
• Special Interest Group: Enhancing Human Capital
• Events: Awards Gala, Trend Talks, Holiday Party
• Committees: Alliances, Blogging, Digital Marketing, Forums, Hospitality, Library, Marketing, Membership, Newsletter, Operations, Social Media, Website
• RPCN Board

More success will come in the next 30 Years. Thanks to all who make it possible.
(End of 2020 article)

How to Write Prompts That Get Better Results from AI

Using AI tools like ChatGPT can be a powerful way to boost productivity, brainstorm ideas, and solve complex problems. However, the quality of the results you get often depends on the quality of the prompts you provide. Think of prompts as the instructions or questions you give to the AI. The clearer and more specific they are, the better the output will be. Here are some key strategies for writing effective prompts to maximize AI's potential.

Be as Specific as Possible
Vague prompts often lead to vague answers. For example, instead of saying “Tell me about marketing,” you might say “What are three effective digital marketing strategies for small businesses in the real estate industry?”  This gives the AI more context and direction, which helps it tailor the response to your needs.

Include Relevant Details
The more background information you can provide, the better. If you’re asking for help writing a social media post, let the AI know what platform it’s for, who the audience is, and what the goal of the post should be. For instance, a prompt like “Write an Instagram caption for a real estate listing targeting first-time home buyers in Rochester, NY” is more useful than just asking for “a real estate caption.”

Define the Format You Want
If you want the AI to write in a particular style or length, say so. Do you need a bulleted list, a short paragraph, or a formal email?  Including instructions like “write in a friendly tone” or “keep it under 200 words” can make a big difference. The AI will follow your guidance closely when you provide a clear format or tone.

Ask Follow-up Questions
AI can refine or expand its answers if you tell it what you liked or what you want changed. If the first answer is too broad, ask for more detail. If the tone is too formal, ask for a more casual rewrite. Iterating with the AI allows you to focus on exactly what you need, and it often leads to better results than expecting a perfect response the first time.

Experiment and Learn
Different types of prompts yield different kinds of responses, so don’t be afraid to try variations. Sometimes, simple rewording or the addition of a keyword can drastically improve the outcome. Over time, you’ll start to notice patterns and become more comfortable crafting prompts that deliver high quality results.

—Bob Manard

E-Z Volunteering, Without Overcommitting

RPCN succeeds because of a passionate group of volunteers who we thank for their time and dedication. But did you know there are volunteer needs that require very little of your time?

Here are a few of those easy but valuable tasks:

• Forward any networking events or free educational events promoted through your various communication channels to our newsletter team. Reach out to newsletter@rochesterconsultants.org for more information and guidelines.
• Repost entrepreneurial interest posts to the RPCN Group on LinkedIn. Reach out to Tom Fecteau for more information and guidelines.
• Repost RPCN social media posts (LinkedIn and Facebook) to your followers. Reach out to Mark Fling for more information and guidelines.
• Adding intro and ending screens to our Learn From The Best video recordings. Reach out to David Finger for more information and guidelines.
• Reaching out to two members a month for news or success stories. Reach out to Tom Fecteau for more information and guidelines.

Please email your interest to the parties noted above. Again, we thank all our volunteers for their time and effort.

“‘Many hands lighten the load for all.”

—Tom Fecteau