Sponsored by High Performance Advocates, Sierra Commons and The Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce

If you are busy like me, you must have those days when you think, “I don’t have enough time? And I have a pet peeve:. I’m tired of tools, systems and processes that tell me that all I have to do is push through it and be more organized. There is a better way to regain your sanity: Stop Time Management. Start Energy Management. Come find out how.

SIGN UP HERE

“I’m Overwhelmed” Workshop from Ruth Schwartz on Vimeo.

Tuesday – Feb: 21         9-11AM

“Get Focus!”

If you are busy like me, you must have those days when you think,  “I don’t have enough time? And I have a pet peeve:. I’m tired of tools, systems and processes that tell me that all I have to do is push through it and be more organized. There is a better way to regain your sanity: Stop Time Management. Start Energy Management. Come find out how.

Tuesday – March 20th     9-11AM

“Selling Your Expertise: How to Position Yourself for Increased Sales”

Make money with your knowledge. You are already an expert. Why not make money at it?  Explore your expertise, tell your story, be indispensable to your customer and make money.

Tuesday – April 17th     9-11AM

“I Need a Marketing Plan!”

What should you do and what shouldn’t you do? How do you know if it is working? How much should you spend? Prepare the right plan for you and get ready for results.

Feb / March / April Workshops on 3rd Tuesdays: 9- 11 AM

Sierra Commons 107 Sacramento St. #300  Nevada City

$35 each or 3 for $90

SIGN UP HERE

After signing up for the workshop, you will get the EBook

“10 Things You Can Do Right Now to Stop Overwhelm” by Ruth Schwartz for free! (Just sign up to the High Performance Advocates list.)

Presented by Ruth Schwartz

Ruth is a certified leadership coach, facilitator  of leadership mastermind groups, published author and owner of High Performance Advocates.

Printers Drying Up Your Budget?

Due to the pressing and stress filled concept of a cost cutting printer solution most business owners (especially small businesses) run into, their is a required need to breakdown the available options on the market and ascertain a frugal and yet reliable printer. With the aid of knowing and respectable sources we have narrowed down the options to a couple reasonable printers, which small business owners would find to be a grand spec of utility and a low cost measure in their books.

These three options are available all under $400 and each possess different strengths in cost and output.

•  The least expensive overall would be the Samsung CLP-325W, however it does present drawbacks other printers do not have. At $145 it’s definitely one of the cheapest color laser printers available. Toner is about $45 per color for genuine Samsung cartridges, with cartridges lasting for between 1000 and 1300 pages, this volume is not awesome yet it is not a raw deal either. In recent reviews there have been some complaints about overall structure and efficiency and the print quality isn’t the best.
•  With a slight hike in initial cost their is the HP LaserJet CP1525NW. At $200 it’s still an inexpensive color laser printer, and the reviews for it on most sites are mostly positive and consistent. It’s cost-per-page is slightly higher than the Samsung, at about $60 per 1000 to 1300 pages for black or the colors, which, again, is not  the kind of inexpensive volume you would find in robust corporate offices, yet may be just right for small volume. However, if you’re going for print quality, this printer seems to have the best reviews for color and sharpness. Several personal accounts from people have expressed some frustration with HP printers in the long run, but there is always ways to ensure yourself a durable printer with the level of care administered.
•  Then there is, at the outset, a slightly more expensive Brother HL-4150CDN. It’s $365, which puts it way ahead of the other printers in terms of up-front cost. You really can’t beat the cost-per-page on this printer though: about $85 for a 3500 page cartridge, which is much higher capacity than either of the other two printers. Reviews on this printer are mostly positive, and the most common complaint seems to be that the print color is not as vibrant as HP. Unless you require precision over everything in your printer this small complaint should not be much of an issue for any small business use. The durability and cost for volume with this printer makes it a very desirable option.

Lastly, the Samsung does not have an ethernet connection; it does mention wifi setup via the WPS protocol, which is supposed to be of no trouble as a wifi setup. However, your router must also support WPS. If this is not a pressing need of your business there should be no concern. Otherwise there are other options.

Information in this blog post originally provided by Rob Sheldon of No Problem, a Nevada County based computer service and technology needs company.

To help Nevada County’s businesses thrive and survive during this challenging economy, Sierra Commons is hosting a Lunch & Learn  series that includes a presentation or roundtable discussion by some of our area’s leading business professionals.

There will be plenty of time for questions, networking and socialization. The series includes topics relevant to small business owners, entrepreneurs and working professionals and are available to all Nevada County residents.

Bring a brown bag filled with your favorite midday meal and learn something to move your business forward.

A $10 donation is requested.

For a complete scheduled please visit the Lunch & Learns page.

Facilitated by Paul Platner of Work Is Worship, the group is helping people people find employment and get back to work.  Check it out!

About the class: Students from Cat’s class receive all the skills and knowledge needed to launch a basic WordPress website publicly or privately through live, in-person training. The class is geared to folks who are new to WordPress, though for those who already have a WordPress site, the class will also have great benefit since each student can work at his/her own pace.

Cat takes students from the ground up with getting a domain name and web hosting service, through installing WordPress and setting up a website for success. Cat provides individualized attention to each student by keeping the class size small (8 people maximum).

By projecting her laptop onto a large screen, Cat directs students in real time, so students can ask questions in real time, and work on their own website in real time.

Registered attendees receive email support during the class and for 2 weeks after the 4th and final class is complete. Students also receive a link-filled PDF for future reference and access to a private membership site with video screen captures from the classes (and soon to come, networking opportunities with other members).

Please note: Students must attend all 4 sessions of the class to receive PDF and other resources.

REGISTER HERE

Nevada City, CA January 6, 2012 – Some Nevada County, CA residents are stepping up to very publicly shave their heads to keep the South Yuba River and Malakoff Diggins State Parks from closing.

The State’s budget issues have led to draconian cuts, and the State Parks are one of the hardest hit, but regions that have fought for their parks have seen progress towards taking them off of the closure list. The South Yuba River Citizen League (SYRCL) is spearheading this fight locally, educating the public and generating community energy to save the parks and keep them open and accessible. A petition is circulating, the goal is to send 5000 signatures to California Gerry Brown to show support for the parks and, hopefully, stem their impending closures.

Generating as many signatures as possible inspired a new movement – “S(h)ave Our Yuba State Parks.”

It started when former SYRCL Director Shawn Garvey agreed to bare his dome once the petition reached 2000 signatures, a number achieved in just a few days. Soon after, two more residents, Robert Trent and Mike Mooers, agreed to undergo the same hair-styling procedure should other benchmarks be reached.

Mooers set that benchmark at six thousand signatures. “Let’s show the state that this community needs and loves these parks. Five-thousand signatures sends a powerful message, but when we hit 6000 it gets loud.” He notes that getting buzzed is a bit of a sacrifice. “I have nice hair – definitely nicer than Garvey’s – but our parks are far more valuable than vanity.”

Adds Trent: “There’s an alignment: The Yuba is the fiber of our community, my hair is the fiber of my head. I love my community and the parks that are such a big part of it. I will proudly sacrifice my personal fibers for the greater good, and to get people to step up and sign.”

“The ‘S(h)ave the Yuba State Parks’ movement has definitely raised the stakes of personal commitment to keeping our parks open,” said Caleb Dardick, SYRCL’s Executive Director. “We surpassed our goal of 5,000 signatures in only 10 days so we raised the goal to 7,000 – maybe that will challenge a few others to put their locks on the line too.”

The heads will be publicly shaved during SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Every year Wild & Scenic brings leading filmmakers, activists, social innovators, celebrities and adventurers to the largest festival of its kind in the country, and the audiences pack the small town. This year’s begins Friday, January 13th, with hair styling commencing at 5 PM in front of the Mowen-Solinsky Gallery on Broad Street. Stylists from Bel Capelli Salon will provide professional shearing services.

Garvey, who spends much time at the Yuba with his children, is putting tremendous effort into raising awareness about the closures. “The parks are so important to us. The river is our soul, and Malakoff is our history. Beyond the personal connections my family and I have to these parks is the impact closures would have on the community. Tourism would drop off, jobs would be lost, and it would be emotionally and economically devastating to Grass Valley, Nevada City and the entire area.”

Now with SYRCL’s leadership, the community is responding to the increased goal. “Anyone can sign, adults, kids, whether you live here or not,” says Garvey. “All you need is a love for the river, or Malakoff’s link to our history.”

If you are interested in signing, visit SYRCL’s website, www.yubariver.org, and click on the link for the on-line petition. Or take it up a level, download a printable petition form, and go get some signatures in person.

About the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) and the Wild & Scenic Film Festival:

SYRCL (pronounced “circle”) is the leading voice for the protection and restoration of the Yuba River and the Greater Yuba Watershed. Founded in 1983 through a rural, grassroots campaign to defend the South Yuba River from proposed hydropower dams, SYRCL has developed into a vibrant community organization with over 3,500 members and volunteers based in Nevada City, CA. SYRCL is the leading regional advocates for creating resilient human and natural communities throughout the greater Yuba River basin by restoring creeks & rivers, regenerating wild salmon populations, and inspiring & organizing people—from the Yuba’s source to the sea—to join in the movement for a more wild & scenic Yuba River. More information at www.yubariver.org,

This January 13-15th, SYRCL’s 10th Annual Wild & Scenic® Film Festival returns with another incredible selection of films to change your world.  Each year, the Wild & Scenic® Film Festival draws top filmmakers, celebrities, leading activists, social innovators and well-known world adventurers to the historic downtown of Nevada City, California. More information at http://www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org/

Nevada County’s business and environmental communities don’t always agree. But on one subject, we have a consensus: closing access to the South Yuba will be a devastating blow to our county’s future.

Join us and thousands of Californians: ask Governor Brown to work with Nevada County residents to keep our state parks open.

While the state has been drawing up plans to close both Malakoff Diggins and South Yuba River State Parks, a coalition of local residents has been working to find an alternative. In December, over 400 people packed a town hall meeting in Nevada City to discuss ways to keep the park open. Sierra Commons strongly endorses this community-driven effort.

Tourism brings over $250 million into our local economy every year (Nevada County Economic Resource Council, PDF). The South Yuba is the backbone of Nevada County tourism—park closures are an unaffordable and unacceptable threat.

This is a big deal for all residents of Nevada County. Stand up for our livelihoods—it only takes a few seconds. Or, download a printable petition to share with friends and family.

Sincerely,

Max Norton, Interim Chair
Robert Trent, Executive Director
and the Sierra Commons Board of Directors

P.S. For more great resources on this issue, visit SYRCL’s Save our Yuba State Parks page.

P.P.S. Please chip in $10 to help support Sierra Commons.

E*Spark

Are you ready to strike out on your own, but haven’t quite figured out what you want to do?  Have you considered the Business Ignitor class but aren’t quite sure what your business is? Are you ready to have your inner entrepreneur sparked?  Right-Click, in partnership with Sierra Commons, is offering a course in just that: a viable business that aligns with who you are.  In ten sessions over four weeks, you will identify your talents, develop your understanding of entrepreneurship, embark in creative brainstorming, do market research, and develop and present three preliminary business concepts.  This course will make you “shovel ready” for the Sierra Commons Business Ignitor.

Course Description

Where does entrepreneurial inspiration come from?  We typically picture entrepreneurs as part genius and part workaholic; the superhuman among us.  Successful entrepreneurs, contrary to conventional belief, are not wild risk takers.  They are methodical thinkers who use an understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses to communicate and lead us towards a common vision of valuable products or services.

This course will show us that creativity is in all of us, and that we can develop and present viable business ideas that meet our personal criteria using a combination of creativity strategies, problem solving tools, and structured practice.  In this 4-week, 10-session class, we will quickly develop a close working group as we identify our core strengths and professional goals.  We will then use brainstorming activities and a bit of field work to develop three short business proposals: practice runs for the final pitch session. The final pitch session will be made to the class and to the Sierra Commons business team.

Objectives:

You will develop a viable business concept that meets your personal goals.

You will get a head start in developing your business concept and making the most of Sierra Common’s Business Ignitor course.

At the least, even if no business concept comes directly out of your participation in this class, it might indirectly.  You will move further along your own road of discovery, have the support of like-minded people during the process.

Course Elements:

• Short Readings, homework, and classroom discussion
• Classroom exercises in creativity and developing possibilities
• Field and office research; preparation for short business presentations
• Presentations and Peer Critiques

Logistics:

• Ten 90 minute classes held at Sierra Commons,
• A team building activity and pot luck dinner the weekend of Jan 14-16
• Final Presentation to the class and the Sierra Commons Business Team
• Class Size approximately 5 – 9 students per section
• Up to three sections, depending on enrollment
• Cost  $300

Course Schedule:

For more information, EMAIL US NOW

Nevada City, CA – One year ago Wicked Good Copy & Communications launched from Nevada City’s business incubator, Sierra Commons. The firm focuses on copywriting, delivering proven results for a wide variety of clients, national and local, and they have rapidly added several prominent accounts. Now, building on the momentum of their success, they are ready to add even more and further grow the business.

Wicked Good’s national roster includes Discovery Communications, Gaiam, Mountain Hardwear, KEEN footwear and mortgage software giant, Ellie Mae. Local clients include, BriarPatch, Boga Paddleboards (Sierra Commons Graduate), Flour Garden Bakery, J.J. Jackson’s, Think Local First and the Wild & Scenic Film Festival.

This mix of local and national keeps creativity and variety flowing, helping Wicked Good to enjoy what they do that much more.

“We’ve had a lot of success, and serious growth in just a year,” says Wicked Good’s principal writer and creative director, Mike Mooers. “Adding to the client family is great fun – each new one stretches us creatively, allowing us to better serve everyone.  We’re mixing cowboy boots, yoga mats, mortgage software, organic groceries, non-profits and NGO’s, and mountaineering gear. It’s quite a soup. They each require distinctive voices, yet the specific approach towards one informs nuances within the others. We love it, seems like they do too.”

This client soup has led to a variety of different projects. “One favorite was the BriarPatch ad campaign,” says Mooers. “Personal ads for food – cabbage, avocado, milk, eggs, beef, watermelon – that stressed their qualities and healthy features, especially the fact that were locally produced, organic, and GMO free. It took something preachy and made it fun.” Mooers collaborated with local graphic designer, Stephanie Camp, to create this original approach.

On a national scale Wicked Good has crafted lead generation campaigns, print ads, e-books, and lots of web content. One pet project is writing copy for Discovery Communication DVD packaging. “Love those. This is not a major revenue stream, but it’s fun to create something that is going to compel a consumer’s interest at the point of purchase, and drive them to buy the disc.” Samples of the work may be seen at wickedgoodcopy.com.

Working with local clients is important to Mooers. He is very active with Think Local First, and understands the broader economic benefits of local business-to-business relationships. “Whether it’s BriarPatch and me, or farmers and restaurants, performance spaces and piano tuners – locals hiring locals keeps our dollars circulating in our community, and keeps your neighbors employed.” He also attributes much of Wicked Good’s success to the educational and networking opportunities provided by Sierra Commons. “It is THE place to kickstart your new business,” says Mooers.

Bottom line? “Look, customers know when copy doesn’t work. It can be any number of things– the wrong tone, lack of flow– they just know it’s off, and that pushes them away from your brand. It is a fine, fine line between copy that stinks and copy that engages. You need to be on the right side of that line.”