A few memories/thoughts of St. Patricks day in Ireland... For what ever reason, today, March 17th, for 24 hours the world becomes Irish. The national holiday of the little island I grew up on (which is only about 150 miles wide and 350 miles long) has become a world wide event. Cities around the world turning everything from rivers to beers to eggs... green! Corned beef (which I never heard of till I came to the States!) and cabbage will be everywhere, pubs will be packed and Guinness will make a few more million dollars! A few folks have been asking me who is St. Patrick and what is it all about .... It is impossible to tell about a saint without a religious reference so I apologize in advance to those of you who might be offended by that. St. Patrick is the person who brought Christianity to Ireland, the Shamrock is a tiny 3 leaf plant that he used to symbolize the 3 parts of the Holy Trinity all being part of one God ... why all the beer and whiskey??? Who knows! Unless the old saying is true that God invented Whiskey to stop the Irish from ruling the world!!! I remember as a kid in Ireland watching the adults "drown the shamrock" on St. Patricks day. We wore a few leaves of shamrock pinned to our jackets on St. Patrick's day, after church we would all (dads, moms, kids, friends, enemies...everyone) go to the pub. Adults would order pints of Guinness and the kids had sodas. The older men would let their Guinness settle to a perfect creamy head and then sprinkle two or three of the tiny shamrock leaves on the top of their pint, they would raise their glasses to St. Patrick and drink a few mouthfuls making sure they got the shamrock leaves. Then we would go home and cook a meal and hang out with Family...it reminds me a little of Thanksgiving here. To this day in Ireland in the midst of all the green beer and mad parties...the older folks still go to their favorite pub after church and "drown the shamrock" in honor of St. Patrick! Whether you drown the shamrock, eat green eggs and ham, listen to Irish music, read some Irish poetry wear green socks or totally ignore the whole event ... as your friend ... for you and your family I raise my glass: "Slainte agus Beannachtam na Femle Padraig!" which is Gaelic for "To Your Health ... and Happy St. Patrick's Day! Your Irish Friend Colm O Ceallaigh (Colm Kelly)

If you are interested in talking to and reaching the small business market in San Diego County and Orange County you should consider being a guest sponsor on our weekly small business radio show on AM1000KCEO.

We have developed some very affordable packages where not only do you get TEN - 30 second advertisements on the show during prime drive time (Thursday Mornings 7-8am) but you also get to be one of our regular guests LIVE on the program where our listeners can call in and have you answer their questions. There are only 4 sponsorships available at this special rate of $599 / Month. No Long term contracts required. 

Ad Production included at no cost if you book your spot before April 30th. 

For details on this this or other Sponsorship opportunities call 760-602-9321 Ext 111 today.

---

In our Smarter Small Business Conference on Tuesday, Feb. 5th we will be discussing two powerful and important strategies to help you take your business to the next level:

Tuesday, February 5, 2008
8:15 AM	Training	Smarter Mission, Vision & Goals to keep everyone focused
	Workshop	Creating Your Mission, Vision & Goals
12:00 PM	Training	Smarter Bookkeeping Skills with QuickBooks
	Workshop	Setting Up & Refining Your Bookkeeping Strategies

If you are serious about growing your business, you should attend one or both of these topics.

---

Are You Insane?

Do you feel like your business is running you ragged?

The Good News is You are not alone! . Most small business owners feel the same way, they spend their days putting out fires, they are frustrated that they are not further along in their business, they wish they had more money and didn't need to work so many hours!

Well my question to you is what are you going to do about it? You have choices! In fact you have 3 options:

1. You could choose to keep doing what you are doing, quit complaining and whining about it and accept that that's how things are going to be! (Not recommended!)
   
2. You could choose to throw in the towel, sell or quit your business and go get a JOB! (A four letter word in my personal opinion!)  OR ...
3. You could choose to figure out what you are doing wrong and learn how to improve those areas of your business that are holding you back by asking others who know how to do it right. Learn how others have done it and achieved success, master the steps involved to take your business to the next level of success, commit you and your team to constant improvement ... it starts by simply scheduling some time every week to work on learning and implementing a new strategy.

If you will schedule 4-6 hours a week (about 10% of your time) each week to either:

• Plan your future & write out the steps you will take to get there
• Learn and implement a new strategy
• Write out a new system or procedure so it is written and not just in your head
• Train your employees or contractors as to how you want something done
• Do some simple market research to eliminate trial and error marketing

You will take control and be able to grow your business to what you know it can be. It's a choice ... and the great news is it's your choice!

If that makes sense for you and you are ready to either do it yourself or (get out of your own way ) ask for help .... a smarter small business coaching program (or another coaching program) might be right for you. Every successful business owner or top sports team has a coach ... shouldn't you?  To explore if we might be a fit to accelerate your success call 760-602-9321 ext 111 today to schedule a free business analysis meeting with one of our professional coaches.

Remember if you want tomorrow's results to be any better than yesterday's you must change what you are doing today! Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity! Don't be insane ... change your activity and make 2008 the year you break all your barriers.

---

About The Speaker:

Colm Kelly is the Co-Founder and President of Smarter Small Business.com a coaching, consulting and strategy planning company for small business owners.

He is known for delivering real world solutions to complex business and marketing issues. Colm has been featured in many national and international business publications, radio and TV shows for his unique and fun approach to business.

He is the Host of the weekly Smarter Small Business Radio show on AM1000 KCEO the show all about small business issues.

---

Special 3 Hour Seminar Event

"12 SMARTER STRATEGIES TO DOUBLE YOUR BUSINESS IN ONE YEAR
...AND TRIPLE IT IN TWO!

In this information packed seminar you will:

• Learn the top 12 strategies used by all successful business owners to grow their business.
• Get clear on what you are doing right, what you are doing wrong and what you are missing.
• Be able to ask questions about your specific situation.
• Learn the top 4 marketing strategies for small business owners.

This special seminar is limited to only 20 attendees, so reserve your seats early. 

WHEN:  Tuesday February 12th - 8:00AM - 11:30AM

WHERE: 2382 Faraday Ave Suite 250, Carlsbad, CA 92008

COST: Non Members - $169, Members: $99

RSVP: (760) 602-9321 Ext 111

---

 

 

 

The first annual Smarter Party was a huge success.

On Aug 29th 2007, over 300 pro active small business owners joined us for an evening of networking where the theme was "Having Fun Doing Business.

With four Chambers of Commerce, 22 exhibitors, over 300 attendees the event brought together a great mix of business owners and professionals who are loooking to grow their business.

As one exhibitor said, "I got more qualified leads at this one event than the last 3 events I exhibited at put together!" "It is our goal to make the annual "Smarter Party" the biggest event of the year for small business in San Diego County". Says Kelly, President of Smarter Small Business.

The Sponsors, Always Positive, Streeter Law Group, CoCo& Associates and Foremost Printing and Graphics made the event possible. Without them we could not have put this on at that level. Food was provided by Slice of Heaven Catering with a delicious Ice Cream Sundae bar.

With the success of this first event, we are already planning the next one and putting together sponsorship packages for it.

If you are interested in more information contact us at 760-602-9321

If you provide products or services to Small Business Owners ... you should consider joining us for lunch on Wednesday May 7th  at 11:30 for our monthly meeting of   "The Smarter Network" .

 

We are now accepting applications from business to business professionals who are looking for a unique approach to an old but powerful concept : Networking/Referral groups.

 

The Smarter Network is a group of professionals dedicated to helping small business owners.  

 

We all know the power of networking, however with so many demands on our time The Smarter Network incorporates new efficiencies using a combination of Net Meetings and Marketing Techniques to help grow every members business while staying focused on the small business community.

 

For more information visit our  website at www.thesmarternetwork.com

 

If you are interested in exploring if this group is a fit for you, join us for our next meeting.

When:  Wednesday, May 7th from 11:30 - 1:00pm

Where: Smarter Small Business Office Conference Room at 2382 Faraday Ave. Suite 250, Carlsbad.

RSVP: Call Bob at Smarter Small Business at 760-602-9321 Ext 112