Open For Business
39 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 9 years ago -Open for Business is all about who, what, when, where and WHY of entrepreneurs and successfully running a business today, in Connecticut, and beyond. Hosts Tom Russo and Ken Cook talk to the people in the trenches, the business owners, influencers and advocates that make the whole thing work. Come along for the ride. The exploration is well worth it. You can direct always welcomed questions or comments to Tom at [email protected] and Ken at [email protected].
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Episodes
OFB 72 | Joe Zwiebel | Selling to Flat Organizational Charts
July 22, 2015 19:33 - 36 minutes - 50.6 MBWe talk with Joe Zwiebel, President of New England Business Media., about: What is a flat business org chart? Why is flat better for selling? And we role play with Joe Zwiebel selling US on advertising with his online publications.
OFB 71 | Models Come in All Shapes and Sizes
June 17, 2015 19:17 - 38 minutes - 51.5 MBIssue: Your business model is about how you make money. Rules: Sell products - gross margins rule the day Sell personal services - hourly optimization is key Sell knowledge - licensing and distribution matter Solve a need - Uber has no cars; Alibaba has no inventory Actions: Answer the following questions: What problem do you solve? Is it worth solving? Is anyone else focusing on the problem? Are you better? Will people pay for the answer? Will they pay enough to make it worthwhil...
OFB 70 | Johnny Mac & Me
June 10, 2015 21:02 - 22 minutes - 30.6 MBSocial Media has become CLICK BAIT for business owners getting screwed by consultants. I observe people forgetting the basic tenant of social media, if they ever knew it at all, and that’s is SOCIAL! Engaging with other, sans sales pitch. For this episode I ask my friend Johnny Mac -- owner of Barbarino Nissan and Barbarino Mitsubishi, to visit with me to discuss social media and how he uses it.
OFB 69 | CriquetShirts.com | Online Retailer of Classic Golf Shirts
April 15, 2015 20:41 - 18 minutes - 25.1 MBAt the age of five, Billy Nachman and Hobson Brown were forced into their first collared shirts to attend an all-boys school in New York City. Although initially squirmy and uncomfortable, the boys quickly began to notice the power of the polo: the approving nods from parents, the lingering glances from the ladies... These two lifelong friends have created a brand that is classic but not stuffy. They tell us how they did it.
OFB 68 | iDevices That Know You
November 19, 2014 18:20 - 26 minutes - 36 MBCEO and Founder of iDevices, Chris Allen, iDevices - started with the invention of the iGrill - one of the first app-enabled devices to be featured in the Apple retail stores way back in 2010, This was the cutting / bleeding edge of the IoT era - the Internet of Things era. Today Chris’ company, iDevices, blends the art and science of app development and hardware infuse to create wondrous new products to make our lives more enjoyable.
OFB 67 | How Inbound Marketing Helps New Sales Cycle
February 21, 2013 15:44 - 45 minutes - 53.3 MBInbound marketing and accurate marketing ROI -- they are like two peas in a pod. Beer prices may go up if fracking messes up the water. Starting an online business? A few bases you need to cover. Customers leaving? A few questions to ask. Brian, Tommy and Ken go far and wide in this episode of Open for Business. Steve Hall from Hubspot was our guest this week (he also run AdRant.com). He wrote a HubSpot blog post about how inbound marketing aligns well with how people make buying dec...
OFB 66 | Advertising vs Connecting | Google Bank and Trust
February 08, 2013 14:25 - 49 minutes - 56.8 MBSuper Bowl ads for $3.9M, social media hijackers, inbound marketing bubbles?, and a message of endearment from LinkedIn. All this and more to help you get and keep customers, on the latest edition of OFB. Brian, Tom and Ken explore the mania of advertising tied to the Super Bowl, specifically looking into some marketing stories tied to the game. http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/34138/the-top-5-super-bowl-themed-marketing-stories-of-the-week?source=Blog_Email_[The%20Top%205%20...
OFB 65 | Anti Social Media
February 04, 2013 15:54 - 45 minutes - 54.9 MBKen, Brian and Tommy “fly off” on the airlines and airports and then segue into an enlightening conversation about the revolution going on in our universities. And speaking of revolutions, Facebook appears to be, at the very least, redefining the rules of the social media game leaving some “users: feeling that Facebook is being rather anti-social with some of their new restrictions . http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/34108/facebook-puts-their-foot-down-and-other-marketing-stori...
OFB 64 | Almost Dante's Circles of Marketing Hell
January 24, 2013 17:26 - 47 minutes - 54.7 MBShort exploratory to marketing hell courtesy of HubSpot, wonder why Facebook needs a search engine, and discuss intrapreneurs vs. entrepreneurs. References to Dante aside, HubSpot says there are nine circles of marketing hell. From ugly content to bad automation to interrupting way too much, we take a look at all nine circles and how they hurt your marketing efforts. http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/34055/the-9-circles-of-marketing-hell-where-will-you-spend-eternity?source=Bl...
OFB 63 | The Talking Stick | 1+1=4
January 16, 2013 15:35 - 43 minutes - 50.1 MBhttp:/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/ofb.s3.amazonaws.com/OFB63_TheTalkingStick.mp3 On this edition of OFB Brian, Tommy and Ken take a crowd sourced funded trip to Vegas, visit another innovative online retailer, and explore how collaboration works in Silicon Valley, but doesn’t work in Washington. HOT POTATO NEWS: Crowd sourced funding is still wide open because the SEC has not acted yet. But they will. CrowdTilt (another Kickstarter funding site) tapped their crowd while the getting...
OFB 62 | Don't Stand Alone with Social Media
January 10, 2013 17:01 - 45 minutes - 47 MBSmart marketing is smart marketing, regardless of the venue. On this edition of OFB Brian, Tommy and Ken, along with our guest Chris Reimer explored some applications of smart marketing, and some not so smart marketing moves as well. Our first Hot Potato was ReferralKey.com. Describing itself as an online community of connected people sending lots of referrals to each other, we all concluded that what they really do is SPAM people and offer little in the way of new business opportunities....
OFB 61 | How to Raise Prices without Losing Customers: Lessons from Airline and Cable Companies
January 02, 2013 16:57 - 45 minutes - 49.4 MB-Which do you like better ALL INCLUDED pricing, or ALA CARTE pricing? -What company lost millions in dollars and customers, then gave their CEO a 100% pay increase? -And How to raise prices for your products or services and not lose business Guest Host: Lon Seidman - Host of Behind the Video and Lead Writer of CTTechJunkie.com, but also a partner in the Safety Zone, his family’s glove and safety equipment business, SafetyZone.com. *******HOT POTATO NEWS 1. Is Ala Carte ruining the Airli...
OFB 60 | Best Marketing of 2012 | Mommies, Spacedivers and Drama
December 30, 2012 23:40 - 51 minutes - 58.5 MBIn 2012 we saw wonderful marketing from clever producers and agencies. Here's a rundown of the top campaigns in 2012. What can we steal from their great ideas? Happy New Year! Tommy and Ken
OFB 59 | Practical GO VIRAL Tips
December 13, 2012 13:42 - 42 minutes - 48.8 MBWhen it comes to content everyone wants a virus, or better said, wants their content to go viral. We’ll explore how to do that. Plus, warm your heart this holiday season with a feel good story out of rural Minnesota. Give holiday cheers at the signs of the resurgence of American Manufacturing. Give holiday jeers to the hyped language overused on LinkedIn. Joe Leuken is a retiring grocer in Bemidji, MN. After 46 years Joe is giving up his multi-location grocery business and plans to tra...
OFB 58 | Ziglarisms & Top 12 Business Books
December 12, 2012 17:25 - 45 minutes - 39.4 MBAn interesting mix of items this week -- A 30 year fan offers surprising suggestion to HP; Burn your business plan before it burns you; Thumbs up / thumbs down on the best business books of 2012. Plus, some insights and homage to Zig Ziglar, a man who inspired generations of successful salespeople. We begin with some Hot Potato News items …. We talked last time about another multi-billion dollar write off HP endured with the purchase of Autonomy. Bill George, the former CEO of Medtron...
OFB 57 | Apple's Next Steps
December 12, 2012 16:32 - 41 minutes - 47.7 MBHot Potato News -- iPad owned 88% of Black Friday deals LINK Arrests made at Walmart on Friday for snooty strikers LINK IPOs in a deep freeze for now LINK HOSTS: Brian Parker: Chief HORN at OnTheHORN.com Jeffery Powers: Jeffrey Powers - Owner and podcaster at Geekazine.com - Started 5 years ago this month. 3 podcasts - Geek Smack!, iPad app show iPad365 and Day in Tech History - Daily rundown of technology history 365 days a year. Also just started a new website - How to Record Podcast...
OFB 56 | Inappropriate Holiday Thankyous To Customers
November 29, 2012 18:05 - 45 minutes - 32.2 MB[audio http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/ofb.s3.amazonaws.com/OFB56_SayThankyouToCustomers.mp3] OFB 56 | Saying thank you should not be reserved just for Thanksgiving, HP has no thanks for Autonomy, WalMart survived “no thanks” from workers, SAC Capital are just thankless bastards. On this edition of OFB Tom, Ken and Brian get in the spirit of the season and discuss saying thanks. First, some Hot Potato News items …. HP took another black eye in their strategy with a writeoff of $8...
OFB 55 | Sir Richard Branson Drives Wagon Off Cliff to Avoid Landmines!
November 14, 2012 14:58 - 45 minutes - 37.3 MBAn American icon rises, Branson is audacious, and landmines and cliffs. On this edition of OFB Tom, Ken and Brian revisit a favorite from our childhood with the Radio Flyer wagon. Sir Richard Branson discusses the need for audacity. Ken rants on the dismal NFC East. And we look at the post election forecasts, fiscal cliffs and all. First, some Hot Potato News items …. The iconic Radio Flyer Wagon -- A Different Kind of “American Radio” success story http://www.inc.com/magazine/201...
OFB 54 | CEO Turned Diesel Mule, Happy Feet at Penguin Publishing & The Art of Make the Business Connection
November 08, 2012 16:05 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBConnecting – when you first meet do you elevator pitch, sell, connect, ask, tell …? How good are your first-impression-making skills? We explore The Art of Making a Connection on this edition of Open For Business. But first, some Hot Potato News items …. Oh Sandy!! The storm was devastating, disrupting lives and destroying billions in property. The aftermath in terms of long term economic impact could be worse. Read more … http://www.marketplace.org/topics/generic/weather-economy/hurr...
OFB 53 | Confidence vs. Hubris | The Art of Selling Professional Services
October 25, 2012 15:35 - 45 minutes - 55.1 MBThere is a thin line between confidence and hubris. This is true is what ever we do, be especially in selling professional services. The top eleven business writers (Seth Godin, Alan Weiss, Keith Ferrazzi and others), have teamed up for a focused look at this most delicate endeavor: How to Sell Professional Services. Is it true that products are easier to sell than services? A product itself is has no ego to contend with in the selling cycle. This avoidance-of-arrogance makes the process c...
OFB 52| Social Media VS Advertising
October 17, 2012 14:41 - 45 minutes - 55 MB[audio ] Hot Potato News items are two articles that connect very well with our discussion this evening. 7 Targeted Social Networks Niche Marketers Should Try. Hubspot’s blog is on the mark again, exploring how the social network world is becoming more and more fragmented, not unlike great traditional niche marketing. http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33663/7-targeted-social-networks-niche-marketers-should-try?source=Blog_Email_[7%20Targeted%20Social%20Ne] 20 Stats That Expl...
OFB 51 | Poo-Poo On Franchisers | One Good Thing Only
October 12, 2012 16:52 - 48 minutes - 47.8 MBFranchising has great appeal, but is it right for you? Tom Russo, Brian Parker and Ken Cook take an in depth look at franchising; the good, bad and ugly of it. As always, we open with what’s Hot in the world of customers, marketing, and sales. Presenting the Hot Potato News for the first full week of October 2012. Are Facebook clicks totally meaningless? The answer is yes, no or maybe, depending on who you are. Hubspot’s blog explores how your social media metrics need to align with y...
OFB 50 |Top Ways to GET and KEEP Customers | Love Them Back
October 06, 2012 02:36 - 45 minutes - 49.8 MBThis is episode #50 – Who Loves You Baby!? If “customers” is not your answer, then tune in. Tom Russo, Ken Cook and Brian Parker explore seven ways+ to make customer love you As always, we open with what’s Hot in the world of customers, marketing, and sales. Presenting the Hot Potato News for the last week of September 2012. The Turf Wars Continue as Apple CEO Tim Cook says he is extremely sorry for IPhone maps frustration. The giants continue to battle for the control of your smartpho...
OFB 48 | Top Three CLASSIC Marketing MISTAKES
September 12, 2012 16:38 - 45 minutes - 49.6 MBMarketing is a foundational and necessary element because it tells the world who you are and maybe why they should do business with you. At least that’s the hope. The challenge is marketing encompasses so many different things and can and should be different for every company. What you say, who you say it to and the means in which you say it are all unique because each company is unique. More importantly, the customers you want to reach are unique. However, there are some universal trut...
OFB 47 | Linked In with LinkedIn | Marc Halpert
September 08, 2012 15:50 - 45 minutes - 49.7 MBIn the latest edition of Open for Business Tom Russo, Brian Parker and Ken Cook, along with our special guest Marc Halpert explore the world of Social Media. We looked at the Social Media universe and how the multitude of tools work, both independently and with each other. Our primary focus was on LinkedIn and its value in the B:B space; where it fits, how to use it, and the value it offers. We also talked about how Facebook and Twitter are much more B:C tools connecting businesses with c...
OFB 45 | Find and Create Great Jobs
August 29, 2012 14:02 - 45 minutes - 50.8 MBIn the latest edition of Open for Business Tom Russo, Brian Parker and Ken Cook explore where the jobs are, what jobs are worth getting, and how talent wins out on a global scale. PLus, the continuing titanic battle between Apple & Samsung (with Google and every mobile equipment maker on the planet being drawn into it). According to Forbes, if you are in the energy, technology, and (believe it or not) manufacturing fields, your industry is doing well. The best job opportunities are in the...
OFB 44 | In Zuck We Trust
August 23, 2012 15:47 - 45 minutes - 58 MBThis show covers a lot of territory in 45 short minutes. Ken Cook, Brian Parker and Tommy Russo explore in some depth the growing trend of “sequestering” by manufacturers as one more way for them to stay viable and for that matter profitable, too! Another topic that took up some of the show’s real estate was whether or not investing in Facebook stocks would prove to be, both short and long term, a good investment. As a sidebar to the Facebook discussion the three hosts shared their observat...
OFB 42 | LinkedIn Job Seekers (Not-So) Anonymous | A Group For You?
August 10, 2012 16:09 - 45 minutes - 45.8 MBIn our latest edition of Open for Business Tom Russo, Brian Parker, Ken Cook and guest Mike Lynch explore how understanding one’s passion and why you do something is a great accelerator for finding that ideal job. There are 631 people who are part of the CT Re-employment Group founded by Mike Lynch on LinkedIn. The group helps members with their job search. And one of the words they use most frequently to do that is why. Inspired by Simon Sinek’s bestseller Start with Why, members tap in...
OFB 41 | Getting Things Done, and Making Money While Doing It
August 02, 2012 01:03 - 45 minutes - 54.5 MBWhen it comes to getting things done everyone wants to do things right – being efficient. Everyone wants to do the right things – being effective. The best processes work though when everyone is disciplined to do things – they execute. Add to that the up front discipline of setting goals that are realistic, attainable and measurable, and you have a formula for success. In our latest edition of Open for Business Tom Russo, Brian Parker and Ken Cook went in depth on effectiveness, efficien...
OFB 40 | CEO for Only 20 Minutes | Top Leadership Skills
July 26, 2012 00:25 - 45 minutes - 53.6 MBJust because you get to the top of the mountain doesn’t mean you can stay there. Bad style had the proverbial door hitting CEO Bill Johnson on his way out. North Carolina Utilities Commission Board of Directors fired CEO Bill Johnson 20 minutes after the $32 billion merger of Duke Energy and Progress Energy. Why? Because the Board “felt Johnson’s style was too autocratic and discouraged different points of view”. Good leadership characteristics and bad leadership characteristics can be ...
OFB 39 | Covey Dies | Online Money Trick | Scams of Online Reputation "Defenders"?
July 23, 2012 15:44 - 54.7 MBDr Stephen Covey passed away on Monday the 16th of July. We reviewed his "7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and the relevance today. Hear Tony Robbins reaction to the passing of Covey. Seth Godin recently was explored “Making money in the digital world!” Godin’s blog entry on monetizing digital attention explains the odd paradigm that has developed in digital content creation. It appears, says Godin, that most everyone wants a business where they sit at home, develop content, put it o...
OFB 38 | Navigators of Bureaucracy | The McDonaldization of Banking
July 11, 2012 22:49 - 50 minutes - 50.7 MBI sure hope we don’t need a bank loan soon, because last night on Open for Business Tom Russo, Brian Parker and Ken Cook dove deep into the lack of lending by financial institutions. Businesses want to grow and there are thousands of them across the country who could grow with a little more capital behind them. There are hundreds of millions of dollars on bank balance sheets that are not getting to these businesses. Why not? In a sentence, because banks don’t have to lend the money to ma...
OFB 37 | Live From Vegas | Risk/Reward of Service
July 06, 2012 10:32 - 56.4 MBThe latest edition of Open for Business focused exclusively on Customer Service; what does it look like, how do you deliver it, and what should be the expectations? Tom Russo, Brian Parker, and Ken Cook challenged assumptions, questioned the “unreasonable” expectations of customers, and wondered, in the end, whether great customer service is worth it. After an engaging 45 minutes the definitive answer is YES, great customer service is worth it. Jessica Davis and Duke Cajala, two of Zappos...
OFB 36 | Don't Be Lazy; Online Marketing Easy | Vanishing Veins Success
June 28, 2012 01:15 - 45 minutes - 46.7 MBThis segment of “Open For Business” features Dr. Bruce Stein speaking with Ken Cook & Tommy Russo. Bruce is the Executive Director of Vanishing Veins & Vivesse, both located in the greater Hartford area. Bruce shares with Ken & Tommy how he made the decision to retire from his practice as a Gastroenterologist and turn his focus and energies to the marketing of the two practices that he and his wife, Dr Lori Greenwald, co-own! Bruce shares in detail the conscious decision that he and Lori ...
OFB 35 | Replace Your Website with an APP?
June 22, 2012 12:00 - 45 minutes - 51.4 MBGuest Expert: Matt Service, owner of Service Internet Solutions Having a website is just good business sense, right? Ten years ago, we all questioned why we need a website. Now APPs are the fad. Do we need a website and an APP? To answer this (or just further grapple with) Matt Sevice explains the trend and score card of open vs close internet experiences. The "walled garden" days of AOL could be coming back. Does this add security? Does this diminish freedoms?
OFB 34 | Why Over 90% of Businesses are Worth Nothing to a Buyer
June 15, 2012 10:50 - 45 minutes - 51.7 MBWhen it comes to exiting from their most valuable asset, their business, 90% of business owners do little to no planning. Last night on Open for Business Ken Savino, Partner with North Star Wealth Partners, joined Tom Russo and Ken Cook to explore why. Ken Savino believes you should start your thinking and planning for an exit around 10 years from the date you desire to leave. Yet so few owners do. And there is an ever increasing number of baby boomers who own businesses, and they are al...
OFB 33 | Next Facebook Born in CT | Fipeo.com
June 06, 2012 16:20 - 45 minutes - 56.1 MBMark Zuckerburg, Tom Houge’s coming up behind you. Sean Parker, Tom Houge’s Fipeo.com is better than your Airtime.com, and Tom built it for less than 1% of the $33.5 million you invested to launch Airtime. [audio ] Tom Houge is the co-founder of Fipeo.com and he was Tom Russo and Ken Cook’s guest this week on Open for Business. Tom represents what is great and innovative about the start-up world. Fipeo is a video chat platform that takes Facebook’s 4.74 degrees of separation and reduces...
OFB 32 | Get $10 Million for Your Business Idea!
June 05, 2012 02:02 - 45 minutes - 53.4 MBIt’s not alchemy. It’s not having a money tree. It’s crowdfunding – the latest means for entrepreneurs or anyone with an idea or project to get funding. Tom Russo and Ken Cook had as their guest this week on Open for Business Bob Metzler, an attorney and Principal with Cohn, Birnbaum & Shea in Hartford. Bob has looked long and hard at crowdfunding, what it entails, and what the roadblocks for it might be. Simply put, crowdfunding solicits “contributions” over the web. Using a portal su...
OFB 31 | Rags to Riches: Columbia Dental
June 05, 2012 01:30 - 49.3 MBYou hear their commercials everywhere. A great rags to riches story, hear how Dr. Abbas Mohammadi, DDS started with only $200 in his pocket and sleeping in his car, learned some valuable lessons from unrelated businesses, and why working 7 days a weeks isn’t like working 7 days a week. Home Depot amazes the DDS: the scope of products available under one roof. Inspiration of Leonardo da Vinci saying “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Elegant design and clarity of Steve Jobs’ desi...