From the keyboard of Lee Schearer,
America "The land of opportunity"?
I have recently read numerous news accounts that have asked or addressed that very question. Depending upon their agenda, like most questions posed today there is never a shortage of answers and never an opportunity lost to skew the answer to fit the opinions of the respondent. And, in this 24/7 communications and Internet world in which there is an infinite number of opinions offered on every imaginable subject possible. Like everyone else, my opinions are based in part by my personal life experiences. Since I have over 38 years of self-employed business experience, I will claim some authority to discuss a business and self-employed entrepreneur's point of view, as I am addressing the Leads Group members, and the Leads Group is a self-employed members business group.
I, for one, still believe that America is "the land of opportunity" and I need only to attend our regular meetings to confirm my opinion. I see it every week, when I hear of the business successes that our members speak of, when they thank others in the group for using their services or who buy their products. But more importantly, I hear it in their testimonies, and in their voices of optimism, in their spontaneous joy and laughter, of their willingness to give of their time for the benefit of others, and their support of those who are just beginning their journey of self-employment.
On December 7th, we will once again offer our members the "Opportunity" to share their services and products with the Orange & Durham Counties business community, as The Leads Group will offer a table for you at the Orange County Business Expo. Once again, I will confirm my opinion that "the land of opportunity" is alive and well at the Chapel Hill Leads Group.
I invite you to attend our Wednesday morning meeting, and to seize the opportunity, offered to you by our members, to grow your business and your social network. I hope to see you this week, with a smile on your face, a joyous song on your mind and an attitude of gratitude for the freedoms and opportunities available in this great land that we call America.
Respectfully,
Lee Schearer
Calendar:
Weekly Meeting:
Our regularly scheduled weekly meeting will be held Wednesday morning at Extraordinary Ventures, Inc.,
200 South Elliott Road, Chapel Hill from 8:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. Meeting Dues are $5.00 per
week. Place your business card and $1.00 in the Optional Drawing. One card will be
selected and that person will receive the week's kitty. For Express Check-In, please arrive with a
$5.00, a $1.00, and a business card and we will check you in. We greatly appreciate your bringing correct
change. We cannot change large denomination bills ($10, $20, $50, etc.) and cannot accept checks.
This Week's Speaker:
Have questions or concerns about your house or its systems? For his 10-minute presentation, Jamey Tippens
will take on the hardest home maintenance questions in your repertoire. For the what, when, where, why and
how of houses, don't miss this week's Leads meeting!
Jamey is an expert home inspector with more than 53 years of experience. He has built or inspected homes,
yurts, bungalows, teepees, sheds, barns, studios, garages, privies, cabins, cottages, and post offices.
Among other things.
Speaker's Schedule for September / October 2009
7 October - Marcia Corprew, Town Planner
14 October - open
21 October - Barbara-Lynn Freed, Center for Transformational Studies
28 October - Vivienne Carosso, Cookie Lee Fine Fashion Jewelry
Keep It Simple - Attend the Leads Group meeting at least 50% of the time for 3
consecutive months. Ask Lou Umscheid to place you on the speakers schedule. Continue to attend
at least 50% of the Leads Group meetings until your presentation. Continue to attend the Leads
Group meeting to strengthen your new referral network.
Did You Know:
Leadership: Opening Reception & Orientation - 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday, September 28, 2009
Leadership Chapel Hill-Carrboro - now in its 25th year - is a 10-week, intensive program designed to
develop a continual pool of leadership talent for our Chapel Hill-Carrboro community. The program
challenges participants to increase their leadership potential by better understanding themselves, the
Chapel Hill- Carrboro community, and the skills necessary to lead. Twenty-five participants will learn
from today's leaders about the social, cultural, political and economic facets of our community, as well
as participate in team-building exercises and skills curriculum taught by local experts.
Invited Guests: Leadership Chapel Hill-Carrboro 2009 participants, alumni, & sponsors. Register online
at
www.carolinachamber.org/leadership. Schedule is subject
to slight changes.
Women's Roundtable - 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The women's roundtable is a chance for Women Business owners with chamber membership and women managers of
businesses with chamber membership to come together to discuss opportunities and challenges in doing business
in the Triangle in an ever-changing economy. The meeting agenda includes introductions, success stories,
member presentations, book reports and hot topics. The Women's Roundtable meets the fourth Tuesday of each
month at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, 104 South Estes Drive, Chapel Hill, 27514. Women's
Roundtable membership is open to active Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce members. For additional information
regarding the Women's Roundtable, contact Marcia Corprew of Town Planner at 919.491.9904, Barbara Jesse-Black
of PTA Thrift Shop at 919.942.6565, Wendy Tanson of Re/Max Winning Edge at 919.971.7180, or
Whitney Woodyard Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce
Program Coordinator, at 919.357.9980 for information regarding the Women's Roundtable.
Leadership: Discussion of Expectations & Content with Bus Tour - 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Discussion of Expectations & Content & Chapel Hill-Carrboro Bus Tour
Invited Guests: Aaron Nelson, President & CEO, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce. Register online
at
www.carolinachamber.org/leadership. Schedule is subject
to slight changes.
Business Before Hours - 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Friday, October 2, 2009
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce's Business Before Hours is hosted and sponsored by
Mediterranean Deli.
Mediterranean Deli is located at 410 West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. No registration required. Free for
Chamber members. Questions? Contact Whitney Woodyard | 357.9980 |
wwoodyard@carolinachamber.org.
Don’t forget your business cards!
Small Business Roundtable - 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Putting It All Together Online: How to use your website, a blog, facebook and other online tools to
successfully market your business. - Alan Hecht - Founder and President, MULTI-CHANNEL MARKETING
What you will learn:
- Marketing starts with the Market - Understanding your Market
- Setting the Table with your Website as the Centerpiece - The 4 Key Elements
- Creating "guest" Invitations
- Search Engines
- Blogs
- Social Media – interactive – attendees will be asked to share any success stories they have had with social media
- Measuring Effectiveness
Attendance is limited to 30 registrants. If you or any of your employees have an interest in this timely and
essential session, RSVP to Whitney Woodyard by August 31 and reserve your
seat today.
The Small Business Roundtable meets the first Wednesday of each month in the Greater Chapel Hill Association
of REALTORS Conference Room at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, 104 South Estes Drive, Chapel Hill,
27514. Small Business Roundtable membership is open to active Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce members. Contact
Robert Altier of DeWitt Law at 919.338.8200 or
Whitney Woodyard of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce
Program Coordinator at 919.357.9980 for information regarding the Small Business Roundtable.
Chapel Hill Candidates Forum - 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce is hosting a forum for candidates running for Town Council at Lincoln Center.
Carrboro Candidates Forum - 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce is hosting a forum for candidates running for Town Council at Carrboro Town Hall.
Networking In Your Neighborhood
Alamance Leads Group
The Alamance Leads Group (
www.alamanceleads.com) meets every Monday at
Mimi's Cafe, Alamance Crossing off I-40/I-85 at Exit 140, Burlington, 27215. Dick O'Donnell
(
dickodonnell@clearwire.net) with Cableless Solutions
(919-760-5476) is the facilitator. The Alamance Leads Group meet from 8:15 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Apex Leads Group
The Apex Leads Group (
www.apexleadsgroup.com) meets every Tuesday at
Carrabba's Italian Grill, 1201 Haddon Hall Drive, Apex 27502. Eric Sayer
(
ESayer@LendingForYou.com) with Prime Mortgage Lending, Inc.
(919-601-38235) is the facilitator. The Apex Leads Group meet from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Breakfast Club
Just a reminder that the breakfast club is still meeting at 7:00am at the Weathervane Restaurant. Anyone is invited
to share good conversation and a quick breakfast before our regular Leads Group meeting at our new location. This
is one way that we can continue to support the management & staff that supported the Leads Group for such a long
time.
Cary Leads Group
The Cary Leads Group (
www.caryleadsgroup.com) meets Thursdays at the
BNC, 649 Walnut Street, Cary 27511. Andy Siouville (919-363-7010) is the facilitator. The Cary Leads Group meet
from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Chapel Hill Leads Group
The Chapel Hill Leads Group (
www.chapelhillleads.com) meets
every Wednesday at Extraordinary Ventures
(
www.extraordinaryventures.org),
200 South Elliott Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Lee Schearer (919-490-1922) with American Real Estate and Appraisal
Company and Don Bonin (919-542-2446) with Town & Country Trader are the facilitators. The Chapel Hill
Leads Group meet from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Chatham County Leads Group
Durham Leads Group
The Durham Leads Group meets every Tuesday at Piper's Deli
(
www.pipersdeli.com),
3219 Old Chapel Hill Road, Durham, NC 27707. Randy Bernstein
(
Randy@etchNstitch.com) (919-732-3473) with Etch N Stitch and Jane
Clark (
Jane.A.Clark@EdwardJones.com) (919-419-1761) with
Edward Jones Investments are the facilitators. The Durham Leads Group meet from 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Hillsborough Leads Group
The Hillsborough Leads Group (
www.hillsboroughleads.net) meets
every Thursday morning of each month at The Village Diner, 600 West King Street, Hillsborough,
NC. Ned Parsons of American Speedy Printing (919-493-0985) and Caryn Byrd of Home Instead Senior Care
(919-933-3300) are the facilitators. The Hillsborough Leads Group meet from 8:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.
Holly Springs Leads Group
Holly Springs Leads Group (
hollyspringsleadsgroup.com) meets
every Wednesday at Java Divine (
www.javadivine.com) in the Bass Lake
Shopping Center, 128 Bass Lake Road, Holly Springs, NC. Wendy Harrington with Sidekick Communications
(919-208-7484) and Barb Louis with PartyLite Gifts (919-772-9560) are the facilitators. The Holly Springs Leads
Group meet from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
North Raleigh Leads Group
The North Raleigh Leads Group (
www.northraleighleads.com) meets
every Monday morning at the Stone Wolf Coffee, 8300 Health Park, Raleigh, NC. David Stoner with EnviroFix (919-847-5355)
and Charlie Edinger with Second Chance Solutions (919-219-5264) are the facilitators. The North Raleigh Leads Group
meet from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Northern Wake Leads Group
The Northern Wake Leads Group (
www.northernwakeleads.com) meets
every Tuesday morning at the Bottle & Bean, 929 Heritage Lake Road, Suite 600, Wake Forest, NC, 27587. Sue
Robinson with 4-Minute Fitness/ Genetic Nutrition (919-570-0913) and Lisa Angell with Mary Kay Cosmetics
(919-676-0451) are the facilitators. The Northern Wake Leads Group meet from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Western Wake Leads Group
Western Wake Leads Group (
westernwakeleads.com) meets every Thursday
morning at the BNC, 649 Walnut Street, Cary NC 27511. Bill Carraway with Pre-Paid Legal (919-605-4895) is the
facilitator. The cost will be $5 and includes breakfast. The Western Wake Leads Group meet from
8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. For further information click here:
http://smallbiz.meetup.com/483/calendar/7054450/ or call the BNC at 919-342-5251.
