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:

Bill Carraway has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. During his career he has managed sales forces up to 60 reps nationwide. He has trained and motivated sales people and small business owners in the areas of sales, time management, goal setting, organization many other topics. Bill is an accomplished public speaker and has spoken before groups of as many as 1000+. Bill has owned several businesses over the years including a residential building & development company, a training company and he currently has his own independent Prepaid Legal sales company and with his wife Jeanette they own a Juice Plus+ Virtual Franchise Business.

Speaker's Schedule for March 2010

3 March - Anita Lynch, SeaMaster Cruises
10 March - Jeffery Howard, Attorney at Law
17 March - Artie Sprinczeles, Coffee News
24 March -
31 March - David Field, Carolina Home Mortgage

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:

February is Town Planner’s Annual Food Drive

Just Two Cans! That’s all you need to support Town Planner Calendar’s 4th Annual Food Drive!! Did you know that the large quantities of food that are donated to food banks and food pantries during the November & December are mostly depleted by mid-January?! Let's build up their stock so that they can better serve those in need during this part of the year, too! No need to go shopping. If everyone goes to their pantry and takes out two cans of food, imagine the thousands of cans we could collect!! Bring your cans to the Chapel Hill Leads Group, drop off your donation at Extraordinary Ventures or visit http://townplanner.com/fooddrive for additional drop-off locations.

Women's Roundtable - 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Molly Buckley, social media expert, will give a presentation on social media and business at February's Women's Roundtable. For more information on Molly, visit http://www.themollybuckley.com/contact/.

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 Laura Morrison Member Relations Coordinator of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce at 919.357.9989 for information regarding the Women's Roundtable.

Small Business Roundtable - 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Marketing Collateral: What’s Consistency Got to Do with It? - Libbie Hough, owner of Communication Matters

What you will learn:

• Create a consistent look and feel in all of your marketing materials…affordably
• Encourage your co-workers or employees to use your logo and color selections in a consistent manner

About the Presenter - Libbie Hough has been in communications for over 20 years, but came to the marketing communications field following a not-so-traditional path

In 2001, she launched Communication Matters, a sole-proprietorship in Hillsborough. Today, Libbie works with private non-profits, small-medium sized businesses, and university-based clients to address their marketing communication needs.

Libbie is also an active volunteer in the Orange County community. She is on the board member of both the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce and the Mental Health Association of Orange County. Through her membership in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Chamber, Libbie joined Green Plus and is proud to have received the designation of “Mover”.

Attendance is limited to 30 registrants. If you or any of your employees have an interest in this timely and essential session, RSVP to Laura Morrison by March 2, 2010 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  Laura Morrison Member Relations Coordinator of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce at 919.357.9989 for information regarding the Small Business Roundtable.

Business Before Hours Breakfast Briefing, 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Friday, March 5, 2010

Small Business Capital: What’s available and how to get it
There has been a lot of coverage in the media lately about the lack of capital available to small businesses. March’s Breakfast Briefing will provide attendees with a comprehensive picture of the different financing options and programs available to small business. A panel of financial experts and bankers, including Pegi Brady of BB&T, Doug Michal of RBC Bank, and John Falberg of Fahlberg Consulting, will detail the various financing options available to small businesses including Small Business Administration (SBA) loans and angel and equity investing. Panelists will also speak about what lenders look for when making a loan and how to apply for capital. The Briefing will be a great opportunity to connect with fellow Chamber members and lenders and includes a full breakfast. The Briefing is hosted by Squids Restaurant and Oyster Bar, and co-hosted by RBC Bank. To register online, visit www.carolinachamber.org/events, or contact Laura Morrison at 357.9989 or lmorrison@carolinachamber.org.

Registration required. $10 per person. Ticket includes a full breakfast. Questions? Contact Laura Morrison, Member Relations Coordinator of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce 919.357.9989 for additional information regarding Business Before Hours. Don’t forget your business cards!

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. Barry & Ellen Sherrill (aimgrouptwo@yahoo.com) with AIM Group Two Promotional Products (919-387-7588) are the facilitators. 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. Everyone 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

The Chatham County Leads Group meets every Tuesday at Virlies Grill, 58 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro, NC 27312. Don Bonin (chathamcountylg@gmail.com) (919-542-0376) with Town & Country Trader  is the facilitator. The Chatham County Leads Group meet from 8:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.

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 Parson’s Business Solutions (919-493-0985) and Caryn Byrd of Comfort Assurance Group (919-259-6401) 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.