The I-4 Ultimate project can be a small-business gold mine

If you own a small business in Central Florida I hope you’re doing your homework to cash in on the I-4 Ultimate project.

In case you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few months the I-4 Ultimate project is probably the biggest road building project in Central Florida since I 4 was built in the 1960s. It involves widening 21 miles of I 4 between Kirkman Road in Orlando to State Road 434 in Seminole County. In addition to adding express lanes to the interstate the project includes rebuilding 15 major interchanges, widening 13 bridges, replacing 74 bridges and adding 53 bridges.

Work begins early next year and won’t be finished until 2021. The price tag? $2.3 billion. Yep, you read that right – billion.

Project leaders describe I-4 Ultimate as a “dirt and diesel” job requiring huge trucks and bulldozers moving mountains of earth.

OK, so you’re not in the construction business and you’re thinking: What’s in it for me?

Considering that there’s more than $2 billion on the table, there could be a lot in it for your business.

In addition to a wide variety construction specialties, they will need:

Janitorial services

Office supplies

 Progress photos

·        Equipment rental

·        Office trailers

·        Catering and much more

Construction leaders say segments of the project will be broken down in bite-sized pieces to give small businesses opportunities to get manageable portions of the work. They encourage businesses to partner to pool resources, knowledge and experience to get work. As this is a government project, there will be generous portions of work available for certified minority and disadvantaged business owners.

Think about it. This project will last for at least 6 years. Imagine what it could mean for you if your business can get a bite of this pie.

So what’s the first step?

Get educated by clicking here to visit the project’s website.

Next step, click here to get registered as a vendor.

Now grab your hard hat and let’s get going.

This post was written by David Porter, principal and owner of David Porter Communications Inc., an Orlando public relations and marketing company that works with small businesses. The firm also owns www.SunRailRiders.com and www.B2BFlorida.com

Send your greetings this year with a Video Christmas Card

Getting ready to spend hours and a fortune buying and addressing Christmas cards to your business customers and vendors?

Don’t put yourself through that headache again.

This year, let us produce a customized, fun VIDEO CHRISTMAS CARD for your business.

Check out this sample.

Making a video Christmas card is fun – let loose with your imagination. It only takes a few minutes to shoot the video.

We provide the props – Santa’s elf caps, tabletop Christmas tree and wrapped gift packages. We have 3 Christmas card “covers” and 2 musical selections to pick from.

Let us produce your “video” Christmas card today for $100.

Call us now at 407-965-0080. www.DavidPorterCommunications.com

Did you see that game? (FSU vs. Auburn)

FSU locker room talk

The BCS football championship showdown between Florida State University’s Seminoles football team and the Auburn University Tigers at the Rose Bowl was one of the most exciting football games I have ever seen, and it was full of valuable lessons for entrepreneurs and small-business owners.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’m (Long Island University Class of 1976) an ex officio ‘Nole. However I am the father of a REAL ‘Nole – Kai Kenya Porter, FSU Class of 2011. So I’ve got the right to brag about the FSU victory, even though the championship game – like the small-business world – was frustrating and nerve wracking.

Business Lesson 1: Don’t get cocky. I have to admit that FSU looked pitiful in the game’s first half. All the big plays were being made by Auburn. Several TV camera shots showed Auburn players on the sidelines high-fiving and backslapping each other. You could tell they were saying: “We got this!” Cockiness can breed complacency.

Business Lesson 2: Don’t panic. Even though things looked pretty dismal going into halftime, I didn’t see FSU’s players or coaches panicking, frustrated or angry with each other. They kept cool heads. Based on personal experience I can tell you it’s impossible to think clearly or creatively when you’re angry or panicking.

Business Lesson 3: Focus on the fundamentals. FSU Coach Jimbo Fisher always tells his players to concentrate on doing great in the next play, no matter how bad things look on the scoreboard. (Check out Jimbo’s locker room talk)

http://www.footballscoop.com/news/7158-in-the-locker

Business Lesson 4: Never give up and remember Business Lesson 3. The FSU – Auburn showdown was decided in the last few seconds. Anyone who turned off the game and went to sleep at half time would have assumed that FSU was on its way to an embarrassing defeat. Heck, many FSU fans in the stadium looked miserable well into the second half. But the FSU team kept playing hard and practicing Business Lesson 2. FSU played hard down to the last seconds. Every moment and every play counted. That’s how FSU won.

Business Lesson 5: Surround yourself with good people. To prevail in business – even a one-person business – surround yourself with advisors and coaches you trust. Be open to the feedback they offer because they want you to prevail.

Business Lesson 6: Never stop learning. As FSU’s victorious team was leaving the field a reporter asked FSU Coach Fisher what was next for the team. He said that after a couple of days of rest and celebrations the team will get back to practice and preparing for next season.

Go Noles!

David D. Porter is principal and owner of David Porter Communications, a consulting firm that serves small businesses in Central Florida. The firm also produces www.B2BFlorida.com, a resource that provides inspiration and information to help small businesses overcome challenges and reach their goals.

Got the gift of gab?

To be a business success, you’ve got to be a great communicator and that requires the ability to speak clearly, effectively and persuasively to customers and colleagues. So here's some food for thought.

Soon we’ll be gathering with family and friends at Thanksgiving. And no holiday meal is complete without hot food and memorable stories. “Do you remember the time…” kicks off an endless series of childhood stories, family legends and embarrassing tales from the past.

Every family has one person who can captivate the room with colorful stories that make you laugh, cry or feel very uncomfortable. In my family, my father takes the storytelling cake. No one can match his skills when it comes to recreating visions of his Grandma Sally (who knew all the neighborhood gossip), his uncle who got sucked up into a tornado while riding on a horse, or the day he drove his new 1957 DeSoto sedan home from the car dealership (and taught himself how to drive a car on that first solo trip behind the wheel).

But you don’t have to have the gift of gab of a Daddy Gist (my father) to be a great storyteller. If you can tell a joke, explain why you like or dislike a movie or recall—in some detail—a sporting event or past experience, then you can tell a story to a friend, co-worker or meeting audience.

The storytelling skills are the same (use descriptive words that make your listeners visualize what you’re talking about). If you are talking to an audience of one or 1,000, paint a word picture that lets them hear, see, feel, smell and get a taste for everything that went on.

I recently heard Mark Brown, the 1995 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking, talk about storytelling. Mark said that every life tells a story and there’s always a message you can share. During the recent Toastmasters International conference in Daytona Beach, FL, he identified three ways to find stories to share with family, friends or business associates. Mark says:

MINE FAMILY STORIES – Keep your ears open at family events. During the holidays, family reunions or at the dinner table, someone is always telling a funny story.

USE POP CULTURE – Explain the impact that a movie, book or blog post had on you. “It’s all about lessons learned…and what you can share,” said Mark.

 RETELL YOUR LIFE LESSONS – Everyone has had some experience that knocked some sense into our heads. Share what you’ve learned the hard way from your biggest mistakes. “Your life tells a story and there’s always a message that someone out there needs to hear. Sometimes a lesson we learned can be valuable and powerful to someone else,” said Mark. “You have no idea the impact you can have by sharing one simple story!”

 

This article was written by Rosalyn Gist Porter, a public speaking coach and founder of Better Speaking Skills, a communications training firm. Contact Rosalyn at betterspeakingskills@yourspeakingskills.com or call her at 407-761-7625. For more public speaking tips go to http://rosalyncommunications.blogspot.com

 

Are you ready for Small Business Saturday?

In case you’ve been living under a seashell in Micronesia for the last few years, the Saturday after Thanksgiving has been designated “Small Business Saturday”. On that day shoppers are encouraged to spend money with locally owned businesses.

This year Small Business Saturday will be observed on Nov. 30.

Credit-card giant American Express deserves credit for leading the Small Business Saturday crusade. Three years ago Amex spent a fortune and launched a nationwide advertising campaign to promote Small Business Saturday. Now that’s what I call walking the talk!

Other major companies, government agencies and political leaders have joined the campaign to urge consumers to shop local on Nov. 30.

So Mr. and Ms. Business Owner, how will you take advantage of this magnificent opportunity?

Look around your sales floor. What do you have to sell?

Is it the same old same old? Or can you introduce a few new products to freshen things up?

Let’s face it, the Christmas countdown clock is ticking. Christmas season sales will make or break many retailers – both large and small.

If you expect people to spend money, you need inventory – especially items consumers are likely to buy. If you don’t know what’s hot, you better do some quick research.

By the way, what about some great discounts to sweeten the pot? Everybody loves a sale!

Since this is all about the Christmas sales season, please put up some holiday decorations in your store. The decorations you use are a personal choice, but don’t go overboard. I’ve been to shops that were so heavily decorated that it was difficult to tell the merchandise from the decorations. Remember, the goal is to make sales, not win a decorating contest.

And while you’re looking around the sales floor, does your shop need to be spruced up? Be honest! Some locally owned small businesses I’ve visited are cluttered and could use a deep cleaning. One of my pet peeves is storefront windows that are smudged and stained. If you’re too busy to clean, then hire a janitorial service, but get it done quickly!

Pay attention to your business exterior, too. Is there trash in the gutter? Does the sidewalk need to be power washed? Please encourage neighboring businesses to do their part because cleaning up benefits everyone’s business. If your business looks bad from the outside most prospective customers will drive right past you.

What American Express has done is wonderful, but please don’t rely on the national campaign to bring shoppers through your door on Small Business Saturday.

You need to take action! This week you should be sending a snail-mail letter or email to your customers encouraging them to make plans to visit your store on Nov. 30. Ask them to share the Small Business Saturday news with their friends. Shame on you if you don’t have a customer mailing list!

For those businesses with customer mailing lists, there are free resources available to help you prepare messages you can send out, post at your store, and on your Facebook page and business website. Search “Small Business Saturday” on Google and you can find all kinds of material, including logos and fliers to promote your business and Small Business Saturday.

If I owned a store, when Small Business Saturday arrives, I would have extra staff on hand, (everyone in clean pressed clothing with big smiles on their faces), and a nice platter of holiday cookies to greet shoppers. Remember the line from that commercial: You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

This article was written by David Porter, principal and owner at David Porter Communications Inc., an Orlando-based communications consulting firm that produces www.B2BFlorida.com