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HUMANRIGHTSORDINANCE
NOV
2010 MBA MATTERS
A Newsletter for the Central Florida LGBT Business Community
Volume I, Issue 5
November Social p. 2Upcoming Events p. 3Board Bites p. 4What the Prez Sez p. 6
Chewing the Cud p. 8RED Testimonial p. 10HRO Cover Story p. 12Thanksgiving Tips p. 14 Converge Orlando p. 15
WHAT’S INSIDE?
HWHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU!
RO
2
Your Ad Here!
Have your ad, web banner and logo
grace MBA communications and reach thousands
of LGBT business professionals throughout
the year.
Contact our Marketing Directorfor more details:
Jason Fox Holstein
(407)[email protected]
Event Gifts
Awards & Recognition
Souvenirs
Small Quantities
Quick Service
Local Delivery
Practically Perfect Promotional ProductsYour Promotional & Event Needs
Under One Umbrella
November 3 RED Group - South 11:30 a.m. at IKEA.
November 6 Equality Florida Gala 7 p.m. Orlando Museum of ArtGo to www.eqfl.org
November 9 RED Group - Central 11:30 a.m. at The Center
November 17 RED Group - South 11:30 a.m. at IKEA.
November 30 RED Group - Central 11:30 a.m. at The Center
Upcoming Events
Save the DatesDecember 1
MBA Networking Social 6:30 p.m. SunTrust Winter Park
January 5 MBA Networking Social 6:30 p.m. Fields BMWList your event here by sending an e-mail to
4
2010 Board of Directors
Board BitesWelcome to our new Treasurer Fredrik Ericksson! We look forward to working with you!
6 of the 12 Board positions are up for e lect ion at the January Networking Social. They are highlighted in green to your left. If you are interested in running, please contact VP Gina Duncan at [email protected]. Terms are two years and the remaining 6 positions will be up for election in January 2012.
Membership Director Ayr Poucher is looking to put together a M e m b e r s h i p C o m m i t t e e o f membe rs t o vo l un tee r and outreach to existing members. You can e-mail [email protected] for more information.
Marketing Director Jason Fox Holstein is looking to put together a Marketing Committee. Volunteers will have an important impact on reaching out to the Orlando community and spreading the word about MBA. You can e-mail [email protected] for more information.
Converge Orlando and Come Out With Pride are looking for board members and volunteers contact [email protected] for info.
President Dr. David Baker-HargroveBHC Assessment & Consulting
Vice President Gina DuncanWells Fargo Branch Manager
Secretary Susanna GarciaVerizon Wireless Account Executive
Treasurer Fredrik ErickssonKontor Business Support V.P. of Operations
Business Development Director Mikael Audebert
Marketing Director Jason Fox HolsteinFoxy Cow Advertising & Marketing President
Membership Director Ayr PoucherWalt Disney Travel Co. Sales Agent
Programs Director Don WilliamsWatermark Account Executive
Technology Director Troy CochranSymantec Software, Sr. Principle Engineer
Member-at-Large Jeff BuakQuintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer Attorneys-at-Law Partner
Member-at-Large Nayte CarrickCarrick Marketing President
Member-at-Large Rose GambaCPA
TERM ENDSJanuary 2011
TERM ENDSJanuary 2011
TERM ENDSJanuary 2011
TERM ENDSJanuary 2011
TERM ENDSJanuary 2011
TERM ENDSJanuary 2011
Of course, it is imperative to never stop looking for ways to connect to potential customers. Looking for customers will eventually lead you to the often-dreaded networking. Most people hate the idea of networking and going to networking events. Many of us are not gregarious extroverts and walking into a room full of strangers to sell yourself can be somewhat nerve-wracking.
That’s why a membership in MBA can be so useful. The atmosphere at the monthly networking events tend to be open, friendly, and light-hearted. It is a great way to hone your networking skills in a welcoming environment. Networking is not about merely handing out business cards; it is about relationship building. People refer business to people they know. If you have never ever been to a monthly networking event, or haven’t been in a long time, why not let yourself go a little “Bananas”?
With Pride,
Dr. Dave
Did you know that according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that 95% of all businesses in Central Florida have 10 or fewer employees? We generally tend to think that our local economy is based on travel and tourism and that the theme parks, hotels, and restaurants drive our region’s economic success or failure.
The truth is that our economy is really based upon you, the average MBA business owner or business professional. We all depend upon you, and each other, to gauge the overall economic health of our community. When one of us suffers, we are all at risk.
The good news is we don’t have to leave our economic success or failure up to fate. As creators of our own economy, we must constantly be thinking about how to grow our business.
We must continually ask ourselves the following questions:
• Who is my customer? • Where do I find him/her? • Why should he/she come see me
over my competitor?
You might find that while these questions seem pretty academic, maybe you haven’t spent as much time pondering the answers as might be necessary.
What the Prez SezYou Are the World...
... at Least Around Here.
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By Dr. David Baker-Hargrove
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a bit over-extended?
Business and individual tax returns Multiple-year late fi lings/IRS notices Effective tax planningQuickBooks® Set-up, Training & Support
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Payroll, Bookkeeping & Support ServicesFinancial Statement PreparationFinancial Planning—Domestic Partners, Individuals, & Businesses
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CONTACT US NOW FOR HELP WITH:
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Leah G James, CPA, MSTax & Judy L HinesTelephone: 407.478.4513 | [email protected]
CONTACT US NOW FOR HELP WITH:
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& Support ServicesFinancial Statement
Payroll, Bookkeeping & Support Services
TAXESTA
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Payroll, Bookkeeping & Support Services
OFFICIAL CPA & SPONSOR OF MBA/COME OUT WITH PRIDE
TIME TO RENEW?
Is it time to renew your MBA membership?
Itʼs only $75 for the year!
Contact our Membership Directorfor more details:
Ayr Poucher
or visit www.MBAOrlando.org Your Ad Here!
Have your ad, web banner and logo
grace MBA communications and reach thousands
of LGBT business professionals throughout
the year.
Contact our Marketing Directorfor more details:
Jason Fox Holstein
(407)[email protected]
HAVE AN IDEA FOR
AN ARTICLE?Share it with your
LGBT business community
by e-mailing it to
“The only difference between a leaky water faucet and a Japanese dripping water sculpture is perspective.”
If I tell myself that I hate networking and that it is a waste of time, then the time I spend networking will be wasteful and I will come to loathe it. It really is that simple.
However, if I think that the event will provide introductions to prospective clients and I look forward to it with the same anticipation as that of a young child leading up to Christmas morning, I will have more fun and it will be more lucrative.
Networking is fun and fruitful because of several simple guidelines:
1. SMILE. People are more likely to want to meet me and get to know me if I look like Iʼm enjoying myself.
2. REACH OUT. Meet someone new! Perhaps more than just one person. If afraid to start the conversation, the easiest thing to do is ask them about what they do for a living. I also ask the people that I know at an event to help introduce me to someone.
3. BE BRIEF. At the event, I try to have five or six meaningful conversations with people. Though I can talk for hours, I try not to monopolize
As the annual feast of feathered fowl rolls around once again and we stuff ourselves with coma-inducing amounts of tryptophan, I am prompted to take paper to pen to create a list of things for which I am full of thanks:
I am thankful for a chamber of commerce that is concerned with my rights as an individual and as a human being.
I am thankful for RED Group which provides me with qualified referrals that become done deals instead of dead-end leads that waste time.
I am thankful for the relationships that I have built with RED Group members, board members and fe l low MBA members.
I am thankful for networking. Thatʼs right. No optical illusions here. You read correct ly. I AM THANKFUL FOR NETWORKING!
I meet incredible people while networking with opportunities to open doors and create business that might not have been there. I am able to meet people with decision making authority, who otherwise would have been shielded from me by vicious watchdogs and ferociously protective administrative assistants.
One of my favorite quotes, and forgive me for not knowing the author, is this:
8
Chewing the CudThis month’s topic:
someoneʼs time. I keep in mind that they want to meet other people too!
4. BUT NOT TOO BRIEF! Saying hello to every person in the room for 30 seconds and giving them a business card, without asking what they do or who they are, will not yield me any results.
5. FOLLOW UP! I try to send an e-mail to the people I met letting them know that I enjoyed chatting with them and would like to follow up with them about a couple of things. So many people do not do this and allow potential business to slip through their fingers.
6. PATIENCE. I know that attending one or two functions might not lead to results. People who network usually look for people who are going to become an active part of their community and are not just looking to harvest a couple of referrals. Showing dedication and consistency to a handful of organizations will net me better results than trying to attend everything under the sun.
Finally, I am thankful for all of you who read MBA Matters, who attend MBA functions, who sponsor Come Out With Pride, who renew your memberships, who advertise with MBA and who contribute to our wonderfully colorful LGBT community in Orlando.
Networking!By Jason Fox Holstein READY TO
JOIN?Are you ready to join MBA
and see your business grow?
Itʼs only $75 for the year!
Contact our Membership Directorfor more details:
Ayr Poucher
or visit www.MBAOrlando.orgYour Ad Here!
Have your ad, web banner and logo
grace MBA communications and reach thousands
of LGBT business professionals throughout
the year.
Contact our Marketing Directorfor more details:
Jason Fox Holstein
(407)[email protected]
Meets @ 11:30 a.m. @ The Center
Second & Fourth Tuesdays:Nov.9 & 30 (Nov. 23 cancelled)Dec. 14 (Dec. 28 cancelled)
Contact Carolyn Taylor407-704-9764
Meets @ 11:30 a.m. @ IKEA
First & Third Wednesdays:Nov. 3 & 17Dec. 1 & 15
Contact Mark Cady407-404-4171
Thinking RED Has...
10
The first rule of networking is to establish relationships and take advantage of one anotherʼs contact spheres. The goal is NOT to try to sell the people at the function, although this very often is the case.
When you are in sales, or you are a business owner, you are constantly looking for your next sale. To meet my goals I have spent numerous hours networking only to find myself talking to other sales people whose sole purpose for being there is trying to sell me their product or service. I reached a boiling point where networking changed from being productive to just being busywork.
However, all of that changed when I was approached by my friend Jason Holstein about a new networking group called the Referral Exchange Development Group.
The goal of RED Group is to develop relationships with, and pass referrals to, other members while educating everyone about what kind of referrals you are looking for. When you receive a referral, the company or person you were referred to is expecting your call.
As a result, there is a 52% closing ratio for referrals passed within RED Group.
By Fredrik Ericksson
U n l i k e o t h e r n e t w o r k i n g groups, RED Group is category exclusive. This means there is no competition within the group. There is only one realtor, one insurance agent, one financial planner, et cetera.
It took about 2 months of convincing before I finally decided to visit. I saw the referrals being passed as well as a number of done deals. This was so much easier than “regular” networking. I joined on the spot.
11
At KONTOR we are experts at creating, implementing and managing successful sales and online marketing campaigns that get results and u l t i m a t e l y l e a d t o i n c r e a s e d profitability.
Fredr ik Er icksson is the Vice President of Operations for Kontor Business Support. In addition to being a member of RED Group - Central, Fredrik is the Treasurer for MBA Orlando.
www.YourKontor.com
Since I joined RED Group my company has received almost $5,000 in referrals. Not too bad for 2 lunches a month.
I have built a stronger network for myself of people to refer business to. I have become the “Go To” guy when friends or clients need a product or service. Need promotional items? I have someone for that. Need a handyman? I have someone for that.
To learn more about RED Group visit www.MBARED.org
... Kontor Business Support seeing GREEN!
We are on the cusp of something historic and exciting here in Orange County! On November 23, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners wil l vote on whether to pass a comprehensive and inclusive Human Rights Ordinance (“HRO”) to protect Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender citizens of Orange County from unfair discrimination.
We all know that there are fellow citizens out there who have been subjected to unfair discrimination because they are gay or transgender - fired from their jobs, denied service at restaurants, denied rental housing, etc. - and until now have not had any remedy. That’s about to change.
As a little bit of historical background, the sad fact is that neither the federal nor Florida anti-discrimination laws cover discrimination against LGBT citizens.
That's why, over the years, individual municipalities within the state of Florida have started passing their own anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBT citizens. These municipalities include Monroe, Pinellas, Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Leon Counties; and the cities of Orlando, Ga inesv i l l e , Tampa , Duned in , Tallahassee, Sarasota, Lake Worth, Tequesta, and Gulfport .
In 2003, The City of Orlando added discrimination protections for gay and l e s b i a n c i t i z e n s . H o w e v e r, unfortunately, Orange County has been lagging behind these other progressive jurisdictions.
In 2006, Orange County took a baby step forward by adding LGBT anti-discrimination protections to the County Housing Ordinance at the u r g i n g o f t h e O r l a n d o A n t i -Discrimination Ordinance Committee
HUMANRIGHTS
ORDINANCEHRO WHAT IT MEANS
FOR YOU! By Mary Meeks
12
History In The Making – Orange County Set To Enact LGBT-Inclusive Human Rights Ordinance
The proposed HRO would prohibit discrimination against LGBT citizens of Orange County in the context of housing, employment, and public a c c o m m o d a t i o n s ( h o t e l a n d restaurant service, etc.), and would allow citizens subjected to such discrimination to file complaints in the county court system.
Mary Meeks is a partner at Carlton Fields Attorneys at Law, a Sponsor of Come Out With Pride.
Mary is a past Board member of the MBA, and currently she is a member of the Orlando Anti-Discrimination Ordinance (OADO) Committee and is the leader of One Orlando.org. Mary also serves on the Board of the National LGBT Bar Foundation, and on the Steering Committee of Equality Florida Orlando.
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(OADO), a group of committed citizen volunteers. (Interestingly, both of the current mayoral candidates - Teresa Jacobs and Bill Segal - were on the Board of County Commissioners at the time and participated in the unanimous vote to approve the ordinance.)
JOIN US!Orange County Board of County Commissioners Board Meeting
Tuesday, November 23 @ 9:00 a.m.
County Administrative Building 201 South Rosalind Avenue
Wear a Red Shirt and show your support!
For More Info Contact: [email protected]
This year, OADO decided the time was right to push Orange County to add these protections in the context of e m p l o y m e n t a n d p u b l i c accommodations. Commissioner Linda Stewart immediately agreed to champion the cause, and was eventually joined by Commissioner Bill Segal. With critical support from Teresa Jacobs, OADO and these two Commissioners pressured Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty to place the proposed HRO on the Commission agenda, and eventually won his support.
This is a HUGE step forward for our community and we should be grateful for those people who have worked hard to make this day happen. Celebrate this day with us! Make your voice heard and share in the exc i temen t o f t h i s s ign i f i can t accomplishment for our community. November 23 is our day to stand up and claim our rights – be there!!!
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Finalize Your Guest ListIt is very important to get a final guest count in advance. It will enable you to find the proper place in your household to entertain, and to note any shortages you have with chairs, tables, or place settings.
Ordering Your Thanksgiving TurkeyPlace your order at least two weeks be fo re Thanksg iv ing to ensure availability.
Beverages, Wine and LiquorPlan to purchase special beverages such as wine and liquor in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. Supplies may run short as you get closer to the holiday.
Ordering Table Arrangements If you are not making your own holiday centerpieces, order these two weeks prior to Thanksgiving.
Turkey Roasting ToolsMake sure you have all the tools to help prepare the perfect Thanksgiving turkey.
Choose the Right PanThe pan should be just large enough to hold the roast and no larger. If the pan is too large the juices and drippings will burn and give an acrid flavor to the roast. It will ruin the pan gravy or juice.
Finalize Your Menu Finalize your menu two weeks prior to Thanksgiving. Make sure to take your g u e s t s ’ d i e t a r y n e e d s i n t o consideration.
Organizing Your PantryCheck that you have all of your herbs and spices in advance. Double check the expiration date too. Seasonings lose their potency after about a year. Sugars, dry goods and flours are key i n g r e d i e n t s f o r t h e p e r f e c t Thanksg iv ing . They shou ld be transferred from their packaging into airtight containers as soon as you get them home.
- Roasting pan- Hand scissors- Cotton kitchen
twine - trussing needles - a turkey baster
- instant-read thermometer
- pastry/basting brush
- fat separator - cheese cloth
Thanksgiving TipsBy George Arredondo
www.CuisiniersCaters.com
If all else fails, you can always use Cuisiniers Catering to cater
your Thanksgiving meal!
George Arredondo (right) and his partner Jamie McFadden own Cuisiniers as well as the Gallery at Interlachen.
The Metropolitan Business Association of Orlando just announced the creation of CONVERGE ORLANDO, a project more than 6 months in the making. Its mission is to fulfill an unmet need in the areas of LGBT Tourism and Conventions, to support and assist in the making of national and international LGBTevents in Central Florida.
The organization proceeded to appoint MBAʼs Director of Development Mikael Audebert and MBAʼs Vice-Presidentʼs Gina Duncan as the very first Co-Chairpersons of Converge. MBAʼs President of the Board Dr. David Baker-Hargrove was appointed Financial Director and American Marketing Associationʼs Vice-President of Programming Paul David Queen will step in as Marketing Director. 3 other appointments are expected from the 2 Co-Chairs within weeks to fill the positions of Execu t i ve Sec re ta ry, Membersh ip & Sponsorship Director and Development Director.
“Central Florida's economy depends on the travel and tourism industry. While the MBA will remain involved in the development of a strong small business economy, I definitely see the need for us as a community to leverage our economic impact on travel and tourism as well. Converge Orlando will fill that much needed gap” MBA President Dr David Baker-Hargrove said in a statement.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to host the 2018 Gay Games in Orlando, the City Beautiful. We believe Orlando is the ideal city to host the Gay Games as we offer the most impressive and convenient sports venues, a modern infrastructure and of course the best weather in the country. And, above all, Orlando's LGBT community has demonstrated its strength in numbers evidenced by over
70,000 citizens coming out for Orlando PRIDE 2 0 1 0 . T h e c o m m u n i t y a t l a r g e w i l l overwhelmingly support the 2018 Gay Games.” MBAʼs Vice- President & Outreach Chair Gina Duncan added.
Converge Orlando was first thought of over a year ago (no name had been decided upon at that time) during a meeting between Paul Queen, formerly with the OCCVB and MBA President Dr. Baker-Hargrove. The idea was revived later this year when current MBA Director of Development and Executive Producer of Come Out With Pride Mikael Audebert engaged in talks with the Federation of Gay Games to incorporate the Cologneʼs opening ceremonies into this yearʼs Pride event (which theme was geared towards Olympiads). “I immediately jumped on the opportunity a hosting bid for an event that generates between $60 and $80 million dollars for the local economy would mean for our community at large and the LGBT cause in particular. After various conversations with the executives at the Federation, I enrolled Orlando as one of the 15 cities among 6 countries to bid on Gay Games X to be held in 2018 and started to work with the MBA team to incorporate the plan in the overall mission of the LGBT CVB” Audebert said.
More details on the overall plan and project are set to be released after the first board meeting set to take place in November. The Federation of Gay Games has recognized the MBA and CONVERGE ORLANDO as representative of the hosting bid for Gay Games 2018.
For more information on CONVERGE ORLANDO, please contact Mikael Audebert [email protected]
PRESS RELEASE: MBA Creates First LGBT Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Orlando
