Government Help for Small Businesses

The Alternative Board CEO, Jason Zickerman talks about the impacts of the government aid for small businesses.

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Why these scions decided it was the best career choice after all

By Jeff Wuorio

JASON ZICKERMAN  - President and Chief Operating Officer, The Alternative Board, a $21 million, 32-person consulting firm in Westminster, Colo.

Jason Zickerman, 40, had more than a few misgivings when his father-in-law, Allen Fishman, invited him to become chief operating officer of The Alternative Board, the Colorado consultancy Fishman had founded in 1990. For one thing, Zickerman already had a job in accounting some 2,000 miles east in New York. But more than that, “I was worried how it might affect my marriage, the great relationship I had with my father-in-law—everything,” Zickerman says. “The business is an economic unit, the family a social one. Mixing them together can really muddy the waters.”

Fishman, who had long been impressed by his son-in-law’s smarts and drive, worked with Zickerman over the course of several months to draw up vision statements that addressed goals and potential issues in exhaustive detail. “We talked about the number of hours we would work, what precisely each of us would do, how it would affect our quality of life with children and grandchildren,” says Fishman, 67. “We basically covered everything and anything that the other person needed to know.” They even agreed on limited participation in the business from other family members, solidifying Zickerman’s authority.

But it was the escape clause that proved most important to Zickerman. If, after one year, either party determined that things weren’t working out for any reason—lack of chemistry, family friction, or something else—their arrangement would terminate. “We came in with a very clear understanding that we would talk after the first year was up,” says Fishman. “If either was unhappy, it would be over.” Seven years later, the escape clause is dusty and unused.

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Now can be a great time to hunt for new customers - but take care to expand cautiously.

By Emily Maltby, CNNMoney.com staff writer Last Updated: April 9, 2009: 5:42 PM ET

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (CNNMoney.com) — Like many business owners fighting the recession, Mark Rickard is looking for ways to draw in new customers. The challenge: How to expand beyond his firm’s traditional services without confusing customers or taking on more than his company is equipped to handle.

Rickard List Marketing is a direct mail marketing company that Mark and his sister have run since their father’s retirement. Rickard wants to use this slow period to rebrand the company, but he has questions about how to make the transition. He’s brought the issue to a gathering of The Alternative Board (TAB), a panel of seasoned business owners who meet monthly to swap advice on their business challenges.

“I believe our core clients would appreciate us making more connections for them, but I expect they would be skeptical about our ability to add value outside our comfort zone,” Rickard says. “I’m not sure exactly what services to offer initially or how to publicize the change.”

“It’s a no-brainer, because you already have the clients,” says Frank Kelly, president of Kelair, a heating and air conditioning company that is based in Port Chester, N.Y. “But what do you actually want to do?”

“I want to do search engine optimization, market research, circulation analysis, media placement, insert media, data managing and processing …”

“Wow,” interjects John Dugan, partner at Farmingdale Physical Therapy. “Rome wasn’t built in a day. You need to build a bigger umbrella before you put all these things under it. Pick the ones that are most secure in this market and the ones that you feel most comfortable doing.”

“Well, my plan was actually to outsource some of the things I don’t feel 100% comfortable doing to affiliates,” Rickard says. “I already have relationships in place with designers and copyrighters.”

Ask yourself what kind of firm you really want to be, advises Buonfiglio, president of employee benefit broker C&B Consulting Group in Syosset, N.Y.

“At one point we partnered with a firm to provide services we could not perform in-house,” he says. “Eventually the clients let us know our partners’ work wasn’t as good as ours, so we ended up creating those capabilities in-house, with far superior results.”

“Do you think I risk clients by expanding like this?” Rickard asks. “Will they think my eye is not on the task?”

Think about the long-term future, Buonfiglio says. Building up new lines of business will inevitably take some of Rickard’s time away from current customers and projects, but that temporary trade-off can be worth it if the expansion will pay off for the company down the road.

“You’ll have to consider opportunity cost versus reward,” he says.

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By Matt Bolch
As published in: Franchise Times - April 2009

At a time when stocks are trading at half what they did 18 months ago, the loss of 10,000 franchise estab- lishments doesn’t seem so bad. The key, of course, is to make sure that it’s not your business that closes.

Staying on top of your game

If franchisees ever needed a little sage advice, now is the time.

“We’ve never been more relevant and never been more effective,” says Jason Zickerman, president and CEO of The Alternative Board, an international peer advice and executive coaching franchise based in Westminster, Colorado. “Executive coaching is kind of recession-proof. In good times, owners can afford it, and in bad times they need us more than ever.”

Clients can participate through peer boards of non-competing business owners who meet to discuss challenges and strategies for success and receive one-on-one coaching about their particular business.

This isn’t the time to sit back and hope to weather the storm, Zickerman advises. Business owners have to be aggressive and proactive, finding ways to cut spending that do not include marketing and leveraging company strengths to find new customers and cement ties with existing ones.

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Todd R. Hewitt
President
Texas Fifth Wall Roofing Systems, Inc.











GIVING BACK
Business Philanthropy
Friday, February 27, 2009

Local company replaces roof on child development center Forty employees of Fifth Wall Roofing Systems replaced the entire roof at Sammy’s House Child Development Center at no cost to the nonprofit group.

Work and materials to repair rain damage had been estimated at $80,000.

“We never would have imagined that one company would donate materials and labor,” said Isabel Huerta, executive director of Sammy’s House, which helps special-needs children.

“I am heartened that even during this uncertain economy, people remain generous.”

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“This initiative arose spontaneously from our employees who volunteered their time and included office staff in some hands on work that they never typically experience.  An unanticipated outcome was the unsolicited letters and phone calls of appreciation that we received from people that viewed the newspaper article.  Some from people we knew and others from strangers that went out of their way to acknowledge our involvement.  The whole experience made me feel a deep and unexpected sense of community,” says Todd Hewitt.

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