Local Owners Use Business Advisory Services to Recession-Proof

Newton, NJ/Stroudsburg, PA (April 20,2008) – In the wake of warnings by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke that the U.S. may be headed for a recession, peer advisory boards have become a key resource for business owners across the country who are scrambling for tactics to protect their businesses.

While leading economists and Bernanke take opposing views on the definition of a recession, successful business owners are taking a more proactive approach to future financial and business crises. One of the proven factors for success regardless of the economy has been the use of peer advisors—who can offer expertise and experience from a perspective only possible by a business owner.

“There are a number of areas that business owners should be regularly reviewing to ensure they are as efficient as possible,” said Mary Turkington, President of Achieve Business Solutions and the local facilitator for The Alternative Board^® (TAB).  TAB is an organization that provides small to medium-size companies with peer advisory boards and business advice through private coaching. “Those businesses that survive and even prosper during tough times are those that operate from a strategic plan. It’s critically important to monitor the direction your business is headed—and adjust your plan quickly at the first sign of the economic impact to your company.”

For example, local members of The Alternative Board meet monthly to share ideas and challenges with one another. A hot topic in recent weeks has been realistic tips to recession-proof a business, such as:

1. Do not overreact— take action based only on data.
2. Revise cash flow for the next six-month period.
3. Make cuts in personnel (quickly if necessary), starting at the top of the organization.
4. Maintain larger cash position to take advantage of sale prices.
5. Sign all checks for 60 days to a get feel of cost areas of company.
6. Be very careful to not cut back on your marketing, this will create a double problem in your sales.
7. Review recent monthly P & L statements for percentage trends.
8. Don't manage for the moment. Consider long-term goals of the company before taking any action that could affect the future of the company. 

 
Peer Advisory Board Advantage

Marcy Turkington, the area's TAB representative and President of Achieve Business Solutions, explains, "Business owners need to take advantage of any opportunity they can to stay ahead of the competition. TAB membership allows just that opportunity. If you had the chance to sit once a month with other business owners in your area to discuss your challenges—and hear what worked for them—why wouldn’t you?  Combine that with reinforcement from your own executive coach to help you develop and focus your strategic plans and action items, and you know you will stay on track during any economic cycle."

About The Alternative Board^®

The Alternative Board^® is an international provider of peer advisory and coaching solutions to leaders of privately held businesses. TAB members meet monthly in over 1,000 cities across the United States, Canada and Latin America.  For more information about the survey or about The Alternative Board^®, contact Marcy Turkington at 973.940.2020.

NEWTON, NJ, December 17, 2007 – Area business leaders attended a Strategic Planning Summit December 14^th in Augusta, NJ, held exclusively for The Alternative Board® (TAB) members and their guests.  Presenters, including keynote speaker and noted author Cathy Bao Bean (“The Chopsticks-Fork Principal”), provided insights, guidance and working sessions on success strategies for 2008 and beyond. 

One of the most popular sessions of the day was the panel session “Planning Best Practices and Lessons Learned,” led by area TABBoard members Ted Brennan (TM Brennan Inc.), Chuck Roberts (Ames Rubber) and Ed Dellert (SwimFitness LLC).  By sharing their experiences with the group, they provided real life guidance on practices that work to address the needs of the small business owner, no matter the size or stage.   

Other agenda items included “2008 Financial Outlook,” “Creativity & Innovation,” “Developing Company and Executive Success Factors,” “Sales Plan Success & Sales Team Accountability,” “Marketing Plan Development,” and “Building Great Teams.”  Guest presenters included Debbi Bifulco, (Bifulco Business Solutions), Andy Gole, (Bombadil Sales Training) and Doug LaFay (Franklin-Templeton).

Newton, NJ and Stroudsburg, PA, December 1, 2007 — Marcy Turkington, president of Achieve Business Solutions, a leading area provider of business organizational and development solutions for small to mid-sized companies, and President of The Alternative Board^® Peer Advisory area boards has announced the launch of the Small Business CEO Development Series through AchieveNextLevel.com, a Web 2.0 business community forum and resource center.   These one hour interactive seminars are delivered electronically to business leaders and are targeted to developing the greatest need areas of today’s busy small business owners. 

Through the experience of The Alternative Board membership organization, and their record of helping over 5000 small businesses succeed, Ms. Turkington found “A top priority for CEOs is keeping abreast of the skills and management tools needed to stay competitive in our fast-paced environment.  Today we are proud to announce a semi-monthly series that helps business professionals take their companies to the next level” said Turkington.  Upcoming seminars include “The 7 Critical Mistakes Businesses Make (*and How to Avoid Them),” “People Power Management Skills for Business Owners,” “The Evergreen Study – What Makes Great Companies,” “Marketing 101 – Back to Basics,” “What Every Business Owner Needs to Know About the Numbers,” and more.  Topics are scheduled based on the most relevant issues facing business owners today. 

Beta-tested in November, responses from business owners, coaches and trainers alike were positive.  Turkington discussed the challenges in undertaking the initiative: “One of our chief goals going in was whether this format could provide the same level of learning (that) in person sessions deliver at dramatic cost and time reduction for the attendees.  To make this work we had to ensure the content was relevant and the tools used were easily accessed, with minimal setup required by participants.”  Both goals were accomplished, and business owners are invited to explore the 2008 schedule of seminars, which run the 2^nd and 4^th Mondays of every month. 

Newton, NJ December 1, 2007 – With summertime and vacation season a thing of the past, businesses are getting back in gear and focusing on critical goals and plans to achieve goals for their business.  This is the perfect opportunity for business owners to re-evaluate their priorities and strengthen their business by creating an effective strategic plan that will facilitate capitalizing on the company’s strengths, counteract their weaknesses, draw on any opportunities presented for the company, and keep them on top of cutting-edge initiatives. 

"One of the key ingredients to a successful business is planning, and it's important to know what areas to focus on while making important business decisions," said Marcy Turkington, TAB-Certified Facilitator for the NW New Jersey and Pocono, PA area. "Now that summer is over, business owners are taking a look at what still needs to be done in 2007, while looking ahead and planning for 2008 so that their priorities for the business actually get accomplished.”

The Alternative Board^®, an organization offering peer advice and business coaching to small and medium-sized businesses, offers local business owners practical techniques to help them strategically plan their business.

Founded in 1990 by Allen Fishman and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, The Alternative Board^® is an international provider of peer advisory and coaching solutions to leaders of privately held businesses. Over 300 TAB Boards^® are operating each month across the United States, Canada and South America. For more information, visit our www.tab-nwjerseypoconos.com

Newton, NJ and Stroudsburg, PA August 15, 2007— Marcy Turkington, president of Achieve Business Solutions, a leading area provider of business organizational and development solutions for small to mid-sized companies, and TAB-certified facilitator and SBL Coach for The Alternative Board^® Peer Advisory organization today announced the launch of AchieveNextLevel.com, a Web 2.0 online business community forum and resource center.   The content-rich resource is available to business community members at no charge as a forum for posting and finding solutions to business challenges and opportunities.  Designed and developed by Cinch Creative Media, the site makes use of leading-edge technologies, including community forums, site and user blogs, rss feeds and video and features regularly updated news, information, polls, surveys, live and e-Learning events.

The site has a variety of access levels, including public, registered and full-access users.  Full access users can set up their own blogs, have private messaging, and have access to custom sub-groups designed for their needs.  Business content ranges from marketing and sales to financial, operational and technology.  Tools, templates and content will be added and updated weekly, and planned features include eLearning and Employer and Employee hiring tools.  Current subscriptions range from no-fee to the early adoption option of only $199 per year.  In addition, TABBoard members who are clients of Achieve Business Solutions receive full access to the site for free. To learn more about the site, Achieve Business Solutions or The Alternative Board TABBoards, go to www.AchieveNextLevel.com.