Grow America, Inc. (www.growam.com), a national company with a mission to support, encourage and strengthen entrepreneurs in local economies, today announced the appointment of two of its leaders, Berkeley Geddes, CEO of Grow America Insight, and Richard Swart, Director of Strategic Programs, to key roles in the professional and regulatory associations focused on facilitating a vibrant, credible and growing global crowdfunding community.

Berkeley Geddes has been elected chair of the Crowdfunding Professional Association (CfPA) Executive Committee and Governance Board, which represents the voice of the crowdfunding industry and will provide advocacy, research and education for investors and entrepreneurs. Grow America’s Richard Swart has been named to the organizing committee of CfPA and also will serve as a member of the Crowdfund Intermediary Regulatory Advocates (CfIRA) leadership group, which is focused exclusively on channeling industry expertise to support the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and other affected governmental and quasi-governmental entities, including state regulators, in the establishment of crowdfunding regulation, standards and best practices.

CfPA will bring education and resources to entrepreneurs interested in using crowdfunding to grow their businesses when equity-based crowdfunding becomes legal in 2013 as a result of the recently signed Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act.

Grow America is provider of the Grow America Springboard™ program launched by Founder Alan E. Hall with the help of regional Utah partners. Springboard is providing $1,000,000 in cash awards and resources over the course of three Utah events in 2012 and a state championship in January 2013.

“The issue of crowdfunding is essential as it pertains to the creation of early-stage ventures,” said Hall. “We welcome this exciting development, but we also see the need to be actively involved in ensuring the new funding mechanisms operate properly and safely for all involved.”

About Grow America

Grow America aligns the partners, mentors and capital that entrepreneurs need to create and grow tomorrow’s successful companies. As an organization, Grow America has five components: competitions, e-commerce tools, curriculum and educational tools, community support, and charitable giving. For additional resources, connect to @GrowAmerica and @AskAlanEHall.

PR Contacts:

Snapp Conner PR

Jeremy Kartchner

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Jeremy@snappconner.com

To ignite anything you must first have a spark, and to create a spark (in the more literal sense) you must have flint & steel.  In the world of business, flint & steel are you, and those you network with.  It doesn’t really matter who the flint is, and who the steel is.  What matters is that you come together, and together you can create spark that neither one of you could create on your own.  It’s all about relationships, and in business that means networking.

Step Two: The Spark (Learn)

To create the spark with another person (the business spark that is) you must have some knowledge of business, marketing, sales, relationships, communication, etc.  Networking with others without the knowledge you require is like having the flint & steel, but not knowing you need to strike the steel against the flint.  Take the time to educate yourself in critical areas of business, such as the ones mentioned above.  That way when you bring the flint & steel together (you and someone else) you will have the knowledge you need to create the spark.

Step Three: The Bonfire (Synergize)

There are fires, and then there are Bonfires.  Bonfires are typically much larger, and they are usually associated with celebration.  There is, indeed, much to celebrate when two people come together and as a result they create something that neither of them could have achieved on their own.  Something more than just 1 + 1 = 2, but rather 1 + 1 = 10, or 100, or more.  To synergize means that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.  It’s all about the bonfires we can create as we synergize with others.

So, go get started!  Gather your flint & steel (network with others), create the spark (learn what you need to learn about business), and build a bonfire of success (synergize with others for maximum results).

To Your Success!

-Kip Kint, Success Coach & President, Mission Ignition

It is time for the final installment in our series on S.T.O.R.M. – a method of building your own personal Storm of Success by doing the following:

Stop
Take Inventory
Organize
Reflect
Move It

In last week’s post I wrote about the fourth step of S.T.O.R.M. which is to REFLECT.  Today I will address the final step which is to…

MOVE IT!

In the words of the great King Julian from the movie Madagascar, “I LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT!  I LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT!”  Excellent advice.  In fact, all storms move!  In order for your STORM to be successful you’ve got take action and Move It!

Ashleigh Brilliant said, “Unless you move, the place where you are is the place where you will always be”.  According to Wayne Gretzky “we miss 100% of the shots we don’t take”.  That is equally true of plans and goals.  We fail on 100% of the goals we don’t take action on.  In other words, we fail when we don’t MOVE IT!

Remember this formula:

Action X Time = Success

Lack of Action X Time = Fossils

To Your Success!

-Kip Kint, Success Coach & President, Mission Ignition

This week we continue our series on S.T.O.R.M. – a method of building your own personal Storm of Success by doing the following:

Stop
Take Inventory
Organize
Reflect
Move It

In last week’s post I wrote about the second step of S.T.O.R.M. which is to TAKE INVENTORY.  Today I will address the next step which is to…

ORGANIZE!

First, I’d like to share one of my favorite poems on the subject:

If I Could Get Organized by Baidurya Mukherjee

The morning goes, noon is here,
Before I know the night is near,
and all around me, I regret,
are things I haven’t finished yet.

If I could just get organized!
I often times have realized,
not all that matters is the man,
The man must also have a plan.

I do this, I do that,
But never finish what I’m at,
I work as hard as anyone,
And yet, I get so little done,

I’d do so much you’d be surprised,
If I could just get organized!

Being Organized is critical.  An organized environment is the number one catalyst to enhance productivity and creativity, two key components to being personally effective and successful.

Allow me to recommend my favorite book on the topic.  It addresses both Physical, as well as Procedural Organization.  It’s called, “To Do, Doing, Done!” by G. Lynne Snead.  If you’re like our friend in the picture above you may want to jump straight to Chapter 5.  The title of that chapter?  “It’s Hard to Manage Your Project If You Can’t Find Your Desk.”

Once again, check in with us next week for the next step of S.T.O.R.M – REFLECT!

To Your Success!

-Kip Kint, Success Coach & President, Mission Ignition

Few things in this world have the raw power & energy of a storm.  You can take the world by storm if you will focus your power and energy in the direction of your goals and dreams.  For you to take the world, and your goals, by S.T.O.R.M. may I suggest you follow these five simple steps…

• Stop
• Take Inventory
• Organize
• Reflect
• Move It

In today’s post I will address the first step of S.T.O.R.M., which is to STOP.  I will write about the remaining four steps over the course of the next few weeks.

STOP!

We are in such a hurry.  It’s easy to miss things; easy to get stuck in the rut of reactivity, repeating the same old ineffective behaviors over and over again.  So often we confuse activity with accomplishment.  So, the first thing we need to do in creating our own personal and powerful S.T.O.R.M. is to STOP!

Stop what you’re doing.  Stop where you are.

In fact, stop right now (well, not until you finish reading this blog of course).  Stop and be silent for a few moments.  Stop and think.

Listen to your thoughts, without the noise and the clutter created by the world around you.  They say it is quiet and calm in the eye of the storm.  You need to stop and create you own personal “eye of the storm” long enough that you can gain some focus and clarity.

Once you have made this initial STOP, I suggest you schedule other “stops” in the near future.  What are you going to do during these “stops“?  Well, continue to build your S.T.O.R.M., of course.  Tune in next week to learn more about the next step of S.T.O.R.M. – Take Inventory!

To Your Success!

-Kip Kint, Success Coach & President, Mission Ignition

They both have their place in business to be sure.  But, what is the difference?  In business most Relationship Building starts with Networking.  Networking is certainly critical, as it is the initial contact, the handshake, the exchange of names, business cards, and hopefully enough interaction that the seeds of a possible relationship have been planted.

Relationship Building however goes beyond Networking.  Once the seed is planted it needs to be nourished, taken care of, supported.  Attention needs to be paid to it.  If not, it withers and dies.  Relationship Building requires Follow Up, and a lot of “Just Because” attitude.  If you are building the relationship purely for the purpose of getting business it just won’t be the same, no matter how hard you try.

I love the mantra that I always hear at Corporate Alliance functions such as the recent Reunion Tour held at the Zermatt Resort in Midway, “Every opportunity has it’s root in a relationship!”  Now, break that down a little and you will realize that the relationship comes first, then potentially an opportunity.  It is NOT the manufacture of an opportunity through a contrived relationship.

So, be genuine.  Be sincere.  Network?  Yes, but don’t stop there.  Build relationships, learn about others, seek opportunities to serve them “just because”, and your relationships, both business and personal, will experience significant growth.  As a side benefit to those quality relationships you never know what opportunities may come your way.

To Your Success!

-Kip Kint, Success Coach & President, Mission Ignition

PS: Don’t forget to RSVP for Crunch Lunch, December 4 at Novell. I’ll be one of ten presenters at this fast-paced informational event. It’ll be a great place to build a new relationship, too!

It is important that you let them decide for themselves, at every phase of the sales cycle, beginning with whether or not to even hear more about what you have to offer.  Remember, IF YOU DON’T ASK, YOU WON’T KNOW!  If you look at a person and say to yourself, “Nah, she wouldn’t be interested” how can you be completely sure that’s true?

I recently purchased a new 58″ plasma TV from Matt Anderson at Wholesale Works.  Honestly, it was the deal of a lifetime in my opinion.  However, I didn’t go to Matt and say, “Hey, I’m looking for a TV!” because I wasn’t at the time.  But I am very glad that he didn’t assume that I wouldn’t be interested.  He approached me and told me about his special offer, and now his offer is mounted on my wall for my viewing pleasure.

I’m not suggesting your product/service is for everyone in the world, and that you should offer to everyone.  However, I am talking about those people who otherwise fit your target demographic, but for whatever reason you find yourself choosing for them by never approaching them at all.

So, be bold!  If you think someone will tell you no, then prove it.  Ask them and see if you were right.  If you hear the word “No” you won’t melt, and if they say “Yes” then you will simply have to admit to yourself that your initial assumption was wrong.  Don’t worry though, the additional revenue will make that pill easier to swallow.

To Your Success!

-Kip Kint, Success Coach & President, Mission Ignition

There is tremendous power in laughter.  Human Beings are so-wired that we need to have fun and laugh and smile. In fact, we are hard-wired for this. It is a proven fact that just smiling, even when you don’t feel like doing so, will release a small amount of endorphins in the brain, the very chemical that causes us to feel good. Keep smiling long enough, and eventually you really do feel like smiling. Add laughter to that equation and look out, you’re feeling pretty great before you know it.

So, what if you are sharing smiles and laughter with another person?  What happens when two people are simultaneously experiencing the sense of well-being that comes from laughing?  Those two people are drawn closer together.  Laughing together with another person strengthens bonds, including bonds that are brand new and just forming, and shortens the distance between them.

This applies in the world of business as much as any other part of life.  I know we tend to think of business as “serious stuff” but business is all about relationships, and influence.  We have more influence with those we are close to.  We draw closer to those that make us feel good when we are around them.  The distance is shortened significantly when we laugh and share good humor with one another.

So, lighten things up.  Have a laugh or two with your prospects, clients, and associates.  I can’t think of a more enjoyable way to improve your business relationships and your influence with others.

To Your Success!

-Kip Kint, Success Coach & President, Mission Ignition

He said to me, “Kip, I know I have some things I need to improve on personally, but for right now I really need to just focus on improving my business.”

What a revelation! In one sentence he revealed a paradigm that more than anything else was holding him back from being as successful as he could be. There is one principle, one natural law, one fundamental truth that he was not recognizing and applying, and that is this:

No Success, including Business Success, can precede Personal Success.

You see this is the deal, the crux of it all really. The fastest car in the world doesn’t win the race without a highly skilled driver; the finest paint and brushes have no meaningful impact on the canvas without the hand of a talented artist; and successful, highly effective businesses are run by people who are successful and highly effective as human beings. It is a prerequisite. Being an effective, successful person does not come after first building a successful business or career. It comes first!

If Business Success is the chicken, and Personal Success is the egg, then the answer to the age-old question is most definitely and emphatically “The Egg!”, and if you will take the time to nurture the egg (your personal effectiveness) you will find it results in a more robust and healthy chicken (in other words, a great business/career).

Deep down you know this is true, we all do. Yet so many would try to convince themselves they can take the shortcut that no one else has been able to take, that somehow they can have the business success they desire without doing the work on themselves first. Why do so many try it? Why do they skip the part where they work on themselves and work on other things first? The answer is fear.

Think of it this way, if I try my hand at creating a successful business and fail I can reason that it was due to any number of reasons and circumstances outside my control. However, if I work on being an effective person and fail… well, you can see how this pill might prove a little harder to swallow if we let such fears get the best of us. As a result, most of us focus our efforts in either the wrong place, or in the right place but prematurely (in other words, without working on personal effectiveness first).

My Challenge to You:

1. Focus your efforts on becoming a highly effective person, one who makes and keeps commitments to yourself and has a high degree of personal integrity and follow through, even when no one else knows of your commitment.
2. Be an excellent manager of your time. It’s not about scheduling every minute of your time, but rather doing the right thing at the right time.
3. Establish habits that will serve you throughout the rest of your life, habits that will lead you to succeed regardless of your chosen business or career endeavors.

If you will do these things I am confident you will enjoy tremendous success in all aspects of your life, including business and career.

To Your Success!
-Kip Kint, Success Coach & President, Mission Ignition