Aeroka Media » small business http://blog.aerokamedia.com Online and Offline Marketing and Idea Implementation Tue, 01 Jun 2010 03:44:43 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 © erica@aerokamedia.com () erica@aerokamedia.com() Raising Your Brand and Traffic to New Heights! erica@aerokamedia.com No no http://blog.aerokamedia.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg Aeroka Media http://blog.aerokamedia.com 144 144 Small Business Networking: Advice & Resources http://blog.aerokamedia.com/2010/02/01/small-business-networking-help/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=small-business-networking-help http://blog.aerokamedia.com/2010/02/01/small-business-networking-help/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:03:58 +0000 Erica Simanek Knoch http://blog.aerokamedia.com/?p=274

I have a couple of things to say about networking as a small business owner:

  • Do NOT act like the guy in the video above!  When I first started networking, I thought it was “all about me”, and would ramble on about what I could offer, and didn’t take much time to listen to others.  After a while, I realized there is much more value in listening to others and sharing experiences.  You really have to be there in the moment, pay attention and find real connections at networking functions.  It’s smart, it’s respectful, and it’s good for business!
  • Read my post regarding Creative Networking.  In today’s post  on Network Solutions’ Grow Smart Business site, I give a  few ideas and resources for the small business owner who has time constraints. (and who doesn’t!?)   If you have more ideas, I would love to hear them, as I am always looking for more creative networking options.

Additional resources on networking:

  • PartnerUp:  Network and partner on projects with other small business owners.
  • Ryze:  Similar to LinkedIn, this site is great for networking online.
  • Entrepreneur Connect:  A community within Entrepreneur’s site where you can join, get advice and connect for partnerships and possible clients.

Do you have other ways of networking with little or no time to get out?  Please share. :-)

]]> http://blog.aerokamedia.com/2010/02/01/small-business-networking-help/feed/ 2 DISHing It Out to Help Local Charities – One Open Mic at a Time http://blog.aerokamedia.com/2009/10/21/dishing-out-help-to-local-charities-one-open-mic-at-a-time/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dishing-out-help-to-local-charities-one-open-mic-at-a-time http://blog.aerokamedia.com/2009/10/21/dishing-out-help-to-local-charities-one-open-mic-at-a-time/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:56:46 +0000 Erica Simanek Knoch http://blog.aerokamedia.com/?p=204 DISH Logo

Tomorrow I will get a ride with my friend Jami and attend the first open mic nite at Dish.
I’m looking forward to a few hours of conversation, fresh and tasty food, and fun entertainment.  Doug Vaira is the owner of Dish, and on Thursday, 10/22 will be the first of his monthly open mic nights in which he will give back to local charities.  The first charity is Community Alternatives to Violence. 

Dish is located:
213 W. Washington Street
Charlestown, WV 25414
304-728-8464
info@wvdish.com

So, if you are in the Charlestown, WV area, stop by tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m., bring your guitars, singing voice, stand up… express yourself in the name of giving back! 

Hope to see you there.

]]> http://blog.aerokamedia.com/2009/10/21/dishing-out-help-to-local-charities-one-open-mic-at-a-time/feed/ 0 “She’s Baaackkk…! http://blog.aerokamedia.com/2009/09/09/shes-baaackkk/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=shes-baaackkk http://blog.aerokamedia.com/2009/09/09/shes-baaackkk/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:02:11 +0000 Erica Simanek Knoch http://blog.aerokamedia.com/?p=38 AerokaSite_Catrina and Cleo

“…see you in September…”
Yes, it’s been a while, and I apologize to ME for not being fully engaged in my small business site over the summer and waiting til September until I truly started back.  I have been employed FULL TIME as a Mom, the greatest and busiest job I have ever had!  

Currently I am what the real world calls “unemployed”.   I have been job hunting/interviewing, working P/T for one great client (Black Dog Coffee) and pursuing other projects.  The Summer Mom job hours just got cut -  now that the girls are back in school,  I am asking myself these questions:

a.  Should I put ALL my energies into Aeroka Media Marketing? (the site, sub-businesses, and patents)

b.  Should I go back to work either as a consultant or permanently in the “real world”  full-time?

c.  Should I job-share to open my extra time up for the business or partner on projects with some of the great women I have met in marketing over the summer?

d. Should I pursue ALL of the above!?

As it turns out for now, it is D – all of the above.  It will be a challenge, but I am ready and energized, until all the chips fall into place. 

In the meantime, my daughters keep me very busy, inspired, and EMPLOYED with the greatest job of all.

]]> http://blog.aerokamedia.com/2009/09/09/shes-baaackkk/feed/ 0 An Erica, Powered by Black Dog Coffee http://blog.aerokamedia.com/2009/07/08/an-erica-powered-by-black-dog-coffee/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=an-erica-powered-by-black-dog-coffee http://blog.aerokamedia.com/2009/07/08/an-erica-powered-by-black-dog-coffee/#comments Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:23:09 +0000 Erica Simanek Knoch http://blog.aerokamedia.com/?p=25 BlackDog-logo(bk)_70x70

I couldn’t live without Black Dog!
I had a great day today, had a great cup of Ethiopian Harrar Horse, got the girls to the sitter’s, on to a lunch in Leesburg with a fellow Online Marketing consultant  to discuss contracts, small business resources, and being a mom.

Then I ran to Jumpin Java in Charlestown, WV, where I got a cup of excellent Tanzanian Peaberry.  Then I met with my new client, Brian Bircher of Black Dog Coffee.  The Tanzanian, the Ethiopian…all the coffee I had til that meeting (and the last three years!) are his roasted beans, packaged, and sold online and locally.

The feeling you get from it is NOT the jitters you can get from a regular cup of coffee.  Instead, it’s actually the feeling of being really well-rested and alert, as if you just got the best night’s sleep ever!  Don’t believe me?  Try some.

At  www.blackdogcoffee.net you can order:

  • coffee/gifts delivered to your home locally (Jefferson County, WV)
  • coffee/gifts delivered everywhere else via USPS
  • a wide variety of coffees, which are ever changing here
  • gifts such as coffee mugs, bags, and other items here

This is an Erica who is powered by Black Dog Coffee.  I am a client, and now I am proud to say, he is now a client of mine.

Let me know when, what and how you liked what you ordered.

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