"Managing your career is like investing - the degree of difficulty does not count. So you can save yourself money and pain by gettng on the right train." - Warren Buffett

Is your career on the right train? Are you working for a company with good economics? Is your company awash with cash? Does your company continue to achieve high margins? Is it experiencing growth in revenue and profits? Is your company innovative?

If the answer is no to any of these questions, why are you continuing to work for the company? Higher salaries, raises, and promotions are more common if the answer is yes to each of these questions.

Is your company under pressure to cut costs? If so, guess what costs they will cut? Maybe your raise or promotion, or even worse your job.

I agree with Mary Buffett (Warren's former daughter-in-law): "If one goes to work for a company with poor long-term economics, then he can never expect to do really well because the company doesn't do well."

Get your career back on the right train. Join companies that have good long-term economics. This simple action will put in you a position to succeed.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Central Valley Fund, a private investment fund focused on middle market Central Valley companies, today announced a mezzanine investment of $3.35M in Ultra Gro, LLC.

The capital was used to fund a buyout of the Company by the management team which, the Central Valley Fund states, has deep agricultural experience, several of whom have tenure with the Company in complementary sales, consulting, and financial capacities.

Originally founded in 1985, Ultra Gro formulates, blends, and distributes liquid agricultural fertilizers customized for a diverse group of crop growers, primarily in the Central San Joaquin Valley.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:11 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sacramento Executive and SacWomen sponsors Caroline Jensen, Coldwell Banker and Dave Mendoza, Managing Broker, Comstock Mortgage are holding a very informative seminar that will provide you with much needed information on how to buy bank-owned, foreclosed homes.

The seminar is complimentary for accredited investors who are interested in buying Bank Owned Foreclosed Homes (Real Estate Owned, REO) and taking advantage of the current real estate market for Bank Owned homes.

This seminar is not for homeowners facing foreclosure.

Please call (916) 607-7313 to reserve your seat today. (Seating is limited)

This educational seminar will cover the following topics:
• The Foreclosure Process
• Why buy Foreclosed (REO) property?
• How to buy Real Estate at Foreclosure Auctions
• Advantages of REO vs. Pre-Foreclosure Property
• How to evaluate and select REO property

Due to the popularity of their programs, your RSVP is required. Seating is limited. Call to reserve your seat, 916.607.7313

Saturday, March 1, 2008
9:00 AM
Del Paso Country Club
3333 Marconi Ave
Sacramento, Ca 95821
This venue has a dress code, please call for details.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:51 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Rebecca Reichardt owner of Tazzina Bistro in Woodland is one of 10 winners in the Make Mine a Million $ Business. She won computer equipment, free vouchers for airlines and hotels and up to $50,000 in financing from Amex's small-business lending division. But the most valuable item - coaching from business experts.

Read the write up in Bob Shallit's column

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We received a note from Ron Crane, VP of Wall Street Ventures, a brokerage linking buyers and sellers.

Over time, Ron has become a friend. He (along with Ed Ring) maintains perfect attendance at the Sacramento Executive events (which reminds me I need to plan another one very soon). Ron has always been available to provide input and advice.

Before we left Sacramento, we toyed with buying a business and immediately sought input from Ron. And more recently, a Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy alumni asked me for input on a business he was thinking about buying. Knowing my limits, I called Ron and asked if he would be willing to help out.

Of course, generously, he provided lots of valuable input, even calling me when he thought the alumni was about to make a huge mistake. Turns out he did listen to Ron and walked away from what would have been a disaster. That's the kind of guy that Ron is - loyal, generous, supportive and I would imagine a great guy to have on your side if you are selling or buying a business.

So, the news from Ron was that his company, Wall Street Ventures, has been purchased by VERCOR, an international middle market investment bank, who was looking to broaden the services they provide to their customers. Sounds like a win-win. The bank will provide many more resources to Ron and his employees to get their job done. And the bank will get to offer the superior services of Ron and his employees.

Congrats Ron. Good things happen to good people.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

An entrepreneur who sold his company and is now ready to do it again.
A collaboration of local investors ready to invest in a local company with strong product and a strong, tested, local CEO.
Fairytale?
No, let's hope it's a dream come true.

Freepath, a developer of digital content sharing tools and communities, announced on Monday that it has raised $1.5 million in its first round of funding, led by Velocity Venture Capital.

Individual members of Strategis Early Ventures, Sacramento Angels and the Sierra Angels also participated.

Freepath is led by John Stone, who sold Powerschool, the company he co-founded, to Apple in 2001 and stayed on for several years as an Apple Vice President.

Check out their website, watch their demo and sign up to be notified when their new product is available for free download.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What's the highest value company in the Sacramento region?

Hint: 1.5 million customers in 23 states, and $77.4 million in net income on $824 million in revenue in 2006.

Hint: Based in Folsom, CA

Hint: Market cap of $2.1 billion -- more than The McClatchy Co., GenCorp Inc. and SureWest Communications combined.

Hint: If we didn't have them, our lives would be trashed!

Yep, you got it - Waste Connections Inc.

The CEO of Waste Connections, Ron Mittelstaedt, has just been named Executive of the year by the Sacramento Business Journal

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:26 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The West Sacramento City Council voted 4-0 Wednesday in favor of accepting the results of a feasibility study and to develop a business plan to move forward the establishment of a technology incubator in West Sacramento.

The effort is being spearheaded by Diane Richards, the economic development coordinator for West Sacramento. The feasibility survey was undertaken by Innovative Partners and included 55 investors, entrepreneurs, government and academic officials, local business executives, and land owners and developers between Aug. 13 and Nov. 21. Innovative Partners is made up of Jeffrey Milanette, President of Innovative Partners, and Ingrid Rosten, who oversees GreatStart and CleanStart. The results revelead that:

There is general support for establishing a tech incubator in West Sacramento;
The city has the ability to collaborate with the private sector and create an organization that will build many small companies into larger ones, and stimulate West Sacramento's economy and employment;
There are sufficient numbers of tech startups in the region to indicate that "a reasonable level of occupancy" could be achieved and maintained;
There are potential public and private partners, many of which have indicated their willingness to work with the city;
Entrepreneurs support the idea and many said they'd consider applying for admission.
The report recommends the city take a "conservative" step-by-step approach toward establishing an incubator. The city would begin that work in the first quarter of next year and conclude the process in three to five years.

The City will prepare a business plan due by the end of April.
City staff will begin establishing a nonprofit incubation corporation, seek funding for the program and execute contracts for incubation services in June.
Beginning in July, the City will roll out a virtual incubator - one that offers services without the physcal space. If that program is successful, the City will find incubator space.

Good news for Sacramento area tech startups.

Story courtesty of the Sacramento Business Journal

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:01 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

No, no and no. Here's a good reason why from Guy Kawasaki:

“Before you even start addressing the hard stuff, never ask a venture capitalist to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). They never do. This is because at any given moment, they are looking at three or four similar deals. They're not about to create legal issues because they sign a NDA and then fund another, similar company--thereby making the paranoid entrepreneur believe the venture capitalist stole his idea. If you even ask them to sign one, you might as well tattoo "I'm clueless!" on your forehead.”

This is an excerpt from his Venture Capitalist Wish list outlining the top ten ways to attract the interest of venture capitalists. Definitely worth a read.

(Thanks, as always, to Funding Universe for the input)

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Marquiss Wind Power, based in Folsom, Calif., an innovator in wind turbine technology, has announced that Paul Misso is the company's new president and CEO.

Misso was formerly director of information technology at Intel, where he managed the company's global network of application development, support and business analysts. He was recruited for his position by Velocity Venture Capital, a fund specializing in early-stage investments in the greater Sacramento region. Velocity Venture Capital led the company's initial round of funding.

"This is an exciting time in the development of clean energy sources," says Misso. "Marquiss has outstanding products that put the power of wind to work to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Our products provide a cost-effective way for all businesses to reduce their power costs and take a step to help our environment."

Courtesy of Alternative Energy Retailer

I and a couple of others met with the guy who developed the initial technology a few years ago and frankly it seemed like way too big a job to turn into a real company. So I give lots of credit to Jack Crawford at Velocity for making it happen. I know it couldn't have been easy.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:35 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday, in Bob Shallit's column in the Sacramento Bee, he wrote about a New-York based electronics-recycling company, Plastinum Polymer Technologies Corp., that is considering moving its headquarters to Roseville.

Shallit writes:

Plastinum, which opened its first plant in Holland three years ago, boasts of an advanced, environmentally friendly system that separates the various kinds of plastics in old computers and other "e-waste".

Much of that plastic now goes into landfills, (Plastinum spokesman Paul) Hayes says. "But we basically put it into a blender, and we get out reusable plastics and polymers," he says..".....The company's first U.S. plant will cost $5 million to open and employ about 40 people, Hayes says.

Could this be just what California is looking for? Now we have shown we are on the leading edge of the cleantech movement, maybe companies will move to the state because we are cleantech company friendly instead of moving away because we are business hostile. Make some new regs quickly, Arnold!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:04 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

From Ask the VC

Q: We have an interested Angel for an investment in our startup LLC. We have a strong lawyer for support. We’d like to submit a draft Term Sheet to, as you say in your blog, “control the paper”. Everything I find online about Angel Term Sheets contemplates shares, which presumes a corporation (vs. an LLC). We expect to give secondary (non-voting) membership as well as putting the investor on an Advisory Board. Can you point to resources that are more appropriate to an LLC structure?
A: (Brad) Your lawyer should be able to quickly crank this out. There’s nothing special about it – just slightly different language given the notion of “members” vs. “shareholders” and the difference in how members rights are allocated / delineated. I don’t know of any generic forms online, but if your lawyer doesn’t have this in a boilerplate form, I’d recommend you revisit the notion that you have “a strong lawyer for support.”
COMMENTS (2)
As an additional resource, you may want to check out the following book. "Term Sheets & Valuations - A Line by Line Look at the Intricacies of Venture Capital Term Sheets & Valuations (Bigwig Briefs) (Paperback)". Term Sheets & Valuations - A Line by Line Look at the Intricacies of Venture Capital Term Sheets & Valuations (Bigwig Briefs)
As Brad indicates, there is probably nothing in there that your lawyer does not already know, but there are a lot of variations on the term sheet theme that may give you some new ideas.

The one additional issue to consider is where your LLC is formed. LLCs are still a bit of an evolving creature and the statutory default provisions are much more limited. Therefore, your LLC operating agreement has to cover a lot more in terms of mechanics and minority protections that would have otherwise been necessary with a corp. This is more of an issue for the party that will be in the minority post deal, which I assume is your investor, but something to keep in mind as discussions continue.

Dimitry Herman , November 8, 2007 5:37 AM
As an angel investor, I'd insist on a C corporation. I'm biased a bit, tho--95% of the companies we fund go on to get institutional capital--which almost always insist on a C corp as well. My advice--think of the future, not just the present.
Also, if a company I was investing in wanted to give me "non-voting" shares, I'd pass on the investment. Remember, it's meant to be a two way street where all parties involved are succesful. At this early stage, it should not be who gets the "best" deal("control the paper", "non-voting", etc).
Knox Massey , November 8, 2007 4:55 PM

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Despite all those dire warnings from industry groups, including the California Chamber of Commerce, California is losing relatively few jobs as a result of businesses relocating to other states, with most business moves involving relocations within the state, according to a recent Public Policy Institute of California study. During the past 15 years, California only lost 11,000 jobs due to business relocations of the state's 18 million jobs (0.06%).

When the governor next considers vetoing all bills that the California Chamber of Commerce has designated as 'hostile to business', which he did this year, he might want to consider the real facts and stop listening to BS.

The Public Policy Institute of California report says other factors are much more influential on the state's employment status.

"Business births, deaths, contractions and expansions have a much greater effect on employment," the report said.

"Establishment relocations within the state are much more common than relocations into and out of the state," the report added. "Among intrastate relocations, short-distance moves are more common than long-distance moves."

"This short-distance pattern suggests that businesses are not moving primarily in search of differently skilled or cheaper labor or a more friendly business climate," the report said. "Rather, it is more consistent with businesses looking to be closer to more productive business clusters, a more affordable real estate market, or workers or customers who have themselves moved toward less expensive real estate."

A good example of this was the Sacramento region which gained 15,000 net jobs between 1992 and 2004. Areas that lost jobs: Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The report concludes by stating: "Although some industries and some regions in the state are not growing as fast as others, California's job growth has kept pace with the nation."

Thank goodness for PPIC and organizations like them that deflate all the 'noise' and present the facts.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 4:47 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Learn from the best how to turn your business idea into a succinct plan that investors will want to read .

Both speakers are partners of well-respected VC funds in Sacramento and both have real-life experience working in startups and both have spent many, many hours working with entrepreneurs.

This is a definite-attend event.

Date: Wednesday, November 7th Time: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM Location: AOB IV Room 174 (Graduate School of Management Building), UC Davis Campus http://www.cevs.ucdavis.edu/map/

EVERYONE IS WELCOME! Learn the secrets to building a successful business plan. Discover how to commercialize your next great idea. This workshop will present you with valuable tools for creating a business plan. We are pleased to present Dr. Barbara Grant, Managing Director at American River Ventures and Scott Lenet, Managing Director of DFJ Frontier, as presenters for this year's workshop.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS...
Dr. Barbara Grant is a Managing Director of American River Ventures, a $100M, early stage venture capital firm headquartered in Sacramento. Prior to joining ARV in 2004, she was CEO of Siros Technologies, a Silicon Valley start-up company developing laser light sources, where she raised funding from top-tier investors. Prior to joining Siros, Barbara was at IBM for 21 years, where she held numerous executive positions , most recently as VP and General Manager in the Data Storage Solutions Business. Grant and her teams have been responsible for the development and introduction of over 50 new products over the course of her career. She was elected to the inaugural group of the Women in Technology Hall of Fame in 1996.

Scott Lenet is a founder and Managing Director of DFJ Frontier, a Draper Fisher Jurvetson affiliate and early stage technology venture capital fund. At Frontier, he leads fund management, fundraising and portfolio management efforts. Mr. Lenet has significant experience in the technology industry as an entrepreneur and as a venture capitalist. He was the founder and CEO of SmartFrog.com, purchased in 1999 by Cybergold (acquired by UAL).

For more information, visit the Big Bang! web site or email the Big Bang! at bigbang@ucdavis.edu.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jon Toigo, a disaster recovery expert at Toigo Partners International, has put together nearly 100 disaster recovery plans. His clients include Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO), and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) over the past twenty years.

"The bottom line in disaster preparedness is to protect your most irreplaceable assets – your people and your data," said Toigo.

People
Employees will want reassurance and direction. If not, things can fall apart pretty quickly.

As a result, Toigo recommends building solid contact lists. They should include at least five different points of contact -- say, phone numbers, mobile numbers, email, SMS and also information on relatives.

Data
"You may be astonished to learn that nearly 20 percent of small businesses do not back up their data," said Toigo. "With businesses relying on technology now more than ever, it's my job to remind professionals that if you lose your data, you can lose your business."

Thus, he recommends a data back up at least once a week – and there should also be an off-site storage facility.

Fortunately, storage technology is getting much cheaper. For example, Toigo likes small flash drives like Ativa's 8GB system (which can store up to 320,000 pages) and can be put in your pocket when you leave the office.

"The truth is, more than one in four businesses will experience a significant crisis in a given year, and of those businesses that experience a disaster and have no emergency plan, 43 percent never reopen," said Toigo. "But with a plan in place, the overwhelming feeling should be greatly reduced because you'll know you are covered."

Thanks to Tom Taulli of Entrepreneur's Journal

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 5:46 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"Even for someone like Anne Mulcahy, who had spent nearly 20 years at Xerox, collating its problems seemed next to impossible when she took over in 2001. At the time, the company was buried in $15 billion of debt and an SEC scandal. Onlookers were sure that Xerox was destined for Chapter 11. Despite this, Mulcahy managed to dig out by drastically cutting the workforce and steadily increasing innovations (they've launched 100 new products in the last three years)." - Fortune.com

Anne Mulcahy, a SacWomen Power Women 50 Index member, has delivered better than most of her male counterparts and handsomely rewarded investors along the way. Since her debut as CEO of Xerox (NYSE symbol XRX) in August 2001, a $10,000 investment in XRX has grown to $21,541 versus $12,464 for the S&P 500 Index.

What exactly has she achieved? Comparing results of 2000, (the year ending before Mulcahy took charge) versus 2006, she has grown:

• book value per share from $3.33 to $7.48;
• return on equity from -12.3% to 17.1%;
• return on assets from -1.0% to 5.6%;
• net profit margins from -1.7% to 7.4%;
• earnings per share from -$.48 to $1.22; and,
• net income from -$273 million to $1.21 billion.

Wow! Those are great results! Anne Mulcahy, job well done!

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A wonderful opportunity to get smart about patents courtesy of the Sacramento County Bar Intellectual Property Section. And free wine too.

Intellectual property rights in today’s information age are not only extremely valuable assets, they are also tools used in a competitive business environment to both shield companies from their competitors' attacks and as swords to gain a competitive advantage. Sophisticated managers wield these tools adeptly. The fundamental changes in patent law in the last five years, however, has dramatically changed the way managers must think about protecting their company's products and methods of doing business. Join us for a discussion about those changes and how one renowned leader in the technology sector is adapting.

About our Speakers
Cindy Faatz is an Assistant Director of Patents at Intel Corporation. Ms. Faatz has worked at Intel for 23 years, where she worked first as an engineer. Since joining the legal team, she was worked in a variety of different roles in the patents and licensing group, including her current focus on overseeing management of the wired and wireless communications patent portfolios.
Professor Amy Landers litigated patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret matters for high technology and Fortune 100 clients prior to joining the faculty at the University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. Professor Landers is authoring Patent Law Fundamentals, which is forthcoming on Westlaw publications.
The Business End of Patents
with
Cindy Faatz, Esq.
Assistant Director of Patents at Intel Corporation
&
Patent Law Primer
Prof. Amy Landers
UOP McGeorge School of Law
Panel from Sacramento’s IP Community Legal
Glen Gross, Esq. | Pamela Bertani, Esq. | Scott Plamondon, Esq. | Daniel Ballard,Esq.

Wednesday, 11/28/2007 at 5:30 - 8:00 pm
Hyatt Regency Sacramento
1209 L Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Complimentary Wine Provided By Coppola Vineyards, Napa
5:30 - 6:15 pm
Please RSVP:

Ian A. Rambarran
Attorney-at-Law
Klinedinst PC
The Forum Building
1107 Ninth Street,
Suite 680
Sacramento, CA 95814
www.klinedinstlaw.com
irambarran@klinedinstlaw.com
Ph: 916-444-7573 (x) 4205
Fax: 916-444-7544

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:11 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Power Women 50 Index company spotlight.

What is going on at VMware Inc. (NYSE symbol VMW), a Power Women 50 Index company? Since the IPO price of $29.00 on August 14, 2007, Diane Greene, CEO of VMware, has led this company on an amazing ride. The stock closed today at $120.78, up $8.67 for the day and up 316.5% since the IPO. Results are stunning - with 9 months on the books for 2007, earnings are up 100% compared to the entire twelve months in 2005 ($.40 vs. $.20) and revenue is up 135.9% ($913.3M vs. $387.1M).

Click here for the third quarter results...

About Diane Greene:

Diane Greene is President, CEO and co-founder of VMware. Under Diane's leadership, VMware created the market for mainstream virtualization and VMware definitively leads what is now a virtualization software industry. Diane has held technical leadership positions at Silicon Graphics, Sybase and Tandem and was CEO of VXtreme. Diane's degrees include mechanical engineering, naval architecture and computer science from the University of Vermont, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California Berkeley, respectively. Diane serves on the board of VMware and Intuit.

About VMware:

VMware is the world’s leading provider of virtualization solutions for x86-based servers and desktops. Through a pioneering approach to virtualization, VMware technology works to separate the software from the underlying hardware. This allows a single computer to run multiple operating systems and applications, delivering significant improvements in efficiency, availability, flexibility and manageability.

Founded in 1998, VMware is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with offices around the world. VMware’s customer base consists of more than 20,000 organizations of all sizes, including 100% of Fortune 100 companies. VMware delivers technology designed to substantially lower IT costs, provide more flexibility in choosing operating systems, and offer a more automated and resilient systems infrastructure capable of responding to variable business demands.

What is the Power Women 50 Index? Click here to read more.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 6:47 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A quote from an interesting article written by George Skelton in the LA Times about why Governor Schwarzenegger keeps vetoing bills that the California Chamber considers "anti-business".

I called Stephen Levy, director of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto. "The number of companies that move out of state is infinitesimally small," he says. "It doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

"There's been all this debate about competitiveness. 'Do we have to give them regulatory relief? Tax cuts?' We're not competing for a paint factory or low-wage manufacturer. We're competing for talented people who are on the cutting edge and can live and work anyplace. They demand good schools, transportation that moves people, clear air. We compete by making California a great place to live and work.

"That damn well takes investments. Investments cost money. It means money coming from the private sector."

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:34 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Congratulations to Revionics, a price optimization company, located in El Dorado Hills. They just received a $7M second round of financing from a top tier VC - Sierra Ventures. This round follows a $3M+ round last year.

The company was founded in 2002 by Jeff Smith, who was part of the founding team of Khimetrics. KhiMetrics was was acquired by SAP in 2005. In September 2006, Todd Michaud, food industry technology veteran, joined Revionics as its President and Chief Executive Officer.

Patience has been the name of the game for Revionics and it appears to be paying off.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:26 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

California state CIO J. Clark Kelso told government VARs attending GovernmentVAR's State and Local Roadshow in Sacramento that when it comes to winning IT business from the state, size doesn't matter. What California and other state governments are looking for often isn't the billion dollar IT vendor or integrator, but rather small nimble solution providers that have expertise in applications such as server consolidation and virtualization, web redesign and document management.

With currently 13 California state IT contracts over $10 million and 11,500 under $500,000 there's plenty of room for solution providers of all stripes to cash in. Here are five tips for wining IT business from the state that Kelso gave to solution providers.

1. Learn the state's overall IT strategy and map your solutions to fit the goals.

Kelso said knowing where the state is going with its IT infrastructure helps VARs structure targeted solutions that IT managers can use to solve their problems. The best place to learn the state's grand IT plan is to visit its eServices website www.eservices.ca.gov. Another helpful site is the Department of Technology Services www.dts.ca.gov.

2. Get to know departmental CIOs.

Kelso said that dealing with the state is not that different from working with the private sector. "People buy from people," he said. With 50 percent of California's IT workforce eligible to retire soon, each of the state's 45 departmental IT managers is scrambling over how to modernize systems while keeping existing infrastructure operational. What's more, CIOs have broad discretionary powers to fund smaller IT projects in their departments without putting the deals out to bid.

3. Don't use the term outsourcing when dealing with state.

Kelso warned that the term "outsourcing" is a lightning rod for trouble with civil service unions. Instead he says VARs should couch their proposals by saying, "This is how I can help the state by providing services." As he explains, "I don't use the word 'outsourcing.' We just source."

4. Go green with your proposals.

"Green is good," says Kelso. California and many other states are rapidly mandating green, eco-friendly initiatives. If you can frame server consolidation and virtualization in terms of energy cost savings, for example, you'll be way ahead of the competition.

5. Partner with state IT retirees.

VARs can get better access to what's going on within state departments if they partner with recent IT retirees. Many retire and form their own consulting firms. They have intimate knowledge of the IT needs within their former departments. And more importantly, they have strong relationships with former colleagues. "I'll return their calls," Kelso says of recent state CIO retirees.

Some great advice from the customer himself. Why would you try anything else as a sales tactic?

Reported on the Channel Web Network

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:05 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Do women CEOs outperform men CEOs? We are about to find out.

Introducing the Power Women 50 Index.

The cover story in the current Fortune Magazine (October 15, 2007) features the 50 most powerful women. A quick scan of the list includes twelve CEOs of publicly traded companies (today's closing share price and stock symbol are provided):

For the complete list, visit Our 4-Hour Workweek website.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pretty soon after you come up with that brilliant idea for a new company, you are going to be looking for a laywer. Too bad that our litigious society has made it a necessity, but a necessity it is. If your idea is hot, you might even get pursued by several law firms who will offer 'special deals' to you. My advice: ask other successful entrepreneurs who they used, gather several names, and then go interview each and everyone of them. Choose the one you trust and you will enjoy working with - because you will be working with them closely for a long time. Hopefully that is the one for which you received the most recommendations and who has the most experience working with startups in your field.

No doubt, you will be courted by the senior partner. Make sure that when you seal the deal, that isn't the last time you spend any significant time with him/her. There is a tendency in many law firms to have the senior guy seal the deal and then pass you off right away to a lowly associate. That is definitely not what you bargained for.

Make sure you don't bargain away a significant part of your startup for free legal work upfront. Ask around and find out the range that others gave up. If you do the math later on and figure out you were paying $1000 an hour for work that normally costs $300, that wasn't a good deal. But you should be prepared to pay a slight uplift based on the law firm's willingness to take a risk on your startup.

Check out Guy Kawasaki's Top Ten (Sixteen) Lies of Lawyers for helpful advice and useful warnings!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Marquiss Wind Power, an innovator in wind turbine technology, this week announced the appointment of former senior Intel and FLEXTRONICS executive Paul Misso as its new president and chief executive officer.

He will oversee Marquiss' operations, including product development, sales, marketing, financing and supply chain management.

"This is an exciting time in the development of clean energy sources," Misso said. "Marquiss has outstanding products that put the power of wind to work to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Our products provide a cost effective way for all businesses to reduce their power costs and take a step to help our environment."

As Director of IT for Intel, Misso managed application development, support, and business analysts around the globe, including teams in the U.S., UK, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Central Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Velocity Venture Capital, a fund specializing in early stage investments in the greater Sacramento region, led the company's initial round of funding.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

9 Tips On Conducting Fabulous Meetings
1. Have fewer meetings!

Many regularly scheduled group meetings are unnecessary. Often a telephone call, memo or e-mail will suffice and is a better solution.

Meetings involving several staff members are very expensive. Just compute the hourly cost. You will be amazed! Clearly, it makes economic sense to only schedule meetings that are absolutely necessary.

2. Limit attendance.

Invite only the people who are absolutely necessary to the outcome of the meeting.

3. Start and stop meetings on a strict timetable.

Whether or not some people arrive late, start and stop at the scheduled time regardless.

4. Limit the time of the meeting.

Keep most meetings to 30 minutes. Only if absolutely necessary go to 45 minutes. In rare cases go to 60 minutes, or 90 minutes. If a subject is not covered within the scheduled time, simply shelve it to the next meeting.

5. Plan the meetings carefully.

Distribute a meeting agenda at least a day in advance. List the subjects of discussion. The decisions which need to be made. Who is responsible to implement the decision. The agreed upon completion date.

6. Preparation is critical for all attendees. .

Ask participants to prepare in advance for their part of the meeting agenda

7. Appoint a person to keep notes of the meeting.

Ideally, keeping meeting notes is a rotating responsibility. Distribute the notes within 24 hours of the meeting. Tape record the meeting to be sure you have a record of what transpired. Especially important is the action to be taken. Who has agreed to do what by when?

8. Avoid the so-called open door policy.

This is highly overrated. Do not conduct most one-on- one meetings in your office.

Some people just don't seem to know when to leave your work area and thus waste a lot of your time with small talk.

Instead, stop by the employee's office. Conduct your business. Then politely terminate the meeting and leave. You are much more in control of your time visiting an employee.

9. Use meeting performance as an important part of your periodic employee evaluations.

An evaluation can be an ideal time to communicate with an employee as to whether or not they are "getting it" insofar as your meeting culture.

Author: Ted Nicholas

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:24 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Are you looking for tools to develop your next generation of leaders? If so join Sonoma Learning Systems for the The Leadership Challenge® Preview. This free seminar is based on the best selling book The Leadership Challenge by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner. Those who attend will gain insight into the Leadership Challenge, the worlds most trusted resource for developing better leaders.

Organizations both public and private are using the Leadership Challenge as a tool to build their bench strength of leaders. Whether you work for an entrepreneurial start-up or a major international conglomerate, the solution to bringing your workforce to the next level is the Leadership Challenge. Join us!

When: October 12th, 2007 (8:30 AM – 12:00 PM)
Where: The Sacramento Residence Inn Marriot, 1501 L Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Cost: FREE (Limited to the first 60 people who sign-up)
Register

I agreed to plug this event because I have been very impressed by those who have gone through it and the person who asked me is an impressive graduate of the Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy and works at Sonoma Learning Systems. I am picky as to what or whom I plug, but this made the criteria, without question.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

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