Answer Maven Solutions Networks

January 14, 2011

Forgive the step back from e-discovery this week.  It’s been a busy week for Answer Maven.  We have been taking calls about upcoming CLE’s we are teaching, patent infringement and CI research inquiries and not least, the execution of The Seed 2020 event that was held on January 12, 2011 at Workshop, The Creative Workplace.

You can read reviews of the event in a variety of places. I want to use this space to provide insight into the pride I feel every time we have a Seed event.  This group was founded to highlight women and minority owned businesses.  When we held the first event back in November 2009, it was exciting to look around the room and see a diversity of attendees and presenters.  Many of those presenters became partners and colleagues that I work with regularly.  Workshop uses Answer Maven’s social media management services. Carmel Stauffer went from presenter at Seed 2020 events to planner and organizer of the events.  She was the power behind the June 2010 event that highlighted Hispanic businesses.

From a seed of desire to offer a grassroots networking event, prompted by Stephen Arnold’s desire to give back a community has grown.  The participants want to help each other grow their business.  And in the midst of it all friendships and partnerships are being formed.

We learn not only from the formal presentations that are provided at each of these events but from the conversations we have while we network.  I meet people in my community that I would never have known without this framework.  The talents are multitude and the promotions we can offer to the folks involved (Tyra Oldham, Jennifer Fontaine, and Sara Thompson – to name a few) are unique.

Being the chief organizer and logistics manager for these events provides me a great opportunity to reach out and meet people who can teach, coach and help me improve.  The group believes in supporting each other and we want to continue offering opportunities to help women and minority owned businesses grow and develop.  It goes beyond highlighting the business, to offering specific topics to help you run your business.  Marketing, understanding how to use social media and how to improve your SEO are just a few of the topics we’ve touched on.  As the group discusses what they want next, the group will make the next presentations to meet those needs.

This is networking at its best and I’m glad that I’m a part of it.  Although, I must say on the night of the events I miss Keisha!  (Keisha was the original co-organizer.) Miller took on the challenge of bartending and time keeping enthusiastically on Wednesday and it was his first time to attend.  Everyone pitches in to get the jobs done.  That’s more than networking that’s solving.

Constance Ard

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Mastermind Brings Clarity

September 29, 2010

Tonight I had the privilege of meeting a small and powerful group of women who own their own business or want to own their own business.  What I discovered in this group is that many of us deal with similar struggles:

  • work-life balance
  • being interested and capable in multiple areas
  • needing the right connections to grow their business

Throughout the evening the group worked to help each other focus on one thing they wanted to improve and by the end of the evening we had concrete things to do to make the improvement.

Thus the reason for tonight’s post.  I’m often asked “What is it exactly you do?”  In the library and information technology world terms like taxonomy, content management and improving search are not foreign, outside of that world and my business description becomes a foreign language.

Clarity as Bright as a Light Bulb or Two

I often say that I provide information solutions for anyone struggling to maximize their information investment but that’s a short and unclear answer.  I came away tonight, thanks to Denise and the others, with a very succinct and understandable tagline that should open conversations quite nicely.

My business aims to help you understand, organize and use your information.  If you would like to know more you can check out the new website at answermavensolutions.com for the canned language or you can give me a call to tell me what information problem you are having and maybe we can find a solution together.

Constance Ard

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Females Still Struggle and Falter on Their Way to the Top: Seed 2020 Works to Smooth the Path

November 19, 2009

A study released today by UC Davis on California Women Business Leaders reinforces the commitment of Seed 2020 organizers to provide networking opportunities for women owned businesses.

Of the 400 public California companies surveyed a few key facts  came to light from the study.

  • 118 have no women board directors and no women executives
  • 15 have female CEOs

It’s interesting to note that this study has been conducted for the past 5 years and there has been little change in the numbers  10.6% of top positions are held by females.

This indicates that there is still a corporate cultural reluctance to move women up the ladder.  This article discusses the study.  Wendy Beecham, chief executive of  Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Executives talks about why the upward mobility has stalled.

The most interesting point Ms. Beecham makes is:

Women don’t always have role models or mentors to help them advance in corporate careers.

That is a distinctive disadvantage.  I agree with Ms. Beecham’s statement that people tend to hire like people.  Thus there exist multiple obstacles  to overcome in the continued struggle to move into powers of position.

Seed 2020 is designed to connect women and minority owned businesses to other business people who can help them grow.   This movement offers live networking opportunities.  As the program evolves and our supporters voice their needs and share their struggles our purpose will evolve to meet those needs and shared expectations.

One event we will be planning for in early 2010 is an event designed to allow small groups to solve real problems presented by our members.  We hope that as we listen and design programs that meet real needs, the connections we make will help women owned businesses overcome the challenges that their counterparts in California experience.

Mentoring is one of our goals.  It’s amazing to me that as far as women have come since the suffrage movement began there is still so far to go.  No, I’m not a rabid feminist, I still like it when doors are held open for me.  Nevertheless, I want my work to be judged on my ability, my intelligence, and my client’s satisfaction.  I want to accomplish what my male counterparts accomplish, especially if I’m putting in the same effort.

Giving voice to methods women can use to break the glass ceiling and succeed in the corporate world makes being a part of Seed 2020 exciting and inspiring.  I have had and continue to meet great role models, both male and female. Using their  knowledge and experience and learning the ins and outs of how to relate with all levels of company workers has been invaluable.  Seed 2020 offers the opportunity for women to benefit from the collective knowledge and experience that has allowed our members to succeed in much the same way.

Matching members to mentors, providing methods to navigate the corporate minefield and offering practical advise that is easily applied is just one more way for Seed 2020 to contribute to the success of women and minority owned businesses.

Constance Ard November 19, 2009

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Women and Minority Owned Business: The Key to Economic Stimulus

November 5, 2009

Last night was the culmination of a month and some change worth’s planning and organizing for The Seed 2020 event in Louisville KY at the Muhammad Ali Center.  This event was conceived with the sole purpose of offering women and minority owned businesses a strong voice and networking opportunity to promote themselves and their business in the local area.

A lot of people helped make the night a success.  We have over 70 RSVP’s attendees and many walk-ins.  (Official event wrap-up is not complete, I will update official numbers when that occurs.)  10 local women and minority owned business speakers presented and the keynote address by Dr. Emeka Akaezuwa was inspiring.  People in the room met each other and only towards the end did the energy begin to fade after two and half hours of the doors opening.

I left with the sense of accomplishment in that the concept we discussed in late September had truly come to life.  The room was filled with people from all walks of business and they were succeeding.  Some people who attended were looking for job opportunities and they found them.  Small business is flexible, creative, and innovative.  These three keys to business success in challenging times will lead to economic stimulus.  Our attendees, organizers and speakers demonstrated their ability to profit  by employing those keys to success.

Our sponsors, Frost Brown Todd, Louis Roth and Arnold IT funded a truly special event that connected people within a community that will benefit all.

Constance Ard November 5, 2009

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New Type of Networking for Small Business in Louisville KY

October 21, 2009

On November 4, 2009 at the Muhammad Ali Center a new direction in networking will get underway.  The Seed 2020 is an event being organized to give word to women and minority owned-businesses who don’t travel in the GLI circle of networks.

This is an event organized by myself and my colleague Keisha Mabry and is the inspiration of Stephen Arnold.  Business networking in Louisville always seems to have the same faces in the crowd and rarely do attendees hear what a business really needs or how they are a unique offering from everyone else.

Our intention is to use a framework that keeps the event moving smoothly and on schedule but allowing our speakers to really ask for direct support in whatever format they need.  For instance a new business that hasn’t even begun yet needs partners and investors to get started, this is an opportunity to make your pitch.  A consultant that has been in the business for a while has some wisdom to pass along about staying profitable during hard times, use this venue to pass it along.

Small businesses have so much to offer and networking to highlight those offerings for specific purposes is a beneficial action.  There will be time to hear the speakers and really talk with each other during this event.  Now is the time to be visible and we want to widen the visibility beyond the GLI crowd in the Louisville area.

For details about the event and to register to speak or attend please go to TheSeed2020[dot]com.

Constance Ard October 21, 2009

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Powerful Research Tools

July 9, 2008

Every summer that I taught the law firm summer associates legal research class I reminded them that the telephone was a research tool.

Yesterday, a friend IM’d me to ask where to find some statistics related to a specific public service.  I did not know for sure that the statistics would be available online.  What I did know is someone who worked with the public service.

So…I picked up the phone, made a call to my expert resource and within minutes I knew that the data was collected but that a requestor would need to contact the public service department.

I emailed my friend this information with the warning that a specific geographic area would need to be defined or the open records request would might get lost in the shuffle.

What is your secret weapon of research?  Do you network with people across industries to be sure you have an ace in the hole?

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Referrals and Networking

June 24, 2008

I just returned from the SLA Conference 2008 in Seattle.  This was my first conference as a freelancer and thus the activities I chose were different from those as a law librarian.

I still attended Legal Division events due to my interest and my role as a board member for the Legal Division.  I also embraced events with other divisions and in the Exhibit Hall I took a hard look at information targeted to independent information professionals.

My goal:  to continue my education in order to enhance my client service.  I received a tremendous amount of information and one of the most important networking connections was through a great mentor, Ulla De Stricker, who pointed to me to AIIP.  I’ll be joining AIIP at my earliest convenience.  This association was reiterated to me time and again as the single most important investment a freelancer can make.

I have no doubts about the importance of that investment.  The power of referrals is inestimable in this line of business.  Knowing experts in fields outside of my own will be invaluable as I strive to provide the best services to my clients.

My ultimate goal with my clients is to provide the answers they need.  If by some remote chance I can’t do it myself then I will rely upon the power of my network and refer them to a trusted information professional who can.

A note to clients:  Never Fear….my capacity to provide answers is broad and strong.  So if you have a question call me.

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