Click here to download this presentation.

RECESSION CONTINGENCY PLANNING
Intelligent and experienced observers may disagree about exactly where the economy is today, and where it’s headed, but there’s certainly no disagreement about the fact that we are living in very difficult economic times:

• George Soros: “We are in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the 1930s.

• Warren Buffett: “I believe that we are already in a recession… perhaps not in the sense defined by economists. … But people are already feeling the effects of a recession…. It will be deeper and longer than what many think.

• Alan Greenspan: “…there is a greater than 50% probability of recession.”

• CNN “A growing number of top economists believe that the U.S. economy
  has now toppled into recession.”

Of course, this isn’t the first recession—and it certainly won’t be the last.  So in determining how to turn this particular problem into real opportunity, a good place for us to start is by learning what leading management consultants have recommended in the past. Continue Reading »

Thursday, July 24, 2008
5:00 - 9:00 PM
Shrine Auditorium
Expo Center
700 W. 32nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90007
The first 100 visitors to our booth will have an opportunity to win a FREE one day Business Assessment of their company’s growth opportunities (a $2,000 value!).

L.A.’s Largest Mixer X is a great opportunity to reach small to large companies, make new contacts, and meet representatives from a variety of chambers of commerce and other business organizations.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE!

DRIVING INNOVATION THROUGH NEW BUSINESS MODELS

Innovation can bloom even in a grim economic climate. If anything, the slowdown may foster creativity.
–Wired Magazine

High energy prices, the tightening of commodity supply and the credit/housing crisis have caused US economic growth to slow to a crawl. Growth in GDP was an anemic 0.6% for the 4th quarter of 2007 and 0.9% for the first quarter of 2008.  As a result, small and medium size businesses are being advised to cut costs, reduce inventories and revamp marketing.

But astute business owners and senior executives recognize that, in fact, the recession presents an opportunity to test an enterprise’s most fundamental business assumptions in order to determine the most effective—and profitable—way forward.

Successful large companies have, for a number of years, approached this situation through the use of business modeling, and increasingly, smaller businesses are turning to this tool for innovation, which today empowers them to compete more effectively in a recession—and can do the same for you. Continue Reading »

RECENTLY ARRIVED IN THE US FROM THE UK—LORNA SCOTT

The flight from Nottingham to Los Angeles takes about eleven hours. I arrive at Los Angeles International, the weather is a lot warmer, and that’s just the start of the many differences between here and England!  It’s been a few weeks now and I’m still on my cultural learning curve.  However, I do know when to tip (and how much) and have changed most of my English terms to their American equivalents. 

I haven’t had to make many adjustments in the business world, though; my experience here has been remarkably similar to that in the UK!

My area of expertise is strategic deployment, in particular, using performance management as a vehicle to effectively deliver strategy and develop a performance based culture. I enjoy taking an organization’s strategy off the shelf—where it so often just sits–and making it work! I’m passionate about delivering results!

After completing my college degree at the University of Westminster in London, I embarked on a career in business management. For the last ten years, I’ve been concentrating on organizational development and project management, working within large corporate enterprises and public sector local authorities. I value this diversity, and I’ve learnt from every organization I have worked with. It’s given me a wealth of experience, and the knowledge of how to deal with various strategic and performance issues and relate them to each different situation.

My role with cpSphere allows me to use my experience on behalf of our clients, helping them to achieve results through our FACTS management software. It’s a great strategic, web based management tool, which can be used effectively within both the private and public sectors.  And we can also use our management expertise to help clients integrate the system into their organizational culture, maximizing its impact potential!

Part One:
DRIVING SALES WITH A STRONG MARKETING PLAN

Every business, no matter what product or service it is providing, needs a marketing plan. You can think of it as a road map to help guide you, so you will achieve your business objectives. You probably already know where you want to go; you just need a plan for how to get there, and signposts along the way.

There are a number of components that make up a strong marketing plan.  And, just like your business plan, you will need to do careful research and planning in order to produce a compelling and valuable document. Continue Reading »

cpSphere’s CEO, Kamran Qamar, and Senior Consultant, Joseph Burns, will lead a workshop on Growth Strategies for Small Business on June 17th, at Tamayo Restaurant, in the City of Commerce, sponsored by TELACU Community Capital.  The workshop will be presented for a selected audience of TELACU clients.

TELACU Community Capital is a division of TELACU (The East Los Angeles Community Union), a pioneering institution committed to service, empowerment, advancement, and the creation of self-sufficiency, which has been providing community and economic development support for the East Los Angeles Hispanic community since 1968.   Today, TELACU’s reach has expanded greatly, and it is a group of more than ten for-profit companies and non-profit organizations, including TELACU Development Corp., TELACU Construction Management, and TELACU Affordable Housing.  TELACU also founded and owns Tamayo, one of the most well known restaurants in the area, which is across the street from the TELACU headquarters building.

The Executive director of TELACU Community Capital is Richard Duarte, and TELACU’s representative for the Workshop is Josie Corona.

Click here to download this presentation.

WITH A FREE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT

How would you like to know the way to use your company’s financial information to make better decisions and unlock your growth potential?

We’d like to offer you a FREE financial management assessment, so that you can learn to do so.

You’ll get an accurate and informative analysis from an objective third party, that will reveal if you are correctly using your financial information to determine which markets, customers, and products are the most profitable for you.

We know how busy you are, so the FREE assessment will only take about half an hour.

You’ll get immediate benefits that will help you make better, more informed, fact based decisions to more effectively and efficiently manage your company.

To sign up, send an email to:
growth@cpsphere.com   

Or Call: 1.310.645.0707

The Corona Chamber of Commerce has announced the formation of its Manufacturing/Technology Council, to be chaired by cpSphere Senior Consultant Jack Mobilia.  Jack will also be the Council’s representative on the Chamber’s Legislative Action Committee.

Jack Mobilia holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and has 50 years of manufacturing experience, including positions as CEO of The Deutsch Corporation, Purosil, and Calspace.

cpSphere, in conjunction with the Commerce Industrial Council is proud to present a two hour lunch seminar aimed at assisting Southern Californian manufacturers and distributors which are having difficulty combating imports. Attending companies in other sectors will benefit by learning the costs and benefits of sourcing overseas and how to adapt their business models to the current economic climate. The event will feature an overview of industry “Best Practices” and theory covering the following topics: 

• Countering low price suppliers through Business Model Innovation

• Competing on a “Low-Cost” vs. “Low Price” Basis

• Controlling costs, improving efficiency and ensuring accurate reporting

• Creating productive sourcing, procurement and partner relationships 

Date:     May 8, 2008

Time:     11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Place:    Commerce Industrial Council

              6055 E Washington Blvd

              Commerce CA 90040

              Cost: FREE (Includes Lunch)

RSVP:     Nathan August

              cpSphere: Partners in Sustainable Growth

              nathan.august@cpsphere.com

              310.645.0707