bizpeake journal premier issue

July/August 2015 BizPeake 1

ComplimentaryA B2B Magazine

for the ChesapeakeBay Region

July /August 2015

Independence throughEntrepreneurship

Independence through Entrepreneurship

2 BizPeake July/August 2015

http://www.quintainmarketing.com


INDEPENDENCE is...

Happiness - Susan B. Anthony

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ON THE COVER: (L-R)Kathleen BoothPeter DeAngeloTony BagdonJim GibbonsRyan SearsMike BinkoJamie M. Kizer (center)LOCATION:Sandy Point State Park, MDPHOTO:Creative License Studios

36 38PHOTO: ©LISA RATH

C O N T E N TS10 How to Close Sales More Efficiently11 Meet our MVP's of Business™ (also on pages 15, 29, 33, 39, 41)12 10 'Must Have' Apps for Your iPhone18 Is Business Ownership Right for You?22 Fears, Phobias and the 1000 lb. Phone24 Black Water: Distilling the Nuances of Entrepreneurship36 Choosing the Best Legal Structure for Your Business38 Launch Annapolis: An Entrepreneurial Hub44 Making the Most of Your Independence

DEPARTMENTS14 Ask Peter30 Brain Food32 Networking for Business

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@BizPeakeJournal

How to reach us:BizPeake Journal • 1125 West Street, Suite 200Annapolis, MD 21401 • 410-705-4415www.bizpeakejournal.com

Copyright ©2015 by Powerhouse Principles, LLC, Trading as BizPeake Journal™ and Powerhouse Principles™. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, including photography, without permission. BizPeake Journal™ is published 10 times per year, with combined issues of July/August and November/December. Subscriptions are free and will be sent to your home or business at no charge. To subscribe, visit our website: www.bizpeakejournal.com

Submissions:For news/events to share and suggestions of businesses/people to feature: [email protected]

For suggestions about future articles or to become a contributing writer: [email protected]

FOUNDER & PUBLISHERJamie M. Kizer

[email protected]

EDITORMary DeAngelo

[email protected]

DESIGNStacey Saadeh Smith

[email protected]

PHOTOGRAPHY(Cover & MVPs)

Creative License Studios

WEB DESIGNClear Space Media

MARKETING & ADVERTISINGTammy Studebaker

[email protected]

PROOFREADERTraci Dawn Carneal

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSPeter DeAngelo

Stephen HallMark A. Larsen

Evette LewisWilliam Petruzzo

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSM. Eve Burns

June DavisRobert Davis

Christine HuntDan T. PaulEric Tegler

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSJoAnn Best

Amy FalofskeGregory Ferko

John IsaacsMichael “Maxxx” Jackson

William PetruzzoLisa RathLee Rose

Carol E. Ward

LOYAL OFFICE COMPANIONZoey the Peke#pleasesendtreats

COUNTY DISTRIBUTIONAnne ArundelCalvertKentQueen Anne’sTalbotDorchester

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in [ F O C U S ]CONTRIBUTOR’S

M. EVE BURNS:“To me as an entrepreneur, independence means having the freedom to choose colleagues and clients who appreciate my unique brand of badassery.”

JUNE DAVIS:“As an entrepreneur I have the freedom to manage my schedule, and that enables me to participate in my children’s significant events, assist my mother when she needs me, and in general, focus my life around what matters most.”

MARK A. LARSEN:"Entrepreneurial independence means I'm living life on my terms, with my hard work driving my dreams, not someone else's."

DAN T. PAUL:“Independence and freedom are privileges earned through hard work and being responsible.”

“As a business owner, what does the word ‘ Independence’ mean to you?

EVETTE LEWIS:To me, independence means being accountable for everything necessary to grow my business. I am responsible for managing my time, resources and vendors. My success directly impacts my profitability.

ROBERT DAVIS:Independence as an entrepreneur means being self-reliant and having the freedom to think, dream and act in accordance with my values, my schedule, and the priorities I set.

Visit our FB page BizPeake Journal and tell us what the word “Independence” means to you! We’d love to know!!!

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PHOTO: JOANN BEST

https://www.facebook.com/bizpeakejournal?fref=ts


The decision to move to Annapolis last year was for both personal and professional reasons. Personally, I

wanted to spend more time with my best friend, learn to sail and eat hard shelled crabs until I busted. Professionally, I wanted to expand my business reach into the DC/Baltimore area and tap into a whole new entrepreneurial network. To me, living in Annapolis offered the best of both worlds. Within a 25-30 minute drive I could be in Washington, DC, Baltimore, and several international airports, and each day I could walk or bike to places that provided breathtaking views of the Chesapeake Bay and the bridge. (I had yet to realize what treasures awaited me once I crossed that beautiful bridge….ahh….the Eastern Shore.)

While Annapolis offered so many wonderful attributes and opportunities, never did I expect to find an entrepreneurial community that was more vibrant, innovative, and collaborative than anywhere else that I had ever lived before. It felt as if I had just discovered one of the best-kept secrets and needed to share it with every business owner in the country. I honestly believe that if you’re a business owner looking for a community and location that offers the best of all worlds (proximity to major markets, museums and culture; incredible lifestyle; natural resources; relatively reasonable cost of living; and fast-growing entrepreneurial, creative and tech communities), then there’s no better place to start or grow a business than in the Chesapeake Bay region.

As a serial entrepreneur myself and having had the opportunity to meet so many dynamic, committed, friendly, and interesting business owners over the past year, I decided to create a venue through which we could share our stories, collaborate and support each other, and become a centralized voice and resource for the business community. Thus, the launch and mission of BizPeake Journal.

The theme of this premier issue is “Independence through Entrepreneurship.” My personal belief in ‘entrepreneurship’ as the most effective way to create a life by design, establish true financial security, and exercise your freedoms and independence, is why I encourage and support individuals who either want to (or have already), start a business. There really is no better time than the present to be an entrepreneur, regardless if you’re a start-up or a high-growth company seeking venture capital.

BizPeake Journal was created by, for and about business owners. Published 10x per year, our primary mission is to introduce, highlight and share the stories of entrepreneurs throughout Anne Arundel, Calvert, Kent, Talbot, Queen Anne’s and Dorchester Counties. We want to learn more about how and why they started their businesses, - the successes, failures and obstacles endured along the way, plans for the future, and lessons learned that they’d like to pass on to the rest of us. We want to write about all different types and sizes of businesses, from the woman driving the pink MaryKay Cadillac SUV to the multi-million dollar agribusiness and cyber-security company.

In addition to featuring business owners throughout the region, we also will provide you with information, ideas and resources to help you start or grow your business. The types of topics we’ll cover include, but are not limited to: online and offline marketing strategies; financing the various

stages of your business; legal matters such as business structure and trademark protection; strategic and succession planning; ways to feed your mind and keep you motivated; best places to hold a business event, dinner or meeting; and tracking federal, state and local initiatives/legislation that may impact the business community.

BizPeake Journal was created for YOU, the business community. We want to make sure that your needs are being met and that we’re providing the types of stories and content that benefit you and your business. We welcome you to reach out and offer any suggestions about how we can improve the magazine. For example, topics that you’d like to see covered, business owners that you think we should meet, or even just want to say hello. I’d love to hear from you!

Here's to your continued success and independence!

A Letter from the Publisher

-JamieJamie M. Kizer, Founder & Publisher

PHOTO: CREATIVE LICENSE STUDIOS

PHOTO: WILLIAM PETRUZZO I PETRUZZO PHOTOGRAPHY, LLC


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allow to enter the pipeline in the first place. A stringent “pre-pipeline” screening may be appropriate. At a bare minimum, the screening should require that:

• You are able to deliver a best-fit product or service that meets the prospect’s needs.

• The prospect has and is willing to invest the resources required to obtain the product or service.

• The prospect is in a position to make a decision within a time frame consistent with the average length of your selling cycle.

Even the most effective selling strategies will have minimal impact when applied to opportunities that don’t deserve the time and effort. By being more selective about whom you allow in your pipeline and how long you allow them to remain there, you just may close more sales more quickly.

Good Selling!

ABOUT STEPHEN HALLThe Sandler Training Center and Maryland Sales Training & Management DevelopmentOld Line Bank Building2530 Riva Road, Suite 300 • Annapolis, MD 21401410.571.3783 • [email protected]

Stephen J. Hall is the President of Maryland Sales Training & Management Development, Inc. Mr. Hall has over 25 years of sales and business leadership experience. He has managed sales teams of up to 130 direct salespeople,

produced revenues over $135 million in both direct and channel sales models, and served as a senior sales executive for billion dollar companies, start-ups. and private equity-led acquisitions. Mr. Hall utilizes the highly regarded Sandler Training programs to increase business productivity and effectiveness.

Having a big pipeline of “prospects” is typically seen as desirable. The more prospects you put into the

pipeline, the more that will eventually emerge as customers.

At least that’s the theory.

This theory is partially true. Some of the people you put in the pipeline will become customers. The question is, “How many will be customers, and how long will it take for them to materialize from the other end of the pipe?”

For many salespeople, it’s not unusual—in fact, it’s very likely—to take more than twice as long to close out the opportunities they don’t win than it does to close the opportunities they do win. If on average, it takes a salesperson 60 days to develop and close an opportunity, he or she may spend 150 days before “giving up” and abandoning an opportunity that has become stalled.

Taking so long to close-out the non-winning opportunity wouldn’t be so bad if the salesperson invested little time and energy during the extended pursuit. But that’s typically not the case. There is the time invested “following up”—in whatever form that takes; the time spent recording the mandatory follow-up information in the company CRM application; the time taken up reporting on the “progress” with the opportunity during the weekly sales team meetings; and the time and energy invested by other company personnel who participate in the development process—technical, production, and financial people, for instance. There is a lot of time and effort “invested” in an endeavor for which there is no return!

Why do salespeople cling to opportunities that drag on or become stalled? Part of it is

culture. In many organizations, a packed pipeline is considered a sign of success—tangible evidence that the salesperson is “working.” The association may not be accurate, but it exists nonetheless.

Some salespeople hang on to an opportunity too long out of fear that they won’t be able to find another opportunity with which to replace it. They possess a scarcity mentality—a notion that there are not enough good opportunities to go around. They believe that in order for one person to win, another must lose. Therefore, if they let go of an opportunity, someone else will capitalize on it and win, and they will have lost. So, they hang on to stalled opportunities just a little longer…and then a little longer after that.

Imagine how much easier—and more productive—it would be if each opportunity was stamped with an expiration date— for example, Close by 6/16/2015. If the sale isn’t closed by the expiration date, you would be required to remove the expired opportunity from the pipeline and replace it with another. No “opportunity” would be allowed to loiter in the pipeline forever. While prospective opportunities don’t come stamped with an expiration date, you can assign “sell-by” dates to opportunities based on the average length of your selling cycle. If the sale isn’t closed by that date, you would have to present compelling evidence to your sales manager that the opportunity deserves a continuing place in the pipeline, or else it’s removed. The ultimate goal is for you to invest less time “managing” your pipeline and more time identifying new opportunities.

Perhaps the easiest way to avoid wasting time with questionable opportunities is to be more selective about which ones you

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Investing Time into Opportunities that Don’t Pay OffHere’s How to Close Sales More Efficiently!By Stephen Hall – Owner, Maryland Sales Training

STOP

http://www.stephenjhall.sandler.com



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MIKE BINKO

StartUp Maryland& Kloudtrack

Mike Binko wears a couple of different hats, and wouldn’t have it any other way. Founder and president of StartUp Maryland, Mike is also an angel investor and CEO of Kloudtrack, a cross section of cybersecurity and cloud computing. A leader in the tech, VC and angel investor communities, Mike is also committed to projects and efforts related to sustainability.

DID YOU ALWAYS HAVE AN INTEREST IN TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS?

Early on I thought I’d end up being an attorney like my father, but I eventually gravitated toward the field of computer science. As a teen, I remember coding with my friends on a Commadore 64 and creating games for each other. Yes, I was a self-proclaimed geek coder! Once I got to college, I knew that coding and sitting at a computer all day just wasn’t for me. What did interest me, however,

was how businesses got started, funded and marketed. That’s when I shifted my major to business/finance and

communications.

During the mid-90’s (the hey-day of the Internet), Mike had the opportunity to work for, with and around the

likes of Bill Shrader at PSI net and Steve Case and the AOL team. It’s interesting to see how it all came back

around and played a role in his current venture, StartUp Maryland. I encourage our readers to

visit our website to learn more about Mike's experiences and evolution.

ADVICE FOR BUSINESS OWNERS?

Know what you don’t know and surround yourself with people who do. Also, since things in business are rarely stable, you need to become comfortable with being in a constant state of flux and learn to manage chaos.

Contact Mike throughStartUpMD.org orKloudtrack.com

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http://www.startupmd.org

http://www.kloudtrack.com


I run several businesses while also going to graduate school and raising two young kids. I get asked the same

question very often: “Do you ever sleep?”

I do, actually. And there’s an important business tool that helps me get the sleep I so desperately need—my iPhone. About 75% of my business activity occurs on my phone. I am rarely idle, because my office is always with me. You’ll never hear me say “I’ll send that to you when I get on my computer.”

Over the years, I have amassed a collection of apps that serve a plethora of purposes: productivity, communication, graphics and more. Here are ten of my favorites from ten different categories. In future issues, I’ll delve more deeply into each category.

EVERNOTE Evernote Basic: FreePlus: $24.99/yr

Premium: $49.99/yrIt is rare that an app can so effectively store information in a searchable, shareable way. Enter Evernote, a digital filing cabinet for your brain.

I have 705 notes and 107 notebooks in my Evernote. Of those notebooks, 22 are shared. In other words, the people I’ve invited can access the notes inside the notebook and take certain actions depending on the role I assign them. You can also share just a note and not an entire notebook. This has been a vital tool in shared assignments and meeting notes.

Evernote saves automatically, syncs automatically, and is available on any platform. It’s also a great web-clipping tool. It is a truly ubiquitous tool.

TRELLO This is my team’s favorite project management app. With its elegant

visual navigation, Trello is simply an intuitive app. It is one of the most powerful project management apps available—Forbes and Lifehacker both sing Trello’s praises. The app can manage multiple organizations effortlessly, and work with virtual teams becomes practically enjoyable.

We prefer the mobile version to their responsive and well-designed website for the

speed factor alone. Also, embedded graphics are clearly visible and well integrated. The app displays full desktop screen shots with remarkable definition. Supercharge your lists with Trello!

SLACKFree on iTunes Have you ever wished for a way

to discuss business and see your team’s progress without using text messaging? Group iMessages are less than ideal for a professional group of people, whether a social club or work team. This is where Slack truly shines. It is a tool that lets team members talk on different channels, tag each other, upload files, and more. Macdrifter sums it up best, “Slack is a collaborative working environment that also provides a chat service.”

VOXERRemember those loud beeping Sprint phones that acted like

walkie talkies? Voxer brings you the same capability. Siri is acting up? You have a lot to say but it’s not a good time for a phone call? Voxer lets you record your message and send it, and the other person can listen in real-time and respond at their leisure. According to CNET, “For those occasions when texting isn’t enough to convey your true meaning, Voxer lets you add voice to get your point across.”

AIDA REMINDERFree on iTunes$0.99 to unlock full version

Aida Reminder is a colorful app that complements the native iPhone calendar quite nicely. You can set reminders at custom intervals—hourly, daily, weekly, etc. Need to pick up your passport on the way out the door? Put it in Aida, and you can tell it to remind you every minute until you acknowledge the notification. You can also snooze reminders with custom snoozes or choose from their presets. When set up well, Aida is a powerful assistant that will never let you forget another task.

IPHONE CALENDARFreeThis is one of the many native

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https://evernote.com

https://trello.com

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timmaurer/2013/11/21/7-steps-to-creating-the-best-personal-task-management-system-with-trello/

http://lifehacker.com/how-to-use-trello-to-organize-your-entire-life-1683821040

https://trello.com

https://slack.com

https://itunes.apple.com/app/slack/id803453959?ls=1&mt=12

http://www.voxer.com

http://www.cnet.com/products/voxer-walkie-talkie/

http://www.aidaorganizer.com/mac/index.html

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reminder-calendar-alarm-voice/id469454389?mt=8


iPhone apps that is very well-designed. When used effectively, it can be a powerful tool to get people on one page. You can create multiple calendars and invite different people to each one, so all the people in your business and personal life can see what you need them to. You get notifications when someone adds an event, and then you can edit it further. I have found that a shared calendar with alerts keeps the team on one page for appointments and events.

STKYSo you have your team

management tool that handles your To Do list (called a backlog by project management professionals), and it’s quite robust. So robust, that on some days, you just want someone to hand you a sticky note with the top four things on your list. Here’s where Stky comes in. It’s a very simple checklist that automatically clears out at a designated time every day that you determine. And each day, you can easily decide which things make your list.

TWITTERThere is a reason Twitter is our favorite social media app. The

majority of social media sites have largely similar functionality across platforms. Enter Twitter on iPhone, whose ability to switch easily between accounts makes it a social media professional’s dream. You manage 12 Twitter accounts? No problem. Just click the plus sign in the app and add accounts as you need them, then easily switch between users without having to log in and out.

TURBOSCANTurboScan is a great way to go from paper to digital media. This

app creates clean PDFs every time that are easy to send. The software is simple to use and has myriad ways of saving, posting, sending, and sharing documents. Between

Apple’s elegant iOS 8.3 and the utilitarian interface, this app has all that it needs.

TEXT2PICFree on iTunesI have many graphics apps on my

iPhone, and Text2Pic is my go-to app for generating bold memos, fanciful pictures, and creative content for social media posts. App Annie highlights the features of this versatile app, including the ability to add text, music, and video to beautiful backgrounds or your own photos.

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ABOUT M. EVE BURNSM. Eve Burns is the Executive Director of The Milky Way Foundation. She is also a military officer and veteran, mother, activist, writer, and vocalist. Eve is also the founder of MoveOverMen.org, an organization working towards family-friendly legislation, including paid leave.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stky/id527220461?mt=8

https://twitter.com

http://www.turboscanapp.com

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/text2pic-musical-text-on-photo/id536817268?mt=8

https://itunes.apple.com/app/id536817268

http://milkywayfoundation.org

http://moveovermen.org


Good Business Idea?Here Are FIVE Key Questions

You Should Answer.By Peter De Angelo – Managing Director, Business Renewal Partners

[email protected] www.BusinessRenewalPartners.com

ASK PETER

For entrepreneurs, being an entrepreneur is all about Independence. In keeping with

the theme of this month’s issue on Independence I chose a question that all entrepreneurs ponder as they begin their journey into each new venture.

Q. I have an idea for a new business, how do I tell if it’s a good idea or not?According to Forbes there are almost 28 million small businesses in the US, but over 22 million of those businesses are self-employed people with no additional payroll or employees. Approximately 543,000 new businesses get started each month, but more firms with employees shut down than start up each month. Of the firms with employees, 7 out of 10 new employer firms survive at least 2 years, half at least 5 years, a third at least 10 years and a quarter stay in business 15 years or more. So how did they know if they had a good business idea?

Here are a five questions to keep in mind for would be entrepreneurs who are trying to decide if they have the right idea for their business.

1. Does the product or service in your business idea solve a problem? As you are contemplating the answer to this question be sure to define the problem and your solution very specifically. This isn’t a time to take a broad view on things and hope to sort it out later. Knowing exactly what you are solving for and how you are solving for it provides the necessary focus for what you are trying to accomplish. 2. How many people, businesses, or organizations does the problem affect? This is important because this is your market, or the buyers of your product

or service. If the market has some size, that’s great, because that means there are more people to buy your product or service. Again, be careful here. You don’t want to define your market too broadly. Understanding the persona, or personas, of who you are selling to will help you focus your marketing and sales efforts. Reaching your market is not always as easy as it seems so having focus here is an important consideration.

3. Will people pay for it?The only way to answer this question is to find people and ask them – if I build this product or provide this service will you pay $X for it. You need to validate whether or not buyers in your target market find enough value in your product or service to part with their hard earned money to purchase it. Too many would be entrepreneurs overlook getting real feedback from people who would be buyers on this point. Don’t blow it off!

4. What is your unique selling proposition?Basically, why is your product or service better than every other competitor? What makes it stand out, or differentiates it, in a way that your customers can’t or won’t get from anyone but you and your business? Whatever you do, don’t create uniqueness for the sake of being unique; make sure that what makes you unique will add to the value of the product or service, not detract from it.

5. Is the idea scalable?Can you add significantly more customers without increasing your costs proportionally? If the answer is yes, the business is "scalable" and becomes more and more profitable as it grows. The key here is that the fixed costs

don’t grow at the same pace as your revenue. Besides costs, another thing to consider is if you will have access to the resources that you need to grow the business. For instance does your product or service rely on having a specific raw material, or talent, that there is a limited supply of? Regardless of how great your idea is you won’t be able to scale your business if you don’t have the inputs to support it.

If the answers to these questions all point to you having a good business idea, you are off to a good start. So what comes next? For our start up clients we recommend writing a business plan regardless if you are seeking funding or not. Want to learn more? Check back here in the next issue for more on business plans, or feel free to contact me at [email protected].

BUSINESS RENEWAL PARTNERS is a business advisory firm devoted to assisting business owners to achieve their Victory, whether that is to start, grow, save or transition their business. Each of our partners has the experience of being an owner or C-level executive and we have led firms large and small through the same challenges our clients face every day. To contact us call 443.569.3066.

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http://www.businessrenewalpartners.com

July/August 2015 BizPeake 15PHOTO: CREATIVE LICENSE STUDIOS

TO READ MORE OF OUR INTERVIEW with Tony, visit bizpeakejournal.com and click on MVP Interviews.

Tony Bagdon is a co-founder of Launch Annapolis and currently involved

with OpiaTalk, a start-up hyper-conversion company that uses an ecommerce platform

to turn online window shoppers intobuying customers.

Is this your first experience working with a start-up company?

No. I’ve been involved with a number of early stage companies including an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)

company and more recently, Bytelion, a software development company.

Did the idea of entrepreneurship appeal to you at an early age?Sort of. I come from a family of

entrepreneurs and I studied business management and entrepreneurship in college. It was actually in college

that I started my first business called ‘Knot Friends’. Basically it was a

collaborative tie swap that no one cared about (ha!) and was pretty much

a bust. From there I went on to earn a master's degree in engineering at

Lehigh University.

Advice for fellow entrepreneurs?You have to embrace failure. Know going in that you’re going to make

mistakes. I like to share the statement: “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you probably launched too late.” Expect to fail, get

back up and keep going.

How do you spend your free time?For me, time is by far the most

valuable commodity – much more so than money. Because of this, I don’t

consider any of my time free and choose to spend 99% of it towards my

entrepreneurial initiatives.

n CONTACT TONY [email protected] or through

the Meetup page of Launch Annapolis.

Tony BagdonOpiaTalk

http://www.bizpeakejournal.com/mvp




http://www.launchannapolis.org


http://opiatalk.com


embraceyour

Geeknessday

07.13.15


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Is Business OwnershipRight forYou?By Mark A. Larsen

If you’ve ever dreamed about owning your own business, you’re not alone. The vast majority of Americans have thought

about it, and the reasons are varied. Some believe they’ve found an innovative product or service to introduce; others are simply bored and looking for a way to energize their careers. A growing number are tired of working hard without making measureable improvement for their effort. Whatever the case, all potential business owners begin their journey with the same fundamental question… “Do I have what it takes to be a successful business owner?”

There are a lot of articles out there about the entrepreneurial spirit, checklists touting the top attributes of an entrepreneur, and a myriad of entrepreneurial quotes beautifully framed so you can hang them on a wall for constant inspiration. In my work with professionals exploring business ownership, there is one thing I’ve learned that best indicates which of my clients is ready to take the plunge into business ownership—their desire to succeed in a business is greater than their fear of failure.

The Employee vs. The EntrepreneurAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,

And they don’t give up easily. As a client once told me, “I want my hard work going toward my dreams, not someone else’s.”

Some people believe that in order to be a business owner, you need to be a wild-eyed, “all in” poker player who’s willing to risk everything—including finances, family, and health—in order to succeed. While those tales make for the best magazine articles and movies, the vast majority of successful business leaders become so because they take calculated risks while surrounding themselves with people and resources that help them optimize their performance. There are no right or wrong types of business owners, but there are right and wrong personalities and skill sets for different types of business opportunities.

What does Success Look Liketo You?If the idea of business ownership sounds attractive, the next question to ask yourself is, “What will real success look like for me?” Personal success doesn’t look the same for each individual. There are many entrepreneurial paths that an aspiring business owner can take to achieve self-sufficiency, and business ownership isn’t the same for everyone. When I began

there are nearly 200 million working Americans in the U.S. Nearly 93% of these people are working for someone, with the remaining 7% working for themselves in their own businesses. What makes these two groups travel different paths to career fulfillment?

Employees are principally motivated by the comfort, predictability, and security of a job or company. They want an environment with a regular salary, health insurance, predictable career path, training, and most importantly, the potential of raises, cash bonuses, and continued career advancement for dedicated work. For a majority of workers, it’s a very attractive way to make a living.

Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, tend to see things differently. They are more restless. While the employee’s world is attractive, not only do they realize it doesn’t always work in their favor, they aren’t content to accept it when it doesn’t. Successful entrepreneurs create the opportunity and environment in which to flourish, coming to a point in their life where they would rather take their best shot and fail than never play the game. They are committed to doing something exceptional with their lives and careers.


continued on page 20

possible, including mentors, advisors, and career/business coaches. You need a variety of data points to fully understand what you like to do and are good at, as well as what you don’t like doing and either ignore or delegate to others.

Next is another honest assessment of what you are looking for in the next chapter of your career and life, and how business ownership fulfills your needs. View this as your “You 2.0,” the next evolution of you. It contains some basic understandings:

1. What you DON’T want – What are the obstacles and issues that you’re currently dealing with, things you’d like to eliminate or minimize as you look forward in your career and life?

2. What you DO want – What are things that you want in your life, the opportunities you’d like available to you?

3. What strengths do you bring – What are the talents, skills, and capabilities that you bring to the opportunity?

4. What core values, beliefs and desires shape your vision – What guiding forces will drive your life, and in the process, your business?

Answering these things help you begin to create a clear vision of your desired outcomes, so you break from the past with a clear understanding of what you’re after and how you plan to achieve it. The clearer your vision, the more likely you’ll obtain the correct outcome. Creating this foundation is important, yet surprisingly underdeveloped by some. Your business should be a vehicle to help you attain what you’re after in life. If you don’t determine what success looks like as a business owner, you’ll be hard-pressed to truly fulfill your dreams.

The Options with Business OwnershipThere are three basic approaches to owning a business: starting from scratch, purchasing an existing business, or purchasing a franchise. Each option has its unique benefits and challenges.

If you’re the classic entrepreneur, the

only option for you is starting a business from scratch. You’ll revel in the chance to create something from nothing and have an intricate role in every aspect of the business’s development. In fact, the business is really an extension of YOU. You love the challenge of attending to your “baby,” and want to be there for every formative step in its growth and development. Win or lose, it’s all on your shoulders. It’s high risk and high reward. And you wouldn’t want it any other way. While some entrepreneurs develop businesses in which they have firsthand knowledge and experience, many are young, inexperienced individuals who simply follow their passions.

Another option is to purchase an existing business. An existing business has a number of apparent advantages over the start up. It usually has successfully passed the initial learning curve stage, where the majority of businesses fail. It has trained employees, plus operational systems and processes already in place. Most importantly, it immediately generates income. The biggest challenge with buying an existing business is maintaining and growing the business following the transition in ownership. You must assimilate the culture, adapt it to your style, and nurture the loyalty of customers, suppliers, and employees to optimize your transition. It’s not easy, but once you make the successful transition, the business is yours and you can evolve it to your vision and management style.

The third option is franchising. The common misperception is that franchising is expensive, labor intensive, and bureaucratic—an image driven mostly by the high visibility of fast food franchises. The reality is that fast food represents only 20% of business opportunities. Franchises cover more than 70 different business sectors, including healthcare, professional services, personal services, retail, manufacturing, technology, consulting, and financial, to name a few. Franchising is especially attractive to entrepreneurial types who are attracted to having their own business, yet value being part of a strong brand, with proven operating systems and processes already in place, as well as ongoing training and support. Franchise owners focus their energies on developing and implementing their businesses, adding

working with clients, I assumed everyone was after the same thing—making more money. I was pleasantly surprised to learn the draw toward self-sufficiency had many motivators, and success in business had a variety of different results… money, challenge, work/life balance, control, security, living life on one’s own terms, flexibility, making a difference for others, building a family legacy, and creating a more comfortable future.

The attraction to business ownership is typically triggered by some event in a person’s life, good or bad, which signals “now’s the time.” Once this entrepreneurial energy hits, even the most disciplined individual can turn into the proverbial five-year-old child in a toy store. The challenge is to remain objective, measuring opportunities against what you’re hoping to accomplish. It all starts with a plan. Within that plan are two lists of insights that will help you objectively evaluate the optimal ownership path. The first list comprises who you are—your personality, talents, interests, and passions. The second list encompasses what you want out of life and how business ownership gets you there—your goals, needs and expectations.

Identifying Your Strengths & Weaknesses, Determining Your Objectives The critical first step is an honest, thorough assessment of YOU, warts and all. If at some point in your career you’ve completed a behavioral assessment of your personality and work style, dust it off and summarize the learning. If you’ve never undertaken a behavioral assessment, invest in one. There are many options out there, from the StrengthsFinder® test in the popular book, Now Discover Your Strengths, to other well-known assessments such as the DISC® Profile, 16PF Questionnaire, or Myers-Briggs®. I find these assessments to be a powerful tool to better understand my clients’ preferred working style, how they interact and communicate with others, and the complementary skills from others that will be necessary for an optimized workforce. But don’t stop there. Get the perspective of people you’ve worked with, those you’ve managed, and supervisors. Ask them for an honest appraisal—and listen to it. Utilize as many objective resources as


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their own personal management touches, while adapting their businesses to their markets. These business owners appreciate that following the franchise system greatly diminishes the potential for failure. But franchising isn’t for everyone. If you cannot follow a set system and don’t find value in being advised by others, then franchising probably won’t work for you.

The Value of Expert HelpThe process of exploring business ownership can be daunting. Left to your own direction, you probably won’t do anything. Not because you don’t have the desire or talent, but because you don’t know how to take the first step… or the second. A journey like this is often best explored with the help of a trusted ally. Someone like a business coach can help you inventory your strengths, interests, and passions,

help you articulate your goals, needs, and expectations, identify opportunities that fit your criteria, and help you evaluate them in a very factual, objective process.

Utilize a variety of resources, such as mentors, advisors, CPA’s, attorneys, and anyone else whose professional perspective adds value. The Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development, as well as more localized entities like the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation and metropolitan economic development departments, are well equipped with people and resources to help you succeed in business ownership.

The dream of owning your own business is alive and well for many Americans. If you’re reading this article, it probably signifies that you’re seriously interested in the journey

to becoming self-sufficient. I’m frequently asked when is the best time in your career to consider business ownership. My answer is always the same… NOW! n

continued from page 19

ABOUT MARK A. LARSEN410-213-1402 • [email protected]/in/malarsen

Mark Larsen is a business placement coach with The Entrepreneur’s Source, the largest career and business-consulting firm in North America. He is a Career Transformation Expert who inspires motivated clients to do the things that inspire them.

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You’ve met a potential client. After sending information about your service you are ready to make that follow-up phone call. You know, the one where you agree that you are a good fit for what they need and they are willing to pay for your service. You reach for the phone, but some resistance holds you back from picking it up and dialing the number.

You feel a sinking in the pit of your stomach. A sense of dread comes over you and beads of perspiration surface on your forehead. Picking up that thousand pound phone is the last thing you really want to do, so you divert your attention to something that is more comfortable—like catching up on your email or getting a cup of coffee. You decide that you will make the call later, but the thought of doing so still causes you anxiety. You may put it off indefinitely, and console yourself by thinking that the prospect will call you.

For some reason you are afraid and you don’t exactly know why.Fear comes in many forms. For some people it manifests in phobias such as fear of tunnels, heights, snakes, or spiders. But for those of us in business, the fear of interacting with others and asking a client for a commitment can paralyze our sales. Why does this happen? It is usually due to a bad experience we had earlier in our lives that may or may not have anything to do with picking up the phone and talking to someone.

Here is my story of why it was an obstacle for me.

I was in my teens and on a weekend vacation with a friend and her family at Ocean City, Maryland. We were getting ready to go out on Saturday night and my friend was taking longer to get ready than me. I urged her to hurry up and we finally left. Traffic was heavy and a teenage girl darted across the street. My friend unexpectedly hit her with the car. I made arrangements with a nearby restaurant to call for help, and returned to the scene. My friend was kneeling next to the girl on the ground and saying, “If only we hadn’t left so early.” I immediately felt that she was blaming me for the accident. As a result our friendship ended.

Subconsciously, I carried that blame with me for decades and it affected my ability to pick up the phone and increase my business. I was afraid that if someone used my service and didn’t like the results, they would blame me and I would lose whatever relationship I may have had with them.

How did I overcome this fear? With EFT—Emotional Freedom Techniques—a powerful, transformational alternative therapy. EFT is a combination of lightly tapping on facial and upper body acupressure points with your finger tips while talking about unpleasant life events and the associated emotions. It neutralizes the negative emotional charges and calms fears, stress, anxiety, and other negative thoughts and emotions—allowing you the freedom to make choices that better serve your life and business goals. EFT transforms fears into confidence and action, and that is a powerful advantage in the business world.

&FearsBy Christine Hunt, Hunt for Hope Wellness

ABOUT CHRISTINE HUNTAND HUNT FOR HOPE WELLNESS410-923-6129 • [email protected] www.HuntforHopeWellness.com

Christine Hunt is a Certified EFT Practitioner and Wellness Coach who helps her clients overcome fears, limiting beliefs, and other obstacles that keep them stuck in unproductive life, health,and business patterns.

Phobias Obstacles to Success

n


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FEATURE #2STARTUP MARYLAND

CENTER SPREAD

A tour of Blackwater Distilling in Stevensville on Kent Island yields two important insights into the process

of distilling spirits. The first is that when distilling vodka, rum, or rye whiskey as they do at Blackwater, one of the most vital ingredients is… accounting. “I personally fill out processing, production and storage forms for the Federal authorities once a month,” co-founder Chris Cook relates. “We have excise tax forms that go out twice a month. We also have state excise tax forms to send out.”

Every bottle of Blackwater’s award-winning Sloop Betty vodka is subject to $2.14 in excise tax. Thus, when the distillery ships a 720-bottle pallet, about $1500 in excise tax goes out with it, before a penny of revenue is realized.

The second insight is that the penultimate step in the distilling process prior to bottling involves sending Blackwater’s wheat/sugar cane-based vodka or rum through a series of carbon filters. The resulting 80-proof blend emerges black from the carbon dust – you could call it “black water.”

Once the carbon settles, the clear spirits we’re familiar with are bottled. But as Blackwater co-founders and brothers, Chris and Jon Cook have learned, the dust that comes with entrepreneurship never really settles. “It’s a labor of love though that can become cyclical,” Jon acknowledges. “Every small business has times that are easier than others. It’s funny how you can experience those simultaneously. We’re in a difficult period now for a lot of reasons, but it’s also a very rewarding period.”

The difficulty Jon alludes to stems from growth. In early April, Blackwater released its new Picaroon Rum. Its rye whiskey will debut in late 2015. The distillery—which is open for tours Friday through Sunday—

BLACKWATERChris and Jon Cook Distill the Nuances of Entrepreneurship By Eric Tegler

now has a steady flow of visitors eager to see how Sloop Betty is made and to get a taste.

The Cooks admit they’re still assessing the best way to deal with increased volume and sales. But they anticipate moving or expanding their current production space, hiring additional staff beyond the mix of full and part time help they currently employ, and expanding their tour hours by 2016.

Blackwater began production in 2011, but its origins reach back to 2004—a reminder that despite the feverish pace of start-ups in the tech sector, entrepreneurial ventures often have a long on-ramp. Chris and Jon Cook appreciate the contrast. In 2004, Chris was (and still is) working in IT for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Jon worked at a small IT firm in Annapolis and moonlighted at the State Archives on the weekends.

There, Jon stumbled across a recently donated collection of bottles of spirits produced in Maryland. “It was clear there were such a variety of spirit products that used to be available here.” I immediately thought, “We have this environment with beer and wine, why don’t we have it with spirits?”

The brothers had often discussed going into business together, compelled by the notion of producing a tangible product. “The allure of making something with our hands was attractive,” Chris explains. “There’s something nice about stepping away from the virtual confines of IT and making something historic.”

A self described history buff, older brother Chris confesses to looking at the world in a historical context. “For me, imagining a time when there were lots of mom and pop distilleries making rye whiskey throughout the Maryland countryside is romantic.”

Every small business has times that are easier than others.”

continued on page 26

PHOTO: PAIGE MAITLAND

http://www.blackwaterdistilling.com/#blackwater



Would reviving that tradition through a micro-distillery work? Chris and Jon tried to find a fatal flaw in the idea. “We still haven’t found it,” Jon says before bursting into laughter. The pair incorporated in 2005, at which point there were 45 craft distilleries nationwide. Their first significant lesson came with writing their business plan, a highly detailed 250 page document.

“We overdid it,” Jon admits. Nevertheless, both consider it essential in reaching Blackwater’s current plateau, laying out the company’s basic internal logic, and appealing to banks and investors. It turns out not to have been a step-by-step guide to launching the firm. However in crafting the plan, they heard the voices of those who said they would never succeed—familiar voices to anyone contemplating a business. “I think we had to satisfy that question ourselves,” Chris opines. “The naysayers had some valid points, but that was also motivation. I think we take great delight in proving some of them wrong.”

For the Cooks, proving the doubters wrong required overcoming more than the standard start-up challenges of raising capital, building a structure/process, and selling. They had to reignite the state’s regulatory framework.

Prior to Blackwater’s 2011 opening, the last Maryland distillery closed in 1972—in a state whose distilling industry had once been the nation’s fifth largest, producing millions of gallons of gin, vodka, and whiskey. Maryland Rye became renowned in the Colonial period, remaining popular through Prohibition up to World War II.

When Chris and Jon contacted the State Comptroller’s Office, there was just one official with any experience of distilling regulation, a gentleman named Lou Berman. They had already embarked on getting a federal license, a required first step whose months-long bureaucratic delay required patience. Cleverly, they used the federal application to spur the State.

“We told the State that we were pretty far along in the process, even if that wasn’t entirely accurate,” Chris reveals. We explained, “We want to play some catch up with you guys and get our state license.”

Blackwater was stepping into a sort of regulatory blank space, daunting but ultimately advantageous. The Cooks realized they’d be able to establish new boundaries. State officials often didn’t have an answer for questions they asked, so instead the Cook brothers would tell State officials what Blackwater wanted to do. The Comptroller’s Office always reacted positively—it was partial compensation for the required $2500 in yearly permits just to get started. But even here, they were lucky—compliance cost even more elsewhere. At the time, New York charged $25,000 for a tri-annual permit.

The most visible product of Chris and Jon’s efforts is a 2012 bill (HB 717) which allows craft distilleries to conduct tours, offer tastings, and sell up to three bottles per person on-premises. Previously, such permits were only available to wineries and breweries. This pioneering legislation is key to Blackwater’s success and surely

appreciated by the other four craft distilleries since established in Maryland.

While proving effective lobbyists, Jon and Chris sought input to help them craft their brand. Pouring through hundreds of ideas for the business and product names, they fell back on the advice of a couple of young marketers, Lindsey Wasley and Ahava Liebtag, who tied together family and regional history to arrive at Blackwater and Sloop Betty.

Blackwater alludes to the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge south of Cambridge, where the Cooks spent time growing up and which was a haven for rum-runners during Prohibition. Sloop Betty is a nod to a cargo ship which plied the Chesapeake in the 1700s. In 1717, the pirate Blackbeard caught wind of Betty’s cargo of Madeira wine and dispatched a crew to seize it. They did so, summarily drinking the cargo and scuttling the ship in the process. “I still

continued from page 24

PHOTO: PAIGE MAITLAND


think he should’ve seen it coming!” Jon quips.

The Vargas-like artwork of “Betty,” which adorns every bottle, was inspired by the Cooks’ grandfather—a larger-than-life WWII pilot who flew C-47 glider-towing transports on D-Day, was shot down three times, and later flew experimental aircraft like the P-61 Black Widow night fighter. Betty would be at home as “nose art” on any of these aircraft.

The personal and historical elements that comprise the Blackwater and Sloop Betty brands were literally drawn out of the company founders by others—proving the maxim that effective entrepreneurs are open to outside advice and rely on the strengths of those around them. Chris and Jon agree. “We’re only as smart as everybody in the room,” Chris affirms.

It’s a room that keeps getting bigger. There will soon be another distillery on Kent Island. Its principal chose to locate there specifically to be near Blackwater, to leverage the accommodating climate which the Cooks’ work has created in Queen Anne’s County, and to informally tap their expertise.

The makers of Sloop Betty have acquired a certain celebrity as a result of their efforts. Other entrepreneurs take the Blackwater tour and ask questions. The Cooks have ‘fans’ among the staff of the legislators they’ve worked with, and a dedicated, growing group of craft-distillery nerds similar to the craft beer crowd proselytizes about Sloop Betty and others.

Chris and Jon are flattered and, tellingly, not threatened by competition. “We’re competing,” Jon acknowledges, “we’re just competing together. Our first competition is to get out there and inform people that this segment exists.”

Like any successful startup, Blackwater exists because of its founders’ tenacity. Chris and Jon secured initial financing for the capital-intensive business by borrowing against their homes. Though they still have full-time day gigs, both recognized at that moment that they were metaphorically, “taking the island and burning the boats.”

Why did they persist? “Fear of failure,” Chris deadpans. “Some of it is stubbornness at this point,” Jon adds.

The lessons of their experience are many and unexpected, from learning to manage Blackwater’s “glass burn” (the quantity of bottles it uses) to figuring out how to buy a forklift. “I knew how to buy a car but Good Lord, how do I buy a forklift?” Jon muses. The brothers also learned that exhaustion was effectively relieved by unwinding in specific ways.

For Chris it takes the form of acting as Cub Scout Pack leader for his kids, demanding of himself involvement in their lives along with his wife. “This Blackwater thing gets in the way sometimes,” he admits. Jon’s outlet is the meditative pastime of running. “If I can’t do it, I’m out of sorts.”

As BizPeake’s first issue coincides with the Fourth of July, we asked Chris and Jon what role the idea of independence plays in their drive as business owners. Each says it is at the core. “The world has changed,” Chris observes. “Entrepreneurship and small business is the backbone of our economy. If you’re going to succeed in life, I think you have to embrace that on some level.”

“We could still fall flat on our faces,” Jon allows. “We walk a tightrope without a safety net. If it’s over tomorrow, it was still a fun ride. I think it speaks to a psychological need to do something like this.”

It’s a sentiment worth drinking to. n

ABOUT

BLACKWATERDISTILLING

184 Log Canoe Circle • Stevensville, MD 21666410-249-3123

At Blackwater Distilling, Maryland’s first fully-licensed beverage alcohol distillery since 1972, we celebrate the brash, enterprising, and fiercely independent spirit by crafting distinctive spirits that stand apart from the crowd, using organic and local ingredients to the extent possible. Our first product is Sloop Betty Vodka, which blends spirits from organic wheat and sugar cane for a dangerously smooth and complex vodka. Sloop Betty has won three Gold Medals, including Best Vodka in Show at the 2012 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, and a 94-point rating in The Tasting Panel Magazine. For Sloop Betty’s counterpart, Sloop Betty Honey, we blend raw, unpasteurized honey from Maryland’s Eastern Shore with Sloop Betty to create a sippable vodka that can be enjoyed on the rocks or used to sweeten cocktails. We’re also nearing the release of Picaroon Maryland Rum, which we distill from pure sugar cane juice for a rum that stands apart from other, blackstrap molasses-based rums.

ABOUT ERIC TEGLER [email protected]

Eric Tegler is a multifaceted freelance author from Severna Park, Md. His work appears in a variety of international

publications on subjects ranging from political and governmental affairs to the military, motorsports, business, aviation and automotive reviews, and lifestyle. He is a regular contributor to The Verge, Autoweek, Aviation Week & Space Technology, Popular Mechanics, Wired and The Economist. He also hosts “Jazz Straight Ahead” on Morgan State University radio, WEAA, 88.9 FM and appears on-stage and as a voice-over performer.

PHOTO: ERIC TEGLER



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Kathleen Booth is the owner and CEO of Quintain Marketing, a provider of outsourced marketing department services and specializing in inbound marketing strategies.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?No. Actually, I wanted to be an actress and did a lot of community theatre. The funniest part about it was that as a teen I was terribly shy. During high school, however, I started to shift away from acting and became more interested in politics, particularly international politics. I wanted to learn more about the issues and what it would take to change the world. After earning a master’s degree in international relations, I went on to have a very rewarding career in the field.

How and when did you make the transition to owning a business?Realizing that the extensive international travel required for my job was not what I wanted for my family, I decided to tap into my marketing and strategic communications roots and moved forward with several entrepreneurial ventures. Ultimately those experiences led me to Quintain Marketing, which was started with my husband, John.

Advice for fellow business owners?Being an entrepreneur is one of the most exciting and wonderful thrill rides you could ever go on. The highs are so high, but the lows are some of the lowest lows. You have to be prepared for that and dig deep before starting a business. You need to know if you’re ready to accept that level of risk and if emotionally you can handle the peaks and the valleys, the highs and the lows. Not everyone can do that, while others thrive on it.

Kathleen currently serves on the board of the Annapolis Opera Association and is very involved with the Eastport Elementary School. An advocate for public education, Kathleen believes it plays an important role in building community. n

Kathleen BoothQuintain Marketing

Contact Kathleen at [email protected] or look for her on Twitter at #WorkMommyWork. To read more of our interview with Kathleen, visit bizpeakejournal.com and click on MVP Interviews.





William Petruzzo is the owner of Petruzzo Photography, LLC since 2004. He is passionate about art, creativity, business, and constant self-improvement. He makes a consistent point to support other’s efforts in these areas and spends much of his time reading, learning and teaching the Petruzzo Photography team to dazzle their clients with excellent images and impeccable customer service. You can contact william by email at [email protected], or on twitter at @Petruzzo. You can learn more about Petruzzo Photography and their services on their website, www.petruzzo.com.

Zero to One by Peter Thiel is a book written for the startup entrepreneur. It’s about innovation and thinking right about the future, about business and success. The title comes from the idea of vertical and horizontal progress. Horizontal, or “extensive”, progress is essentially copying and incrementally improving upon things that already exist. A frying pan with a clock radio is obviously a better product. Vertical progress is the idea of going from ‘0 to 1´. Creating something fundamentally new. It’s aptly named.

Thiel is a serial entrepreneur, a hedge fund manager and venture capitalist. He cofounded Paypal and a company called Palantir, which specializes in data analysis for the government. This is a guy who knows his stuff, or at the very least, he has a perspective worth listening to.

A Confounding TruthI found something very interesting in the early pages of this book. The very first sentences in the preface say: “The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. And the next Mark Zuckerberg won’t create a social network. If you are copying these guys, you aren’t learning from them.” That seems evident enough–these are people that did the vertical progress thing. Whoever is doing the vertical progress thing right now is probably happily using Facebook already and doesn’t see a need to reinvent it.

The other thing is that Thiel was going to Stanford, working on Paypal 19 years ago. The zero to one jumps that Thiel has made in his lifetime, and which give him credibility to write this book, were being prepared over 19 years ago. Thiel believes that people are stuck in their idea of what the world looks like today. Few people even understand the idea of innovation. Innovation for most people is simply clever iteration. But truthfully, the world will continue changing. The personal computer made a big difference. The internet made a big difference. The smartphone made a big difference. The next thing that makes a big difference might not be so easy to spot until we’re in the midst of it. But that’s what innovation–going from zero-to-one–is about. Trying to guess what the next thing to make a difference will be, and doing it.

Not all monopolies are badThiel is not a fan of competition. It’s something I struggled with while reading, but eventually came to see his point. My opinion is still up for grabs. The idea is that competition strangles profits, obviously. But profits are also what allow a company to continue to innovate. Thiel would say that there’s a difference between having an entire market and strangling an entire market. There’s a difference between the monopolies in Thiel’s view, and the monopolies we’re likely to hear about on the news–such as the TWC / Comcast merger. Good monopolies have some kind of proprietary offering–something that is uniquely theirs, which could only be copied fraudulently. They have network effects, meaning the product has a tendency to become more and more useful as more people use it. They have access to economies of scale. And, they have a strong brand. And most importantly almost everyone is happy to use them.

In effect, Google is pretty close to being a search monopoly. However, they’re incentivized by the potential for competition to continue innovating. The monopoly-like

Brain Food profits give them the resources to do so. Not too many people are complaining. Thiel sees this as the goal of any truly innovating startup: Achieve monopoly status, at whatever scale.

In the bookThe book is a mix of recent history, commentary, principles, and some light practical application.

Thiel takes time to talk about

market timing, luck and hard work. He covers company culture and finances. He goes through singleness-of-mind and what’s in a good start up team. He talks about the importance of sales and reminds us that we only hate bad salespeople. We just can’t identify the good ones–they’re invisible.

Thiel’s concepts are not grand or hard to grasp, but they are sometimes contrary to popular opinion and belief. I found his rebuttal of Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, in Chapter six, to be very insightful. Similar to Twyla Tharp in Creativity Habit where she says you have to “plan for luck”, and the lottery motto “you have to play to win”, Thiel would say we have to be ready for opportunity–be who we need to be, where we need to be, doing what we need to do. If it works out, we’re lucky.

The chapters in the book are short and fairly succinct. Each chapter cost me about 15 minutes at a good pace. If you’re running a business, or working for a startup, it’s worth the read. n

By William Petruzzo


http://www.petruzzo.com

http://www.williampetruzzo.com/2014/09/creativity-habit-review/


IT’S TO CHANGE THE WORLD.- Phil Libin, Evernote CEO

There’s lots of bad reasons

to start a company.

BUT THERE’S ONLY

ONE GOOD,

LEGITIMATE

REASON,

and I think you

know what

that is:

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CHAMBERS OF COMMERCEChambers offer great networking options for established businesses and a variety of industries. Owners of many retail businesses have to be in their businesses full-time. If they can get out once a month for a networking event, they’ll most likely attend a chamber event. Annual dues typically range from $100 to $1,000 per year, plus fees to attend events. Chambers offer excellent networking for business-to-business sales.

• Anne Arundel County: Annapolisand Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, Black Chamber of Commerce of Anne Arundel County, Maryland Chamber of Commerce, Northern Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, SouthernAnne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, and West Anne Arundel County Chamber

• Calvert County Chamber of Commerce

• Dorchester Chamber of Commerce• Queen Anne’s County Chamber

of Commerce• Kent County Chamber of Commerce• Talbot County Chamber of

Commerce

PAID NETWORKING GROUPSWhether the group is industry-specific or caters to general industry or a specific population, paid networking groups usually provide regular seminars and networking events for members. Many groups also offer access to more established businesses and a consistent lead source. Paid area networking groups include:

• American Business Women’s Association• Chesapeake Region Tech Council• Entrepreneur’s Exchange• Southern Maryland Business Network

PAID REFERRAL GROUPSPaid referral groups offer the benefit of regularly scheduled meetings (weekly or monthly) to help you build relationships

opportunities are available. Depending on the group and the type of event, you’ll usually find smaller businesses (solopreneurs and microbusinesses) at Meetups. Many Meetup groups are beneficial for Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer networking. Here are a few area Meetup groups:

• Annapolis Professional Group• Annapolitan Networking Group• DC-MD Small Business Owner

Networking• Launch Annapolis

SERVICE ORGANIZATIONSNot all networking has to be focused on business. There’s often a tremendous benefit to giving back to your local community. In addition to making a difference, service organizations allow you to meet new people, while developing relationships with community leaders and other volunteers. Since people buy from those they know, like, and trust, business is often a happy by-product of membership in a service organization. Here are a few area service organizations:

• Rotary Clubs • Kiwanis Clubs• Lions Club• Masonic Service Association

Now that you know where to network, next time we’ll delve into the how’s with, “Top Tips for Networking Success.” Until then…keep believing, keep moving, keep networking, and keep selling. Your business depends on it!

ABOUT EVETTE [email protected] www.annapoliseveningrotaryclub.org

Evette Lewis is President of the Annapolis Evening Rotary Club and an Aflac insurance agent. She offers small businesses supplementary health, life, and disability products to expand their employee benefits packages and improve employee retention. Evette isa member of 12 area networking organizations.

with other business owners and develop referral networks. Usually one industry is represented per group. Every group has a different character, so it’s best to visit a couple of groups within each organization to ensure you have the right fit for your company, networking style, and personality. Paid area referral groups include:

• Business Networking International • BWI Business Professionals• Network Referral Group • Team Network• Vistage

FREE NETWORKING GROUPSFree networking groups offer a great way to expand your network on a limited budget. Meetup.com, an online social networking with thousands of interest groups, is one of the largest resources for free networking. Members communicate and RSVP online, but meet offline for events. Groups may be large or small, and dozens of free/low-cost

CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve decided to take the plunge and start your own business. Whether you just want to work

for yourself or build the next billion dollar corporation, you have to start somewhere. Unless you have dedicated funds for an advertising budget, the “starting somewhere” part includes spreading the word about your business to stimulate sales. Welcome to the world of business networking—the art of promoting your business to increase exposure, create opportunities, and generate sales.

Many startups, working on a shoestring, are hesitant to spend money. However, as entrepreneur or CEO of a small company, any time spent networking is an investment. Whether it’s an investment of time or money, get the most out of your investment by taking advantage of the myriad of business networking options in the BizPeake region. For BizPeake’s inaugural Networking for Biz column, the following is a RESOURCE GUIDE of the various networking organizations in the Chesapeake Bay region.

Networkingfor Biz

By Evette Lewis

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PHOTOS: CREATIVE LICENSE STUDIOS (L) I EVETTE LEWIS (R)

https://annapolischamber.com



www.bccaac.org

www.bccaac.org

http://www.mdchamber.org

http://www.naaccc.com

http://www.naaccc.com

http://www.southcounty.org



http://www.westcountychamber.org

http://www.westcountychamber.org

http://www.calvertchamber.org

http://www.calvertchamber.org

http://www.dorchesterchamber.org

http://www.qacchamber.com

http://www.qacchamber.com

http://www.kentchamber.org

http://www.talbotchamber.org

http://www.talbotchamber.org

http://www.abwa.org

http://www.chesapeaketech.org

http://www.eebiz.org

http://www.smbn.org

http://www.meetup.com/Annapolisprofessionalgroup/

http://www.meetup.com/annapolitan-networking-group

http://www.meetup.com/DC-MDSmallBusinessOwnerNetworking/

http://www.meetup.com/DC-MDSmallBusinessOwnerNetworking/

http://www.meetup.com/launchannapolis

https://www.rotary.org/en

http://www.Kiwanis.org

http://www.lionsclubs.org

http://www.msana.com/organization.asp


http://www.annapoliseveningrotaryclub.org

http://www.bni.com

https://teamnetwork.com

www.vistage.com


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Jim Gibbons, a partner with the wealth management firm G&M Investment Group, is active with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation,

Chesapeake Regional Tech Council, and Launch Annapolis.

Did you always want to have your own business?Although I’m extremely happy that I did, it was not something that I set out to do on purpose. In college I actually studied political science and history, with a minor in philosophy. I did however always enjoy helping other people and was eventually drawn to the financial services industry. In the late 90’s, my current business partner Steve Marohl and I worked for Ferris Baker Watts. There we learned a lot about the industry and ourselves. Finding that we shared many of the same values and investment philosophies, Steve and I

decided to start our own firm in 2012.

Advice for fellow business owners?Get out from behind the desk and meet as

many people as you possibly can. Networking, partnering, and collaboration are critical to growing your business. In the beginning, I was so focused on the business and what was right in front of me that I didn’t take the time to look around, open my mind and start building my business network and relationships.

How do you manage to create a work/life balance?Living here in the Chesapeake Bay region makes that easy. Aside from playing ‘old man’s lacrosse,’ I spend time outdoors with my family, either coaching our sons' games or taking them fishing, boating or just enjoying our time together.

Contact Jim:[email protected]

To read more of our interview with Jim visit, bizpeakejournal.com andclick on MVP Interviews.

Jim GibbonsG&M Investment Group

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http://www.gminvestmentgroup.com


Freedom's just another word

for nothing left to lose.

- janis joplin

Jamie Kizer is the President of Powerhouse Principles LLC, a holding company for BizPeake Journal; Powerhouse Principles (business coaching); and the National Association of Mothers and Daughters in Business. Jamie

can be reached at 410-705-4415 or [email protected].

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http://www.thepowerhouseprinciples.com

http://www.mothersanddaughtersinbusiness.com


T he only thing more difficult than losing everything that you’ve worked so hard for is realizing that you lost it all because of your own choices. Despite the best of intentions, I’ve made many decisions (both in life and business) that have not always turned out as expected. As an entrepreneur, you quickly learn

how to just roll with things, pick yourself up, and not get stuck in the throes of shame and fear. If there was any upside to losing everything (and there’s always an upside), it’s that I have faced my greatest fear and survived. No longer being chained by the confines of fear, doubt or shame is what truly has set me free — and continues to fuel my entrepreneurial pursuits.

Blessed to have crossed the fabulous age of 50 a few years ago, I found myself reflecting upon my life, my choices, my businesses, my accomplishments and my failures. Only upon reflection can we accept, appreciate and understand the bigger picture. So many lessons learned. Being a deeply grateful and spiritual person, I knew that the next chapter of my life needed to be spent supporting, celebrating and sharing my insights with other Dream-Chasers, Rain-Makers, Game-Changers, Rebels, Calculated Risk-Takers, Entrepreneurs and Disruptors of the Status-Quo. They are my tribe and I value each and every one of them.

It was during the process of reflection that I developed my own personal set of “guiding truths” and things that I now know for certain. Here are just a few:

As a fellow business owner I would love to hear about your journey, the peaks and valleys, lessons learned and things that you now know to be certain. Maybe we can even chat over a cup of coffee sometime. Just give me a buzz or shoot me an email. -Jamien

Embrace your mess. Let go of the shame and remember you’re human.

Follow and respect your own intuition. It will never fail you.

Be grateful for everything – including the bad stuff. It’s how we grow.

Sometimes you have to let things go. Know when to hold/fold ‘em.

You (and your income) are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with—so choose wisely.

To whom much is given, much is expected. Give back and then give some more.

12345

None of us can get through life (or business) alone. It’s okay to lean on others and ask for help when you need it.

Honor your truth, your word and yourself. They all matter.

Money will not solve your problems. Respect money but understand that it neither defines you nor stops you. Only you can do that.

Love, Love, Love with all of your heart and an open mind. Closing either one only leads to negative thoughts and isolation.6

7

89

10


Congratulations! You’ve decided to own and operate your own business. Your life will be full of

new and exciting challenges. One of the first decisions you will make is selecting a legal structure for your business. There are a number of structures available and choosing the one that is best for you involves evaluating the advantages and disadvantages inherent in each type. The four most commonly used legal structures are sole proprietorships, general partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies. The key factors to consider in selecting the structure best suited for your business are liability protection, tax issues, and the formality and costs of setting up and maintaining the business entity.

Sole ProprietorshipsThis is just what it sounds like—a business owned and operated by a single person. Within a sole proprietorship, the owner has complete control of the business and its operations, and there is no real legal distinction between the sole proprietor and the business operation. This is the most common legal structure for individually-

owned small businesses because there are no formal requirements for establishing the business, no initial filing fees, and no formal, annual record-keeping requirements like those imposed on other legal structures. A sole proprietorship is essentially an extension of the individual owner, and all business profits are included on the owner’s personal tax return.

There are two primary disadvantages to a sole proprietorship. First, the owner is personally liable for all the expenses and liabilities of the business. This puts all of the owner’s personal assets fully at risk. Second, if the owner becomes incapacitated or dies, the business typically discontinues operations. A sole proprietorship doesn’t generally survive without the original owner, and it’s difficult to sell the business because its assets and liabilities are intertwined with the owner’s personal assets.

General Partnerships Two or more business owners can choose to operate as a partnership. A partnership can be formed with as little as a handshake and a verbal agreement.

However, having a formal, written partnership agreement can help resolve business issues by defining each partner’s role in the management and operation of the business. For tax purposes, partnerships are referred to as “pass through entities,” meaning that both the income and losses pass through to the partners. This can create a significant advantage for a partnership because the partners can decide how to allocate income and expenses among themselves to take maximum advantage of the applicable tax rules.

One disadvantage of partnerships is that additional expenses necessary for accounting and legal advice might be incurred to ensure the proper operation of the business and the documentation of agreements between the owners. Another significant disadvantage is that each partner of a general partnership is personally liable for all the financial obligations of the business. Typically, each partner has full authority to act on behalf of the partnership in expending

Choosing a

LEGAL STRUCTURE for Your Business

By Robert Davis, Davis & Davis LLP


Conclusion If an incompatible business structure is chosen for a new business, it can usually be rectified when the need arises, but this can entail expending major effort as well as incurring expenses that may have been avoided. Because every business structure has advantages and disadvantages, and every business operation is different, it’s wise to consult with your attorney and accountant before making the decision as to which structure is best suited for your situation.

This article is for general information purposes, is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.

funds, completing loans, and making other business decisions on behalf of the partnership. Consequently, the personal liability of each partner can be put at greater risk by the other partners.

Corporations There are various types of corporations, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Generally speaking, protection from personal liability is a significant advantage of corporations. A corporation is a legal entity created under state law to conduct business under the direction of the corporate officers. As such, a corporation is a separate legal entity distinct from the individuals who create and own it. As a separate entity, the corporation itself bears sole liability for its debts and obligations. The corporation is also responsible for paying taxes on its corporate income. Unlike sole proprietorships and general partnerships, the owners of a business structured as a corporation are not taxed on corporate profits until those profits are distributed to them. Another advantage is that ownership of a corporation is easily transferable, so the corporation can raise funds by selling shares in the business. Finally, with the corporate structure, it is easier and typically more cost effective to provide the business owners with a wide variety of fringe benefits such as retirement, group health, and group life insurance plans.

The primary disadvantages of choosing to operate a business as a corporation are the initial costs of incorporating and the

annual costs of creating and maintaining the corporate records required by state law. Failure to maintain corporate records can jeopardize the corporate structure. Thus, it is advisable for corporations to retain the services of an attorney to deal with the complex legal requirements, and the services of an accountant to determine the most advantageous way to comply with tax rules applicable to the corporation. Limited Liability Companies Operating as a limited liability company is a popular choice for many small businesses. Limited liability companies—or LLCs—are based on a combination of the attributes of corporations and partnerships. The primary advantage of an LLC is that unlike a general partnership, it provides personal liability protection for the business owners, while making it possible to avoid double taxation of the business income that can occur if operating as a corporation. An LLC can elect to be treated as a partnership, so LLC income is deemed to be passed through to the owners and included in the owners’ income. The owners of an LLC are not personally liable for the debts and obligations of the business. Like corporations, LLCs are entities created under specific requirements of state law. Thus, the formalities and costs of setting up an LLC are similar to those for establishing a corporation. However, because LLCs are subject to fewer statutory reporting requirements, the annual costs of maintaining an LLC are significantly lower than those of a corporation.

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ABOUT ROBERT DAVIS AND DAVIS & DAVIS LLP2002 Monticello Drive • Annapolis, MD 21401410-571-2793

Robert Davis is a partner at Davis & Davis LLP and has been a practicing attorney for over 35 years. He represents individuals and businesses in state and federal courts throughout Maryland. Davis & Davis LLP is a general practice law firm, providing clients with advice and litigation services related to business and commercial law, corporate law, administrative law, real estate and land use law, personal injury law, family law, and other general legal matters.

Business Matters ●Family Law ● Personal Injury ● Litigation ● Insurance Courts-Martial ● Security Clearances ● Administrative Boards ● Mediations

Construction ● Wills & Estates ● Plus Other General Law Matters 2002 Monticello Drive, Annapolis, MD 21401

410-571-2793 • Free Initial Consultation

A Full Service General Law Practice

ROBERT C. DAVIS, JR. JUNE C. DAVIS

117 Parris Lane G6Easton, MD 21601Phone: 410-690-3819Cell: 301-775-5139

Email: [email protected]

www.vernonpromotions.com

Karen WalpoleSales

http://www.vernonpromotions.com


Standing on the balcony of the Philip Merrill Environmental Center enjoying the amazing view and cheering on my favorite crab (Quick Claw McGraw) during the 2nd Annual Annapolis Crab Derby, I couldn’t help but look around me and be

reminded of the impact that this networking group has had on my life and business. Launch Annapolis was one of the first Meetup Networking groups I joined after moving to Annapolis late last year. As a serial entrepreneur and master networker, I knew instantly that this group and its members were unlike anything I had been a part of in the past. The energy was electrifying and the people were genuinely welcoming and wanting to know how they could best support me and my business. As I continued to attend their monthly events, my admiration and appreciation for the uniqueness and authenticity of this group only grew stronger.

Founded by Tony Bagdon and Ryan Sears in 2013, Launch Annapolis was created to bring together local and regional entrepreneurs each month to exchange ideas and experiences, and offer mutual support. Since that time, the organization has grown to over 700 members, has attracted a diverse, connected and committed board of directors and advisors, and built a website (www.LaunchAnnapolis.org) where they can share the details of upcoming events and initiatives.

In the founders' own words: “Launch is where startup founders, investors and innovative thinkers come together to launch high-growth ventures in the state’s capital. The group’s purpose is to facilitate a community that supplies helpful resources such as business mentoring, media exposure and introductions between angel investors and well positioned startups. The Chesapeake Bay is a unique backdrop for our forward-thinking community that provides a fusion of progress and Annapolitan lifestyle.”

Fulfilling their purpose of facilitating a community that supplies helpful resources and making introductions is exactly why you are reading this issue of BizPeake Journal. The connections made and support received from the founders, directors and members of Launch Annapolis have made all the difference in my life and business. I can say with certainty that had I not joined this group, this publication would not be possible. I am forever grateful.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to attend one of their happy hours or educational programs, I encourage you to do so. Membership is free and you can register through Meetup.com.

All roads lead back to

Hope to see you there!! PHOT

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- Jamie M. Kizer

http://www.cbf.org




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Ryan Sears is the co-founder of Launch Annapolis and co-founder/CEO of Survey-Snap, a mobile application for professional integrators and installers that digitizes the process of site surveys. Ryan also serves as a consultant in the commercial real estate industry.

Do you think entrepreneurs are born or raised, and which applies to you?I think the answer is both. Even though I was not raised in a family of entrepreneurs, I think it’s always been a part of my make-up. Even as a child I used to line up items on our fireplace ledge and put price tags on them. Even though I earned a degree in economics at Towson University, I really learned about entrepreneurship by reading everything that I could get my hands on–books, blogposts, magazines, etc…

Love reading business books! Can you recommend two?"The Dip" by Seth Godin, a book about quitting and "The Obstacle Is the Way," about leaning into challenges to find the opportunities.

Advice for fellow business owners?You can’t stick with a losing strategy for too long. We live in a world where it’s ingrained in us to never give up or quit, but sometimes it’s the best thing that you can do for yourself and your business. In hindsight, there have been times that I held on to things longer than I should have. I wish that I had identified a set of conditions ahead of time that would prompted me to move on from something.

Contact Ryan at [email protected], on LinkedIn, or through the meetup page of Launch Annapolis.

Ryan Sears

To read more of our interview with Ryan, visit bizpeakejournal.com and click on MVP Interviews.

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Survey-Snap





http://www.survey-snap.com


8227 Cloverleaf Drive, Suite 308B • Millersville, MD 21108 • 443-795-5000 www.omegacorit.com

IT SERVICESGain Your Personal IT Department – call to schedule a conversationOmegaCor Technologies provides custom-built IT solutions designed to meet any organization’s requirements. We are the perfect provider for clients who elect not to have an internal IT staff and would rather save money by having experts perform daily monitoring, monthly upgrades and resolving all of your everyday technology issues. No matter your need, OmegaCor is here to serve you.

As your company expands look to OmegaCor for the tools and expertise to provide integrated, secure solutions that span traditional, hybrid, and cloud environments. Let cloud and mobile technology cut costs and drive both growth and innovation.

MANAGED SERVICES with OmegaCor is a partnership where we share our capabilities:

• Understanding our client’s business• Providing flexibility and responsiveness• Knowledge of Software Applications, Infrastructure and Processes• Business Continuity by developing a risk management strategy to include both disaster prevention and recovery

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Glenn A. Miller Photography 443-336-1085

http://www.omegacorit.com


July/August 2015 BizPeake 41PHOTO: CREATIVE LICENSE STUDIOS

Peter DeAngelo is managing director for Business Renewal Partners, a privately held company that helps business owners launch, grow, fix or sell their company. The goal is to help businesses find their ‘Victory.’

Did you always know that you wanted to own a business?When I was younger, I worked in the kitchen of my uncle’s restaurant and wanted to go to culinary school after high school. My parents, however, had other ideas. Since I also had an interest in business, I went on to earn a degree from Villanova University. Following many years of working in the corporate sector as either a CFO, COO or president of different companies, there came a time when I knew that I was ready to take the leap. The transition was a scary one, but I knew that I was prepared and ready.

Advice for fellow business owners?Expect more than one failure along the way. For me, I had to learn not to take failure so personally. Sometimes it’s your fault and sometimes it has nothing todo with you. You just need to pick up thepieces, brush yourself off and move onto the next play.

Every entrepreneur has a ‘why.’What’s yours?First and foremost, my family. I alsoget a great deal of satisfaction fromachieving a goal or celebrating theaccomplishments of others, especiallymy clients. For me, the ‘why’ isnever about money. It’s about doingwhat you enjoy and doing it well.

Peter is extremely active in thecommunity and involved withSt. Mary’s Church, AnnapolisTouchdown Club, The SummitSchool, Anne Arundel MedicalFoundation, and LaunchAnnapolis.

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Contact Peter:[email protected]

To read more of our interview with Peter, visit bizpeakejournal.com and click on MVP Interviews.

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Like most entrepreneurs, my business started with a desire to be my own boss and the goal of becoming financially secure as soon as possible. The only problem was that I didn’t have much money, was still living at home, and grew up in a family

that valued the ‘security’ of a job. What I did have, however, was a trade, determination, and the willingness to work hard.

Knowing that I could make all of the repairs and upgrades myself, I found someone who was willing to sell me my first rental property on a sales agreement. Today, through many twists and turns, calculated risks, and years of long days and hard labor (including the 424 concrete storage bays built with my own hands), I now own multiple commercial properties. Most are mortgage-free and all have increased in value. The point of sharing how I was able to turn ‘sweat equity’ into something tangible and of real value is to help you understand that you don’t need a lot of money to start a business. In this day and age of the internet and software development, start-up costs are a fraction of what they were years ago. To be successful today you no longer need expensive office space, tons of employees and massive amounts of debt. If you’re willing to put in the time and work hard (sweat equity), leverage your skills and talents, and start out in a slow and steady manner (think tortoise and the hare), you are far more likely to build a successful and profitable business in the long run.

ABOUT DAN T. PAULAside from owning several rental properties and a large storage facility, Dan Paul (even at the age of 53) still enjoys riding boards in the skate park that he built andriding motocross on his own track. Occasionally he can be found wandering through the streets on a unicycle. Life is good!

• Contributing Writers / Unique & Creative Photography• Businesses & Entrepreneurs willing to share their stories & lessons learned• Mavericks, Visionaries, Pioneers, Disruptors, Game Changers & Rule-Breakers• Information about new businesses moving into the region• Business news, events & updates to share with our readers

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:[email protected]

IS LOOKING FOR:

The Value of Good Old Fashioned

Sweat EquityBy Dan T. Paul

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PHOTO: JOHN ISAACS


Here’s to the crazy ones - the misfits, the Rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently - they’re not fond of rules. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones WHO DO.

-Steve Jobs

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On July 4, 1776 the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence

proclaiming our unalienable rights of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Flash forward 239 years and we Americans continue to proudly assert, cherish, and defend our liberties, but look a little closer and the truth is that many of us are choosing to relinquish our independence. Liberty isn’t always stolen from us by despots and oppressive regimes, shackles aren’t always made of iron, and today many Americans are living their lives in bondage to poor health.

Poor health robs us of our freedom. When illness enters our lives, it monopolizes center stage and we spend tremendous amounts of time, energy, and money to address our physical needs. Caring for illness can become an all-encompassing endeavor and because modern medicine is geared toward coping with illness, not curing it, exhaustive efforts can amount to little more than putting a band aid on a wound that never heals. Poor health affects our careers and our relationships. It not only limits our lives, it also burdens the lives of our family members. Poor health robs of us of the freedom of today and the promise of tomorrow. When we become shackled by loss of physical mobility and pain and suffering, when we’re burdened with medical appointments and procedures, when we’re taking time off from work, driving to appointments, sitting in waiting rooms, and using our expendable dollars to cover medical bills, laboratory charges, and pharmaceutical necessities, we aren’t living our lives to our fullest potential. The world becomes filled

with many things we can no longer do. We shift into survival mode and there’s no room in our lives for adventures, dreaming and the pursuit of happiness.

For most Americans, the single most significant thing we can do to improve our health is to lose weight. Our risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, kidney

disease and multiple other conditions can be significantly lessened by reducing our weight. According to the Center for Disease Control, 68 per cent of Americans are overweight and half of them are clinically “obese.” Still, in a survey conducted by Consumer Reports, only 11 percent of Americans see themselves as overweight. Interestingly, 90 percent of Americans think they eat a healthy diet, but researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health predict that in 15 years almost 90 percent of Americans will be overweight. It seems that We the People have a disconnect!

Not being sick isn’t the same thing as being healthy. The condition of being “not sick” is just the waiting room for illness. If we don’t care for ourselves, it’s just a matter of time before our bodies progress from being healthy to “not sick” and then eventually to being ill. As disease slowly creeps in we lose the energy, enthusiasm and joy we associate with youth. Our overall quality of life declines, our emotional and social well-being diminishes, and we stop believing in ourselves and the passion, excitement and adventure of our future.

So how did we get here? The fact is that many of us are living our lives in the default mode. We make choices every day without really considering the long-term consequences of those recurring choices. Statistics for the most common chronic illnesses in the United States, like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and cancer are rising at an alarming rate. Even though many of these chronic diseases are preventable, we haven’t consciously chosen to modify the habits that put us on the trajectory to these serious illnesses. Preventative care is our individual responsibility. It’s a lot easier than one might think to drop excess pounds, and it doesn’t require spending hours at the gym. It does require commitment, a resolve to change the way we’ve been living, and probably a shift in perspective.

The best first step in creating a long-term change in behavior is to engage in some reflective soul searching. Where are you in life, what got you

Don’t Squander Your

IndependenceBy June Davis, Get Slim Coach

Transforming your health transforms your life, and it’s never too late to take steps to

promote your health.

PHOTO: CAROL E. WARD


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here, where do you want to go, what do you truly want from life, how badly do you want it, and what’s holding you back? If we regard losing weight as a “diet” during which we’re going to deprive ourselves of certain foods until we reach our weight loss goal, chances are that as soon as we stop dieting, we’ll revert to old habits and regain the weight. It isn’t realistic to expect we will successfully comply with a long-term regimen of deprivation. In contrast, imagine how different it would be if instead of deciding to go on a diet, we consciously decide to be a healthy person and regard all our choices supporting that decision as a gift to our self. Self-image is very important here. Believe yourself capable of being the person you want to become, and visualize yourself as the person you want to

be. Then behave as the person you want to be would behave. If you want to be a healthy person, make the decision to be that person and live your life as a healthy person would live. Make the daily choices that a healthy person would make.

Yes, we have the unalienable rights of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” but without our health, we risk the loss of all three. Transforming your health transforms your life, and it’s never too late to take steps to promote your health. Don’t allow your past experiences, your health situation, or self-doubt hold you back. Good health gives us the freedom to live life on our terms. Protect your health and safeguard your long-term happiness and independence.

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Thank You!

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I T TAKES A V ILLAGEIn addition to all of our amazing Advertisers, Writers, Photographers, and Individuals that were featured in this Issue, BizPeake Journal would not exist without the love, support, generosity and encouragement of the following people:

And my furry friends:

Zoey the Amazing Peke and Sweet Francesca (RIP )

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Cara JohnstonLaura Young

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Tammy StudebakerAlexi Bouzykanov Kimberly Hagg

Bryan DeMuroCharlotte Ogilvie Lee

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Rotary Club of Annapolis

Friday, August 7 | 5 - 8pm | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial StadiumBenefitting more than 30 local charities each year, the crab feast is an annual Rotary Club of

Annapolis fundraiser providing food and fun for the entire family. Your ticket includes all you can eat and drink - male crabs, Maryland crab soup, sweet corn on the cob, barbecue sandwiches, hot dogs, draft beer, soda and water. A bake sale, cake raffle and free fresh watermelon will

finish your feast. Parking at the stadium is free for event attendees. Event occurs RAIN OR SHINE.

To purchase tickets, visit http://annapolistickets.showare.com/crabfeastTickets also available at Admiral Cleaners, CFG Community Bank and Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits

Tickets Purchased in Advance: $65 Adult | $20 Child (Ages 3 - 12)Pricing at the Gate: $75 Adult | $20 Child (Ages 3 - 12)

Preferred Dining: $130 Adult & Child*As this is a fundraiser, no discounted tickets are available

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