In Carol Tice’s article for Entrepreneur magazine, she culled stacks of forecasts to create a Top 10 List of Small Business Predictions for 2012. What struck me most was the 10th prediction, because it was hers and mine. 10. Companies that collaborate with each other and help each other have a better chance of prospering. [...]

All the networking in the world will not replace a moment of serendipity that changes your life forever. Sitting outside a national conference hall in Florida I spotted a woman at an empty table. Not wanting to go into the madness of the convention either,  I took a seat beside her and struck up a [...]

It is with great excitement that we are entering into a new alliance with the Small Business Advocacy Council.  Their mission is to empower business owners and professionals through policies that improve the economic environment. Filled with a membership of committed entrepreneurs and companies who support entrepreneurs, the SBAC has successfully drafted a bill that [...]

If you are a solo entrepreneur with one, several or many clients, a start-up, use collaborators, have friends and family, occasionally need tech help or belong to a business group, not only are you NOT alone, YOU are in a tribe, YOUR TRIBE. This may come as a shock to those of us who wear [...]

Yes, it’s going to take a village to raise happy, healthy companies, but being out there on your own isn’t the only way.  Ask yourself,  “If I don’t have to do everything myself, why would I want to?”  By putting a community behind you, you’ll have more resources, less stress, and more time to focus on [...]

If you’ve got a successful career, a family and/or a life, chances are the pace of modern existence has you spinning.  Here are some great suggestions from the ladies of the Triple W Forum on how-to stop the madness and unleash your happy by making some simple, yet important decisions.     1. Write down [...]

I received this email from a friend gone missing from her desk. With her permish, I am sharing. Enjoy!   Dear Lennie,    My computer was hacked this month, but I’m not worried, because the experts have predicted:   “Two years from now, spam will be solved.” – Bill Gates, 2004  “The problem of viruses is temporary and will [...]

Our companies are different but the Phases of our journeys are remarkably the same.  Our time and head-space fluctuates between grappling with challenges, actual work, success, insight and agony. We are constantly inventing and reinventing ourselves (beyond Phase I and back to Phase I) – searching for best practices and fine tuning messages, methods and [...]

Build and Evolve Your Company If you are building a start-up or updating your current company – and you need quality professionals – call the Big Ooga – we’ve got great people. Build Your Skills If you want to learn social media, SEO, how to set-up a blog, start a Twitter page, streamline your process, [...]

There are 27,000 current members in Linked n Chicago, thousands of members & friends of Big Ooga, Local First, BNC, Evanston Chamber, West Suburban Chamber, the Naperville LinkedIn Business Group and the Evanston / North Shore Business Group. Among them, the owners, founders, leaders, volunteers and members share a common vision, to create a working, [...]