As a small business owner, you know that your business needs to be active and present online.  But which activities actually make sense for your particular business in order to effectively reach your target client?  Which of these should you manage yourself, and which should you automate or delegate to the pros?

This workshop will explore just that.  Our round table discussion will not only cover the basics of internet marketing, but we’ll select a few participants and help them map out an internet marketing strategy that works for THEIR business.  Topics will also include the top internet marketing strategies, tools, resources and technology you can use to measure your results and refine your efforts.  Bring your questions for laser coaching and discussion!

Click for more info!

February 27, 11am-1pm
RSVP: igcrsvp@gmail.com with VIRTUAL in the subject line.

Here in Philly experts in their field are stepping out of the mold to start their own companies and provide services they know best.  We entrepreneurs are a strong force and growing every day.  We are providing quality and necessary services ranging from web design to copy writing and everything in between.   As a result of all sharing common goals, and the City of Brotherly Love, we are creating the ecosystem to foster growth and support for entrepreneurial success.  In the article, 9 steps are outlined for Creating an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, and sure enough, step two is to the shape the ecosystem around local conditions to tailor the suit to fit its own local entrepreneurship dimensions, style and climate.  We are doing just that; entrepreneurs in various fields are coworking, there are weekly meet ups to meet the needs of any level of networker, and above all, entrepreneurs are accepted and celebrated for their efforts.

The opportunities for an entrepreneur to be successful in this current market are high.  Many companies are seeing the value of outsourcing and slowly starting to open their checkbooks to bring in these expert entrepreneurs to help their business grow.  Many groups are also supporting entrepreneurs by hosting coffees, lunches, happy hours, meet ups and conferences to allow for networking, sharing, and learning.

In doing our part to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem, we have been hosting coworking and networking events around the city.  Our next event will be on Thursday, January 20th, in Northern Liberties at One Shot Coffee.  Here we meet with dozens of other entrepreneurs to work as a community for the day; sharing stories, asking questions, making new introductions, drinking coffee and just enjoying eachother’s company as we meet our work demands.

As a bonus for the new year, we will follow coworking with a Philly Entrep Hapy Hour, starting at 5:30pm at PYT in The Piazza

Please join us for our next coworking day!

Date: Thursday, January 20th

Coworking: starting at 2pm

Location: One Shot Coffee
George Street (and American) behind Liberties Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19123

Come and go as you please; we will be grabbing some food and making business introductions all day!

Happy Hour: starting at 5:30pm

Location: PYT @ The Piazza in Northern Liberties
1015 N @2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123

*Parking available on the street or in the free lot located on Germantown Ave on the Northeast side of the Piazza.

Be sure to RSVP here.

We have been working from various wifi spots throughout the city this year, with great turnout at all of our events.  Entrepreneurs, business owners, freelancers, and other independents looking to get out of the office and network have been coming together at these events to meet, work, eat, and share business cards.  Check out some of our coworkers in our quickie vlog post:  http://www.watchuslaunch.com/

This month we are heading to a clean, bright, and friendly cafe in Northern Liberties called Euphoria Cafe.  They have great coffee, tea, smoothies, sandwiches, and our personal favorite, iced bubble coffee!  Euphoria offers free wifi and a comfortable area for us to all sit together to work and mingle.  This cafe is also in the exciting Piazza, surrounded by restaurants, shops, galleries, and of course the big outdoor courtyard with the giant screen TV so you can stick around and watch the Phillies game that night!

If you are committed to evolving your business in 2010,  coworking is for you.  Entrepreneur’s Entourage’s Coworking events are a great way to get a change of scenery from your home or corporate office and hang in the presence of some of Philly’s brightest entreps.  Our group brings together the open share of ideas and the strength of the entrepreneurial community here in Philadelphia across all industries.  Our meetup days are informal and a great way to share your business, make connections, get some work done on your laptop, grab a bite to eat, and gain new perspectives.

Please join us for our next coworking day!

Date: Thursday, June 10, 2010 starting at 10am.

Come and go as you please; we will be grabbing some food around 12:30pm, and making business introductions all day!

Location: Euphoria Coffee
1001 N 2nd Street in The Piazza
Philadelphia, PA

Be sure to RSVP here.

Then please tweet that you will be attending, or just follow all of our participant tweets using #EECoworking.

Calling all Philly Entreps and Business Owners:  Don’t miss our favorite conference and networking event of the year- SPARK!

Monday, May 24th, 2010 at The Hub Cira Centre

Spark is an interactive entrepreneurial conference that focuses on helping entrepreneurs grow their business, develop vital relationships and take away valuable insights from educational workshops. The conference has two parts; the morning session which consists of educational workshops and networking, while the afternoon is the opportunity for several entrepreneurs to pitch their business in front of an esteemed panel of successful entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture consultants and experienced advisers.

Check out this great video from last year‘s event!

SPARK 2009

Check out the day’s schedule here: http://sparknetworking.com/agenda.php

MEET US: Be sure to stop by to visit our booth during the Entrepreneurial Expo which runs from 12-2pm!

PANELS:

• Built to Last – Best Practices and Resources to Grow Your Business
• Everything You Need to Know About Raising Capital but Were Afraid to Ask
• Trends for 2010 – Who’s Getting Funding
• Building Buzz on a Startup Budget
• Getting the Deal Done – A Workshop in Negotiation
• Nuts & Bolts of a Winning Presentation

Lastly, all friends of Entourage are invited to enjoy a 20% discount on registration by entering discount code: SPK20Entourage at checkout!!

REGISTER

We’re looking forward to seeing each of you at this can’t miss entrep event!

If you are committed to evolving your business in 2010, coworking is for you.  Coworking is a great way to get a change of scenery from your home or corporate office and hang in the presence of some of Philly’s brightest entreps.  Our group brings together the open share of ideas and the strengthening of the entrepreneurial community here in Philadelphia across all industries.  Our meetup days are informal and a great way to share your business concept, make connections, get some work done on your laptop, grab a bite to eat, and gain new perspectives.

EE Coworking and Networking Days are here to stay in 2010! We will be working from various wifi spots throughout the city once a month on the second Thursday of each month.  We’ve had a great turnout at all of our events.  Check out some of our coworkers in our quickie vlog post:  http://www.watchuslaunch.com/

Please join us for our next coworking day!

Date: Friday, April 30th, 2010 starting at 10am.

Come and go as you please, but we will be grabbing some food and doing business introductions at 1:00pm

Location: Chapter House Cafe
620 South 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147

Be sure to RSVP here.

Then please tweet that you will be attending, or just follow all of our participant tweets using #EECoworking.

We find that our business is starting to lean more towards those wanting to get the word out about their venture, or grow their existing business.  Some of the major ways we help these clients is by providing internet marketing campaigns, social media management, research and sales strategy development, website design, and branding.

One great way to get the word out about your business is to network and embrace your local entrepreneurial community.  We are doing just that by sponsoring and attending the upcoming Entrepreneur Expo on April 13th in Philadelphia.  The Expo will have over 200 attendees as well as 3-4 dozen vendors all taking about their passions and dreams!  Not only will we be there to share how our business can help others grow, but we will also be giving away a great tool for growing your business and branding – a Flip video camera! Our custom designed Flip Mino video camera prize will help you start vlogging and recording all your business successes!  So make sure to stop by our booth, share your business ideas, and enter to win the coolest Flip on the market!

More details on the Philadelphia Entrepreneur Expo 2010:

Philly Startup Leaders present The Entrepreneur Expo – Innovation on Display – April 13, 2010 at University of the Arts. This is a showcase of work by entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurial community. If you’re an entrepreneur, you will be able to talk about your work and hear about the work of others. If you’re interested in new ideas, new business plans, the uses of new technology, or are simply curious about the creative energy in this region, you’ll have a chance to see and meet those beginning to make a difference.

April 13, 2010 6 pm – 9 pm Solmsson Court, Hamilton Hall University of the Arts Pine & Broad

Get excited about the future. Get excited about the entrepreneurial spirit of Philadelphia. Come to the Entrepreneur Expo. Come and see tomorrow, today.

https://philly-startup-leaders.ticketleap.com/entrepreneur-expo-2010-04-13-2010-18-0

We use a great platform which both we and our clients love- Basecamp.  This is a fantastic tool that continues to meets our virtual project management needs.  In addition to Basecamp, there are several other leading PM tools out there that deserve consideration.

In many of my circles, we tend to go round and round about which has the best features and is priced right.  Below is a comprehensive review of the three current leaders for virtual professional teams; Basecamp, Central Desktop and SmartSheet.

Basecamp

4 Plans Available:

• $24/mo:  15 projects, 5 GB Storage, Unlimited Users
• $49/mo: 35 projects, 15 GB Storage, Unlimited Users, Time Tracking
• $99/ mo: 100 projects, 30 GB Storage, Unlimited Users, Time Tracking
• $149/mo: Unlimited projects, 75 GB Storage, Unlimited Users, Time Tracking

Note they have 1 FREE plan available- 1 project, Unlimited Users, no file sharing

FREE 30 day trial

General Details:

• Their focus is on communication tools, very straightforward, easy to use technology with video screenshot overviews for each function (very idiot-proof!).
• Basecamp works with a variety of iPhone apps, third-party invoicing and time tracking tools, graphic design review software, widgets, and more.
• Allows for customized domain, color and branding  and logo upload.
• Central dashboard that shows updates and overview of all current projects- ranked by time sensitivity.

Key Features:

To Do List option which can be set to replicate as needed, append to any open milestone and it allows you to assign a person and date to each open to do item.  Note these can be marked for private viewing.

Easy File Sharing sorting and uploading- note the size limits listed above

Message Boards- *Key Feature*- one of our faves!

Keep all project related communication within the project (in Basecamp).  When msg is send from this feature, recipient may respond through their email and it will track (no need to sign in to respond).  Files may be attached here, comments may be posted within the msg (anything to decrease email right!?).

Milestones- The general key targets for project completion.  Another great feature here- they can feed into your iCal/ Outlook!  Related to-dos can also append onto each milestone.  Basecamp focuses onthis feature which allows for fast shifting of deadlines across the calendar, great for tracking goals. For example, if we were to make a task (To-Do) of writing an article, we could attach it to the milestone.  If the milestone needed to change dates, we could change its date and move all future milestones the same number of days to reflect the change. Basecamp also allows users to configure the new milestones so that they do not fall on a weekend.

Time Tracking- Web based time tracking- team members can enter time related to each task or project.  Comes in handy for PMs, and it has a report function which can be exported.  NOTE- this feature is only available for your team- clients do not have access to this feature.

Writeboards- Another fave here!  Stash all your notes, logins, links and details related to projects here.  Space for comments and note that this can be marked private (so only your team can view!).

One of the best features of BC are their customer service forums which are easy to navigate.

PROS:

• Straightforward, easy to use PM tool
• Great support forums for FAQs
• Great pre-sale website with demos, videos and screen shots
• Customizable branding options
• Strong alliances for app build-out (iphone, etc.)
  

CONS:

• Does not offer any sort of project charts
• Chat feature only available as an add-on- $12-$99 per month
• Does not support high level project tracking like you would see with more $$ PM systems

Central Desktop

From their site: Central Desktop’s Social Technology Platform provides a complete SaaS solution for businesses to collaborate, manage projects and connect their people.

4 plans available:

• Team Plan Free; 2 workspaces, 5 members per workspace, 25MB storage
• Team Plan 1; $25/mo, 3 workspaces, 10 members per workspace, 500MB storage
• Team Plan 2; $49/mo, 10 workspaces, 15 members per workspace, 1GB storage
• Company Plan 3; $99/mo, 25 workspaces, 25+ workspaces, 5GB storage– note this is the only package that includes SSL encryption, custom domain and branding

PROS:

• Offers recurring task assignments
• Offers client and project workspaces as well as company intranets
• Automated work order requests
• Offers project charts
• Optional add-on of web meetings ($35/mo)
• Task creation through email, task prioritization
• Chat function included
• Private and public workspaces
• Lengthy feature list
• Create text and spreadsheet files inside their application (online docs)
• Unique urls available for tasks for quick access
• Positive reviews on their search feature
• Chat feature linked to help desk
• Salesforce add-on

CONS:

• Complex platform, learning curve, not-so-easy navigation
• Confusion surrounding workspace and project concepts

As a reviewer I found their website (what is supposed to entice me to purchase) to be very complicated and uninformative.  No screen shots or bullet points of features were given which makes it a hard sell.  Online reviews from users were mostly positive.  Unfortunately this is why I can’t give a detailed overview of the moving parts!  Central Desktop (in my opinion) has aligned their branding to target corporate clients.

Smartsheet

Unique online collaboration tool designed to “think outside the box” of project management.  It is based on a spreadsheet-like paradigm, but promises collaboration and project tracking.  From their site-  “Great solution for managing a variety of tasks, projects and processes. It has intelligent collaboration capabilities and powerful reporting housed within a familiar spreadsheet interface.”

Pricing: note their pricing is based on “Sheet Creators” and all pkgs have unlimited “Viewers.”

• Basic- $9.95/mo; 1 Sheet Creator; 10 Sheets; 3GB file storage
• Advanced- $29.95/mo; 1 Sheet Creator; 50 Sheets; 15GB file storage; Gantt Charts, Custom Branding, Reporting, Survey Forms
• Team- $49.95/mo; 3 Sheet Creators; 150 Sheets; 30GB file storage; Gantt Charts, Custom Branding, Reporting, Survey Forms, Premium Support Pack
• Team Plus- $79.95/mo; 10 Sheet Creators; 500 Sheets; 60GB file storage; Gantt Charts, Custom Branding, Reporting, Survey Forms, Premium Support Pack
• Enterprise- $149.95/mo; 25 Sheet Creators; 1000 Sheets; 100GB file storage; Gantt Charts, Custom Branding, Reporting, Survey Forms, Premium Support Pack

30 day free trial

Pros:

• Video tutorial overviews (before purchase!)
• Designed to work with Google Apps products and Jott
• Sales pipeline included- with alerts,  follow-up and email tracking
• Crowdsourcing-Smartsheet Smartsourcing- def check out their demo on this!  Smartsheet is the only collaboration tool that makes it possible to connect to an on-demand workforce.
• Goals and Objectives tracking
• Product Management- prioritize features, track enhancement requests and manage product launches.  R&D as well as customer feedback options
• Gantt chart views
• View and edit sheets and reports from your iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Mobile or Android smartphone
• Built in calendar and reminders for projects
• Discussion/ comments can be added to any smartsheet

CONS:

• Not a traditional project mgmt tool – must love and appreciate spreadsheets to use this tool!
• Very powerful, but comes with a learning curve- especially since it is so different than other PM tools.  Take the time to educate yourself on all the features
• Newbie on the market, so you know they’ll be working out the kinks

The three choices above each offer their own unique pros and cons.  Consider all three options as you make your decision about which PM system to implement in your business!

Given our hectic work schedules and commitment to a work-life balance,  it’s hard to argue that our work which takes up at least 40 hours per week of our lives, is not a major part of who we are.  If you are one, sitting miserably in your cubicle right now, reading this blog post, watching the clock tick down to 5:00 (hey, we’ve all been there!), then this post is for you!

Do you love what you do? Does it wake you up in the morning and motivate you through the day?  Do you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in your work?  Do you have a great idea, but does the fear of going out on your own and forging your own way seem out of reach?

I’m here (as proof) to tell you that it’s possible!  If that’s not enough, come out and witness other local entrepreneurial dynamos in action! Bring a laptop, or a notebook and come meet and interact with folks who are working their butts off to make their vision for their business a reality.  Come pick our brains, and share your ideas and hear war stories about how we’ve worked to turn a vision into a reality.

The next Philly Coworking and Networking Day will be held on Friday, February 12, 2010 at the TBar on 12th and Sansom.

Take the day off from your cube and commute and come cowork and network with some of Philly’s brightest entrepreneurs and small business owners.  There’s no dress code, and no rules; just a group of people spending a few hours of their day getting some work done, collaborating on their thoughts, having a good laugh and truly loving what they do.

Come join us on Friday and get inspired.. we’d L-O-V-E to see you!

“I came to Philadelphia 4 years ago when my job as a magazine publisher moved me here.  As part of a large west coast media company I did not get very involved in my community and neighborhood within Philadelphia for networking.  But, when I left the magazine a year ago and decided to start my own company with a local friend, I was immediately embraced by the community and exposed to the limitless opportunities for networking, support, and social marketing.  We couldn’t imaging running our virtual company, Entrepreneur’s Entourage, from anywhere else.  We have been able to provide our clients with great services like web design, branding, internet marketing, research, copywriting, and project management by including so many of Philly’s talented entrepreneurs and free-lance consultants on our team of professionals.

There are many more reasons why my partner and I have found great success with our new business as a result of being located in Philadelphia.  There is a networking group and business development group for every type of start up.  There are great places to work from that are either coworking offices or just meetups or jelly sessions at one of the numerous coffee shops throughout the city with free wifi.  There are also new entrepreneurs emerging every week in this area that are looking for assistance in getting their business moving forward!

Our top Universities excel in providing programs and opportunities for entrepreneurs and start up companies alike.  The University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University both have entrepreneurial clinics and offer many services to our community out of their Small Business Development Center.  Another great resource that my partner and I have been invited into is the entrepreneurial clinic at the University of Pennsylvania Legal Clinic.  Each year graduating seniors work with companies in the area to help meet their legal needs pro bono.  We were able to utilize the clinic to form our partnership agreement as well as help negotiate some business documents.

Many think of Philadelphia as industrial, dated and a little on the maniacal side when it comes to sports fans; but in reality, our city has only been on the up and up with making our neighborhoods green and eco-friendly, providing accessible resources for small businesses to launch, and providing better services for our budding entrepreneurs.  Plus, what’s a city with a World Champion sports team without a few die hard fans!”

Help us send a message to set a new precedent to put Philly on the map as one of the leading cities cultivating entrepreneurial activities!

What better way to focus on your biz evolutions than to spend the day working side by side with like-minded entrepreneurs! Coworking is a great way to get a change of scenery from your home (or bland corporate) office and hang in the presence of some of Philly’s brightest entreps. Share ideas, make connections and gain new perspectives- all of which are limited by the confines of your isolated cube!

Coworking is at it’s core about reciprocity- The mutual or cooperative interchange of favors or privileges; i.e., you give, you get. Your ideas and hindsight 20/20 reflections on lessons learned can translate across industries to help other professionals (new or veteran). In turn, those same peers have perspectives to share from their unique experiences that can help you as you work on your own business. This organic approach to business development promotes the open share of ideas with the common goal of improving all of our businesses in a collaborative process.

If you are committed to evolving your business in 2010, coworking is for you. Our group represents the open share of ideas and the strengthening of the entrepreneurial community here in Philadelphia across all industries.

We had a great turnout at our last event, and have an even bigger crowd registered for our event on 1/7. Check out some of our coworkers from December in our quickie vlog post: http://www.watchuslaunch.com/ and check out the pic below:

We would love to have you join us for our next coworking day!

Date: Thursday, January 7, 2010 starting at 10am

Location: Chapterhouse Cafe- we will be downstairs
620 South 9th Street Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia, PA 19147-2028

Learn more about the event and be sure to RSVP on our site.  Follow all of our participant tweets #EECoworking.