Green Energy NOW!

Hoosier Environmental Council Announces the Launch of our First-Ever Video Contest!

Hoosier Environmental Council has launched a video contest for this summer and fall, coinciding with movement of major energy/global warming legislation in Congress (a historic bill just passed out of the House last week!)

The contest is called Green Energy NOW! and the goal is to find out what Hoosiers are doing to fight global warming in their daily lives and why/how they are advocating for green energy/climate action (personally and/or legislatively) – in new and creative ways (online videos).

Prizes will be awarded for the four videos that are:
- the funniest: $200 prize
- the most creatively produced: $200 prize
- the most thoughtful/well-researched: $200 prize
- the HEC favorite (GRAND prize): $500 prize
- All participants will receive an HEC organic cotton t-shirt and window decal...

You can make your video with a video-camera, a webcam, your cell phone, or post an image slideshow/presentation with music/voiceover. Keep your video under 3 minutes and upload it to the contest's YouTube page:

After you’ve uploaded your video, send your name, contact information (email and phone number) and the title of your video to Ms. Alex Eaks (aeaks@hecweb.org). We need your info to send you your t-shirt/decal and to notify you if your video is a winner!

The contest begins June 30 and ends August 24; winners will be announced on HEC’s website and the YouTube page on August 31 and contacted personally to arrange receipt of prizes.

For video ideas, software resources, and official contest rules, download these guidelines

Spread the news about this contest to your friends/family. This is a great way to keep the energy/climate conversation going - but in a more creative and personal way. Our relationship with the environment runs deeper than legislation - what's your story?

Hoosier Environmental Council website contest page

Tina Jesson is founder of the British Academy of Solopreneurs

Life before the banking system – the art of bartering

Businesses are deciding to trade with each other in a totally new and inventive way - by trading skills and services. Stage left the act of bartering, last seen before coinage and the banking system was even invented. Contra deals and the new practise of swishing is how many small businesses, solo-preneurs and individuals are surviving in a weak economy where the $dollar is illusive.

There have been reports of Website developers are trading website development in exchange of the services of their clients, such as singing lessons or access to a client database; hair dressers swopping a expensive hair treatments for advertising and groups of women trading nearly new outfits with each other.

Shows and events are starting to use conta deals to fill last minute booths, as they find it harder to fill the space by conventional means. A contra deal is based on the whole idea of swapping out one ‘this’ that the other wants needs and values.

Barter Groups are springing up everywhere as companies club together and place a value on time, product and service, to establish a common valuation system which can be traded across the group rather than just one on one so that if they don’t find a direct match for what they want in return, it can be facilitated through the group as a whole.

Using a barter or swapping strategy means that businesses can continue to develop and grow and stay in the running where they might have otherwise fallen along the way side, ceased trading or been prevented from evolving to meet the new economy.

The great thing about the small solo-prereneurial business is the ability to modify the way the business works to accommodate this model in the act of the survival. “Life will find a way" as Jeff Goldblum's character knew too well in Jurassic Park. Business will find a way of sustaining a livelihood.

Give bartering and contra deals, a go. You'll keep busy, get you more growth opportunities AND build some very strong business relationships along the way. The stronger your bond with your potential clients and advocates, the more business you will win. The business with the strongest relationships will take it all.

Tina Jesson - The Visibility Creator
www.tinajesson.com and www.whatthemediawants.com

"Tina Jesson is the ONLY British female speaker, writer & trainer who helps solo-preneurial businesses to equip them to achieve maximum 'million dollar visibility', in the fastest and most cost efficient way possible, to achieve ‘client magnet’ status & create more wealth. Don't be the best kept secret - get The Visibility Creator."

Author of 'How to Play the Property Game' and 'The Solo-preneurial Marketeer'
Founder of www.homestagerstoday.com & www.homestagers.co.uk
Tina Jesson Enterprises LLC

Booming in a Recession?

The technology and communications revolution!

So what types of businesses are booming in a recession and where are companies focusing their resources?

Certainly in the UK the Government is ploughing millions of pounds in to training to save the economy and Obama’s $825 billion plan to jump-start the economy and create or save up to 4 million jobs with an additional $102 billion going to help victims of the recession with unemployment insurance, health care, food stamps and job training. (USA Today 15/1/09)

Tina's Training

This backs up my view that with output falling and some firms having to lay-off or go to the shorter working week, companies and individuals will need to spend their free time on education and training so they can keep their heads above water let alone get ahead.

This is good news for training and education businesses. I know of a number of trainers and training companies who, funded through government indicatives, are seeing an increase in business as they attempt to train people back in to jobs.

Even small businesses, entrepreneurial business and consultants are spending their free time in getting as much education as they can while times are tough. It’s the only real way to stand any chance of getting ahead. Everyone seems to be looking for the ‘magic bullet’ that will win the next order and as investment in your own learning is just that – an investment – those who do have a little savings are spending it in this way in the hope it will make them more appealing to companies and clients alike.

As a result this recession will fuel a massive leap forward ‘tomorrows technology’ and in the way people communicate and use technology. More and more people are becoming expert in blogging, social media marketing and use of tools such as YouTube and Second Life for training, marketing and consultancy based businesses.

With small entrepreneurial businesses needing to keep overheads to a minimum, many will choose to work from home and have virtual offices on the web instead of actual premise. I expect that Second Life will be used in a much more business savvy way. The creation of virtual training rooms will be available for staff in large companies to work on at slow times, to suit their companies or to take training in their spare time from the benefit of their own homes.

This will be a technology and communications revolution.

But face to face will still have its place and I predict an increase in local networking groups seeing a rise in membership. Small business owners will come together and work the leads and connections that are available. I have joined 2 new groups in one week alone, and the turn out for these groups is much higher than in previous years. Where in the past, you might become TOO busy to attend, now, with more time being available, people are getting out and making those contacts and forming longstanding relationships with a view to gaining more business. Business is becoming harder to come by and takes more work to find it, targeting and win it.

Another strategy being adopted by many consultants is, ‘let me do the work and pay me AFTER I get you the results’. That takes away the cash flow problem that might be preventing companies from doing things in a new way and only when new business comes in, does the company then pay the consultant for their input. I can see this approach being taken on by many entrepreneurial businesses who work from home and have the advantage of no/low overheads which makes it an option they are able to offer.

Be interesting to get your thoughts on this. Are you an entrepreneurial business or a consultancy that is having to find new ways of doing things. Are you a company who is working with trainers and consultants to get the edge? Please give your views below

Tina Jesson - The Visibility Creator
Author, business growth & markting consultant, trainer and speaker. www.tinajesson.com