At Palo Alto Software, we’re used to talking with entrepreneurs about their businesses. Most are enthusiastic about what they do, but you can hear it in their voices when they truly love it. Carol Graham, a relatively new user of Business Plan Pro, is one of those people. As founder of Bulldog Communications, LLC, in Tallahassee, Florida, Carol has forged a career based on this passion for her work, and we’re happy to spotlight her experiences here.

Give us a quick snapshot of what your business is all about.

Bulldog Communication is a communication consulting firm. Our slogan is “Innovative Solutions to Launching Ideas.” The type of communication services we provide does not focus on mass media or technology. We focus instead on internal and external business and personal communication strategies that are essential to successful and thriving business cultures.

Our corporate culture is simple: Do What You Love. Anything less makes for a “venture” instead of an “adventure.” At Bulldog we are committed to only accepting projects that excite and stimulate our team of experts.

Bulldog Communication was named for the tenacity associated with the logo and is comprised of three major program areas — Judson, Legacy and J.A.N.E.

First is our Judson program. Judson programming is aimed towards assisting businesses in achieving their goals through communication excellence, including full communications audits, communication seminars, part of a full array of services to assist in the launch of a not-for-profit organization or small business.

Next is our Legacy services, which focus on the needs of nonprofit organizations and short term “crisis” projects, to assist organizations who are in immediate danger of losing their status or funding.

And finally we have our J.A.N.E. program, which stands for “Just Actions, New Expectations,” the philanthropic program of Bulldog Communication which provides pro bono assistance.

What are the most important lessons you learned during your business planning process?

Although I began as an experienced grant writer with a PhD in Communication, I found quickly that there was much to the planning process that I had not considered. My writing skills were an asset, but I still greatly benefited from the step-by-step process that Business Plan Pro applied to my planning. I too often jump from point A to point Z without clearly articulating to my audience how I made the leap. Business Plan Pro helped me to bridge that communication gap.

Did you write your business plan for funding or investment purposes?

I did not write my plan for funding, because I already knew how to write grant proposals. I was looking for something different. I wanted to articulate my business dreams and goals so that I could clearly identify the steps needed to achieve my goals. While grant writing is a wonderful skill, it is rare to find a grant that will allow you the academic and ethical freedoms that your own dreams can conjure!

As your business continues to grow, do you find yourself going back into the plan to update and adjust?

My business plan is a continual work in progress. The planning software allows me to analyze my progress and current status, and then adjust as needed. My weakest area was cash forecasting and accounting. Left to my own devices, I will market my services and in short time, find myself unable to take on the projects I love because I have become involved in the wrong projects for the sake of profit.

Business Plan Pro helps me to prioritize my projects, recruit the appropriate associates, and decline projects that are not a good fit for Bulldog.

What, in your opinion, is the most exciting part of being an entrepreneur? What are the biggest challenges?

The most exciting part of entrepreneurship for me is simply “doing what I love.” If I don’t love a project, I don’t take it on. Having said that, however, it may be that I have an associate with great passion for that same project, and if that is a good fit, then it is appropriate and exciting for Bulldog to take on the project.

The biggest challenges, ironically enough, are in pacing ourselves. This is a most exciting undertaking. It is not a “get rich quick scheme” (those only make you poorer faster in my humble opinion). Fortunately, Business Plan Pro provided the tools I needed to launch my business in a strategic and well-thought-out manner. I had 4 four projects before I launched a website or produced a brochure. That is heady stuff; it is important to proceed carefully, making absolutely sure that you can deliver a product that greatly benefits your client, and at the same time also leaves you with a great sense of satisfaction and desire to do another just like it!

Any final thoughts? Do you have a piece of advice for someone who might just be starting out in their own business or planning process?

Owning your own business is simply not for everyone. Take a serious personal inventory and make sure this is your passion and pleasure. If you do not love what you are doing, you will not continue to do it, or at least not well. Take the time you need to write a full business plan. It might impress others, but much more importantly it will help you analyze your readiness to take off on this adventure.

—–

Carol Graham is an ordained chaplain, a novice horsewoman, an avid racquetball player and the “Momma Bulldog” CEO of Bulldog Communications, LLC. Carol and the entire Bulldog Communications team are dedicated to the motto of only doing what you love.

1400 Village Square Blvd., Suite 3-121 Tallahassee, FL 32312 TEL: 850.933.4074

If you or your company would like to be considered for a Customer Spotlight by Palo Alto Software, please contact ‘Chelle Parmele at chelleparmele@paloalto.com

Tags: business plan pro, customer spotlight, palo alto software
Posted on January 8th, 2009 | No Comments »

Palo Alto Software is sponsoring the Governor’s Business Plan Contest in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest - the nation’s first statewide, tech-based business plan competition - is accepting entries online for the 2009 competition. Entries will be accepted now through 5 p.m. Jan. 31, 2009. The contest’s Grand Prize is worth $50,000 in cash and services.

Who’s eligable to enter? Wisconsin residents 18 years and older and teams from Wisconsin-based businesses and organziations are eligble to enter the contest.  Teams from outside Wisconsin are eligble as long as they plan to base their business in Wisconsin.

For a full list of rules and contest information as well as the form to enter the contest -  visit the Governor’s Business Plan Contest website.

www.govsbizplancontest.com

Tags: business plan competition, business planning, business plans, palo alto software
Posted on December 15th, 2008 | No Comments »

If you have a question or a technical issue with a product that Palo Alto Software produces, you can call us. It’s true. You can pick up the phone and dial 800-229-7526 and get right to a real live person. You can talk to any of our sales or technical support team. We don’t have a complicated phone tree. We don’t have you press a series of buttons to direct you to the right department, you call in and you’ll talk to a person who can direct you to the right department in a matter of moments.

Don’t want to talk to us directly? That’s ok. You can chat with us. You can go on our website and click on the Live Chat button and get a live person answering your questions. If the chat isn’t open, because we go home to our families at night, then an email with your question is sent and the next morning it has first priority to be answered.

These people work right here, in the Palo Alto Software office, within shouting reach of the developers, marketing department and upper management. There’s never a single moment that the team isn’t overheard by the entire company. Yeah, we’re that involved in the happiness of our customers.

So, still not interested in chat or phoning? That’s ok, you can email us. We use our own dogfood here, Email Center Pro. It’s the best way to make sure every email coming into our company is handled quickly and competently. Every email is answered within a 24 business hour turn around, but more than likely you’ll get an answer by the end of that work day. You might even get an answer from one of the team after hours or on the weekend. Not because it’s required, but because the team has a commitment to making sure people looking for help are answered.

Let me say that again. They have a commitment to making sure any customer reaching out to us is heard and responded to.

I’m telling you this because when I run into a company that literally makes me go around in circles to find technical support answers and tells me that sure I can call them for help if I give them $30 dollars to get the phone number first… I get frustrated.

And I have to tell you, a frustrated customer is a customer that won’t evangelize your product. They won’t return to get the newest version either. At least this customer won’t.

I know this isn’t a new subject here on the BIG blog, but I feel I have the responsibility to point it out when I see it. Good customer service isn’t hard to give. It’s actually a lot easier than you might think. And it’s vital. It’s so important. It’s the difference between success and the “going out of business” sign.

Good customer service is customer retention. It’s repeat business.

It’s your reputation.

Make sure it’s a priority in your business.

‘Chelle Parmele
Social Media Marketing Manager
Palo Alto Software

Pssst. Have you signed up for the Back to the Fundamentals webinar? Time’s running out, don’t miss your chance.
November 17th, 2008 at 9 a.m. PST

Tags: customer service, grow your business, palo alto software
Posted on November 13th, 2008 | 2 Comments »

The 2008 Forbes.com Boost Your Business competition is nearing it’s final deliberations. Next week in New York City the final five finalists will present their business plans–including how they intend to invest the prize money to boost their prospects–to an expert panel of judges. One of those expert judges is Palo Alto Software’s own Tim Berry.

According to the Forbes.com Boost your Business blog: In addition to next week’s presentations, each finalist also must submit two written business plans: a full-length plan (20 pages max), that only the judging panel can see, and a condensed 3-page version which will be posted–along with videos of the presentations–on Forbes.com during the final voting period in November.

Palo Alto Software sends their good wishes and congratulations to all the finalists of the Boost your Business competition.

‘Chelle Parmele
Social Media Marketing Manager
Palo Alto Software

Tags: business plan competition, business planning, business plans, palo alto software, Tim Berry
Posted on October 10th, 2008 | No Comments »

Does your blog or website have a newsletter for informational articles or product/service announcements?

If you do, most likely it’s an opt-in list you’ve cultivated slowly over time. So, what do you do when you want to grow that list? Do you invest in a high priced email list from a broker or do you find them yourself? If you want to find and qualify those customer leads yourself, where do you start looking?

Buying a list may be the easy route, but it can get expensive. The alternative being collecting the email addresses yourself. But as I mentioned above, that can take a while if you aren’t being aggressive about it.

So get aggressive! You’re in business to make money, don’t be afraid to sell your product to people who want and need your product or service. A newsletter to give your customers that value added benefit of being your customer might be just the thing that keeps them coming back to you instead of moving to your competitor.

iContact has 9 creative ideas you can use to build your email list.

Nine Ways to Collect Email Addresses

Your website - If you’re not promoting your email list on your website, you’re not using your website well enough.

Current email lists - Using current email lists to build your own email list is an essential part of your growth. If your current recipients see something of value to them, they may think their friends will benefit as well. Allowing them to pass your email along may easily add to your list.

In-store sign-up - Add sign-up forms so people can opt-in to your email list when checking out or browsing around.

Contests - Register participants’ addresses and announce the winner through your next newsletter.

Coupons and discounts - Offer special incentives through email only, and allow recipients to pass them along to friends.

Advertisements and direct mail - Never pass up the opportunity to inform readers about your email community. Direct them to your website or have them send an email to you requesting their addition.

Business cards - On the back of your business card, promote your website and the opportunity to receive informative emails or newsletters.

Trade shows and networking events - Offer collateral material that requests them to sign up on their own.

Seminars - Give seminars on your area of expertise, and have people sign up to your mailing list for future seminars, discounted rates, and other announcements.

Be creative with these ideas, mix and match, or come up with your own ways to collect emails.

‘Chelle Parmele
Social Media Marketing Manager
Palo Alto Software

  iContact allows businesses, non-profit organizations, and associations to easily create, publish, and track email newsletters, surveys, blogs, auto-responders, and RSS feeds. We are thrilled to be able to share their expertise with you and give you an opportunity to use their best-in-class email marketing software for a special 10% off the lifetime of your account.

Tags: email marketing, icontact, Marketing, palo alto software
Posted on October 9th, 2008 | No Comments »

In our Bplans.com newsletter, we’ve been publishing a series of articles from iContact about email marketing. This first in a series touches on the basics of having and running a newsletter for your business.

iContact’s Brandon Milford focuses on the basics of using a newsletter to reach out to your customer/client base. Brandon Milford is the Vice President of Marketing for iContact, based in Durham, NC, and he writes about Entrepreneurship, Marketing, and Design on his blog at www.brandonmilford.com.

iContact allows businesses, non-profit organizations, and associations to easily create, publish, and track email newsletters, surveys, blogs, autoresponders, and RSS feeds. We are thrilled to be able to share their expertise with you and give you an opportunity to use their best-in-class email marketing software for a special 10% off the lifetime of your account.

Your Newsletter: The Basics
by Brandon Milford, VP of Marketing, iContact

When designing your newsletter always keep in mind the amount of time you can expect your reader to spend viewing your newsletter. Everyone today is information hungry, but always in a hurry. How you display your content within your newsletter can capitalize on this assumption.

What Information Should I Include in My Newsletter?
Obviously, this will depend on your business and the audience in which you are marketing, but here are three recommendations:

• Announcements: Include recent information about your company and/or products that impacts your readers. For instance, you can include a link to an upcoming trade show where your company will be exhibiting or perhaps a seminar that your company will be sponsoring.
• Article: Include an article that relates to your products or services and helps your readers. It is also a great idea to develop a resource library that contains additional articles and provide a link for your readers so they can find more information on similar topics.
• Case Study: Provide an example of a client who has achieved great results while using your products or services. This will help build credibility with your readers. Again, provide a link where your readers can view additional case studies.

Those are three key items to include in your newsletter. If you include these, you are keeping your readers up to date on recent information about your products or services, including an article providing value on topics affecting them and by providing a case study you are proving to your readers that others are achieving success by using your products or services.

Making Your Articles Easier to Digest
Think of how we read newspapers; the same holds true for how we read material on the Web. We skim headlines looking for something that interests us and only then will we begin reading an article. We also stop to view photographs and any visual cues offering greater insight as to the information held within an article. I see far too many articles within newsletters that are very long (greater than 900 words). When writing your article try to keep it at 800 words or less and break each section into smaller, easy-to-read blocks with bolded headlines over each section. This will encourage your reader to skim your article and stop at each section they find interesting. If you are finding it impossible to trim your article simply find a good point within 800 or fewer words and provide a link to a webpage that contains the article in its entirety.

Sharing Your Newsletter with Others
Always give your readers a reason and a means to share your newsletter with others. By providing valuable and relevant content to your subscribers, they will be inclined to share this information with others by forwarding your newsletter. Email marketing software, like iContact, provide a “Forward-to-a-Friend” feature that inserts a link within the footer of your message allowing your readers to easily forward your newsletter. The goal is to obviously reach out to as many people as possible by providing valuable, relevant, timely content and an easy way for your readers to share this information with others.

Learn more about iContact and sign up for the special 10% off for the lifetime of your account at www.bplans.com/icontact

‘Chelle Parmele
Social Media Marketing Manager
Palo Alto Software

Tags: email, icontact, Marketing, palo alto software
Posted on October 8th, 2008 | No Comments »