Past Events
Text Box: Almaden Business Association Morning Business and Networking Meeting Location/Sponsor: Amato’s Pizzeria The Business Building Committee of the ABA hosted the first of several “Member Best Practice Sessions” starting with the March 1 morning meeting.  Over the year, these panel discussions will feature 3 to 5 of our members sharing their operational successes in a facilitated but informal discussion and Q&A with other members at morning meetings. Each session will feature a different theme covering people management, sales, marketing, alliances and networking, or retaining clients and customers.    The first session theme was “building alliances and partnerships” and featured these four panel members from the ABA: Susan Latin of Quicksilver Concierge Ed Correia of Sagacent Technologies Maneesh Reddy of MoneyMailer of South San Jose Carole Edman of HR Manager To Go Consultants Each panel member shared examples of successful alliances they’ve built, how they’ve built them, the results they’ve achieved, and how these alliances provided benefits for their clients and provided a source for future business growth Susan’s company Quicksilver Concierge works with corporations and individuals to make the most of every day. They take the to-do list and run with it, allowing their clientele to “reclaim their leisure time and rebalance their lives”.  Susan has built alliances with other ABA members who have complimentary businesses. Two examples are Case Handyman & Remodeling, a Diamond Certified home improvement company, and Bay Area Gadgets, a consumer electronics consultant and advisor that helps clients sort through the maze of new devices to choose the ones that best fit their needs.  “Having a list of proven service providers that I can refer to my clients with confidence builds my credibility.  I can be a knowledgeable resource that can help them complete the entire to-do list, and not just the tasks we perform,” said Susan. Ed’s company, Sagacent Technologies, manages computers and networks for small business so that they can focus on running their business.  His background includes 28 years in information technology and while he’s done work for many large companies, he has a real passion for helping small businesses with their IT challenges.  Ed’s successful partnerships include businesses providing complementary services for these small companies including an Accounting firm, a Legal firm, and Cellular Phone business.  Ed found that building mutually beneficial alliances took some time and that not all work out as planned. “My best alliances have been formed with partners that share similar small business clients AND have a genuine interest in helping these clients be successful in every way.” MoneyMailer, a direct-mail franchise. owned by Maneesh Reddy, helps businesses get and keep more customers and helps consumers save money every day. Maneesh has a background in computer engineering, financial analysis, and management consulting.  One of his most successful alliances is with Charlie’s Cheesecake, another ABA member.  Maneesh builds alliances by finding common ground with people he personally enjoys working with. He provides cheesecakes to his best clients as a thank-you for business and helps promote Charlie’s company at the same time. “Your partners need to be people that you trust, share the same values, and enjoy working together”, says Maneesh. ” Carole Edman is an ABA member who owns and operates HR Manager To Go Consultants, a Human Resources Consulting Services company. One of her best alliances is the connection she formed with the ABA from the very beginning. Carole says, “As a result of my volunteering – on the Board, helping with various events, giving presentations several times at ABA meetings, and sending out member communications – my company’s name and services have become well-known in the Almaden area, as well as through Chamber of Commerce contacts.” Several ABA members have become her clients, others have referred new clients to her, and she has referred numerous new customers to other ABA members. All of the panelists say that the ABA is great way to find and “test” partners before making big commitments.  As Carole says, “Through my alliance with the ABA, I have not only gained new clients and formed other alliances and partnering relationships with several ABA members, but I have met many new friends and trusted colleagues – plus had some fun in the process!” Submitted by: Jim Kabel, Program Facilitator Owner and GM, CASE® Handyman & Remodeling of San Jose

Almaden Business Association

Almaden Valley Businesses Joined Together

March 1, 2007

ABA’s first Best Practices Panel Program showcased “Business Alliances and Networking” and Received Rave Reviews