October 2010 Vol. 46, No. 10

The Brentwood Voice of Business

Page 2: Director’s Corner & Board of Directors and Staff

Page 3:Chamber Events, Ambassadors, & Ambassadors Message Page 4: “Brentwood City Update” Page 5: Membership Renewals

Page 10: Hometown Halloween Page 11: Your Elevator Pitch Page 12: September Mixer Page 13: October Mixer & Big News Page 14: New Members

Page 6: IRS Health Care Tax Credit for Small Businesses Page 7: Good Morning Brentwood Page 8: AT&T Small Business Loans Page 9:Which Industries are using Social Media?...

Mission Statement : The Brentwood Chamber of Commerce is a voluntary organization dedicated

to the promotion of the civic and commercial progress of the community. We will continuously strive to

maintain and foster a healthy business climate for Chamber members and the entire community.

Downtown Brentwood First & Oak Streets from 5-8pm

Let all the Ghosts and Goblins get to know you and your business! Come join the Chamber for a Night of Fun! Flip to page 10 for more information on getting a booth for your business or organization...

Sponsored by

Sutter Delta Medical Center &

John Muir Medical Center

The Brentwood Clarion Page 2

BRENTWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

2010 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Shayn Cutino, President Anja Wellness

Karen Spann, Past President The Monthly Grapevine

Joe Trebino, President-Elect Delta Pure Water, Etc.

Ken Seamann, Chief Financial Officer Discovery Professional Services

Olga Vidriales, V.P. Community Programs, Travis Credit Union

Brent Aasen Equus Group

Amy Alvis Alvis Frantz and Associates

Greg Benner Les Schwab Tires

Paul Kelly Home One Mortgage

Lori Knudsen California Payroll

Shelly McMahon Shelly’s Garden

Richard Perez-Pacheco Black Sheep Design

Donna Spencer Cortona Park

Dirk Zeigler Zeigler Insurance Group

********************************

Staff Members

Harry York, CEO

Lisa Hurt, Support Services Dir.

Jilda Fairhurst, Event Coordinator

Bill Putman, Volunteer

Director’s Message

I became a member of this chamber back in 2005. Just a few years ago I was elected as

a Director on the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce Board and I wear the title with

great honor and pride.

What I have learned as a fellow member is you have to participate in order to get the

most of your membership dues. When I started my business the first thing I did was file

a business license and fictitious business name, then joined my local Chamber. I can

remember the first experience attending an evening mixer. I was like a fish out of water.

I had no idea how to network with other business owners; it was a completely foreign

territory for me.

Then a nice lady came up to me and held my hand and started introducing me to so

many other chamber members, she even introduced me to the chamber president. I felt

like a VIP! It was such an amazing experience. What I learned from Lisa Moore, the

wonderful Ambassador of the chamber at that time, was that if I wanted to get my name

out into the business community I must get involved. "Become an Ambassador and start

networking," she said. Boy, she was right. I used the opportunity as an Ambassador to

not only promote the Chamber but my company as well.

This Chamber or any other Chamber has a common goal, which is to give you the plat-

form to talk about what you are passionate about, which is your business. I urge you to

take advantage of these benefits of the Chamber.

• Attend networking events including the luncheons, workshops, evening mixers and

ribbon cuttings.

• Advertise on the Chamber website or newsletter or sponsor an event.

• Volunteer as an Ambassador or get involved with events such as the CornFest or

Hometown Halloween.

• Let the Chamber know any ideas or programs you would like them to host.

There are so many opportunities, you just have to participate.

Although my term will be coming to an end this December, like I said before, I am

proud to have this opportunity to serve as your Chamber board member. Each time I

attended a board meeting I had my fellow members in mind: What we could do to in-

crease your exposure and how we could help achieve your success, especially in this

challenging economy.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart and I hope to see you soon at one of the many

Chamber events. I wish you and your family much success and happiness.

Sincerely,

Richard Perez-Pacheco, Chamber Director

CEO of Black Sheep Design

http://www.blacksheepca.com/

http://youtube.com/blacksheepca

The Brentwood Clarion Page 3

Brentwood Chamber Ambassadors

Vicki Sexton, Chair, First Bank

Amy Alvis, Alvis -Frantz and Associates

Ashley Guzman, Pre Paid Legal Services

Fred Ehler, Terracare Associates

Jennifer Jost, Edward Jones

Joe Trebino, Delta Pure Water, Etc.

Karen Spann, The Monthly Grapevine

Kathi Regan, Maxx Worms/Maxx Imprints

Kerri Fritsch, Monogramming by Fritchy

Kurt Tomicich, KRT Services

Lori Knudsen, California Payroll

Maurice Daroy, Farmers Insurance

Olga Vidriales, Travis Credit Union

Pat Trombino, First Bank

Paul Roman, Window Innovations, Inc,

Sarah Jamar, Paychex

Terry Aldaya, Hampton Inn

ANNUAL CHAMBER EVENTS

October 23, 2010 Hometown Halloween

November 6, 2010 Fall Taste of Brentwood

Restaurant Tour

November 20, 2010 Holiday Parade

Chamber Mixers October 21 hosted by Markots

November 18 hosted by: Shepherd’s Gate

December 16 hosted by: Travis Credit Union

Ambassador's Corner

This year has presented quite a few changes and opportunities, and for me, the

invitation to join the Board of Directors for the Brentwood Chamber of Com-

merce has been one of the most flattering and fulfilling. For the first few

months of this year, I chose to develop myself by attending sales training and

marketing conferences, and the thing that continues to strike me is how many

people are still saying that good salespeople don’t sell on price.

That goes back to Selling 101: someone will always sell the same thing for

less, so you better be able to differentiate yourself and your business on some-

thing else. For me, it’s been exceptional customer service and an outstanding

experience with California Payroll. But something struck me during all this

professional growth…if people don’t have the money to spend, then they are

going to buy on price! It seems pretty basic. If I need something and only

have $5 to spend on it, no matter how great you tell me the value-adds are at

your company, I can’t spend $7! It’s wonderful to differentiate yourself and

your business by the value you add, but in today’s economy, we all need to

know what our clients can afford to pay!

I’m excited to take this opportunity to share my thoughts with other business

people because I believe that this economy gives us the opportunity to really

understand what our customers’ needs are and provide them true solutions.

My clients need affordable payroll and HR services, and I strive to make that

available to them while also providing exceptional customer service! I be-

lieve that being in touch with the needs of my customers is how I can win

their business and their loyalty. Does that make me different than the norm?

How are you differentiating yourself today?

And now imagine a world where you, as a customer, walked into any buying

situation and were treated with respect. The sales person listened to your

needs. Then he/she provided you what you said you needed for a price that

was within your budget. Would you buy? Would you tell other people? I

would. And I have.

So for the remainder of 2010, I’m going to listen to people. And if price is a

motivating factor (if not the MOST IMPORTANT) driving force to making a

buying decision, I’m going to respect that. And I’m still going to add my val-

ue, too. That’s the only way I know how to do business.

Lori Knudsen, Chamber Ambassador and Director

California Payroll, Account Executive

lori@californiapayroll.com

The Brentwood Clarion Page 4

“ The Brentwood City Update”

Sponsored By: &

T he Brentwood Chamber of Commerce and the City of Brentwood would like to Thank Travis Credit Union and PG&E for Sponsoring “The Brentwood City Update” on September 8,

2010 at the Senior Citizen Center in Brentwood. The City of Brentwood would also like to Thank everyone for attending the event and showing their interest in the construction of the new City Hall and upcoming Downtown renovations. Thanks to Roxanne Cruz of PG&E, Olga Vidriales and Eric Maldonado of Travis Credit Union, County Supervisor Mary Piepho, Assembly Member Joan Buchanan and Mayor Robert Taylor for speaking at this event .

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Join Us on Facebook! Click the Facebook picture to the left to be directed to our page. Also Look for our CornFest Page.

Also Join us on our Linked in page by clicking the link above.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

Thank you to the following members who have renewed

their membership in September. We appreciate your

continued support!

Alpaca Direct

Brentwood Seawolves

Discovery Bay Accounting

Dr. Bill Moore

Medsolutions

New Delta Cinema

UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS

Brentwood City Council Candidates Night

October 13th, 7-9 p.m.

Liberty High School Performing Arts Center

Heritage High School Band-2nd Annual Auto

Raffle

―Win a New Ford Focus‖

Tickets are a $100 donation and include entry into the

auto raffle and cash drawings for $500 and $1,000.

Drawing will be held Friday, November 12 at

halftime of the Heritage High School Football game

(need not be present to win)

For tickets and information call Pam 759-6138, Kim

642-7601 or Jim at Bill Brandt Ford 634-3551.

Kiwanis International of Brentwood and Oakley,

in conjunction with the Liberty High School District

are sponsoring The Annual Bell Game Luncheon on

Monday, November 8.Sponsors are needed to award

scholarships to two MVP players from each school.

Donations can be sent to Kiwanis Club of Brentwood,

PO Box 981, Brentwood, CA 94513.

The Brentwood Clarion Page 6

IR-2010-96 Sept. 7, 2010

WASHINGTON –– The Internal Revenue Service today released a draft version of the form that small businesses and tax-exempt organizations will use to calculate the small business health care tax credit when they file income tax returns next year. The IRS also announced how eligible tax-exempt organizations –– which do not generally file income tax returns –– will claim the credit during the 2011 filing season.

The IRS has posted a draft of Form 8941 to this website. Both small businesses and tax-exempt organizations will use the form to calculate the credit. A small business will then include the amount of the credit as part of the general business credit on its income tax return.

Tax-exempt organizations will instead claim the small business health care tax credit on a revised Form 990-T. The Form 990-T is currently used by tax-exempt organizations to report and pay the tax on unrelated business income. Form 990-T will be revised for the 2011 filing season to enable eligible tax-exempt organizations –– even those that owe no tax on unrelated business income –– also to claim the small business health care tax credit. The final version of Form 8941 and its instructions will be available later this year.

The small business health care tax credit was included in the Affordable Care Act signed by the President in March and is effective this year. The credit is designed to encourage small employers to offer health insurance coverage for the first time or maintain coverage they already have. In 2010, the credit is generally available to small employers that contribute an amount equivalent to at least half the cost of single coverage towards buying health insurance for their employees. The credit is specifically targeted to help small businesses and tax-exempt organizations that primarily employ moderate- and lower-income workers.

For tax years 2010 to 2013, the maximum credit is 35 percent of premiums paid by eligible small business employers and 25 percent of premiums paid by eligible employers that are tax-exempt organizations. Beginning in 2014, the maximum tax credit will go up to 50 percent of premiums paid by eligible small business employers and 35 percent of premiums paid by eligible, tax-exempt organizations for two years. The maximum credit goes to smaller employers –– those with 10 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees –– paying annual average wages of $25,000 or less.

The credit is completely phased out for employers that have 25 FTEs or more or that pay average wages of $50,000 per year or more. Because the eligibility rules are based in part on the number of FTEs, and not simply the number of employees, businesses that use part-time help may qualify even if they employ more than 25 individuals.

More information about the credit, including a step-by-step guide and answers to frequently asked questions, is available on the Affordable Care Act page.

IRS Releases Form to Help Small Businesses Claim New Health Care Tax Credit

The Brentwood Clarion Page 7

The Brentwood Clarion Page 8

AT&T ANNOUNCES INDUSTRY-FIRST FINANCING INITIATIVE TO HELP

SMALL BUSINESSES SECURE ‘GAME-CHANGING’ WIRELESS SOLUTIONS

AT&T Capital Services Provides Cash-Strapped

Small Businesses With Loans

For AT&T Wireless Devices, Wireless Data

Plans, and Mobile Applications WASHINGTON, DC, Sept. 28, 2010 — With access to capital among their biggest challenges, cash-strapped small businesses got some

good news today from AT&T*. Through its financing subsidiary, AT&T Capital Services, the company is now providing loans to small

businesses looking to deploy new wireless solutions or upgrade existing ones.

Cathy Martine, AT&T Executive Vice President – Small Business Solutions, AT&T Business Solutions, made the announcement

during her keynote speech at the annual Women Impacting Public Policy Conference in Washington DC this morning.

Until recently, AT&T Capital Services financing had focused on traditional wired communications solutions, including office phone sys-

tems and equipment, high speed Internet, maintenance and associated software.

―With more than 25 years experience in communications financing, we know the challenges that small businesses face and understand that

today, perhaps more than ever before, access to capital is critical to sustaining their operations,‖ Martine said. ―Our goal is to provide small

businesses with access to new options for funding game-changing wireless solutions, to help them innovate and grow and, ultimately, to

serve as a catalyst to jumpstart this critical engine for U.S. economic recovery.‖

Since recently introducing wireless solutions financing, AT&T Capital Services has closed loans totaling several hundred thousand dollars,

with deals totaling several million dollars in the pipeline. The organization finances transactions as small as $1,000 in support of organiza-

tions purchasing AT&T business solutions.

AT&T Capital Services was established in 1984 to finance business customer purchases of AT&T products and services by converting one-

time, upfront costs into monthly payments.

To date, the organization has recorded more than $6 billion in contract originations for more than 5,000 commercial and municipal custom-

ers. Benefits of AT&T financing include:

Minimal capital outlay – allows customers to avoid down payments and make easy monthly payments that fit their budgets

Lifecycle management – minimizes risk of technological obsolescence

Packaged solution – offers one-stop shopping and a simple contracting process

Reliability –AT&T Capital Services does not sell its loans, holding and servicing them for their entire term

Alternate source of credit to preserve bank credit line

Competitive rates

“In recent months, we’ve made loans to small businesses to meet a variety of needs,” said Anthony Lewis, Presi-dent of AT&T Capital Services, “ranging from smartphones and other mobile devices equipped with fleet manage-ment or GPS tracking applications to the rollout of netbooks and laptops embedded with mobile broadband and Wi-Fi capabilities. Bottom line, AT&T is in a position to meet the communications needs of small businesses that are challenged by tight budgets.”

Small businesses interested in finding out more about opportunities afforded by AT&T Capital Services, should contact their authorized AT&T Sales representative. If they don’t have an authorized AT&T representative, they can call 866-323-6955.

The Brentwood Clarion Page 9

Advertise your Business here!!

For more information call the Brentwood Chamber

of Commerce

(925) 634-3344

Which Industries are Using Social Media –

And Which Social Media Do

They Use?

by smallbiztrends on 09-08-2010 02:45 AM - last edited on 09-08-2010 02:45 AM

A common question among small businesses with limited budgets (that means most of us, right?) is where to allocate your online marketing budget.

SEO? Social media? Blogging? Today there are so many choices it can be confusing.

A recently-released report by Hubspot* may offer some guidance. The report took a look at 33 industries and determined where the online activity for a common keyword was for each industry – was it in search engines, on blogs or on social media?

It turns out, there are some distinct differences, depending on the industry. According to the report, online activity is centered on:

Social media – for non-profits,

consulting, oil, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, restaurants, transportation

Search engines – for travel,

insurance, cell phones, banking, airlines, real estate, video games

Blogs – for government, the movies,

music, fashion, marketing, healthcare

Another key issue the report looked

at was which social media sites were used more for which industries. healthcare

Facebook – cell phone, movie,

restaurant, travel

These are just some of the fascinating findings in the HubSpot report. However, don’t just take this data as gospel. As the report notes:

Continued on page 14...

The Brentwood Clarion Page 10

The Brentwood Clarion Page 11

Your Elevator Pitch: Communicating Your Revenue Model is Key…

by TonyaWilson on 09-09-2010 09:51 AM At our SBDC in Columbus, Ohio we occasionally run a contest called, “Pitch It!”. It’s an elevator pitch contest that gives budding entrepre-neurs the opportunity to practice their pitch delivery in front of an audience and panel of business development judges. Everyone who hits our stage is excited to have a chance to talk about their business. The passion in their presentation is evident, but what usually is not is how the business will generate revenue. Here Michael Bowers* enlightens us on how to present a pitch the right way…

You have a cool business idea. You are ready to move your business idea to a real business. You are ready to raise money to take your idea to the market. You're out there pitching, pitching and pitching your idea. Why aren't you getting money? Because you aren't telling the investor what they want to hear...How you are going to make money? Let me be clear, I know you are discussing the product, the market, the management team and projected financial statements (the standard stuff) but are you telling them...How you are going to make money?

Put yourself on the other side of the presentation. What would you want to hear? What you wouldn't want to hear is how the entrepreneur thinks they'll make money. You don't want to hear generalities? You want to hear specifically what steps they plan to take to target, sell and close business. Here are a few things you can do to better articulate your intentions:

Focus on adding value: A couple of years ago I wrote a post called "Value Inflection Points"* where I dis-

cussed the concept of building value in your company by focusing on activities that build value in the business (it's real good, you should read it).

Focus on "execution-oriented" activities: Execution is more important than anything else. VC's will tell you

that "A" teams with "B" ideas will beat "B" teams with "A" ideas. This is due to the "A" teams ability to exe-cute.

Be specific: Don't talk in generalities. Be very specific in describing your plan to attack the market and get

people to buy your product.

Pitch, don't beg: Think of this as a sales presentation because it is. You are pitching your ideas to investors to

get them to buy into your company. Granted some investors are jerks but good investors that like your busi-ness will look to create a win-win for both them and you. Continued on page 15...

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September Mixer @ Apex Securities

T h e B r e n t w o o d

Chamber of Commerce would

like to Thank Apex Securities

for hosting the September

Mixer on September 16, 2010.

We would also like to Thank

the fol lowing for the

wonderful raffle prizes:

Brentwood Press, WineShop at

Home, Apex Securities, Travis

Credit Union, East Bay

Regional Parks, CompuPay,

Brentwood Auto Spa, Kimberly

Victor as well as the Chamber

50/50 Raffle.

If you would like to

contact Apex Securities &

Asset Management for any

Financial Advice or Investment

and Wealth Management

please call (925) 516-2739 or

you can find them at 8660

Brentwood Blvd. Ste. G in

Brentwood.

The Brentwood Clarion Page 13

October Chamber Mixer Hosted By:

Thursday, October 21, 2010 5:30pm to 7:30pm

470 Harvest Park Dr. Ste. A

*Always accepting donations for our Mixer Raffles*

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

C raig and Christine McKnight, owners of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory opened their doors October of 2008 at the Streets of Brentwood and have been successful since the beginning. It wasn't until recent that the McKnight's, who have been together since they were 15 and 16 years old, were recognized for their true dedication and hard work that

has kept their business being one of the most family oriented and fun places to walk into. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory had received an award for being named Rookie of the Year in 2008 for the first year of being in Business. The McKnight's received this award at their company's Bi-Annual National Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Chamber congratulates Craig and Christine McKnight for their hard work and yummy Chocolate treats.

The Brentwood Clarion Page 14

Continued from Page 9...

Looking at Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube (which Hubspot says are the 4 largest social media sites), the report found that references to the following industries are more prevalent on certain social sites than others:

LinkedIn – consulting,

biotechnology, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, advertising, banking, publishing

Twitter – oil, spa, insurance, hotel,

lawyer, fashion

YouTube – video games,

music,

"Do not simply look for the most active area for your industry and conclude that the optimal place to market is the most active space. As with many things in life, it is possible that great benefits can be accrued by following the less travelled path."

Consider the report just one source of data. Use it as one input but not the only factor in your decisions about where and how to market online. Viewed that way – as helpful input but not the only input – it is very good information when developing your online marketing strategy and plans.

For additional background, please also see my earlier post here at Business.gov Community:

10 Social Media Benchmark Statistics: How are You Doing?

*Note: Hyperlink directs reader to

non- government Web site.

NEW MEMBERS Comforcare Home Care Michelle Garrigan 410 Beatrice Court, Suite C Brentwood, CA 94513 (925) 684-7113 Email: delta@comforcare.com Kaiser Permanente Ronald A. Wetter 200 Muir Road, Hacienda Building Martinez, CA 94553 (925) 372-1475 Email: Ronald.Wetter@kp.org Brentwood Regional Community Chest Lill Pierce 1066 Claremont Drive Brentwood, CA 94513 (925) 634-3216 Email: lillpierce@yahoo.com E-Z Ink Promotions Brandon Combs Brentwood, CA 94513 (925) 813-1784 Email: brandon4835@hotmail.com Vineyards at Marsh Creek Charleen Earley 1700 Trilogy Parkway Brentwood, CA 94513 (925) 809-7191 Email: Charleen.earley@trilogyresortliving.com

The Brentwood Clarion Page 15

Continued from page 11…

Get help: If this is your first time seeking funding do not go it alone, get some help. There are a number of free resources like the Small Business Development Centers* (click here to find your local SBDC*) or TechColum-bus * (if you are in Central Ohio) that are charged with helping entrepreneurs succeed. You should also look at mentors and advisers that have been there, done that to provide you guidance.

Be flexible: Learn from every experience and apply it to your plan. You may start out on one

path but through discussions with customers or investors you can gather valuable feedback on your product that may take you down a more profitable path. Be willing to listen to this advice and incorporate as appropriate.

Don't beat your head on the wall: This kind of goes along with the previous point but when

something isn't working, don’t keep using it. I know a guy that has been pitching the same product since 2000 and he has never gotten any investment. His product was actually not too bad when he come up with it but due to his lack of willingness to change he missed his market window and he no longer has a viable product.

Don't focus on Percentage - focus on Dollars: In the war between investors and entrepreneurs

many of the battles come down to valuation. You think your company is worth $20 million and the investor values it at closer to $2 million. What do you do? These difference in opinions can be the difference between selling 10% of your company and 40% of your company. Trust me you won't win this one but if you focus on working to reach a realistic valuation you can reach a level you are comfortable with. Look closely at where the company is really at today and what you need and when you need it to move your company from milestone to milestone. At each milestone what is happening and how is this impacting the value of the company? Work all of this through and bring it back to make a case for where you honestly think the valuation should be.

What's the bottom line?: I'm not talking about the company's financial bottom line, rather the big

picture bottom line. Do you need the money? Are you clear to yourself how you are going to deploy the funds to build your business? If you need the money you have to get it. Don't en-gage in unnecessary confrontation over silly details. Work to build your case to get the invest-ment.

Focus on sales and marketing, not the product: Revenue is what will drive value and get inves-

tors excited. Everything else is window dressing.

Seeking investment is a challenging process. The key is to put as much detail as you can into what you are going to do to drive revenue and valuation. If you do this and stay committed and diligent, your odds of suc-cess will increase dramatically.

Now that I have you thinking drop by the blogs of a few of my friends and consider their thoughts on this sub-ject. Susan Solovic discusses how the professional presentation is key to attracting investors and Caron Bees-ley shares why your business needs an elevator pitch and how to stand out in the crowd.

Happy reading!

The Brentwood Clarion Page 16

Phone: 925-634-3344

Fax: 925-634-3731

Email: info@brentwoodchamber.com

www.brentwoodchamber.com

The Brentwood Clarion

Brentwood Chamber of Commerce

8440 Brentwood Blvd., Suite C

Brentwood, CA 94513

The Brentwood Chamber of

Commerce

is now offering:

2010 California and Federal

updated Labor Posters.

Pick yours up today at

8440 Brentwood Blvd. Ste. C

Paper Version: $23.00

Plastic Version: $39.00

City of Brentwood (925) 516-5400

Parks & Recreation (924) 516-5444

Community Development (925) 516-5405

Brentwood Library (925) 516-5405

Police Non Emergency (925) 634-6911

Fire Department (925) 634-3400

Brentwood Aquatic Park (925) 516-5430

Newspapers

Brentwood Press (925) 634-1441

Contra Costa Times (925) 757-2525

Brentwood News (925) 779-7120

Transportation

Tri Delta Transit (925) 754-4040

Hotels

Hampton Inn (925) 513-1289

Holiday Inn Express (800) 345-8082

Hospital

Sutter Delta Medical Center (925) 779-7200

John Muir Medical Center (925) 308-8100

Theaters

Delta Cinema (925) 240-7370

Rave (925) 809-0030

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS

Stop by the

Brentwood Chamber

of Commerce today

for your very own

copy of

“Images of America

Brentwood.”

Cost: $21.65