The Executive Insight will bring together our region’s most influential leaders with our “future” leaders, yes that’s you EDGErs. Its a great opportunity to get a peek into the minds of our region’s leaders. We have lined up 10 CEOs you’ll definitely want to meet:

• James Beckwith, CEO, Five Star Bank
• Steve Childs, Publisher, Sactown Magazine
• Chris Delfino, Partner, Downey Brand Attorneys, LLP
• Mike Heller, CEO, Heller-Pacific
• Becky Johnson, Director of Public Affairs, Siemens
• Donna Lucas, CEO, Lucas Public Affairs
• Mark Otero, CEO, KlickNation
• Randy Paragary, President, Paragary Restaurant Group
• Randy Sater, Senior Vice President, Teichert Inc.
• Michele Wong, Presient/CEO, Synergex

If you are as excited as we are to meet these leaders and secure some insider tips, then you’ll understand why we couldn’t wait till Wednesday to begin introductions. Below is a sneak peek into the background of 4 of our executives.

James E. Beckwith, Five Star Bank

James Beckwith has served as the President & Chief Executive Officer of Five Star Bank since 2003. During his tenure, Five Star Bank has seen an annual growth rate in excess of 20% and has gone from $65 million to more than $500 million in assets. A self-described “boutique bank” that focuses on relationship-based banking for local small business and entrepreneurs. A dedication to excellent service with the expertise to back it up is at the core of the organization’s philosophy. “More than anything we are problem solvers. We are consistent and reliable. We get things done,” said Beckwith.

A native Californian, Beckwith was born in Sacramento and graduated from San Francisco State University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting.  Beckwith is also a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington, class of 1989, where he was class president.  He currently lives in Sacramento with his wife and their three children.

Steve Childs, Sactown Magazine

Steve Childs has been the publisher of Sactown Magazine since its inception in December, 2006. Prior to Sactown, Steve was the president of the largest regional magazine in America — Texas Monthly — which routinely competes with magazines like Vanity Fair and The New Yorker for National Magazine Awards. While he has spent most of his career in publishing, Childs is also an entrepreneur with twenty five years experience in executive roles in publishing, finance, advertising and consumer marketing, business development and management. He was also the Founding Director of Communities at Excite, one if the first major Internet search portals. But possibly the coolest thing he ever did was manage the famed Beacon Theater, a 26,00 concert hall, in New York City at the tender age of 23.

Donna Lucas, Lucas Public Affairs

Donna Lucas is founder and principal of Lucas Public Affairs, a California-based strategic consulting, public affairs, and communications firm.

One of the nation’s foremost public affairs strategists and a widely recognized expert in media relations and political affairs, Lucas has provided strategic counsel to large corporate clients, labor unions, non-profits, initiative campaigns, and political candidates. Prior to forming Lucas Public Affairs in 2006, Lucas served as a deputy chief of staff for strategic planning and initiatives for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and chief of staff to First Lady Maria Shriver.

Lucas is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Journalism.  She and her husband, political satirist and former Bureau Chief of the San Francisco Chronicle, Greg Lucas, live in Sacramento.

Michele Wong, Synergex

A graduate of the University of California, Davis, Michele has been with Synergex since 1982. She began as a systems programmer, and then rapidly progressed through the positions of project leader and vice president of software development. She was promoted to executive vice president in late 1984, achieved the position of president in November 1990, and was named CEO in December 1996.

She was named one of the “Best and Brightest in Sacramento” by Sacramento Magazine, and in 2000, Michele was honored to receive the Woman of the Year Award as the Sacramento Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s top fundraiser. Most recently, she was named Sacramento’s 2006 Business Woman of the Year by the Sacramento Metro Chamber.

Seats are limited and you don’t want to miss out! Plus this amazingly insightful event also includes hosted beer, wine and appetizers, thanks to our sponsor, the Hyatt Regency.

Click here to register.

Have you ever been to a party where jello shots were served by roaming robots? We have! And it wasn’t while dreaming we were in an episode of the Jetsons! (Although Rosie could probably make a mean jello shot!)

We are proud to report that MetroEdge was a sponsor of Bots ‘n Shots on Friday, September 30. The party aimed to raise community awareness about the Discovery Museum Science and Space Center (which will soon become the Powerhouse Science Center). When completed, the Powerhouse Science Center will be a hands-on museum that will immerse children in all things science with demonstrations, games, and exhibits. Construction of the center will soon break ground along the river between Discovery Park and Old Sacramento, taking advantage of prime Sacramento real estate.

At Bots n’ Shots partygoers embraced thier inner geek with rocket launches, cockroach races and beer pong. Who says science isn’t fun?! Organizers made sure this event was truly a ”fun-raiser” complete with an open bar and live music. 

More than 300 people enjoyed the party, including Mayor and Mrs. Johnson, and helped raise more funds for such a valuable addition to the Greater Sacramento region.

Thanks to all the MetroEdgers who came out in support of such a great cause (and had a fabulous time doing it)! Were any of you at the Bots n’ Shots party? What was your favorite part?

Before the business bank account and legal structure, before the business plan and investment loans, and even before deciding on your amazing business name there are a few things to consider for yourself and the future business you will build. Think of the items listed below as subtle stop points to ask yourself as you venture forward and build your own path in the tall weeds of the Business Cultures that exist today.

These subtle stop points are a few of the things that I’ve learned over the past 8 years of running my own businesses. The list is not in any order of importance or timing and should be interpreted in more of a holistic approach.

How much support do you have? You can never have enough support from family and social networks. They will be your first line of supporters and critics. Make a list of about 5 to 7 people that you can turn to for both compliments and constructive feedback and make sure you have at least one if not two people who love to play the devil’s advocate role.

Are you experienced enough in the Industry? Just because you worked in a managerial position of your organization does not mean you can run the whole business. Step in the shoes of each position that your business will need. I’d suggest starting with the most important shoes; the janitor, because at the end of the day they are always the last ones to leave and they have the keys to everything.

Are you prepared to work odd hours? Most of our lives we are taught to work within the 9 am to 5 pm time frame. Breaking the standardized work routine and realizing when you work best is a critical point since you will discover when you are most creative, most productive, and when you can actually rest and breathe . Moments of inspiration can come at any moment in your day to day activities.

How would you evaluate your Physical Preparedness? I’m not talking about whether you can do a marathon or just finished P90X last month. Look to your basic physical needs and take some time to think about how much sleep you usually need, the type of foods you eat, and gauge your blood pressure. Starting your own business is a self-driven choice, and the last thing you need is to choose to put unnecessary stress in your life.

How would you evaluate your Mental Preparedness? Each of us has learned how to be different types of leaders and/or followers, both which affect our thinking and decision styles. Discovering what type of thinking style you are prepositioned will help you determine your spectrum of learning, communication, and implementation of tasks. Being the owner means you have to know yourself so that you can replicate and grow. Some resources to consider are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument.

How would you evaluate your Financial snapshot? Make sure you have filled out a personal financial statement so that you can evaluate what type of Expense Monster you have created for yourself and your family. If it’s a big monster, make sure your Cash-flow is able to over feed the monster. Check Google for Financial Worksheet templates.

Start Networking yesterday. This check point is not a question. It is a must. Networking allows you to learn new skills faster and become aware of more opportunities. In business there is a lot of satisfaction knowing that you helped a fellow business owner achieve more by referring them to another person or organization. Oddly enough you’ll find the best networking will be with your “competitors.” For shy people; like myself, who tend to avoid large public group settings I recommend groups like Toast Masters, Mastermind groups, or joining Boards of local non-profit organizations that you passionately support.

I really do believe everyone should try their hand at starting some sort of business. In fact I believe right now is a perfect time to start a micro or small business. I know you probably have at least 1 idea that you filed in that “someday” file. There’s never a better time for someday projects than today. Of course only you can determine when you’re truly ready to cut your own path. Good Luck Entrepreneur!

Jeff Louie is a co-founder of Brand-Aid Media, a custom videography and media group, as well as several other start-up businesses and companies. Visit www.capsity.com to learn more about the different projects and companies.

The Metro Chamber has given us a few tickets for the upcoming “Perspectives” event featuring former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Twitter Co-Founder Biz Stone and 12-time Olympic medalist Dara Torres. We will be giving away a ticket to two lucky winners who comment on this blog post. Tell us in your comment why you want to go and which speaker you’re most interested in.

Perspectives will be held on Friday, September 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Sacramento Convention Center. Hosted by Tom Sullivan, this year’s event is titled “Clean slate. No longer business as usual” and will discuss how the shifting economic landscape is changing the way we have done business and will do business in the future.

So you want to win?

Share your opinion below and we will select two random winners at 5:00 p.m. PDT Wednesday, September 21. Want to increase your chances? There will also be an extra ticket given out on Twitter. Just send out a tweet between now and 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday with  “#SMCperspectives” to be entered (winner also chosen randomly).

Must be a current Metro EDGE member to win.

Good luck, we’ll see you there.

Reading Between The Google Analytics Lines

A website is an important marketing tool for many businesses. It’s their public face on the Internet. But how can a manager know what sort of experience visitors have there? What pages do they visit? How long do they stay on a page? Are there pages that actually turn visitors away? To find answers to such questions, people turn to Google Analytics. It’s a free service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about the visitors to a website.

 
How does it work?

Google Analytics (often called GA for short) begins with a bit of JavaScript tracking code pasted into the HTML of the pages you wish to track. When a user visits a page that has the tracking code installed, his browser sends a variety of user information to Google’s servers, including a timestamp marking the exact moment he arrived on each page. Managers can then log onto Google Analytics and review a variety of detailed reports that break down the nature of their web traffic. Here, we’ll focus on three key metrics and what they mean to you: time on page, time on site and bounce rate.

Putting it all together

Let’s say a user (we’ll call him my Starbucks name: Mike) visits your home page at 5:40 p.m. At 5:42, Mike moves on to the Contact Us page. GA calculates the difference between the timestamps sent and assigns the home page a “time on page” of two minutes for Mike’s visit. This system isn’t perfect, though. If Mike then closes his browser window, or if he types in a new URL from the Contact Us page, Google doesn’t collect the timestamp from the new page, and therefore cannot calculate the time Mike spent on Contact Us.

Suppose in this scenario, Mike first visits your home page, but instead of clicking over to Contact Us or some other page in your site, he leaves the site altogether. When a visitor only views one page on your site, this is called a “bounce,” and it is another important factor in your analysis. The percentage of visitors who bounce from your site is what’s called the “bounce rate.”

The last metric, “time on site,” is straightforward. It is the sum of all the times spent on individual pages. Now let’s talk about what the numbers really mean.

It’s all relative!

High bounce rates and low average times on your site are generally negative indicators (unless you have a one-page site). I say generally here because you have to take your site’s content, your users and the entire visit path into consideration.

For instance, a low time on page on a search page may be a positive indicator that your users are finding what they want quickly and moving on, while a higher time on the same page may mean that it’s taking users longer to find what they’re looking for. Similar stats could be interpreted as the exact opposite on a photo gallery or an FAQ page. Bear in mind that a high bounce or exit rate will skew your time on page statistics, since GA has no way of knowing how much time was spent on the one page they visited.

It’s hard to tell if an indicator is positive or negative without looking at the big picture. Where are users coming from? What are they clicking on? What’s the purpose of the page? Where are they moving to next?

Tips

 Here are some general tips on improving the time spent on your site as well as reducing the bounce rate:

Check referring links and match expectations

Following a promising link or an ad (e.g., $50 gift card!) that leads to a home page that doesn’t mention what you clicked on is almost a guaranteed bounce. Make sure your external and internal links get the user to a page that’s relevant to what they clicked on. If you cannot change the link, change the page or re-direct the user to the appropriate place.

Time yourself or others browsing your site

How long does it take you to accomplish a task on your site? How much time did it take you to read what you want your visitors to read? Measure it and use it as a baseline to compare your analytics reports against. It won’t be perfect, but it’ll give you an idea if you’re heading in the right direction.

Monitor, modify, test and repeat

Enhancing your site is an iterative process. Nobody gets it 100% right the first time. You need to learn about your users and how they interact with your website, then modify it to fit their needs. There is no point in reading your analytics reports or even recording them if you are not willing to modify your site.

There is much more to GA, but this should help get you started. (Google has plenty of tutorials on their website.) Good luck in your analysis.

Eihab Ibrahim is a Sr. Programmer/Analyst at Wallrich Landi, an integrated marketing communications firm. Visit Wallrich Landi’s blog for more posts from the team.

Metro EDGE is made up of some pretty amazing people. Among our members we have those who run successful businesses, those who do amazing things for charities, and those who make climbing the corporate ladder look easy. What we all have in common is the desire to actively make Sacramento the best it can be. An empowered under 40 population is a great means to that end so we are asking our members to share their insights with their fellow Metro EDGErs though a new blog series. From how to make successful cold calls to what to (or not to!) wear to the office, over the next several weeks we will share the knowledge of our members to help make you, along with our fair city, the best you can be.

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7 Tips for Surviving Your First Year In Business

Only Spend Money On Things That Will Help Make You Money: Cash is everything in your first year but beware the temptation to buy fancy equipment, signup for unnecessary services, and indulgent “expenses.” Everything you spend money on should contribute to growing sales and company revenue. Anything else should be considered for later.

When you think about a business expense, ask yourself if a direct relationship to creating a sale or generating profit. This means all the “nice to haves” should be put on ice until you are generating profit with plenty of room to spare. Do you really need to upgrade a computer? Is an expensive mahogany desk necessary when your trusty Ikea workstation will suffice?

Learn to make the most of the resources presently available to you. Sometimes they might not be the sexiest options but they’ll save you money. In your first year, every penny counts.

Invest In Your Website: If a client only has $5000 to pour into their marketing budget and wants to know how to spend it, I tell them to put it all into their website. Your website should be your primary sales and marketing investment.

Traditional promotional mailers, radio spots, and magazine ads are temporary and limited in their effectiveness in this new digital age. For example, once a mailer goes out, it is ineffective within a week because people have given it a once over and likely thrown it away.

Every potential customer will likely visit your website first before deciding to buy from you. It’s essential to make a good impression right away by offering the best possible web experience grounded in aesthetically pleasing design coupled with ease of use. To maintain their marketing effectiveness, most businesses initiate some type of site overhaul at least once every two years. Despite a professionally managed and maintained website being your largest marketing expense, it’s the easiest and most cost effective way to raise the flow of business inquiries, referrals and visitors.

Avoid Fruitless Meetings: Meetings are one of the biggest drains on productive time. I used to find nearly half my workweek was being sucked up by unnecessary meetings with other clients and vendors. Like your business expenses, try to only participate in meetings to help make you more money or develop new ways to reach customers.

Since people always schedule meetings in either half hour or hour blocks, suggest a conference call or meeting 15 minutes or 25 minutes in length instead. Use a short agenda to maintain focus and direction so frivolous discussion and rehashing of old topics will be cut short. Keep meetings short and sweet so you can get back to contributing to the core of your business’s product or service.

Steer Clear of Paralysis By Analysis: Young startups can easily fall into the trap of paralysis by analysis, where reaching a single decision devours your entire day (Or week!) More often than not, a supposedly “vital” decision is far less important than you think taking precious energy and time away from truly important business matters.

If any decision takes more than 15 minutes to decide or discuss, table it for another day to discuss when your mind is fresh. A young startup plagued by indecision will find itself sinking faster than the Titanic.

Go On Vacation: The saying, “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” has a lot of truth for young startups. Eventually you’ll need to get away from the minutia of business so you can think clearly about the bigger picture. It’s like a buggy laptop in need of a short re-boot to fix whatever glitch is plaguing it.

Thus entrepreneurs, like computers, need a short break away to reboot their minds and see the bigger picture. Go to the mountains, hit the coast or crash at a friend’s house for a couple days…wherever you consider your happy place to be. Ensure it is at least a few hours from work and keep communication with your team restricted to only the essentials.

Trust me, your business will not crash and burn if you take a few days off. I schedule a couple vacations a year where I bring a blank notepad and a few interesting books on innovation and management. Every time I get away for a few days to gain a new perspective I come back ready to apply newfound creative energy and passion to my business.

Don’t blow money on a fancy office: Every entrepreneur fanaticizes about the
jaw-dropping office on the 25^th floor with floor to ceiling windows and infinity pool in the break room. It’s a nice daydream but keep your workplace expectations within the boundaries of your budget. We migrated our business to a tiny 400sqft studio office after a year of working remotely. From there, space upgrades were made when our cash flow could easily support it.

Consider a virtual office or try and sublease an office from another business. We’ve been subleasing our unused office space for years to other young startups. It saves them and us lots of money. Unless you’ve got mountains of disposable capital, start small and work your way up to the office of your dreams.

Fire Your Bad Customers: Don’t be trapped by the axiom “the customer is always right.” Instead, consider firing the customers who are making your life a living hell. In your first year, you do not need the added stress of trying to appease customers who will never be satisfied. You think you need the money, but in reality trying to please Wally Whiner and Pessimist Patty may not be possible.

Failure to rid yourself of bad customers and projects will only build your resentment towards your customer base as a whole negatively affecting your productivity, business decisions and overall sanity.

Send toxic customers on their way but be professional while doing it. Explain politely that you will not be able to meet their expectations and refer them to your favorite competitor. Believe it or not, we’ve had a few clients completely change their tune after we suggested they find another company.

Eric Knopf is the founder of Vision Launchers, a creative and technology services agency which has helped launch over 200 startups and ideas get off the ground. He also is co-founder of WebConnex, a popular web-based fundraising and event management software provider. Aside from his business responsibilities, Eric also hosts a Launchpad, a collaborative monthly meet up for startup entrepreneurs and composes Dumbtax, a blog for avoiding common startup mistakes. You can follow him at @ericknopf

Junior Achievement’s Annual Crazy Bowl is Oct. 14-15

Sacramento Business Journal

Survey: Young professionals favor redeveloping downtown plaza

Monday, July 11, 2011, 1:52pm PDT
A survey of young Sacramento-area professionals found that many thought redeveloping the downtown plaza is important to the future of the city.

Metro Edge, an organization of professionals under the age of 40, found that those surveyed were split on how the plaza — currently under the ownership of Westfield as the Westfield Downtown Plaza — should be redeveloped. Some favored high-end retail, others favored mixed-use housing and retail and still others supported a sports and entertainment complex.

“Sacramento’s young professionals understand the economic impact of a strong retail hub in the downtown area,” said Alexis Fitzpatrick, chair of Metro Edge, in a statement. “It is important Downtown Plaza be redeveloped not only to attract new investment opportunities, but to keep the downtown area a desirable area for local businesses.”

To read the full article with more results go here »

Sacramento Bee

Read the full story here »

Metro EDGE member MacKenzie Woodard talks about her experience at June’s “In the Mix” event.

I don’t live in Downtown Sacramento. I don’t even work in Downtown Sacramento. But like anyone else who lives and works beyond the downtown grid, I know that Downtown Sac is the place to play. It’s the area that determines the future of the region. And it’s the only place where you can get an amazing Blueberry Mojito with a colleague, make a new business connection, and get an in-person education about the future of downtown revitalization all in one evening.

I mentioned to my colleague, Eric that I was heading out of the office a bit early to head downtown. EDGE was having an event at Ella’s Dining Room and Bar, and never having been there, I was excited to give it a try. Especially during a half-priced happy hour (as a financial planner I find a good deal especially attractive!). Turns out Eric, who recently moved downtown, had never been there either and agreed to join me. So, we found ourselves at Ella Dining Room & Bar, putting their claim of having the best happy hour in Sacramento to the test – and we were not disappointed. From the famous Gin and Tonic to the Blueberry Mojitos, Ella’s delightful cocktails and elegant ambiance were a terrific break from the summer heat. This event was one of our best attended “In The Mix” nights ever, and I was very happy to be the one to introduce my friend to the idea of being a young professional, engaged in the local landscape.

After saying hello to the EDGE members I knew and meeting several that I didn’t, it was time to make a critical decision – brave the heat to go on the tour of K St with the Downtown Partnership’s Kevin Greene or stay cool at Ella. Never one to back away from a challenge, we joined the group of 20 or so “EDGErs” and headed out the door after Kevin to hear about plans to add vehicle traffic to K St, develop new mixed-use space to bring more residential and commercial business to the area, and how these types of projects can be funded. I think our event was the good luck charm that allowed some of that funding to pass a vote that very evening.

Next it was off to the Downtown Railyards to learn about the possibilities for development there. Should it be a new sports complex? Is there a better use for the area? Who is going to pay for improvements? Of course these are complicated issues, but as the next generation of Sacramento’s leaders, we are the ones who will have to live with the decisions that are being made today.

Our attempts to take Light Rail back to Ella were foiled, so we spent the walk back to the restaurant getting to know one other a little better. After discussions of business philosophies, our personal ties to the region, and our reasons for joining EDGE , business cards were exchanged and we arrived back at the restaurant with new friends and a deeper understanding of the issues at hand for the downtown area.

When I got to the office the next day I asked Eric what he thought about the event. He said he was submitting the funding request to his manager that day to pay for the membership. And so EDGE has grown by one more member, new friends have been made and a group of young professionals are now engaged in the future of Sacramento. This is exactly what makes EDGE such a great organization to be a part of!