In 10 years of marketing and communications consulting, I have had the privilege of getting to know a number of entrepreneurs whose passion for business has taken them to heights of success they would have never imagined. Many of them were groomed for success from the start, with MBAs and years of experience at Fortune 500 companies before they set out on their own.
The people I admire the most, however, are those whose backgrounds didn't provide them with a blueprint for entrepreneurial success. They simply followed their passion in life into the business world, and as their passion overflowed and touched everyone they met, it became contagious and the money and acclaim naturally ensued.
One such person, whom I had the privilege of working with when she was first venturing out on her own, just happens to be my mother, Jeanette Coon. A remarkably beautiful and bright woman, she has always been a woman of great determination who never did anything halfway. Even as she raised two children, she was involved in the community, learning foreign languages in countries where we lived overseas and honing unique creative talents such as vegetable carving. Later, she amazed everyone by not only beating lung cancer, but susequently becoming a competitive ballroom dancer.
Jeanette did not enter the business world until she was in her 50's, but that doesn't mean she didn't use all of her life experience to make her business shine. After getting her feet wet in the cosmetics industry, she decided to leverage her sharp eye for fashion and passion for etiquette with her own business Professional Polish. She soon became a sought-after corporate trainer and her business has expanded to include representing several high-end fashion lines. She obtained her credentials as a Certified Image Consultant and among the many organizations she has served, recently became regional director for The Fashion Group International, Inc.(FGI).
This past weekend, Jeanette was honored by The Federation of Houston Professional Women as one of their 2008 Women of Excellence, which is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement award bestowed on women who have made a significant difference in their communities and professional organizations. As we toasted her success, I couldn't help but think back to the day, many years ago, of a simple mother-daughter conversation when I encouraged her to pursue her dual passions of personal presence/style and helping others. I am sure that at that point, she never dreamed she would be where she is today.
So what is the business lesson to take away from all of this? If you have a passion, pursue it. Follow your dream, not the money...and then the money will follow. Oh, and by the way, I would love to tell your story along the way.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Let the Wind Blow
There are certain things that immediately identify us marketing types. Like the way we get more excited sometimes about the commercials than the TV shows we watch, or how we have secret files of direct mail pieces and print ads that have caught our attention and we're compelled to save for the next time a client wants an idea of "what works".
The real kicker for me, though, came this week as Hurricane Ike blew through my hometown of Houston, Texas. Just 24 hours after my family huddled in the protection of the downstairs bathroom, and then spent half of the next day bailing water out of the attic of my storm-damaged home, the wheels in my marketing mind were already starting to turn.
What were my clients doing during the storm? Did my managed security services client Network Box USA keep its customer base of banks and credit unions protected while Hurricane Ike raged on? The hurricane hit Houston on Saturday....I was on the phone to Network Box CTO Pierluigi Stella first thing Monday morning and by Wednesday we had crafted a press release and pitched it to the Houston Business Journal, who ran our story as part of that week's front-page headline piece on Hurricane Ike (link to story).
Let the wind (of opportunity) blow!
Here is the release written by Linda Wise PR:
For Immediate Release
Network Box USA Helps Houston-based Businesses Shore Up Security, Minimizing Hurricane Ike’s Threat to Data Landscape
September 16, 2008 (Houston, Texas) – In the wee hours of Saturday, September 13, Houstonians who had not been evacuated to higher ground “sheltered in place” waiting for one of the worst natural disasters to hit southeast Texas in more than two decades. But while everyone waited and wondered if their homes and businesses would be in one piece after the winds and the rain had subsided, a number of company executives were resting easy that at least their critical data was being actively protected even as Hurricane Ike raged on.
One such executive was Tamara Hudson, Vice President over technology at Community Resources Credit Union. By last Friday, she had already been in touch with Network Box USA to ensure that everything was in place – including the financial institution’s data security - for the credit union’s technology move from its headquarters in Baytown to Crosby, in anticipation of the hurricane.
Despite being headquartered in the storm center itself, the information security team at Houston-based Network Box USA did not spend its weekend hiding from Hurricane Ike, but rather helping its clients prepare and secure their data from the storm and its aftermath. The company’s network operations center (NOC), from which Network Box USA manages and monitors its clients’ networks for security threats, operated without any downtime throughout the hurricane and continues to be fully operational despite widespread power outages in the Houston area.
“We have a number of clients who could not afford to have their critical data at risk while they were dealing with logistical issues resulting from Hurricane Ike,” said Pierluigi Stella, Chief Technology Officer of Network Box USA. “We were able to work with them to ensure business continuity and network security while they were transferring operations to other offices.”
According to Stella, disasters of any kind, weather-related or manmade, can leave companies vulnerable to exploitation and cyber attack.
“Criminals know that an ideal time to strike is when security personnel are distracted from their primary duties, like helping get a business back in operation after a major hurricane,” Stella said. “Companies who use managed services firms like Network Box to monitor multiple layers of their security have the benefit of being able to focus on their customers and restoring normal operations without having to worry about their data security on top of everything else.”
Network Box USA is the American Arm of Network Box Corp., a global managed security services provider (MSSP) that delivers a cost-effective unified gateway security solution. The company primarily serves financial institutions, education, government, and small to midsize enterprises. For more information, visit www.networkboxusa.com or call 832-242-5758.
The real kicker for me, though, came this week as Hurricane Ike blew through my hometown of Houston, Texas. Just 24 hours after my family huddled in the protection of the downstairs bathroom, and then spent half of the next day bailing water out of the attic of my storm-damaged home, the wheels in my marketing mind were already starting to turn.
What were my clients doing during the storm? Did my managed security services client Network Box USA keep its customer base of banks and credit unions protected while Hurricane Ike raged on? The hurricane hit Houston on Saturday....I was on the phone to Network Box CTO Pierluigi Stella first thing Monday morning and by Wednesday we had crafted a press release and pitched it to the Houston Business Journal, who ran our story as part of that week's front-page headline piece on Hurricane Ike (link to story).
Let the wind (of opportunity) blow!
Here is the release written by Linda Wise PR:
For Immediate Release
Network Box USA Helps Houston-based Businesses Shore Up Security, Minimizing Hurricane Ike’s Threat to Data Landscape
September 16, 2008 (Houston, Texas) – In the wee hours of Saturday, September 13, Houstonians who had not been evacuated to higher ground “sheltered in place” waiting for one of the worst natural disasters to hit southeast Texas in more than two decades. But while everyone waited and wondered if their homes and businesses would be in one piece after the winds and the rain had subsided, a number of company executives were resting easy that at least their critical data was being actively protected even as Hurricane Ike raged on.
One such executive was Tamara Hudson, Vice President over technology at Community Resources Credit Union. By last Friday, she had already been in touch with Network Box USA to ensure that everything was in place – including the financial institution’s data security - for the credit union’s technology move from its headquarters in Baytown to Crosby, in anticipation of the hurricane.
Despite being headquartered in the storm center itself, the information security team at Houston-based Network Box USA did not spend its weekend hiding from Hurricane Ike, but rather helping its clients prepare and secure their data from the storm and its aftermath. The company’s network operations center (NOC), from which Network Box USA manages and monitors its clients’ networks for security threats, operated without any downtime throughout the hurricane and continues to be fully operational despite widespread power outages in the Houston area.
“We have a number of clients who could not afford to have their critical data at risk while they were dealing with logistical issues resulting from Hurricane Ike,” said Pierluigi Stella, Chief Technology Officer of Network Box USA. “We were able to work with them to ensure business continuity and network security while they were transferring operations to other offices.”
According to Stella, disasters of any kind, weather-related or manmade, can leave companies vulnerable to exploitation and cyber attack.
“Criminals know that an ideal time to strike is when security personnel are distracted from their primary duties, like helping get a business back in operation after a major hurricane,” Stella said. “Companies who use managed services firms like Network Box to monitor multiple layers of their security have the benefit of being able to focus on their customers and restoring normal operations without having to worry about their data security on top of everything else.”
Network Box USA is the American Arm of Network Box Corp., a global managed security services provider (MSSP) that delivers a cost-effective unified gateway security solution. The company primarily serves financial institutions, education, government, and small to midsize enterprises. For more information, visit www.networkboxusa.com or call 832-242-5758.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
