Congratulations! to the top 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies in Orange County.  Last night the Orange County Business Journal held a cocktail reception to honor OC’s Fastest Private Growing companies.

 

To achieve great growth and make the list requires a great vision, commitment, persistence and a winning team.  Despite the economy these companies saw new opportunities or pushed through to make it happen. Great job!

 

Here’s a list of OC’s Fastest Growing Companies.  When you’re out and about in the OC make sure to congratulate them.

 

Rank       Company

1              Pacific Pharmacy Group

2              Stone Equity Group

3              Debtmerica LLC

4              Most Brand Development + Advertising

5              Networks In Motion Inc.

6              Point One Technologies Inc.

7              Stearns Lending Inc.

8              Cosemi Technologies Inc.

9              Monkey Hook LLC

10           Incipio Technologies

11           Affiliate Media Inc.

12           American Correctional Solutions

13           Lead Tracking Solutions

14           National Retirement Partners

15           Promotional Fulfillment Services Inc.

16           Earthbound Media Group

17           EPS Corp.

18           Telogis

19           Tallega Software

20           Synoptek Inc.

21           Blytheco LLC

22           Lifespring Nutrition

23           Tenacore Holdings Inc.

24           B.B. Graham & Co.

25           Electronic Cash Systems Inc.

26           Govplace

27           Increase Visibility Inc.

28           Golden Construction Development Co.

29           Genea Energy

30           International Education Corp.

31           Suite Solutions Inc.

32           Lexipol LLC

33           APR Consulting Inc.

34           Xelleration LLC

35           Absolute Screenprint Inc.

36           Custom Building Products, Inc.

37           Carrillo Business Technologies Inc.

38           Pacific Building Care Inc.

39           Quality Assurance Inspections

40           Trace|3 Inc.

41           Neudesic

42           Alar Staffing Corp.

43           Structure Networks Inc.

44           Rauxa Direct

45           Wireless Emporium Inc.

46           KnowledgeCentrix Inc.

47           UPS Protection

48           Hospital Associates

49           Vizio Inc.

50           Universal Services of America

51           Stremicks Heritage Foods LLC

52           IMS Co.

53           Wisdom Financial Inc.

54           IFiber Optix

55           Golden State Foods Corp.

56           LifeScript

57           Pacific Dental Services Inc.

58           Principal Technical Services Inc.

59           Pioneer Circuits Inc.

60           Options Investments Inc.

61           Fresh Start Bakeries Inc.

62           CDCE Inc.

63           BandCon

64           Pacific Rim Capital Inc.

65           Insight Investments Corp.

66           Yard House USA Inc.

67           Britstan Technology

68           WiLogic Inc.

69           Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo

70           Cummins Cal Pacific

71           Trinet Internet Solutions Inc.

72           Risk Management Group

73           Ventura Foods LLC

74           Aeronet Logistics Inc.

75           Keating Dental Arts Inc.

76           Intelli-Flex Inc.

77           Dougherty & Dougherty Architects LLP

78           Tawa Supermarket Inc.

79           Dr. Fresh Inc.

80           Linc Group

81           Cell Business Equipment

82           TriZetto Group Inc.

83           Play N Trade Franchise Inc.

84           MS International Inc.

85           In-N-Out Burgers Inc.

86           Architects Orange

87           AeroFlite Enterprises Inc.

88           Celeris Systems Inc.

89           Wahoo’s Fish Taco

90           Orange Label Art + Advertising

91           Akins Consulting Inc.

92           JIPC Management Inc.

93           Express Manufacturing Inc.

94           Silverado Senior Living Inc.

95           Murrietta Circuits

96           Specialized Marketing Services Inc.

97           Bright Now Dental Inc.

98           Kingston Technology Co.

99           Super D

100         Helpmates Staffing Services

 

To your continued success!

 

Mike Brenhaug

Yesterday I attended the Orange County Venture Capital event in Newport Beach where Guy Kawasaki was the keynote speaker.  Guy shared with us his Best Practices for Twitter.  I have a Twitter account, and tweet every now then, but I never really understood the power of Twitter.  For me, I couldn’t understand how or why anyone would have the time to sit in front of their computer and read tweets all day.  Not that I’m an expert now, but I do have a better understanding of Twitter and will be tweeting much more while using Guy’s Best Practices.  

 

Guy Kawasaki’s Best Practices:

1.    Always link to something interesting.  Link to something of interest that will peak the interest of others, create more followers and drive traffic. 

2.    The goal is to be re-tweeted.  You want others re-tweeting your tweets.

3.    Inform not Me form.  What Guy meant by this is that don’t tweet useless tweet’s about yourself like “my cat just rolled over”.  Tweet useful information that will “inform” followers.

4.    It’s okay to repeat tweets.  Guy repeats tweets every 8 hours.  It’s like the news; CNN & Fox will repeat the same news clip throughout the day to reach viewers/followers.

5.    Ignore those that complain you tweet too much. 

6.    This is my favorite and a direct quote from Guy “If you’re not pissing someone off on Twitter you’re not using it right”.

 

Now that you have Guy’s Best Practices go out and tweet someone off. 

 

To your twittering success!

 

Mike

 

Upcoming workshops:

November 12^th – “Accelerating Growth during an Economic Recovery”.  A must attend for any executive looking to achieve growth and capitalize on the economic recovery.   For more info visit: http://www.businesscoachpro.com/rockefeller-habits-executive-workshop/

We’re among friends, so let’s be frank, shall we? Training is one of those boring, tedious necessities that we businesspeople must politely endure–while examining our fingernails. Once we nod and agree that, oh yes, training’s important, we can maybe change the subject to much more pressing matters, like product development or finance.

That’s what I used to think, too. In fact, I was dragged into paying attention to my training department because I needed financing to grow my debt-collection operation. The rating agencies really wanted to see a comprehensive training department before they would give my company a solid rating.

I threw some money into developing a training program , never expecting it to become much of anything. Was I ever wrong. Our training became our secret weapon, because error rates plummeted and productivity shot up. Over time it expanded into a full-time, six-week intensive program that was called one of the best in the world for our industry. In fact, the training program was one reason we became a Harvard Business School case study.

Let’s examine six myths about training and the cold, hard reality.

Myth: If I hire quality people, I don’t need to train them.
Reality: That’s fine if you’re a cottage industry with a couple of employees. But the bigger you grow, the more detached you’ll be from daily operations. You simply cannot assume that even the best people are aware of your practices. Customers are far too expensive to attract and retain to leave them to haphazard treatment.

Myth: Highly trained employees will just leave and go to competitors.
Reality: Maybe, but so what? Ray Kroc built McDonald’s on the philosophy that “We can invent faster than they can steal.” Besides, great training programs are actually an employee-retention tool.

Myth: It costs too much.
Reality: An expense is something you pay that doesn’t pay you back, like potted plants. Training is an investment that should immediately pay big dividends in the form of fewer costly errors, higher productivity and greater customer retention .

Myth: I’ll do it when things get better, or I’ll do it when things slow down.
Reality: We’re among friends, remember? This is a lame excuse and a cop out. We can always kick the can down the road by saying now’s not the right time for anything we don’t feel like doing. Even mud knows to take the path of least resistance when flowing downhill. Leaders are supposed to be smarter than mud, and strong enough to make difficult investments today that will pay off big in the future.

Myth: On-the-job training is the best training there is.
Reality: I’m a big believer in on-the-job-training, but only when it’s part of a much larger package. We had our loan-collection trainees make calls very early on to live customers, but they were closely monitored. We discovered that when we just shoved them out to sink or swim, the learning curve was longer. When we mixed the live practice with classroom work, the trainees asked practical questions and could immediately put the answers to use on the next call.

Myth: We have something better than a training program; it’s a mentoring program.
Reality: This is a variation on on-the-job training and is almost always a cop out. The so-called mentoring consists of employees showing up to work and being run through a sheep-dip orientation by personnel. Then there’s the obligatory matching up of the New Guy with the Old Hand. It’s all new for the New Guy, but this is the twenty-eighth kid the Old Hand has trained. Because there’s no money or incentive in it, that training mainly consists of “monkey see, monkey do.” Unless you run a zoo, that’s no way to operate your business.

Create a superb training program, not for the brownie points it will get you, but for the cold, hard cash it will drop to your bottom line. Trust me: Your competitors will never figure it out.

Bill Bartmann is the foremost expert on helping entrepreneurs profit from buying bad loans and a leading authority on entrepreneurship in America. His book Bailout Riches recently became #1 on Amazon’s Best Seller List. Bill offers free educational materials for entrepreneurs at www.bailoutrichesnow.com and can be reached via email at askbill@billbartmann.com.

We all hear how important team work is to the success of an organization.  I happened to be listening to Dan Clark the other day and he was talking about “teams”.  One of the key points of his message that I found so true; team work is important, however, each team member needs to be individually prepared and ready.  A team is only as good as the weakest link.  When you think about the best teams in the world, they all individually come prepared and ready to win.  It’s the individual preparedness that makes a great team. 

 

What are you doing to ensure that you and your team are individually prepared to be a winning team?

 

Statistics show that coaching, training, and continuous learning are the key to individual and business success.  So what’s stopping you from developing a plan that allows you to get the results you want? 

Marketing without a clear purpose & strategy produces mediocre results. Stop wasting your time & money and learn the Three Keys to a Successful Marketing Campaign and Increase the impact of your marketing efforts!

In this free webinar you’ll learn the importance of each key and action steps that you can take today on any budget to build an effective marketing campaign that gets results!

Most realtors try a little of this and a little of that when it comes to marketing and expect big results with little effort. Learn how focusing on 3 key points can make a big difference in your marketing results.

Benefits:

• Increase your sales
• Expand your marketing reach
• Build relationships that sell
• Establish yourself as the expert

This webinar was targeted towards realtors but the conecepts apply for all independent sales professionals and small business.

Last week while on vacation, I visited the Redwood forest and must say these trees are absolutely amazing.  As I was hiking through the forest and taking in the majestic nature I became fascinated with how resilient these trees are.  The more I studied the trees my mind began thinking about the characteristics of these trees which are the reason they have become the largest tree in the world and nearly impervious to effects of insects, fire & man.  To be a giant redwood means to have a “foot” thick bark that withstands, insects, lighting strikes and many fires.  Their root system grows wide instead of deep allowing for a solid foundation to support their growth.   Redwood trees reach their maximum height in 500 years and then continue to grow in diameter exceeding 20 ft during a 2,000 year time span.  There were signs where over a hundred years ago men had cut down some of these giant redwood trees but that didn’t stop their growth.  The remaining stumps either have multiple trees that have sprouted from the stump or they have become a host to many other plant life.  I left the Redwoods thinking how resilient, patient and strong these trees are and the importance of practicing these characteristics in our personal and business lives to realize true success. 

 

How might things be different for you if you practiced resilience and patience in your life?  Would you have thicker skin?  Be impervious to insects & fire?  Have a solid foundation to support greater growth?  Over time become the giant Redwood amongst your competition?  It’s a small margin of success that separates the good from great.  What actions are you taking to become great?  Will you practice resilience and patience in your business?  I hope you do so you can realize greatness.

 

Below are a few snap shots of the amazing Redwood Forest.

 

To your growth & success!

 

Mike Brenhaug

Creating a successful business is similar to baking a cake, it requires a recipe. If you want to get the same great-tasting cake over and over a recipe is a must. When you’re baking a cake you’re not working in the cake you work on the cake. Many business owners become the ingredient instead of the baker. Keeping this simple idea top of mind can change how you approach your business and make decisions. If you’re a business owner you’re the baker not the ingredient. It’s the baker that uses the ingredients and a recipe to get the desired results, a great-tasting cake! When you become the ingredient your just another ingredient, a commodity.

Do you want to have a successful business that you work on and not in? Have a business that has a foundation for growth? One that is prepared to seize opportunities? A business which has a planned exit strategy for you the owner? Let me know show you how to create the business you want through our coaching and training programs. Our programs are tried and true, always delivering the results you need. I’ve selected programs that are critical to all businesses and allow you to build the personal and organizational foundation for growth, a system to get more clients, a solution to become more productive and create balance between your personal and business life. Check it out; learn more about the coaching and training programs I offer. If you’re like me and would rather pick up the phone and discuss your business with me then do just that. Give me a call and I’ll be happy to chat with you about your business. My direct line is 877.509.9511.

Follow me on:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebrenhaug

http://www.twitter.com/mikebrenhaug

http://www.bluerockcoaching.com

More often than not, I see individuals and organizations spending time trying to re-invent the wheel or make it themselves because they believe it will give them the competitive advantage. In some cases that may be true, but I’m going to challenge that theory and say that the majority of the time it does not create the competitive advantage. In fact, it sidetracks you, slows you down, and cost you more time and money because it’s not your core competency. For example, many people get into business because it’s a dream to own their own business or they’re passionate about a particular product or service. When individuals embark upon their dreams, they find themselves getting involved with other business activities such as accounting, sales and marketing, employee issues, taxes and insurance, and other ancillary business needs required of a legitimate business, but are not the reasons you got into business.

I would like to share an “Aha” moment with you. As I was coaching a business client, I used the analogy Other Peoples Money when discussing resources and it was literally like flipping a switch! This may appear simple but oftentimes we’re so caught up with our day-to-day activities that even the simplest ideas or solutions don’t come to mind.

We’ve all heard the term Other People’s Money or the acronym OPM. Many wealthy individuals use OPM to leverage their investment and opportunity to realize exponential returns. We use a form of OPM when we buy a house or car or anytime we use financing. What if we take that concept and apply it to resources, Other Peoples Resources (OPR)? Think how much more productive you could be if you identified the tasks that are not your core strengths or high payoff activities or you just absolutely hate doing, and outsource those activities to others? Now, depending on the activity, this could be someone internally that works for you, a professional or consultant. On the conservative scale you could easily free up 30% to 50% of your time that would allow you to focus on high payoff activities resulting in increased sales and profits, more time to spend with your family, or time to just relax and have fun.

So what’s stopping you? I know some of you are thinking of the cost to outsource. For others it may be you’re so busy that you don’t have time to even consider what tasks those might be, which means you’ll benefit even more from OPR. Here’s a simple exercise to get you into action and consider the possibilities of how using Other Peoples Resources can benefit you and your business.

Coaches Exercise -

Sit down with a blank sheet of paper and identify tasks or activities that you engage in on a daily or weekly basis. Then estimate the amount of time you spend on each task and note it next to it. Now prioritize the tasks using a 1,2,3 rating, with 1 being most important; 3 least important. After you have your tasks prioritized, think about the ones rated 2 and 3 and really challenge yourself with the following questions:

• Why am I doing this activity?
• Is it something that is necessary?
• Does it generate revenue?
• Does it increase the value I bring to my customers?
• Does it take away from my family or more important activities?

If it’s an activity that is necessary for you to continue, consider who you know in your network that you could outsource the activity to who could do it better, faster and cheaper than you could. If you have employees, it could be someone on your team. The objective is to either let go or outsource activities rated 2 or 3 so you will be free to focus on those top priority activities rated 1.

Now don’t stop there. The last step in this exercise is to contact the people who can help you immediately and get those tasks off your plate. Enjoy that extra time to focus on your #1 High-Payoff activities or with your family.

Make the most of your day!

Mike Brenhaug

www.bluerockcoaching.com