Illinois MEP Taps B2Btail for LinkedIn Workshop for Manufacturers

IMEC, the Illinois MEP (Manufacturing Extension Partnership) offers an exciting LinkedIn workshop on Thursday – Feb 18 at 11:30 CST which features Falconer Electronics and Voice Express. 

Click here to register for the LinkedIn workshop

Are you taking full advantage of the possibilities that LinkedIn has to offer you and your business?

Join us for this fun & informative LinkedIn training workshop to help capture the AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES waiting for you on LinkedIn.

  • Create an inviting LinkedIn Profile
  • Showcase your experience & expertise
  • Connect and engage with your target market
  • Explore delivering valuable & impactful content
  • Develop and nurture vibrant business relationships

IMEC Delivers Powerful Results for Illinois Manufacturers 

IMEC is a team of improvement specialists as well as technicians dedicated to providing organizations in Illinois with the tools and techniques to create sustainable competitive futures. The experienced hands-on team at IMEC works closely with its clients to plan critical business improvements in the areas of Leadership, Strategy, Customer Engagement, Operations, as well as Workforce.

With more than 50 full-time staff and partners positioned statewide, IMEC delivers the local expertise to not only plan and strategize, but to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of client improvements. In fact, IMEC assists more than 700 companies each year with successful business improvement projects.

As a result, IMEC has demonstrated a return on investment that exceeds 19:1. This is made possible as organizations become more effective and efficient – and together with IMEC – excel toward enterprise excellence.

IMEC logo

Illinois MEP National Network

As a NIST MEP approved Center, IMEC is the official representative of the MEP National Network in Illinois.

The MEP National Network provides a unique public-private partnership that delivers comprehensive, proven solutions to U.S. manufacturers, fueling growth as well as advancing U.S. manufacturing.

Wrapping It Up 

Finally, thank you for reading our blog post on Manufacturers Digitizing. 

For additional information, please check out these helpful posts below as you continue your eCommerce journey:

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Carey Smith: How To Sell Your Company for $500 Million

Interested in learning how Carey Smith built his company from scratch only to sell it for $500 million?

Well, we have your back.

Join us for a fascinating discussion with Carey Smith on Friday – Jan 7th – at 1:32 EST: CLICK HERE

Check this out:

A career entrepreneur, Carey Smith founded Big Ass Fans in 1999 and served as its CEO, or Chief Big Ass as he preferred, for 18 years.

Under his guidance, Big Ass Fans grew an average of 30% a year, with offices across the globe.

The company made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies 11 consecutive years — a feat achieved by only 34 others — and expanded from industrial products to include a line of chic, silent commercial fans.

When Carey learned that a man in Malaysia had created a revolutionary design for a residential fan, he brought the man and the fan into the company and turned it into a $60 million division: Haiku Home.

And when he heard that his industrial fan customers needed better lights, he hired lighting engineers to build Big Ass Light.

While other companies made and lost their fortunes, Carey’s contrarian business practices and relentless pursuit of new markets and high-quality products led to sustained, rapid growth.

By 2017, Carey had grown the fan and light manufacturer to nearly $300 million in annual revenue and more than a thousand employees. And he’d done it without any outside investors.

Carey Smith: Sold His Company for $500 Million

Ready for a new challenge, he sold Big Ass Fans for $500 million.

Carey shared these thoughts about selling his company with Inc Magazine:

“At the end of the day, though I really cared for the business, it’s not my child. You always love the people, but fans are a product. We wanted to make sure the buyer didn’t simply open the doors and tell everybody to leave. But other than that, it’s like buying a stick of gum: It’s mine until you pay me for it–and then it’s yours.”

The company’s stock appreciation rights program paid out $50 million to more than 100 loyal employees. Those who shared Carey’s work ethic with 15 that became overnight millionaires.

Following the sale, Carey founded Unorthodox Ventures. This Austin-based investment company that seeks to provide everything venture capitalists lacked. Carey discovered this when they approached him near daily at Big Ass Fans.

Carey’s team consists of high level experts. All of who help founders become serial entrepreneurs.  In particular, by providing support for everything from engineering and marketing to customer service and logistics.

Learn more about Carey Smith at unorthodoxventures.com.

 

Check out our recent blog post: Niche Down Til it Hurts…So Good

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B2Btail Partners with the Niagara SBDC for eCommerce Webinar

B2Btail is thrilled to partner with the Niagara SBDC to offer an exciting eCommerce webinar for entrepreneurs. 

Tuesday – Jan 25th – at 12:00 EST.

Click here for registration: Maximizing the Power of eCommerce to Grow Your Business

Sense of Urgency for Manufacturers

This informative webinar at the Niagara SBDC focuses on helping entrepreneurs kick off their eCommerce journey.

With a new sense of urgency for entrepreneurs as well as manufacturers to create a strong digital presence, please join us for a discussion on the necessary steps to implement a highly effective eCommerce strategy for your business. In particular, we tackle how custom manufacturers can join the exploding eCommerce market.

  • Receive an eCommerce Checklist for manufacturers
  • Capturing 1st page rankings on Google
  • Creating effective landing pages that convert into RFQ’s as well as sales
  • Targeting customers with Google Ads as well as Google Shopping
  • Taking advantage of online marketplaces including Amazon as well as Alibaba
  • Explore a step by step eCommerce success story with Falconer Electronics as well as Voice Express 

First, topics discussed during the eCommerce workshop include:

  1. Discover Your Ideal Buyer
  2. Make a Great First Webpression
  3. Dominate Search
  4. Get on the Offensive

In addition topics covered:

Other topics covered as well include:

  • Let that dream customer – Soulmates make a buying decision on Friday night at midnight
  • Scale Your Proprietary Process
  • Configurator – Quotebuilder
  • New customized product populates into the eCommerce store

Niagara SBDC

The Niagara County Community College (NCCC) Small Business Development Center is part of a network of statewide assistance centers supported by the Small Business Administration and the State University of New York.

We’ll help you meet the entrepreneurial challenges of owning and operating your own business while continuing to promote economic growth and stability throughout Western New York.

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WOWZER! Manufacturing is Looking Strong in Huntsville Alabama 

Ever visited Huntsville, Alabama?

I had the honor and privilege of recently checking out the goods. 

Exciting news to report!

WOWZER! Manufacturing is looking extremely strong in Huntsville, Alabama.

When you drive around the city, there is an extremely positive manufacturing buzz. 

Cruising around the city you will also notice plenty 

To name a few manufacturing rock stars, Toyota, PPG, General Dynamics, Dynetics, nlogic and Northrop Grumman all have a presence in there. 

This all means lots of incredible opportunities for secondary suppliers. 

Huntsville

Huntsville = Space City 

Plus there is the Space Center. 

That means in Space City, opportunities await. 

The Space Center and NASA opens doors for innovative entrepreneurs and manufacturers. 

Huntsville

Check out this impressive list of aerospace companies in Huntsville according to the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce and the Made in Alabama website. 

If you are a manufacturer looking for new prospects, check out all of the Huntsville. 

Wayne Gretzky loved to preach and credited his success by the innate ability to “skate to the puck”. 

Manufacturing is alive and well in Huntsville, so take a page out of Wayne Gretsky’s book and skate to the puck” by going where manufacturing growth thrives. 

Get out ahead of the competition.

Stop Being the Best Kept Secret. 

Go to the manufacturing growth markets and ask how you can serve. 

Express your interest in joining the party. 

 let them know you mean business. 

Share your expertise, passion and experience on how you want to join the cause on making Huntsville a thriving hub of manufacturing excellence. 

For additional information on Manufacturing in Huntsville, check out these helpful resources: 

Manufacturing eCommerce Success 

To Learn more about Manufacturing eCommerce Success, please check out these helpful links: 

Please Leave Keys in Car! (Help Your Customers Win the Day)

So How do YOU Spell Succes? 

Stop Being the Best Kept Secret 

 

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