Biznik - Business Networking That Doesn’t Suck

Yes, that’s right - the Biznik team is up to 6 employees now, if you include Lara and I, and I’m delighted to announce today that Leif Hansen is officially on the team. We’ve known Leif for a long time, after meeting him at a Biznik event (of course). And we’ve been admiring his energetic, affable style and deep first-hand knowledge of social media ever since. After he hit a home run at BizJam last year, we started talking about how we could work more closely with him to grow Biznik.

Leif’s new role at Biznik is officially called “community catalyst.” The title underscores the importance of community on Biznik, and the fact that we’d hire an employee dedicated to building community tells you how much we intend to value community going forward. But, what exactly is a community catalyst, anyway? Let’s find out directly from Leif, whom I interviewed recently for this post…

Q: So Leif. We’re excited to be working with you. Why are you excited to be working with Biznik?

Well, in short, Biznik rocks. Even if I wasn’t on staff, I’d continue to help support Biznik as much as possible. But let me think about the specifics… First of all, I like how Biznik understands the importance of harnessing the power of dynamic new social media tools while also emphasizing the importance of connecting in real-time. Anyone who knows me knows how important these two values are to me -that’s why I’ve recently pioneered workshops on this topic that ended up receiving some surprisingly good national attention (Today Show, etc.)

Why do you think you received so much press around that workshop?

It seems like this issue of finding balance with technology is touching a cultural nerve. Without the tech, one is out of touch with the current thrust of our culture. Without real-time connection, one misses out on the depth and richness of relationships. If the need for dual engagement is true on a personal level, its even more so for business. To create a dynamic business community we need both online and offline interaction. I see that Biznik, through its evolving powerful online features and its local live events, is committed to supporting independent business owners on both levels.

That leads me to another thing that I think is so cool about Biznik. Over this past couple of years, I’ve been trying to identify my unique passions and find ways to express them in service to others while making a living. As any indie business owner knows, it can be tough and lonely at times. Besides the frequent feelings of isolation, Indie business folk like us need a supportive community that believes in us and our vision and wants to see us become more successful. The Biznik community rocks at that.

A few months ago, I created a ‘life vision statement’ (=what life looks like when my ‘life mission’ is fulfilled) that was something like “People feel safe enough to risk following their core passions, and yet remain respectfully interested and supportive of the passions of others”. That’s the kind of world I want to live in! I’ve seen that when people are true to their core, LIFE happens (creativity, freedom, authenticity, love, excitement, a sense of purpose and wonder, and even ’serendipity/luck’ seems to increase). And when I think about it, my ‘life vision’ is very much in harmony with what Biznik is trying to nurture: A network of creative independent individual owners who are successfully following their vocational passions, while respectfully supporting and receiving the support of others on the same journey. Cool vision!

Lastly, when I look at heart of what I’ve been doing with both my businesses (in short, “extending and enriching people’s online and offline community”, more later) I’m excited to take much of this energy and focus it to help Biznik grow. I’m a natural evangelist for the people, ideas and organizations I believe in. And, though it feels a bit awkward to say, I also seem to have a natural gift for helping groups to deepen –mostly through my being hopelessly transparent/vulnerable, through having a playful spirit, and through a core sense of ‘wonderosity’ at life. So I guess you could say that, as Community Catalyst, my goal is to help “extend and enrich” the Biznik community.

Tell me what you’ve been doing in your business for the past few years that led you up to now.

I currently have two businesses, Spark Social Media & Spark Northwest. SSM handles the tech side of me, SNW is for my work in ‘the real world’. See, its those dual emphases again. Honestly, a lot of what I’ve been doing these past two years is trying to figure out how all my different projects and passions are tied together. Specifically though, with SSM I’ve been doing social media consulting and some online development, and for SNW I’ve been facilitating personal and organizational transformative experiences (team-building, playformation, collaborative brainstorming, etc.). I’ve also been focusing on a couple of topical workshops: Soul Tech, which I’ve mentioned already; working with my partner Jay Kimball of 8020Vision on a powerful workshop aimed at corporate and government clients who recognize that upcoming changes in our world are going to dramatic alter “business as usual”; and lastly, Playformation events, which some Bizniks got a taste of last year - the heart of which is “the transformative power of play”.

Yes, one of the things that I really noticed about your workshop at Bizjam this year was the interactivity of your presentation - you had the audience up on their feet and doing things almost the whole time. Where did you learn how to do that?

I think the way I emphasize interactivity, often in playful ways, started back with my involvement in summer camps -both as camper and as counselor. The freedom to be oneself, to be goofy, to have fun, was unforgettable and made a deep impression on me. Since those days, I’ve always wished that ‘everyday life’ could have similar qualities as summer camp (the fun kind, I should qualify, for those who had bad camp experiences.)

Another primary influence has been my involvement in the ‘improv acting’ world -as student and as teacher/facilitator. I’m actually leaving this week for a four-day long improv intensive workshop in SF. I’ve found that the principles and practices from the improv world powerfully apply to our everyday lives and to business. I was happy to find out last year that there is actually an entire network of facilitators and trainers who feel the same as I do (The Applied Improv Network) and found a ‘home’ amongst them at their annual conference last year in Banff. Ironically, I ended up creating a social networking site for this very ‘real-time, interactive’ group and, proving our earlier point of the importance of connecting online and offline, it has helped this international network to be even more successful. I could go on forever about how improv principles like ‘Yes, and…” and “Just show up” can help one’s business, but that will have to come out in another future Biznik event!

Lastly, I think my training as a communication major, a theology student, a group leader, a dad, and a proclivity to be somewhat of a cultural ‘provocateur’, add to my style-choice of high interactivity. Honestly, I have also simply found that I end up remembering and changing very little when my learning experience is simply books, power-point presentations, and skimming info online. Truth sems to want to be embodied and played with.

Q: As someone who has been running your own business for the past two years, what do you think is the biggest challenge faced by small business owners in growing their business?

I imagine every business owner has unique challenges so I can’t really say what the ‘biggest’ is, but I would make a strong wager that my own biggest challenge, feeling isolated, is one of the primary challenges and causes for so many small businesses failing. While it truly is sooo cool to start your own business and to “do it your way”, that doesn’t need to mean that one has to do everything alone.

I think Biznik is proving that one can maintain their core creative vocational vision while connecting to others for support, learning resources and the power of networking. What an awesome business to be a part of! I’m excited to be a part of the Biznik team, be it for short term or long term.

Biznik passed another membership milestone today when Frank Pennylegion signed up at 2pm to become the 15,000th member. Welcome Frank! I’m particularly thrilled because between the time I started writing this post and the time I hit the “publish” button, Frank also upgraded his account and became the 307th Supporting Member (Biznik now has a total of 801 paying members).

Frank’s company, United Shipping Solutions, focuses on selling discounted DHL shipping services to business customers in the Seattle area. Here’s the scoop, from his Biznik profile:

What Frank does
We sell discounted DHL and Freight/LTL services to companies nationwide but focusing on the Greater Seattle area. DHL provides Overnight, 2nd day, International and Ground Shipping up to 150 pounds. We have negotiated discounted rates with over 20 LTL shippers nationwide.

What Frank does best
Provide discounted Overnight and International Shipping through DHL. We also have great LTL rates nationwide.

What Frank needs
New Business from daily shippers using Fed Ex or UPS who want to pay less for their shipping costs.

Education
BA Humanities Matteo Ricci College/Seattle University
BA Political Science Seattle University
MA Education Administration Western Washington University

Experience
I have owned United Shipping Solutions of Seattle/DHL for over 5 years.
Before that I was a teacher at the High School level for over 20 years.

My name is Christine Haskell and I’m a relatively new member to Biznik. I started social venture labs to blog about socially-minded businesses in the Seattle area. Most recently the Seattle Examiner and Start Up Nation picked up my business profiles so I’m sort of syndicating that content through those avenues. Every now and then, I meet with Bizniks and get a chance to highlight their great work. Dan suggested I also feature them here. Enjoy!

If there was an action figure of Shane Petersen (GreenLivingSeattle.com), it would have the following accessories: the proverbial Seattle coffee, his marketing materials (printed on 100% recycled paper) and all the accouterments for an REI hiking emergency.Peterson is your friendly neighborhood Eco-Broker Realtor, educating the public on the benefits of living, building and investing in “green.” What sets Petersen apart from other realtors I’ve come across is the earnestness with which he approaches his subject. His interest and his presence are very genuine.Like many who successfully execute a career change, he came to this life path by extrapolating where he was at, not liking the answer and taking a leap in another direction.

About Shane Petersen
When finishing school and wondering about his future, Petersen immediately started sending out resumes and let the kinetic energy of opportunity kick in. “I reached out to 30 companies in Portland, 30 in Seattle, and 30 in Idaho. I answered the first one (in Portland) and flew out to meet with them. I didn’t really have the experience, but they were interested in me because they were impressed that I took such lengths to get the job. They hired me on the spot.”

And that pretty much sums him up. I love stories like this, because it is situations like these that create opportunities for people who are willing to work for it. Only good things can come of sticking your neck out for something you want.

Petersen got a phone call from a friend working at “this place that sells books online and is looking to pick up some extra people.” (Deduct two points from the game of Life if you had to click on the link.)

He spent 6 years in IT, traveling heavily and the working standard .com sweatshop hours. The experience was solid, but when the company started to scale down with the economy, he “ended up behind a desk with a pager” and (in good company with the rest of us out there) began some serious soul searching.

During this time he and a friend began buying investment type rental properties. They became disillusioned by the experience they were having with realtors and lenders, so started doing it themselves. “My friend wanted to go the mortgage broker route and I wanted to do the real estate part, so it was the perfect partnership. We accumulated properties while the banks would give us money, but stopped once the debt started mounting – probably a good thing….but it wasn’t like I woke up one day and decided I wanted to be a green real estate agent.”

“I was getting my license at the time, decided I wanted to leave my job and do this full time. I got into “green” because I enjoyed learning about it and was already passionate about preserving and protecting our planet. The stuff I learned about healthier living environments was an eye opener. The Average American spends 90% of their day inside something: a car, a home, or an office. That’s a lot of time inside. Why not understand more about how indoor air quality it affects you? Child hood asthma, cancer rates and other mysterious illnesses are on the rise and some becoming epidemic. Doesn’t living in a more efficient home just make sense?”

If there’s one nugget I’ve picked up in my travels, it’s that when you get to the point where you are asking such simple questions, you’re past the argument and on to the next phase of the movement.
- Relationships: “This isn’t working, is it?” Ding! What do I win?
- Parents: “How does not studying for the test help you leave home any sooner?” Um, it doesn’t.
- Real Estate: “Doesn’t living in a more healthy, efficient and sustainable home make sense?” Why yes, yes it does.

About Green Living Seattle
Under the shingle of Windemere, Petersen has created www.GreenLivingSeattle.com , a resource site for all things related to green real estate in Seattle. As an EcoBroker Petersen specializes in green marketing, education and buyer/seller services.

Thru education he teaches buyers and builders the advantages of green construction. With a focus on promoting healthy, energy-efficient and sustainable building practices he feels this is an opportunity to reduce our impact.

Petersen also regularly holds green home tours in the Seattle area and has a green blog site in the works.

How does he give back?
Through Windemere, Petersen contributes a small percentage fee from each transaction which goes to the Windemere Foundation. Through Greener Living Seattle, he will be giving 6 free lectures this year to educate various segments on the benefits of green building options.

An example of the type of lecture he’s interested in is helping people trying to sell their homes and if they sit for more than 90 days; there is an opportunity to think through some “green improvements” making them more marketable. He’s also interested in speaking to builders, architects, schools and other segments on the environmental and economic benefits of building
green.

Another endeavor of Petersen is to start a non-profit outdoor diabetic youth camp called Activ Youth. This organization will focus on educating and organizing diabetic youth to live more active and healthy lifestyles. Petersen has been a type 1 diabetic since age 15 and has maintained his own health thru diet and an active lifestyle. His goal is to act as a role model and encourage youth and their parents to be active and realize the benefits thru the outdoor programs Activ Youth will offer,

Espresso Shot Insights (what’s this?)
- Just Do (Learn) It
- Balance: Consider The Big Picture
- Stay On Tip Of The Wave

Just Do (Learn) It
Petersen should be funded by Nike if only for his philosophy in life and how he approaches new challenges. He might not be actually designing a shoe from 100% recycled materials, but his philosophies are definitely in line, and his extracurriculars undeniably influence how he moves toward a subject: sizing up the opportunity, choosing a line to the summit, and making sure there is
enough chalk in his pockets.

This is a very young industry. For as much green-talk as there is in Seattle, Middle America isn’t quite there yet. Therefore, national standards are lacking and the industry is trying to put some concept parameters out there. “I’ve found that there are as many shades of education (with no standards) as there are shades of green.” Petersen is in an office with a fairly high concentration of green minded agents. “Many industry professionals still think “green” is a fad that will fade. The reality is that is here to stay and is quickly becoming a necessity not a choice.”

Lastly, “whoever it is in the room that has the most information – wins. You have to embrace technology if you want to be successful in this business. Many agents that aren’t embracing this technology are seeing a decline in their business. If your customers are tech savvy then shouldn’t you be?”

Equipped with a simple interest and enthusiasm and Google as his mentor, Petersen, an EcoBrokerfor almost two years, is now working toward his LEED-AP which “will help me bridge the gap between builders, developers and consumers; many agents out there today can’t inform their clients on the benefits of green and don’t know much about the value (economic or environmental) of the materials used.” That’s an injustice to their buyers and builders, but demand is forcing people to catch up, reinforcing for Petersen his decision was a smart one. Being one of only a handful of agents that specialize in green real-estate gives him an edge in a market where many agents are really struggling. As a result of his early investment, people are starting to call him up for expert advice and to educate their teams.

Balance, Consider the Big Picture
Coming from someone who appreciates the lessons of tight spaces, balance is a loaded term. “Everyone would like to be in a position to not to have to work…I make less doing this than what I did at Amazon, This was a quality of life thing. I didn’t want to be attached to a pager in the boiler room of an IT department. There are a million ways to make money, at the end of the day you have to choose how to do it. I’m making a living doing something that at the end of the day I can feel good about. My clients are in a better situation that when they started. I’m doing my bit to contribute to a healthy lifestyle and planet for others. I want to see change happen rather than just fuss about it.”

While Petersen gets a lot of fulfillment from the idea of his participation in the ecosystem and is empowered to be working for himself, he is quick to offer the flip side, “I consider myself an environmentalist but a different shade than the type that burnt the street of dreams homes in Issaquah. Granted the homes where excessive in size but think of how many similar homes are built that aren’t green. At least the builders reduced the impact of those houses. Now those homes will be rebuilt and have twice the ecological cost. People have to realize that for environmentalism to succeed there must be a profitable way to do it or society as a whole will never accept it. They raised awareness to their cause, than the cause.”

In terms of work lifestyle, Petersen also doesn’t like the uncertainty of the commission lifestyle. “In this business sales are down and that can be the difference of having food on the table (for some). This is one reason I want to begin to consult on the side. It’s pretty hectic but I’m laid back by nature. It wouldn’t be healthy or worth it if you couldn’t create any balance. When you are on your own, there is always something to do.”

As with anyone, there are things you know you need to do and you don’t get to it, like blogging, sorting through mail, your kitchen sink… “One of the things about being a small business owner is that you have to live your normal life, it’s only you and it’s all about being efficient.

Stay On the Tip Of The Wave
In a sales-based business and an industry without many experts in the space he wants to learn, Petersen’s drive to understand where the industry is headed is all the motivation he needs to stay sharp. “Most realtors today don’t have training in green building. If green buyers and green builders knew that, they would want their realtor to know more about the benefits of green building. Specializing in this field I can communicate this better to the public better than a typical agent would.”

To stay in touch with what people want, it’s important to be active in the community.

The green residential building arena = is dominated by smaller builders as opposed to larger production builders. Production builders are efficient at developing spec homes which allows them to be more profitable. To build green there is a learning curve which many large builders are not willing to face yet. The smaller builders that have taken that step are seeing the advantage in being able to sell their healthy, efficient, sustainable and unique homes. “I encourage a lot of builders that specialize in green or have green programs to get out and network, get their names out there, develop partnerships. Communities like Biznik have been great for that.”

Parting Words…
“If you really want to do (a small business), you have to just make the jump. You can’t dip your toes…you have to jump off the dock. For those without a second income, partner, or ability to make rent doing this right away, it will just take longer and you might have to keep your day job—nothing is easy.”

• My most rewarding business moment was leaving Amazon was high on the list and knowing I was going to be doing my own thing was a big turning point.
• My scariest business moment leaving Amazon…no net, no security…no consistent
  paycheck.
• Every entrepreneur should be highly involved in the community they live and
  work. People who try to market themselves with random mailers and spam aren’t really tangible. You need to be in front of people. The beauty of organizations like BizNik is that they create a community of such like-minded people. You almost don’t have to look outside of biznik.
• Success to me means at the end of the day feeling fulfilled in some way. Going to work and feeling that you are doing something for the greater good rather than being depressed and hating your situation…instead do something about it.