Saturday, September 19, 2009

BFC Ventures Launch Release


San Diego, CA (Free-Press-Release) August 6, 2009 -- BFC Ventures, LLC, is a venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs and their organization to grow the company in return for equity. Founded by partners Eric Rice and Adam Blejski, BFC Ventures, LLC, is a vital resource for small businesses that are experiencing financial issues or operational challenges. The company provides an array of services, including business analysis, entrepreneurial coaching and social marketing, to assist both service and product-focused businesses that are performing below their peak or need assistance in expanding. Based out of San Diego, California, BFC Ventures, LLC, has nearly twenty years of experience in the venture capital industry. Its team of experts specializes in rapid growth and problem-solving with the ultimate goal of doubling or tripling a business owner’s revenue.

Fred Gaston

(Free-Press-Release.com) September 9, 2009 --
BFC Ventures, LLC, announced today that they have entered into a long-term partnership with Frederick Gaston, shareholder and business attorney at the law firm of Gaston & Gaston, APLC. Prior to joining forces with BFC Ventures, LLC, Gaston has led a commendable career. He came to San Diego after serving his country in the U.S. Navy where he spent several years working in the intelligence community. He graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law and began work in the areas of business litigation, business dissolution and contract disputes. As a shareholder at Gaston & Gaston, he continues to focus on these areas while continuing to work in the area of general civil litigation. He carries a long list of professional achievements, but most notable are his contributions to the San Diego County Bar Association General Civil Litigation Section and San Diego County Bar Association Law School Relations Committee, where he sat at both committees as Co-Chair.

For further information, please contact BFC’s Public Relations Department at 619-528-1300 x110 or by way of e-mail at Vivian@BFCVentures.com.
GRE exam papers study material free, free crossword puzzle maker, driver download


About BFC Ventures, LLC: We are a venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs and their organization to grow the company in return for equity. Founded by Adam Blejski, BFC Ventures, LLC, is a vital resource for small businesses that are experiencing financial issues or operational challenges. The company provides an array of services, including business analysis, entrepreneurial coaching and social marketing, to assist both service and product-focused businesses that are performing below their peak or need assistance in expanding. Based out of San Diego, California, BFC Ventures, LLC, has nearly twenty years of experience in the venture capital industry. Its team of experts specializes in rapid growth and problem-solving with the ultimate goal of doubling or tripling a business owner’s revenue.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Why wait


I sat in my room one night and thought to myself, "what am I waiting for?". I was 19 and didn't listent to anyone or anything, I was the smartest man in the world in my eyes. Man was I am idiot. I then sat in a friends house in college in the middle of the day, in between classes, and listened to the roommates talk to each other about getting the mail. "I should go get the mail" they said over and over again. As they continued I thought back to that night and just got up and got the mail for them.

The purpose of this little memory is to convey that we all have our hesitations and most of us never actually do what we want to. This is because we don't put in the work to make it happen. Nothing magically appears, it is earned, even from yourself. If you break it down the way it should be done you will find that we are all products of our own habits and those habits are made daily. If you are in good shape, its because you chip away at it and grind it out. If you are smart, its because you study and pay attention. Work ethic is nothing different, you have to start by grinding. The next time you find yourself thinking about having to do something, just shut your eyes and run right at it. When you find yourself saying, I need to take out the garbage, just get up and do it--over and over again. I would bet your life increases in meaning over night.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009


More true words have never been said from the mouth of a politician. We are treating this down turn in the economy as if we had just gotten hit with another airplane or a bomb. The recent economic concerns are mirroring those of the 9-11 crisis. We are held by our ongoing fear for the worst and have forgettn about looking for the best in life. If this is consistantly done we will never get out of the hole. Staying positive is 90% of rebound. If we lose site of that we truly have to expect this time period to extent to our kids.

Join me in a test. Together lets wake up in the morning (which is a blessing by itself) and look to the positives in life that we have. Let's divert the attention to the things that make us the happiest and focus on the positives in life. If we start small it will be easier. Let's send out a positive email to someone we know thanking them for what they do or how they make you feel everyday. That is fun and simple and will change your attitude for the rest of the day, I assure you.

I am a big fan of Churchill and love his passion for life. He was one of the most interesting people in the history of the world and has been quoted left and right since he was born. This quote made me laugh, but more importantly it taught me that life is precious. He lived his life based on his values and never backed down from anyone. He used his talents to their max and overacheived where others failed and gave up. This quote is the basis for what life should be. What confidence in his actions!

I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.

-Winston Churchill

Use Your Vision Not Your Sight

IT is so easy to go through life with blinder on and look for the obvious. The true freedom that exists in this world is from within. Listen to life and use your vision. See, vision is different; it finds the god or the angle in things. Sight simple looks at something. For instance, the other day I caught every stop light in the country. I was headed home and hit a light in the middle of an empty street. It felt like I looked at that color red for 20 minutes. I thought, like a normal person, this is great another red light why me. Then I stops and used my vision, I saw that life was telling me to stop and take a minute to appreciate what I have and how lucky I am to live where I live. A truly freeing feeling. Through every dark night comes a bright day......this is unless you see the light in the darkness, then every day is a bright one!

Eric Rice

Remember when we all had pagers?

Remember when we had nothing like the tools of today? Remember when knowing the person that lived next door was important? This is all taken advantage of daily it seems. Look, it wasn't even 10 years ago that less than 50% of us had cell phones and now 5 year olds have them. Speaking of cell phones, remember talking on them? Remember hearing the tone of peoples voices and not just the typing of little fingers? Get back to it. Get back to real life. If you are going to use a vehicle like Facebook or other forms of social media, than USE IT!!! Make it a tool to connect and be in touch with those you love, those you work with and those you want to work with. Don't be afraid to be you!!! Let the truth be told, we all have this amazing device in hand, do we use it properly? With great communication tools come great obligations. Meet a friend on Facebook for a cup of coffee once a week and see what it does to your home life, social life and business. It feels great to meet new people and start new journeys, but don't let it pass you by.

Nothing Else Matters

Often times we find ourselves in tough spots and this is the basis of life if we really break it down. Life isn’t easy and it isn’t fair, but it is beautiful if done right. Let’s all not forget the most important things in life. We seem to focus on money and “things” too much, myself included. We all have a tendency to try and run through a wall that stands in our way instead of figuring out if we can go over or around it with less pain. These blinders will handicap you from achieving true wealth. By true wealth I don’t mean money in the bank (though that helps), I am talking the oldest of definitions. Where I come from true wealth is measured by the amount of those you have touched and those that love you. This is the true meaning of wealth. Take care of those around you and forget about yourself for a while. You will see your wealth jump through the roof and truly understand why we all go through these tough times, which is to see how we get out of them. Forget about working for a day and spend some time with those you love, no TV, no radio, no distractions, just them and you. Let me know how it goes.
My Mom loved Blue Roses and they always remind me of her, this was her advice to me and I would like to share it with al of you.

The Power Of Words


It is amazing to me to see the true power of saying something. Every single day people say things that are and are not true. When people really like someone they say the most amazing and flattering things, some of which may be a bit glorified, but mostly true. When they do not like someone they say the most hateful and horrible things you can imagine, ironically most of which are not all together true. This is human nature, we all do it. The thing that makes it powerful is the fact that we all have the power to control the masses. We all have the power to make a person or break a person with a single story or phrase. This is something mankind is not using right.
William Wallace, the Scottish liberator, is a prime example of the first part of this power. He was a man of average size and weight, yet his countrymen thought he was as tall as a mountain and as strong as the Gods, because he was loved for what he did by making them free again. This reputation grew and made him a legend of the known world and gave Mel Gibson a reason to make a movie ;). Since I don't personally know many really famous people with bad reputations I don't have an example there, but, think of the people in your life. Think of all the times someone told you what a monster someone else was and when you met them they were as nice as could be, there are hundreds of day to day examples of this in my life, how about yours? For example, in Vegas, I met a famous poker player that no one would say is a nice guy from watching him play on TV, no one. He had a rep that scared most people away from even talking to him. When I bumped into him I introduced myself and hit it off with him right away. Within a minute I could tell you this guy had a bad beat from gossip and confusion. He is a mean competitor and often times makes the whole room mad at him for what he says, but in the end he was a teddy bear. Honestly one of the coolest people I have met in a while.

The power that we hold is so strong that it reminds we of simple free will, which we were all granted and have all abused to an extent. Remember this power when speaking about someone. If you like them, don't make then unreal, or too much to really be real. Tell it the way it is. If you don't like someone, don't be so selfish as to cut off the chances of that person making a new friend. It is only our job to judge ourselves and that is all. In the end who do you know, who do you really know? The answer can only, truly, be you. So if you don't "really" know anyone, don't say anything to build them too high or trash them too low, it will make YOUR life simpler. Love your neighbor and respect your enemy, it’s the only way to live.


Sometimes I just get the urge to write based on the things that I have encountered in the day. With so much to complain about and so many excuses in this world, why is it that I continue to see the good. I continue to see that the most important thing in this world is the love that you give out and the efforts you make. Sure, some of them will fall short, but in the end if you are giving it a try you will always be a success.

So in this piece I am saying to the world, PRAISE THE ONES YOU LOVE!!! Dont forget to say thank you to those that serve you, in any way. Make it a point to look at your wife, your kids, your friends, your husband and even your enemy and say thank you for the things they have given to you. Really break down all the things that your family and friends do for you and make it a point to say thank you. Those words alone are a payment to people that has been forgotten.

Isn't it true? Isn't doing something for a simple thank you a reward by itself? The small things in life are the important ones. Open the door for your wife, bring a guest a drink, pick up something you didn't drop, bring your Dad his paper, whatever it may be,
SAY THANK YOU when it is done for you. Showing respect to those you love is the most important thing in the world. Make it a point to use the power of the words, THANK YOU, at every opportunity for a week and watch your relationships blossom and your life become more peaceful. Show the ones you love, that you love them. Show a stranger respect and the world becomes less confusing and
frustrating. Appreciate the moment and the people in your life, stop worrying about the problems of the times. The times are just that, time, and time marches on with or without us.

Its time to look at all your options

If you own a business or are an independent contractor and make your own money you need to step it up these days. Most people have the ostrich syndrome when things get a bit tough. I see it everyday, business owners hoping that things will get better without making a change. Still not using the internet? Still not using the networks that you belong to? This is a problem. Take whatever you used to make money 3 years ago and forget it even existed, this is a different day and time. We all have to be on our toes and nimble.

I posted a question on my wall asking if we had hit the bottom yet and the grand majority of the people have stated that we have not and some even stated that we have a long way to go. So when times are bad we have to look at the whole picture. Are people buying anything? Are people covering up and protecting what they have? How do you still make money during those times. These are the wuestions you have to ask yourself. You cannot be afraid to let loose and take a gamble in these times. Businesses that hold on to every cent without making moves will fail, it just won't happen as fast. Don't forget to find all those little ways to save on costs for promotion and advertising, they make all the difference in the world. Costly marketing can be good if you can stomach the turn time, but there are so many free ways to market, keep your eyes open.


Using Social Media To Create Clients For Life


Use social media to create clients for life

By Brian Tomkins


Social media has become the buzz at business conferences across the country in 2009. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Blogs are the best known forms of social media today.

Although some of these tools have been around for several years, business owners now realize that they may be the best way to promote their business on a tight budget. Most business owners see social media as an inexpensive way to advertise but, it’s also an inexpensive way to build lasting relationships with your customers.

A strong client for life program is one of the most important pieces of any marketing strategy. Most companies spend most of their marketing budget on advertising to new customers, but finding new customers can be difficult and expensive. It’s always easier to farm than it is to hunt.

Traditional client for life programs include regular mailings, holiday cards and sometimes a calendar with your picture. These mailings are basically stay-in-touch tactics. The goal is to be the first person or company that customers or referral partners think of when they need your product or service.

In the last 10 years, companies have added e-mails to their client for life programs, which can be less expensive than mailings. All of these traditional techniques have been effective in the past, but social media has opened the door to new possibilities and higher customer expectations.

People don’t like being talked to and they dislike being marketed to even more. A good friend is a friend who listens. A good business is a business that listens.

Web sites such as Facebook and Twitter open the lines of communication between a business and its customers. The companies that have found early success in social media have learned to actively engage their customers and most importantly, listen.

The first step to a successful, social media-driven, client for life program is to listen. The more you know about your customers, the better you can serve them. Companies used to spend thousands of dollars for the market research social media can provide for free. If you want to learn more about your customers, look and listen as they give you access to their lives. They will share their likes and dislikes.

Most importantly, they will share their successes and challenges. Twitter offers tools for you to listen to when people are talking about your specific product or service.

The next step is to stay in touch. Facebook allows you to see pictures posted by your customers. These pictures could be of a newborn child, an anniversary celebration or a graduation. All of these are excellent opportunities for you to offer congratulations. Referral partners may also share their successes and challenges.

This is another great opportunity for you to offer your congratulations or support. The posting of helpful articles and links is easy to do with social media and can provide additional value. Every time you post something, your picture or logo accompanies your post.

Finally, the most important step in a successful, social media-driven, client for life program is to build relationships through communication. We prefer to visit a restaurant where the owner comes out to greet us personally and asks if everything was OK.

Two-way communication will be appreciated by your customers more than any other gesture. If they have questions or concerns, your response and interaction will help build strong personal relationships. We have often heard that customers will buy from people they “know, like, and trust.” While that is true to the sales process, it is even more important to the client for life process.

Customers remain loyal to companies that listen and address their personal concerns. They will always feel connected to a business owner that they feel they can talk to. If the success of your business is based on the relationship you have with your customers, then it is important to make building and maintaining these relationships a priority.

How do you know if you are using tools like Facebook and Twitter effectively? Look at your Facebook wall. Do you see comments on your posts? On Twitter, how often do people re-tweet your tweets? Are your updates one-way communications or are you actively engaging your followers?

Brian Tomkins is chief of operations for Nextvoice247, a multimedia company that combines traditional Marketing and PR techniques with innovative Social Media strategies. He helps his clients brand themselves and build strong relationships by supplementing traditional marketing techniques with online social media. He utilizes Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Blogs and other online tools to build communities and connect his clients to their target audience.

Social media helps chambers of commerce connect

Social media helps chambers of commerce connect

By Brian Tomkins

While speaking at many chamber of commerce events this year, I always emphasized the importance of each individual business using social media. I now realize that chambers themselves could be more effective if they implement a social media strategy.

Social media includes blogs, social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, and video sites like YouTube and Ustream. These sites have been great for reconnecting old friends and building business relationships, but they can also be the missing link for chambers across the country.

Blogs

Every Chamber should have a blog on their Web site. The gold standard in blog platforms is WordPress, which can be added to any existing Web Site. The link should be www.yourchamber.com/blog. A blog will dramatically increase traffic to the chamber’s site, which will in turn increase clicks on advertisements and chamber member links.

A blog and Web site with heavy traffic will increase the value of the chamber membership. Many chambers already send out monthly newsletters via e-mail to their members and send regular mailings to their residents. You don’t have to be twice as creative here. The content in your newsletters can easily be copied and pasted into your blog. This blog is now search engine friendly. Anyone searching Google can now find your blog and will now visit the chamber Web site.

There will always be a struggle to create good content. Chamber officers should contribute regularly, but the chamber members themselves should also be invited to contribute as guest bloggers. By inviting the chamber members and officers to the blog, you are working collectively to drive traffic to the chamber Web site and to its respective business sites.

Someone may click on the blog link to read a post by the local realtor, but while they are there, click on a post written by the local florist. This blog is now connecting the business owners to each other and they are working collectively to promote each other’s businesses.

Facebook, LinkedIn and more

Every chamber should have a presence in social networking sites. These sites help build strong relationships by always putting a face to a name and helping chamber members learn more about each other by staying connected between meetings.

Almost all chambers host regular networking opportunities for their members. These events have tremendous value for building relationships between chamber members. Invitations are usually sent out via e-mail or mail. The problem is that this communication is closed-ended and doesn’t build communities.

Every time a member RSVPs to an event invitation posted on social media, the information is shared with their entire social network. They are not only sharing that information with other chamber members within their network, but also with potential chamber members. Events tend to grow virally when social media is used.

Social media also provides subtle reminders to the invitees. Every time a guest RSVPs, everyone in the network gets a gentle reminder. Also, as chamber members update their status, saying they are leaving the office to head to the chamber event, their network is reminded again. Once the members leave the event, the cycle begins again and they remain connected online until the next meeting.

YouTube and Ustream

If pictures are worth a thousand words, videos are worth a million. Almost everyone has watched videos on YouTube. When someone does a Google search, videos get very high search engine rankings.

Every chamber should have a YouTube Channel. They are free and can host short 30- to 60-second commercials for every chamber member. This is also an excellent opportunity to showcase videos of chamber events. Videos will help connect chamber members and help promote their businesses to their customers. Videos are the next best thing to meeting someone in person.

Ustream may seem a little complicated, but it is free and as easy to set up as an e-mail account. Ustream allows you to broadcast any event live and then it stores the recordings. These recording can also be added to YouTube and Web sites.

Many chamber members are not as active as they could be in monthly meetings or committee gatherings. Ustream allows the chamber and the businesses to stream live video at anytime and store it for future reference. Business owners that cannot leave their office to make a meeting can watch online and interact live via chat. They can even volunteer, ask questions or share comments for a meeting they were not able to attend, or watch the recording when convenient.

Next Step

All of the above tips are free and can be helpful in growing chambers and the businesses of members. Social media will never replace a good old handshake or the exchange of business cards, but it is a great way to supplement these traditional methods of business networking.

As businesses and chambers struggle to stay ahead of the economy, social media may make the difference. Many chambers have seen a dip in membership this year, and social media may be the best way to bring value to existing members, encourage members to return or find new members. I encourage all of you to become active in your local chambers of commerce and become active in social media to make the rest of 2009 a success and 2010 your best year ever.


Brian Tomkins is chief of operations for Nextvoice247, a multimedia company that combines traditional marketing and PR techniques with innovative social media strategies. He helps his clients brand themselves and build strong relationships by supplementing traditional marketing techniques with online social media. He utilizes Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Blogs and other online tools to build communities and connect his clients to their target audience. Contact him at BrianTomkins@nextvoice247.com or follow him on twitter @BrianTomkins.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Live Battle Marches On

Sep 14, 2009 – Ryan Dickie, President of LiveBattle USA, announced today that his company would be teaming up with San Diego State University’s ROTC for their fall 2009 events. “SDSU’s ROTC is a reputable and vivacious establishment within the San Diego area. We are ecstatic to be working with such a like-minded organization,” Dickie was quoted. The partnership between LiveBattle USA and SDSU ROTC ensures that both organizations will be present at future SDSU Aztec Football tailgates as well as the highly-anticipated yearly MCAS Miramar Air Show, which is set to take place on October 2-4, 2009. Not to mention, LiveBattle USA is also in the process of adding several more events to their fall and winter line-up.

For full details of LiveBattle USA’s events, please visit their Events Page at www.facebook.com/live.battle. If you are interested in LiveBattle USA for fundraising, corporate teambuilding or licensing, please contact Ryan Dickie at 619-851-6580 or by way of e-mail at Ryan@LiveBattleUSA.com.

# # #

About LiveBattle USA: LIVEBATTLE USA, known as BATTLEFIELD LIVE! and LIVE PLAY in Europe and Australia, has been around for nearly two decades. By using the same infrared technology used to train US and UK special forces, the company has taken interactive gaming to the next level. Never mind the expense, potential danger, and liability of paintball or the short range of fire found in its ancestor LaserTag, LIVEBATTLE USA represents the next evolution of gaming. The game offers an extensive portfolio of special forces designed of gaming options from outdoor to indoor play, one-on-one or team play and an endless variety of games such as “Take Out the Sniper”, "Urban Assault", "Protect the VIP" and “Disarm the Bomb”.

Congrats Live Battle

Great Stuff ryan Dickie and Live Battle!!!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Advanced Social Media Education & Your Business in San Diego


Brought to you by

Brian Tomkins & Eric Rice

Join us for a night that may change the course of your business forever.

Learn how to monetize your time spent on Social Media

Walk out with techniques you can utilize IMMEDIATELY

to grow your business.

Learn how to:

Brian Tomkins from Chicago, IL helps entrepreneurs by teaching them how to utilize Social Media, Video, and Blogs to increase sales, brand themselves and drive more traffic to their websites.

Eric Rice of BFC Ventures, LLC, has years of experience in the venture capital industry. BFC Venture's team of experts specializes in rapid growth and problem-solving with the ultimate goal of doubling or tripling a business owner’s revenue.

If you own a business you need to be there, seats still open.

SAVE $$$ and PREPAY ONLINE

$127 online $147 at the door

Marina Village
1936 Quivera Way Suite D6
San Diego, CA

QUESTIONS Vivian@bfcventures.com

or (619) 528-1300 ex 110

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

The Power of Social Media For Your Business- San Diego

The Power of Social Media For Your Business
in San Diego
Brought to you by
Brian Tomkins & Eric Rice

Join us for a night that may change the course of your business forever.
Learn how to monetize your time spent on Social Media
Walk out with techniques you can utilize IMMEDIATELY
to grow your business.
Learn how to:
Strategically promote yourself and your company.
Make REAL contacts online
Drive traffic to your website & Increase your Google Rankings
Build relationships with potential clients and referral partners.
Build a massive network.
Maximize your time on Facebook.
Communicate via Twitter effectively.
Learn other FREE ways to make a fortune with your business.

Brian Tomkins from Chicago, IL helps entrepreneurs by teaching them how to utilize Social Media, Video, and Blogs to increase sales, brand themselves and drive more traffic to their websites.
Eric Rice of BFC Ventures, LLC, has years of experience in the venture capital industry. BFC Venture's team of experts specializes in rapid growth and problem-solving with the ultimate goal of doubling or tripling a business owner’s revenue.

If you own a business you need to be there, seats still open.
First floor conference room
3443 Camino Del Rio S
San Diego, CA

QUESTIONS Vivian@bfcventures.com
or (619) 528-1300 ex 110

http://sandiegosept3workshop.eventbrite.com/

Brian Tomkins Thursday Night

Join Brian Tomkins Thursday Night for an event that will reshape the way you do your business and promotions. This is a social media workshop and it is only offered this night. Join us and learn all the latest tools and tricks to the social media game.

What a great opportunity

IDA might just be the best opportunity out there for anyone that is trying to make ends meet and needs more money. It might be the best opportunity for people, period. The product they seel is the CDRP account and it basically makes sure that drivers never have to sweat over writing a check for their duductible ever again. They also help the driver lower their monthly premiums to the insurance companies, saving tons of money over time. The opportunity is simple, sign up, get a couple people under you, have everyone sign up their friends and family so everyone saves money and cash your checks, easy.

For more information click here
http://sandiegosept3workshop.eventbrite.com/?ref=esfb

The Power Of Social Media And Your Business

The Power of Social Media For Your Business

in San Diego

Brought to you by

Brian Tomkins & Eric Rice

Join us for a night that may change the course of your business forever.

Learn how to monetize your time spent on Social Media

Walk out with techniques you can utilize IMMEDIATELY

to grow your business.

Learn how to:

Brian Tomkins from Chicago, IL helps entrepreneurs by teaching them how to utilize Social Media, Video, and Blogs to increase sales, brand themselves and drive more traffic to their websites.

Eric Rice of BFC Ventures, LLC, has years of experience in the venture capital industry. BFC Venture's team of experts specializes in rapid growth and problem-solving with the ultimate goal of doubling or tripling a business owner’s revenue.

If you own a business you need to be there, seats still open.

First floor conference room

3443 Camino Del Rio S

San Diego, CA

QUESTIONS Vivian@bfcventures.com

or (619) 528-1300 ex 110