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Saturday, March 19, 2005


Our third featured woman entrepreneur is Elisa Camahort, Founder and CEO of Worker Bees (San Jose, CA), a buzz and online marketing company founded in 2003.

about Elisa Camahort and Worker Bees
Worker Bees (www.workerbees.biz) is a buzz and online marketing company that consultants on everything from new product introduction processes to creating compelling white papers and presentations. The company helps both for- and non-profit organizations leverage the creative and economical world of online marketing, with a particular focus on social media (blogging and community outreach). Camahort founded Worker Bees in 2003 after 15 years in marketing and high-tech, including a stint as Senior Director of Product Marketing at Terayon Communication Systems. She writes a column for the Metro weekly and is the official blogger for the Santa Clara County Democratic Party.


Elisa's Top 10 Tips

1. Ask for an opportunity, even if it doesn't "officially" exist.
A local alternative weekly newspaper was looking for a full-time dining writer. I didn' want to do that, nor did I think it would be practical for a vegetarian to be a full-time dining writer for a non-vegetarian publication. But I wrote to the editor anyway, proposing a periodic column from a vegetarian point of view, and pointing her to my blog where I reviewed restaurants on a regular basis. Five months later, when they were doing a re-design, the editor called and offered me the column. Now it's expanded to a second of their publications. Tip: It never hurts to ask!

2. Figure out how to be an extrovert. Clue: speak with passion & authority
You are your own best marketing tool so get out there and mingle. Networking is work. Participate in relevant online discussion lists. Attend industry events. Speak up in Q&A or discussion portions of conferences. Exhibit your expertise. I have nailed down speaking engagements this way. I even currently have two deals finalizing...in one case I met the person because they were impressed with my comments at a conference, in another case the person was impressed with my participation in a discussion on an online list we both belonged to. Tip: Don't hide your skills and your knowledge; find a way to exhibit them.

3. And what better place to exhibit authority than in a blog?
You can use a blog to establish yourself as an industry expert, as a skilled professional, as an authority. Blogs are inexpensive ways to advertise your business. And blogs are democratic in nature. The smallest company can compete with the biggest for search engine ranking and readership. And don't let anyone in the BlogElite tell you how your blog has to be. You know your customer, your market, your angle better than anyone. Be authentic...and more dynamic than the brochure-ware web site you worked so hard on and haven't touched since! Tip: Expand your brand with a blog.

4. Technology is your friend...when it comes to networking.
Speaking of networking, how easy does technology make it? Very, very easy. Email, IM and even, to a lesser degree, social networking sites allow you to stay in touch with a far greater number of people. Just remember: Networking is not contacting someone out of the blue when you finally need something from them. Networking is building mutually beneficial relationships with people. The benefit may not be immediate, and it may not always be about you! Tip: Use some kind of contact management system, whether it be Outlook, Palm Desktop or something more sophisticated, and stay in touch!

5. Don't abuse that network.
Never make a recommendation you can't stand behind. Never exaggerate your relationships, your experience, your anything. Tip: Even with technology's assistance, your network should be about quality more than quantity.

6. You run the shop...you can make flexible decisions about pricing.
You're no longer the car salesperson who has to check with the manager...you are the manager. When landing a new customer, show them you have an investment in the outcome too. I have done unusual deals to land new clients:
* I called my very first buzz marketing client a Case Study Client and ran one program gratis. I used the results from that program and convinced both that client and several clients in a similar market segment to hire me.
* I have changed a quote from a retainer-based quote to a percentage-of-sales quote to convince a new client I was their partner.
* I have given discounts based on renewing a contract, specials based on running multiple programs vs. one program...my customers feel like they're benefiting. In the end, it ensures me more business.
Tip: Approach each deal as a unique opportunity...and a unique situation.

7. Risk-taking is a part of life, especially the entrepreneur's life.
Striking out on your own and leaving behind a steady paycheck is a risk. Introducing a new idea to the market is a risk. Risk is part of your life, but make sure you know how much you can risk and what your fallback plan is. Tip: The success or failure of your business is not correlated with your success or failure as a person.

8. Don't trap yourself.
I have known too many people who were miserable in jobs at teetering companies, and still went out and bought that million-dollar home or $50K car. Now saddled with a mortgage or car payment, they don't have the freedom to pursue their real dreams. As my salary went up and up and up in the high-tech world, my spending only went up. Sure I bought my modest townhouse, and my nice mid-level car along the way, but I also very consciously kept socking away cash. Even before I launched my business, I knew I didn't want to be trapped by my success. Tip: Don't become the typical American saddled by debt and trapped by their own success.

9. If you work at home, make sure you get out of it.
The temptation when one has a home office is to work 24/7. The computer is always right there, beckoning you, calling you. Make it a task on your list to get out of the house. Try lunches with colleagues! Set aside time on the weekend when you absolutely will not sit at your computer or work. And don't always make that the time you do chores or work out (unless you really love those things.) Tip: You must have some leisure time. And if you have to schedule it like any other task, do so!

10. Count your entrepreneurial blessings...often!
Sure, you have unique worries, but you also have unique advantages. No more being passed over for promotion for some golf-playing buddy. No more watching helplessly as executive management makes the wrong decision. No more working hours that your boss thinks are the most productive hours of the day. You have stresses and worries and concerns. But a part of you originally thought all of that was worth it to be your own boss. Tip: Let that part of you remind you of all the benefits of being your own boss.


Contact Information

Elisa Camahort
CEO and Founder
Worker Bees, "buzz marketing experts"
www.workerbees.biz
408.504.5708

A big thanks to Elisa for her wise words.


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