GoHuman Blog

To err is Human, but to repeat mistakes is tragic.  Leaders are confident, visionary, often right, and have a hard time seeing themselves. A Business Coach can make the difference between success and failure.

Have you noticed our “Make it Right” button? GoHuman.com was failing to market itself successfully, hurting us and our customers.  As CEO, I needed a Coach to help me fix what I was contributing to.   A good Coach is selective, so I was relieved to learn the one I wanted feels I am “coachable.”

Are you coachable? For your business to grow and expand, you have to be. It can be daunting, if not insurmountable, to be successful in all needed areas. A good Business Coach can help you consistently bring your A-Game.

Not everyone can afford a personal coach, but if you are coachable, GoHuman.com can help.  We’re proud to announce that Carrie Nicolini, a top-notch certified Business Coach, will provide a powerful, weekly blog for the small business owner.  Visit Coach’s Corner, starting Friday.

Check out Carrie’s credentials and friend her on facebook.  Speaking of facebook, here’s a college photo of me and my swimming coach

Reason #1; Reason #2; Reason #3; Reason #4; Reason #5; Reason #6; Reason #7; Reason #8; Reason #9; Reason #10;

Why GoHuman.com?  Reason #11 is Carrie Nicolini

Reason #12

The Triple Bottom Line (TBL) concept of “People, Planet, Profit“ demands that a company’s responsibility be to the people who are influenced in any way by the actions of the firm rather than the people who own it.

TBL is typically discussed in a big business context for two reasons: One, big businesses are by nature the farthest out of human touch with sustainability. Two, if you have to choose one business to make sustainable, a bigger business will have a bigger impact.

But what if we could create an integrated network of small local businesses and independent professionals with an eye on the ecological, economic, and social concepts expressed by the Triple Bottom Line related to their communities?

What if people all over the planet quietly frustrated with the status quo could find the voices of power they’ve lost in the wake of unprecedented corporate growth over the past century?

GoHuman’s vision is a world where these ideals are not afterthoughts, but rather integral and essential elements connecting every community and every business within those communities. We cannot afford for these to be abstract thoughts or luxuries. They are a necessary part of the emerging global consciousness and we need to integrate them into our personal and professional lives by igniting our tribal instincts.

In the United States and other parts of the world, the motivation to adopt this sustainable lifestyle is neither handed down by the government nor encouraged by our existing capitalist economic model. An intricate web of subsidies and loopholes has all but extinguished the basic humanity enjoyed in simpler times in favor of the almighty profit margin.

It’s not all doom and gloom. There is hope. We believe in a better way. It’s the passion that fuels GoHuman and the real people behind it — people just like you with the vision and gumption to do something about it.

It starts simply. It starts with an equitable marketplace that promotes balance amongst the people who use it by rewarding those who provide value with something equitable in return.

It starts with you.

GoHuman supports local businesses and communities through a unique integrated approach to distributed ownership and responsibility. One of the ways we help is by bringing together like-minded companies who are working to achieve the same goals in their communities.

The Seattle Umbrella is Seattle’s only “Local Certification” service. Committed to promoting a sustainable and environmentally friendly local community in Seattle. Once your business is certified local, The Seattle Umbrella is your source for promotion to a highly targeted audience of people who genuinely want to support local business in Seattle.

Use their logo to gain recognition as a local business, as a marketing point, and as a statement that you support your community. Local businesses are the backbone of our community, and they are working to support practices that keep Seattle green, diverse, and sustainable.

Respond by Friday, June 4, and receive a 20% discount on your Seattle Umbrella membership and 6 months free basic subscription to GoHuman.com.

Whom do you trust most when making a decision to hire someone or buy something?

Most likely, you trust people you know: friends who have given you good recommendations, colleagues who have particular expertise, family, etc.

This type of trust has taken on a new form through the Internet and social media. Reviews for products and services are prevalent on GoHuman and elsewhere. These are useful, to be sure, but are subjective in nature.

GoHuman is allying with trusted organizations that promote local businesses. To represent this trust in a reliable and intuitive fashion, we have added a Trust Badge feature to GoHuman, which allows you to showcase your earned certifications, affiliations, and partnerships right along with your business postings, endorsements, and feedback.

Our first Trust Ally was the Green Business League, that provides Green Business Certification. We are working with several organizations to allow their members to proudly display their Trust Badges with GoHuman.

You can help by telling us about the organizations you trust and want to show off with GoHuman. We’ll work together to provide more exposure for you and all your fellow members.

Ultimately this will help your online reputation, which will lead to more trust, which helps get you more leads.

James Wood, of Abbotsford, B.C., Canada just earned one of the coveted Founding Member positions at GoHuman. James is responsible for bringing 200 new members into the GoHuman community. We reward people for contributing value to our community and are pleased to give James this well-deserved award.

James said, “Since being a part of GoHuman.com, it’s changed my life. I’ve met so many small business owners that have enriched the world I live in. They have inspired my own growth, they have rekindled my artistic flame within me, they have dared me to be not good..but great in what I do, each and every day.

”GoHuman.com is not a passing fad. It truly is a family of like minded individuals concerned with the communities they live in, bringing out the best in all, and realizing that we are ONE!”

James, you are truly one of a kind. Thanks for everything you’ve done to support GoHuman over the past year!

If you are interested in becoming a Founding Member of GoHuman.com by joining our grassroots marketing team, just email us.

James is a local business consultant. Call him today for help finding new business opportunities!

GoHuman.com is expanding, and we are taking over Minneapolis/St. Paul!

We are pleased to announce our newest partner; TwinCitiesCheap.com.

Over the past 3 years we have all seen how the financial world will sacrifice the “little guy” at all costs to make their own profits. The small businesses (in the Twin Cities and nationwide) are especially vulnerable to the fluctuations of the economy and have been gravely hurt.

Twin Cities Cheap (www.TwinCitiesCheap.com) has been developed in an effort to combat the unfair advertising climate where the “big box” large businesses and financial organizations overshadow our small business community. We understand that many small businesses also have small budgets for advertising. In response, we offer our website free of charge this year to those businesses who can prove that they are owned & operated here in Minnesota and have 35 or fewer total employees. Starting in 2011, TCC will offer the same attractive advertising spots at a serious discount. Twin Cities Cheap is for the ethical or socially-conscious small businesses who directly benefit their local economy and those who seek to invest in them. All funds have gone into and will continue to grow our site which helps shine the spotlight on our wonderful small business community.

We, as consumers, have more power than we give ourselves credit for. TAKE YOUR COMMUNITY BACK! Save them from the “big box cheap” goods at the “big box cheap” prices, which only makes the USA and our creative people “CHEAP”. Coupons have become Big Business for the big box companies, while they destroy countless trees producing coupons never used. The “little guy” doesn’t stand a chance to compete with them in this arena; and to be honest, would they really want to? We offer the “little guy” of the Twin Cities a safe “arena” to advertise their discounts at an unheard of price! Coupons are only distributed online therefore paper would be used ONLY if a coupon is used. We help the consumer look to their local businesses for what they need, what they want and what they hope for!!

Together, GoHuman.com and TwinCitiesCheap.com are working towards truly changing how your world works.

We’ve been honoring two important themes in April – Earth Month and Autism Awareness Month. Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and we want to help you find ways to create a more sustainable business. We’re also continuing support of our MicroCause for Sunshine supporting autism.

Green is a long-standing buzzword, but what does it mean for your business and community? It’s different for every business and can be difficult to know where to begin. While there is no silver bullet for going green, many great resources are available to help you achieve sustainability.

GoHuman has partnered with Green Globe, providing the premier global certification for sustainability since 1993. Green Globe pioneers what it means to be sustainable and has developed several programs to help businesses achieve sustainability across the planet. They provide independent verification that your business is operating sustainably and in line with Green Globe certified businesses around the world.

Respond today to receive a 10% discount off your Green Globe membership and enjoy these benefits:

• GoHuman Local Marketing Consultant support – we’ll register your business and provide 6 months free at our $5 monthly subscription level.
• Immediate access to the Green Globe Certification System
• The Green Globe benchmarking tool: Green Globe Index
• The Green Globe Environmental Trainings Program
• Listings as “Green Globe Member” on all Green Globe websites
• Access to accredited Green Globe Consultants and Auditors to pursue certification
• Marketing Services provided by Green Globe Marketing
• 10% membership discount applies each year you renew

GoHuman is a marketplace devoted to helping local communities achieve sustainability. Local energy and ideas serve as the foundation for the site’s growth and allow for mutual prosperity. Read more from CEO Wade Fransson about why green energy matters.

We have come to the half-way mark of April, Autism Awareness Month, and are about two months away from our June 15th deadline to raise the much needed money to help this wonderful family in need.  As of April 15th we have raised $8,155.79 of the needed $14,900 to ensure Sunshine gets the treatment he needs at the Autism Treatment Centers of America.  I have had some wonderful success in reaching out to individuals and the Autism Community overall these past few weeks and want to just give a brief recap on those efforts.

I was invited to become a member and post a blog on Autism Blogger, an Autism networking site, devoted to spreading awareness and connecting families who are afflicted with this condition.

I also was invited to join, and subsequently reached out to the creators of Crowdspring, who featured GoHuman and Sunshine’s cause in their Small Business Spotlight of the week .

I was also invited to join, and blog on Autisable, a new Autism community started by the creators of the blogging community, Xanga.

Having just moved to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, I am making friends and spreading the word about Sunshine and GoHuman to any and all I meet.  I was also fortunate to make acquaintance with Karyn Vilendre, owner of Twin Cities Cheap, and hope to be working with her further in the upcoming weeks.

All in all the word is spreading, slowly but surely, and as we gain momentum, I look so forward to the day when we’ve raised the funds to be able to send Sunshine and his family to the Autism Treatment Centers of America.

When I was Publisher of some Manufacturing Management magazines, a group that represented Industrial Distributors asked me to survey our readers — their customers & prospects — what they valued most, aside from product-related attributes such as accuracy and reliability. About 15 items were listed.

To most everyone’s surprise, the customers and prospects ranked “Prompt Response to Needs & Requests” a very close second, only to “Price” which almost always comes out first. What came in #3 wasn’t even close.

“Prompt Response” costs you almost nothing and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to do it. It’s not only a great way to improve sales, it’s also a very inexpensive way to gain goodwill.

Launching a business requires knowing the cost and expenses associated with startup operations. Business owners planning to expand an existing business usually need additional financing. Being undercapitalized is one of the most common mistakes business owners make. Attempting to work on a financial shoe string is not only stressful but can impede the growth of the business for years.

The first step most companies take when seeking private capital is the creation of an executive summary and/or a business plan. Executive summaries and business plans typically provide general information about the company, its business model, goals, etc. While this information is important to investors, it does not provide a basis or structure for accepting capital investments, especially from multiple investors. Business plans are important, especially for start-up companies, but should not be relied upon as investment documents.

Here is the “Best Kept Secret in Funding.” The Regulation D series of funding allows you to efficiently raise the funds necessary for your business, in legal compliance with Security & Exchange Commissions laws. Whether it’s $50,000 or millions, there is a Reg D to answer your requirements.

Offering equity in a privately held company, such as a corporation or limited liability company, without proper exemption from the Securities & Exchange Commission, is in violation of offering securities. The Reg D series of private placement offerings are the exemptions. A Reg D 504 Private Placement Offering is ideal for raising $1 million or less. It’s cost effective, has few restrictions, and is easy to comply with.

Ken Hollowell, CEO/President of Profran Consultants, Inc., is sponsoring this issue by offering a free Reg D 504, a $10,000 value. To apply, provide a one or two paragraph description of your business with the amount you wish to raise, up to $1M. Ken will select the business he feels is the best candidate to generate investor interest, from among the first 20 responses. The other 19 candidates will receive a personal counseling session on how to improve their pitch. GoHuman.com will also upgrade your subscription to our $9 Enhanced Subscription Level for 6 months, free of charge.

You owe it to yourself to learn about methods of raising funds for literally any type of business. Respond today to increase your understanding of funding options to chart your path toward business growth and expansion.