Portland Business, entreprenuers, and startups

Mar14

“If you aren’t thinking about body language you are missing out on using 93% of your communication ability.”

Vanessa Van Edwards

Science of People

http://www.ScienceofPeople.org

The Science of People is curated by Vanessa Van Edwards who travels around the country sharing the latest research with audiences.

As an acclaimed writer and behavioral investigator, Vanessa is a professional people watcher—speaking, writing and cracking the code of interesting human behavior for audiences around the world.

Vanessa is a published Penguin author and a Huffington Post columnist. She regularly gives keynotes and appears in the media to talk about her research.

The Science of People works with companies, brands and individuals on how to use body language, nonverbal communication and human lie detection in the business environment.

MO: Can you recall the moment when you decided that you wanted to become a professional people watcher?

Dec2

No Comments

“Our entire culture is built on fear, you can see it everywhere, from the books and magazines we read to the commercials on TV, if you want to break through and succeed, it’s imperative you break through the fear limiting growth.”

Chris Behnke

Choose Growth

COO & Co-Founder

http://ChooseGrowth.com

As an experienced executive, entrepreneur, & expert in media, branding & technology, Chris Behnke emits a powerful energy & enthusiasm that are contagious when you meet him in person. He showed an extraordinary talent for business when he co-founded Avalon Technology Group, a small technology company in Portland Oregon, when he was only 19 years old.

As the Co-Founder and COO of Choose Growth Chris is passionate about helping executive and leadership coaches break through the lid on their business for growth in the new economy! Choose Growth is a membership based management services company for professional leadership and executive coaches. Their mission is to equip members to become the best in their industry, to stand out as growth experts in the new economy, and to impact their world with meaning and significance.

Aug8

No Comments

“With returnGuru, we remind people to never miss that return deadline!”

Erica Oesterreich

returnGuru

Co-Founder

http://www.returnguru.com

Everyone has done it! They have missed a deadline to return an item. After that, they are stuck with an unwanted product and out money. With returnGuru, we remind people to never miss that return deadline!

returnGuru is a mobile app that consumers can use by simply taking a picture of their receipt. returnGuru will take over from there and save/process the receipts on behalf of the customer. The customer will be reminded (via an email or App alert) 5-7 days before the last date to return the item. This reminder will also include an online copy of the receipt to enable the customer to make a wise buy/return decision.

MO: Where did the idea for returnGuru come from?

Aug2

No Comments

“The idea of life fulfillment is very important to us at Sage Restaurant Group. We are very focused on constant innovation, and embrace change.”

Peter Karpinski

Sage Restaurant Group

Co-Founder & COO

http://www.sagerestaurantgroup.com

Peter Karpinski joined Sage Hospitality in 2005, charged with founding, creating, and launching what has become Sage Restaurant Group. He has overseen the launch of ten award-winning Sage Restaurant Group concepts, including Temple in Providence, The Corner Office and Second Home Kitchen + Bar in Denver, Mercat a la Planxa in Chicago, Urban Farmer, the Original and Departure in Portland, Braddock’s in Pittsburgh, Toasted Oak Grill & Market in the Detroit area and highly anticipated, Kachina Southwestern Grill in Westminster, Colorado set to open in September 2012.

Sage Restaurant Group is a team of passionate, industry-leading restaurateurs who excel in the realm of F&B operations by creating and operating successful concepts that are distinctly branded, innovative, and highly designed.

Our team creates unexpected, playful, and locally-focused food and beverage experiences that connect with the people who live and work in the communities we serve. Whether joining us for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or lingering over drinks, Sage Restaurant Group’s clientele are hungry for life and eager to savor new experiences in which food is an entrée to adventure.

MO: What initially attracted you the hospitality industry?

Apr4

No Comments

“Organizations interested in profitability, productivity, and sustainability should have mentoring programs. If you are not mentoring, you are not leading.”

Susan Bender Phelps

Odyssey Mentoring & Leadership

Mentoring Expert, Keynote Speaker, Trainer, & Writer

http://odysseymentoring.com/

Susan Bender Phelps is the Chief Navigator at Odyssey Mentoring, a consulting and training company that specializes in strengthening existing mentorship and leadership programs and helping clients build strong programs from the start.

Odyssey Mentoring & Leadership is a corporate training company in the essential skills you need to be an effective mentor, mentee and leader. They work with corporations, professional associations, municipalities and educational institutions. Susan is available to speak at conferences and events.

MO: Where does your passion for leadership and mentoring come from?

Feb23

No Comments

“Our digital marketing strategies aren’t trend-based; tSunela’s recommendations must move the client closer to accomplishing business goals.”

tSunela

JoAnna Dettmann & Kaysha Kalkofen

Co-Founders

http://www.tsunela.com/

Intense physical training (think marathons and ironman competitions) might be a hobby for JoAnna Dettmann, but her athletic achievements are proof of her abilities to identify long-term objectives and create step-by-step paths to success. As the co-owner of tSunela, JoAnna brings the same goal-oriented approach to her clients. She has conceptualized and implemented digital marketing successes for St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Trane, Logan Chiropractic, Energizer, Ameren UE and Fontbonne University.

But she hasn’t done it alone. An early study of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), tSunela co-founder, Kaysha Kalkofen continues to be at the forefront of search engine marketing know-how. With 10 years of industry experience, she has helped clients such as St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Patients First, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Praxair, Scottrade, Aventis Pharmaceuticals, and Showtime enhance their online visibility. Kaysha’s expertise is in search engine optimization, pay-per-click campaigns, link building practices, and web analytics.

Together, in 2006, they established tSunela—a digital marketing firm that provides strategic Internet marketing counsel and recommendation implementation to organizations of any size, in any industry. Six years later, tSunela has a headquarters in St. Louis, MO and a satellite office in Portland, OR.

MO: How did the two of you meet? How long did you know each other before you decided to create tSunela together?

Nov29

No Comments

“Most entrepreneurs I’ve met had some sort of epiphany one day at work or at home, and left their jobs within days if not weeks. For me, it was more black-and-white.”

Kent Lewis

Anvil Media

President & Founder

http://www.anvilmediainc.com/

With a background in integrated marketing, Kent Lewis left a public relations agency in 1996 to start his search engine marketing career. Since then, he has focused on helping clients solve business problems via the Internet.

Lewis founded digital marketing agency Anvil Media, Inc. in 2000, to help clients grow their businesses via search engine and social media marketing. In 2008, he created Formic Media, a sister agency to Anvil, specializing in digital marketing and website development for small business.

Lewis enriches his personal and professional life by co-hosting a weekly Internet radio show, DadsUnplugged, and honing his business acumen via The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO).

MO: What was the turning point in having a secure agency job to starting your own business?

Nov1

No Comments

“One profession taught me how to understand, synthesize, and simplify, and the other taught me how to break huge, multi-layered campaigns and objectives into doable, easy to communicate, and trackable pieces.”

Charlie Gilkey

Productive Flourishing

Principal

http://www.productiveflourishing.com/

Charlie Gilkey, the principal of Productive Flourishing believes in helping creative change-makers and entrepreneurs thrive in life in business. Productive Flourishing helps creatives convert those great ideas and intentions into effective action.

They host a micro-business incubator called Lift Off Retreat where in three days they guide participants through the business-building process. Participants walk away grounded in their vision for their business, its strategy and an effective, doable plan of action.

MO: Tell us what in your background led you to Productive Flourishing and Lift Off Retreat?

Sep1

No Comments

“After going through cancer treatments and facing my own mortality, I wanted to do something that I enjoyed every day and would make a difference to other people’s lives.”

Haralee Weintraub

Haralee.Com Sleepwear

Founder

http://www.Haralee.com

Haralee Weintraub created a company around a need that she saw in a niche market. When breast cancer threw Haralee into menopause she couldn’t find anything comfortable to sleep in, so she left her job at a Fortune 100 company, and created the solution. Haralee.com Sleepwear.

The sleepwear sold at Haralee.com is designed from moisture wicking material that removes the sweat from your body and creates a more comfortable night sleep.

Aug4

No Comments

“Our market is really any website that wants to have more user engagement and know more about those users.”

Larry Drebes

Janrain

CEO & Founder

http://www.janrain.com/

Joining me today is Larry Drebes of Janrain. Janrain is a company that provides it service to over 300,000 websites, and you may have used the service yourself. If you have gone to a website and have logged in using your Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google account, you may have been using a Janrain service.

Larry, thanks for joining me today. Can you just start telling us a little bit about Janrain? Give us some background.

Larry:
Sure. We’re a startup in Portland, Oregon. We have a suite of SaaS products that provide user management functionality to websites, everything from authentication – so onboarding account, the user might already have a Facebook or Google or Yahoo – to actually storing the profiles and acting as a user database for the website. We do have a great distribution network. We do have free offerings. We do have more enterprise offerings that have more features and more support.

Spotlight: Portland, Oregon

Spotlight Interview: Gordon Logan

Spotlight Interview: David Allen

Spotlight Interview: Chris Babel

“If you aren’t thinking about body language you are missing out on using 93% of your communication ability.”

“Our entire culture is built on fear, you can see it everywhere, from the books and magazines we read to the commercials on TV, if you want to break through and succeed, it’s imperative you break through the fear limiting growth.”

“With returnGuru, we remind people to never miss that return deadline!”

“The idea of life fulfillment is very important to us at Sage Restaurant Group. We are very focused on constant innovation, and embrace change.”

“Organizations interested in profitability, productivity, and sustainability should have mentoring programs. If you are not mentoring, you are not leading.”

“One profession taught me how to understand, synthesize, and simplify, and the other taught me how to break huge, multi-layered campaigns and objectives into doable, easy to communicate, and trackable pieces.”

“Our market is really any website that wants to have more user engagement and know more about those users.”

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