The Golden Gate Business Association

Join the members of the San Francisco Small Business Network for a Mega-Mixer on Monday, February 22nd from 6-8pm at First Bank. The San Francisco Small Business Network (SBN) is a coalition of membership-based organizations in San Francisco representing over 19,000 small businesses. The SBN serves as a voice to the small business community to proactively create change that positively impacts their businesses.

Meet other small business professionals and network with some of the most well-known membership organizations in San Francisco. Enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar and door prizes. First Bank is at 550 Montgomery Street and the event will take place on the 10th floor. Registration is required. This event is free for GGBA members in advance or $10 at the door. Non-members pay $10 in advance or $20 at the door. To register contact Michelle Horneff-Cohen at 415-661-3860.

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The GGBA has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the project management and creative/graphic design of the 2011 edition of The Pride Pages business directory. The Pride Pages is the leading LGBT business directory in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a distribution of 35,000 copies and a shelf-life of 15 months. Unlike purely commercial publications, The Pride Pages features businesses and organizations that have made a commitment to advancing the interests of the LGBT and supportive business community. The GGBA is seeking qualified candidates to submit proposals for this project and all proposals are due no later than 5pm on March 5th. Click here for a copy of the RFP or contact the GGBA for more information.

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In celebration of our 35th Anniversary, the GGBA has partnered with Macy’s to offer a special, limited-time membership offer:

New members who join the GGBA by December 15, 2009, and mention this offer will receive a $40 gift card to Macy’s (while supplies last) and 14 months of membership for the price of 12! Existing members will receive a $25 credit towards next year’s renewal for each new member they refer!

Some additional terms and restrictions apply. Contact the GGBA offices for complete information.

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Are you an Entrepreneur with a great idea, but not sure how to reach more customers, investors, or both?  
  
Are you a Small Business Owner with a great product and service, but feel like your marketing just doesn’t work and you are wasting a great deal of time and money? 
 
If you answered “YES” to any of the questions above, come join GGBA at BizTechDay 2009.  
 
When: October 22-23, 2009 (Thursday & Friday)

Where: Hyatt Regency SFO, Burlingame.  
 
BizTechDay 2009 is a practical, hands-on and experiential Small Business Strategy, Social Media and networking conference where expert speakers and business leaders (from Google, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Yelp, Virgin America, Elance, Constant Contact, Justin.TV, WordPress, CBS 5, and Comcast Business Class) share their insights and experience and help your business get up to speed in this economic downturn.  

Through high-impact keynotes & panels, small group executive round table sessions, hands on demos and one-on-one meetings, you will learn about Raising Money, Selling and Social Media Marketing for your business: 
 
Money Track

• How to Raise $100,000 to 3 Million. Meet Paypal Angel Investor and Founder of the Keiretsu Forum.
• How to Raise $5000 – $100,000 for Your Business.
• How to Access Investment Capital and Make the Federal Stimulus Program Work for You. Meet Experts from the Governor’s office.
• Building Partnerships with Fortune 500 Companies

Marketing / Selling Track

• Building a Strong Business Brand. Meet Experts from Google, Yelp, Linkedin, Facebook & Twitter
• Securing Your Number One Spot on Google
• Selling to the Baby Boomer and GenY Communities
• Selling to Women & the LGBT Communities
• How to Make the Media Love You – join Sue Kwon, Emmy Award Journalist with CBS 5
• 13 Things All Business Owners Must Know About a Compelling Business Website
• How to Use an Email Marketing Campaign to Build Your Database and Close Sales

Social Media Track

• Twittering with the Star with Kevin Rose & Tim Ferriss
• How to Get Media, Celebrity or Blogger Attention for Your Business
• Strategies of Building Your Online Community from Zero to Millions
• Turning Visitors into Customers Using Viral Videos
• How to Market Your Business on Facebook
• How to Make Money on Twitter

You can sign up for one-on-one consultations on raising money, social media marketing strategy, blogging, SEO, Paid Search Marketing, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and many other essential business topics.  
 
We want you to stop wasting time with tactics that produce little or mediocre results and start to forge successfully ahead with the right knowledge, right tools and right connections.  
 
Cost:

• Regular Conference Pass: $595
• 35% Off Conference Pass for GGBA members

Click here to register. Use Discount Code: GGBAEntrepreneur

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The Economic Development Department of the San Francisco LGBT Center is conducting a comprehensive survey of LGBT-owned businesses across the Bay Area. The purpose of the survey will be to gather statistics surrounding the industry, revenue generation, employee base, and some of the unique characteristics that set the LGBT business community apart. This survey is the first of its kind to assemble this hard data, and with it, the Center and GGBA hope to shed light on the current state of LGBT businesses, especially in the current economic context. Take the LGBT Business Survey.

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The GGBA is seeking qualified candidates for its Board of Directors. Individuals must be members in good standing of the GGBA in order to be considered for any position. Directors hold office for terms of up to three years, and all candidates must read and agree to abide by the Board of Directors Commitment Statement, the Conflict of Interest (Directors) and Confidentiality Policy Statement, and all applicable guidelines. The deadline to for our receipt of your declaration of candidacy is September 1, 2009. Declarations may be submitted by fax, mail or in person to Tony Moraga, the General Manager. Please complete and submit the below referenced documents in order to declare your candidacy by September 1, 2009.

Declaration of Candidacy

Board Commitment Statement

Conflict of Interest (Directors) and Confidentiality Policy Statement

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The GGBA will host its quarterly Member Success Workshop on Tuesday, August 18th at the LGBT Center, Room 300 starting at 5:30pm. This provides attendees the opportunity to learn about GGBA’s array of programming, network with their professional peers, sample light hors d’oeuvres and wine and learn the strategies behind becoming everyone’s favorite business.

Sponsored by Zipcar, Barefoot Winery and Sterck Kulik O’Neill accounting group, these workshops provide a forum for prospective, new and/or long-time members to become acquainted with the GGBA as an organization. A component of these workshops is a business growth seminar, moderated by a member of the Sterck Kulik O’Neill accounting group, Inc. team. This seminar will educate attendees on the practices of companies that they themselves recognize to be the industry bests and to incorporate that into their business.

Register in advance for this free event.

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Welcome to the new and improved ggba.com! This has been a long time coming, but we think you’ll agree that the results are well worth the wait. We encourage you to peruse the new site and acquaint yourself with some of the new features. If you haven’t noticed, in 2009 the GGBA launched two new programs, the Member Success Workshops and the Talk of the Town Speaker Series, so please check out our upcoming events page to stay informed.

The GGBA has also gone digital! Subscribe to our blog, become a GGBA fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to see what’s new and exciting.

The GGBA would like to thank Mark Rogers for spearheading this project and Robert Sokol with VIA MEDIA for his valuable input. This is just the beginning so look for additional enhancements in the months ahead!

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The GGBA was proud to have Helen Russell, Co-founder and CEO of Equator Estate Coffees & Teas, presenting at its third Talk of the Town Speaker Series on July 28th at Hotel Vitale on the Embarcadero.  Having started with no more than a coffee roaster in their garage over 10 years ago, Helen and her partner have grown the business to the tune of $4.5 million per year in revenue. Her entrepreneurial story touches on the challenges and struggles it took to overcome obstacles and how they differentiated Equator from such giants that were already well established in the industry.

Quality, service, social responsibility and environmental sustainability are the core concepts of how Equator has managed to grow consistently 10-12% annually for over 12 years. During Helen’s presentation, she said that her company “sells success.” This is accomplished by creating partnerships with her customers to provide training on the coffee that Equator supplies and the know-how to consistently create the same experience for consumers. Creating these relationships has helped Helen not only retain customers, but grow her customer base by obtaining quality referrals from her clients. Helen further explained that her business relied on referrals and, although there was still sales involved, it was more of a pull than a push to get new customers.

Equator Estate Coffees & Teas is definitely a unique success story, as they have become a model for modern-day entrepreneurs to follow. By being able to tell their story to potential clients of the intricacies of how they select their beans, where they come from, how they fairly treat the farmers, how they choose sustainable ingredients and the nature of their company, they provide more than a product; they show a true passion for what they do. This makes their clients aware that they are doing business with more than a company; they are doing business with a group of people who take the time to proactively control their product on every level to ensure not only quality, but fairness.

For more information about Equator Estate Coffees & Teas, please visit their website. The Talk of the Town Speaker Series is proudly sponsored by Joie de Vivre Hospitality, Southwest Airlines and Wells Fargo Bank.

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