Cincinnati Innovates!

Put on your thinking caps and start creating ideas. If you have an idea that you think might just fly — submit it online to Cincinnati Innovates and you could win money to get your idea launched. CincyTech, The Haile Foundation and TaftLaw along with a host of supporting organizations have created the Greater Cincinnati Regional Innovation Competition that will start on May 1. The deadline for all entries is September 1 — so get started and start thinking!

Cincinnati Innovates

Advisory Boards – Guidance for your Biz

It’s lonely at the top — and your board of directors may not be as available or have the best perspective on testing ideas you want to present to your board of directors. John Mariotti blogs some great ideas at American Express Open Blog along with more links to download information on board of advisors.

One other way to use your board of advisors is on an ad hoc basis. While you may want to convene an advisory board meeting several times a year, most advisors welcome the occasional phone call or lunch meeting one-on-one to help you think through issues. And for the cost of a lunch, you can get some pretty good advice.

Warning: Make sure that when you ask for advice, that you take the opportunity to use it or communicate why your attempt at using it did not work. Do not make these meetings 100% update on the business. Advisors can read updates ahead of time — focus on the future and decisions that need to be made — not history!

Leveraging LinkedIn!

Guy Kawasaki writes 10 great ways to use LinkedIn to help your business. LinkedIn has become an integral part of the fabric of the business web. Over 8 million users and growing with connections growing stronger every day. Use any or all of these ideas to energize your company!