Greetings!

Writing with some great news and some valuable events to keep your business and marketing skills sharp this summer...

Last week, I incorporated Sally On Media Corp., a PR and marketing consultancy. A website will be coming soon, thanks to Emily Lonigro of Lime Red Studio. For the timebeing, you can find me here, on twitter @sallyodowd and on www.linkedin.com/in/sallyodowd.

A big thank you to brother-in-law- Kevin Ryan, whose law firm, Much Shelist, is handling my incorporation and trademarking. The National Law Journal has recognized Much Shelist on its “mid-size hot list.”

I have won my first client, a wealth-management company…more to come on that in due time!

A big thank you to Pete Marino, founder of Dig Communications, for the referral. And thank you also to Julie Thompson, Marc Landsberg of Lake Capital, and Margaret Douglas of the Kellogg School of Management for being references.

Thanks also to Karen Trimberger for her research into high-net-worth individuals as I pitched the business.

As for some business events, please make a point to join the Big Ooga on August 4. Lennie Rose, founder of Chicago-based Big Ooga, will unveil a plan to help entrepreneurs/solo practitioners grow their revenues by matching them to companies that need their services.

Lennie is also partnering with a friend of mine, Paul Caswell, the founder of weavethepeople.com, to make sure that attendee connect with the right people at the event. No doubt about it, you will walk away with actionable insights!

Become a fan of Big Ooga on Facebook and check out www.bigooga.com for more details and to RSVP.

On July 30, two friends, Mark J Carter and Justin Roy, are hosting a Networking for a Cause Event at Fado, the Irish pub. If you are trying to connect with social media wizards, and need advice on how to gain support for your cause, then "Carter" and Justin are your guys.

Speaking of good works, I was fortunate last week to meet Don Kotek, director of IT consulting, at Lumity, an organization that provides IT and financial services to non-profits. If you have a non-profit or if you are an entrepreneur looking for business advice, then please contact Don at dkotek@lumity.org.

And thanks to Avery Cohen, founder of Metrist Partners, an interactive marketing/SEO firm, for having his series of seminars, which take place at Lumity. I attended Avery’s seminar on goal setting last week; as an entrepreneur, I found it immensely helpful. Avery will have three other seminars this summer on SEO, email marketing and social media. For more details on Metrist’s offerings and seminars, please check out www.metristpartners.com.

Another entrepreneur, Jean Pickering, founder of The Tektite Group, is hosting a series of two-hour seminars this summer for small-business owners who want to build their technology skills. On August 25, Jean’s group is hosting an all-day seminar on Building Your Brand Strategy for the Internet.

I also want to thank Guy Kawasaki, who wrote The Art of the Start, and I highly recommend it to anyone starting a business. Guy and I share a favorite book in common: A New Brand World, by Scott Bedbury, the marketing genius behind Nike, Starbucks and other brands.

I think that is enough to keep us all busy for awhile!

See you around the blogosphere and in person J

Sally

Greetings! I just found this great blog by Nicole DeFalco, a fellow alum of Northwestern University. Her most recent post at www.sayingwhatumean.com concerns ways to increase one's influence. I added a comment to her post, noting my belief in networking and a desire to share opportunities with others.

Networking for Entrepreneurs and Companies that Need Their Services

As my readers know, I have been using my blog as a way to recognize the people who are inspiring me to pursue my entrepreneurial interests.

Today, I’d like to note conversations with Lennie Rose and Jim Ylisela in hopes that this information can help you, too.

Lennie Rose is founder of www.bigooga.com, a company that matches entrepreneurs to the companies that need their services. Solo practitioners of many stripes are "getting gigs" and Chicago companies of various sizes are moving their businesses forward--these connections are real and lucrative. If you're an entrepreneur or a company in need of contract or freelance help, then join us tomorrow, July 7, from 6-8 pm at Catalyst Ranch for a networking event.

Lennie has been more than gracious with her time, helping me get organized so that I can build my own business. In return, I am promoting her event. Please spread the word!

Speaking of inspiration, I have known Jim Ylisela since I was 22 years old and a graduate student at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern. I will never forget the assignment where we listened to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream” speech. We were to write a story as if we were there on that historical day. Jim taught us what mattered--that words can make the world a better place.

Today, Jim is an investigative journalist while working with Ragan Consulting, a firm that helps companies improve their communications with their audiences. Allstate Insurance, for example, launched an award-winning publication with Ragan’s help. Jim has advised me to join myragan.com, a community of 15,000 communications professionals, and the International Association of Business Communicators. Word has it that Jim has a new venture or two in the works--Good luck, Jim!

Are people helping you start your own business? What are you learning and what best practices can you share? Let’s make sure our collective ship rises with the tide.