Our Monmouth Blog

** CHARTER MEETING **

Sponsored by:
Intelligent Office® of Red Bank &
Internet Marketing NJ

When:
Thursday, March 26th, 2009
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Where:
Intelligent Office®
331 Newman Springs Rd.
Bld. 1, 4th Floor, Ste.143
Red Bank, NJ 07701

This event is free by reservation only.

The Monmouth County Business Card Exchange is a quarterly event that provides a platform to network and cultivate new business relationships for business listed in the OurMonmouth.com business directory. Each event will have a guest speaker and will be followed up with ample networking time. We look forward to hosting our first meeting.

R.S.V.P. by March 13th
Phone: 732-740-9600 or Email: info@ourmonmouth.com

The Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce has announced its annual search for outstanding contributions to community enrichment through its 14th Annual Circle of Excellence Award!

Awards will be presented on Thursday, June 4, 2009 at the Battleground Country Club.

All nominations must be received at the Chamber office by Friday, March 13, 2009.

For more information visit the WMCC website. Letters of support with specific examples are required.

Ourmonmouth.com features a Monmouth County Social Services directory.

comScore Releases April 2008 U.S. Search Engine Rankings

According to the May 22nd comScore press release “April 2008 saw Americans conduct 10.6 billion core searches, with Google Sites continuing to gain market share as the leading search engine.”

The report continued:

In April, Google Sites extended its share of core searches to 61.6 percent, up from 59.8 percent the previous month. Yahoo! Sites ranked second with 20.4 percent, followed by Microsoft Sites (9.1 percent), AOL LLC (4.6 percent), and Ask Network (4.3 percent).

There is no doubt Google is the steak and the potatoes in the search industry. If you are serious about improving your Internet marketing ability you need to strongly consider how you can improve your Google search results. Search Engine Marketing should be a part of any businesses marketing plan. Local businesses can make their mark in search if there is a focused effort.

The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk just reported that Home Depot will close 2 NJ locations.

The Home Depot Inc. today announced that it will shutter 15 of its locations nationwide, including stores in East Brunswick and Saddle Brook.

When enterprise level organizations like Home Depot feel the economic crunch the small business owner must take notice. Preparation and planning is key to protect our businesses. Activities such as expense management, creative marketing, and sound business planning is critical to manage your business through a difficult economy.

“Planning without action is futile, action without planning is fatal.” – Unknown

American Recreational Military Services (A.R.M.S), a 501 (c)(3) Public Charity

In order to help the local charity ARMS on its important mission we have volunteered to actively help promote its latest fund raising efforts. Any business or organization making a suggested contribution of $250 dollars or more will receive a thank you on OurMonmouth.com.
A special section on the homepage has been created just to show support from the local business community. Our troops and their families really deserve community support for their sacrifices. Please help us show them that we appreciate their service to our county. You support a great cause and we support your business! Any support or help in promoting this cause is appreciated.

For more information go to the business and community directory of Monmouth County.

Best wishes and thank you!

Complete Press release:

ARMS reaches out to fellow New Jerseyans to help “our own” deployed troops.
This year NJ will experience the biggest troop activation of our National Guard and Reserves since WWII. We cannot continue doing what we have done so well for the past 5 years without everyone’s help. 3,200 troops will be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, they and their families will need comfort both abroad and at home and ARMS can supply this with help from all fellow New Jerseyans. Please help our campaign and donate a tax deductible donation to A.R.M.S.
Red Bank, NJ, April 14th, 2008: American Recreational Military Services (ARMS) an all volunteer 501c3 is asking for your help. This year NJ will experience the biggest troops surge since WWII. We cannot continue doing what we have done so well for the past 5 years without everyone’s help. 3,200 troops will be deployed, they and their families will need comfort both abroad and at home and ARMS can supply this with help from all fellow New Jerseyans.
Our biggest expense is packaging material and shipping cost. The average comfort package that we send to the troops cost about $10.00 in postage to ship. We do not get a shipping cost discount from the U.S. Post Office The content of the packages are all donated by the wonderful school children, parents, church groups, civic groups, veteran organizations and business owners, of NJ. Over the past 5 years we have shipped over 20,000 packages to the troops.
The impact your can make on these families lives with your support cannot be underestimated. Your donations either financial, goods, or time is critical to our success. To show our appreciation of your support OurMonmouth.com has committed to recognize any business, organization, or individual that contributes over $250 with a featured spot on the homepage. OurMonmouth.com is a local business and community directory of Monmouth County.
American Recreational Military Services (A.R.M.S), a 501 (c)(3) Public Charity was founded in 2003 by a group of grass roots volunteers who wanted to give something back to the military and their families. In a matter of months, this small organization had grown from just a handful to more than 325 volunteers throughout the tri-state area. A.R.M.S. continues to provide services to local armories throughout the region. A.R.M.S. supports the area unit Family Readiness Groups, as well as providing direct assistance to family members in need. In addition, A.R.M.S. has been working with the local military bases to address quality of life issues for soldiers and their families.
# # #
If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Ronnie Micciulla, please call (732) 890-4914 or e-mail ronnie@supportarms.org.

There is no surprise businesses are beginning to feel the credit-crisis pinch. Unfortunately there does not look to be any short term relief. As a consumer and business owner I am really concerned about the economy. While I don’t want to forecast more doom and gloom, I think it is time to do a financial plan tune-up. Not only for my personal finances but my business as well.

I recently read a report by Dunstan McNichol of The Star-Ledger that “NJ debt equals $3,478 per resident“.

The debt amounts to $3,478 for every man, woman and child in New Jersey — an increase of $161 from last year’s average. Only the residents of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Hawaii have a heavier per-capita state debt burden, the report shows. As recently as 1996, the state’s average debt load was less than $1,000 per resident and ranked eighth in the nation, the Moody’s report shows.

Overall, New Jersey’s state debt grew by about $1.1 billion last year, an increase of about 4.2 percent over last year’s debt total. That is slightly behind the national average rate of growth, which was 5.1 percent.

Today the APP reported that “Poll finds New Jerseyans feeling gloomy about economy”.

Forty-nine percent of respondents in the poll issued today by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Silberman College of Business said they’re worse off financially than they were a year ago. That’s up from 41 percent in a January poll.

I really hope this passes but with the large burden of municipal and consumer debt in addition to negative consumer sentiment we all need to plan and be prepared for a short-term down turn. What are you doing to keep your business prepared?

The Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Group is coordinating a momentous charity event to help gather essential items for 180 Turning Lives Around. 180, Turning Lives Around, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault in our community. Promotional opportunities available. Donate a door prize – Gain visibility for your business and receive a free event ticket for the young professional in your company. Contact Diana Moore to learn more – 732-431-4440.

Guests are asked to bring an item from the 180 Wish List

When:
Wednesday, January 23, 2008 7:00 PM

Where:
Cue N Brew 1212 State Route 34 # 14, Matawan, NJ 07747 Google Map

Cost:
$10 in advance / $15 at door

This is a great event for a great cause.

The Monmouth County SCORE chapter is offering an opportunity to attend a FREE seminar on how to start a new business. SCORE is a great resource to help new business owners get started.

Areas to be covered include entrepreneurial self-evaluation, preparing a dream plan of expectations and goals, business plan preparation basics, registration and licensing procedures, as well as legal and financing options. Presenters will be Joe Wasilewski, a CPA specializing in small business management, financial planning and control and Al Pescoe, a successful entrepreneur who will review the keys to achieving success with a start up enterprise.

Where:
Monmouth County Library Headquarters, Manalapan 732-431-7242
When:
Wed, 2/13/08 6:30PM – 8:30PM

If you would like to attend, please click here or go to the SCORE36 Web site at www.score36.org and click on the Seminar Schedule tab to access the sign up button. You may also register by calling the library at the above number or the SCORE 36 office at (732) 219-9119.

Wishing you success.

This month I had the opportunity to work with several local businesses from the Monmouth/Ocean Chapter of NJAWBO. NJAWBO is the largest statewide women business owners’ organization in the United States. I was fortunate to work with and get to learn about a few of these successful business owners. It is nice to see so many women expanding their businesses successfully on the Internet, not only in our local Monmouth County New Jersey community but the larger Internet community.I would like to acknowledge their successes:

Bloggers:

eMoms at Home – The Internet Home Business Blog for Moms & Dads – Wendy’s thoughtful and informative blog covers topics like Entrepreneurialism, Blogging, Online Marketing, and Work-Life Balance.

techipedia – Tamar Weinberg’s blog of stuff – Tamar’s passion and knowledge really comes through in her blog about Internet marketing, social networks, and business development.

Surviving NJ – A Jersey girl survives daily life – Deb blogs about herself, family, New Jersey, and life in general.

GoOutJersey – provides reviews, features, regular columns and editorials — all with a tone and approach unique to Jersey.

Local Businesses:

Joanne Moustakas - Independent Senior Sales Director for Mary Kay – Joanne has done a great job with her website.

Seniors A2Z – National Senior Care Directory – Grazina has built an easy to use online index of services and resources for elder care.

Monmouth NJ Real Estate – Tracy is a licensed NJ real estate agent who specializes in Monmouth County, NJ. Tracy is a active blogger and maintains the website supporting her business.

These business owners are just a few who have successfully enhanced their business with technology. It should serve as motivation that you do not need to be a technologist or web developer to be successful on the Internet. The most important ingredients are passion and commitment to excellence.

I recognize that there are many more people that should be listed here. I look forward to your comments.

Wishing you success,

Howard

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