A Tribute To Fathers - June 20, 2010 - Segment One

J.D. Roth, Founder and CEO of 3Ball Productions, discusses his experiences in the world of television production. J.D. has created and executive produced prime time and cable reality shows like The Biggest Loser and Beauty and the Geek, and says his business started with a passion for wanting to tell great stories. The best advice he can give someone who wants to start a company is “ignorance is bliss.” As J.D. explains, he had no idea at 21 years old that you weren’t supposed to go in a meeting and ask a network executive for millions of dollars to produce an idea. In J.D.’s opinion, too much information sometimes is bad and not knowing gets rid of any fear. In other words, “if you don’t know that it’s beyond limitation, you can ask for it in a confident way.” J.D. also maintains that knowing what you’re not good at is one of the most important things about running a business. It took him awhile to not want to wrap himself in every aspect of the company, and realize that if you hire really good people, you can step away and let them do their jobs. J.D. compares the situation to the theory of “a finger in everything, but a hand in none.” Once he backed up, he was able to put his hand in what he’s really great at, which is coming up with ideas for shows and then working with his production partner on the creative and executing them out on the field.

2Minutes&More with Betsy Berkhemer and Renee Fraser airs every Sunday at 1pm on KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Tune in for a full hour of tips for business success.

10 Tips In 2 Minutes - Women Making A Difference - June 6, 2010 - Segment Five

Betsy and Renee recap the five clichés associated with success that they want to not simply dispel, but create new and dynamic meanings more relevant with the modern era of business. First is the idea of promoting yourself, a task that many people find embarrassing and awkward. A better approach is changing the concept to “developing your own personal brand,” realizing that you will continually need to update and reinforce your brand, thinking about issues such as “What am I going to stand for?” and “How am I going to create that impression?” Next is the concept of networking, which some think is a tacky term since they’re not going to receptions and networking events just to meet people. However, networking should really be redefined as “relationship building,” so think of your time that you spend networking as building relationships and consider that meeting someone is only the beginning of that process. The third cliché is the notion of looking for mentors, which is not just about identifying some “wise old person” who’s going to advise and direct you. Instead, it should be redefined as “mentor moments,” which might be a phrase someone uses, a story they tell, an observation about how they lead, and they can happen any day, at any time. Fourth is the cliché of making a profit. Certainly, making a profit is always the bottom line in business, but there are actually three bottom lines that need to be considered: One, being impactful in your community by giving back and making a difference; Two, being sustainable as a green business; and Three, making money as a profit. The final cliché needing to be redefined is never using the concept of thinking ‘outside the box’. It makes strategic thinking seem frivolous, and in reality, you have to get past that comfort zone, as it’s a normal part of leading in business and making your business successful.

2Minutes&More with Betsy Berkhemer and Renee Fraser airs every Sunday at 1pm on KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Tune in for a full hour of tips for business success.

Women Making A Difference - June 6, 2010 - Segment Four

Caller Heather O’Connor, Chief Accounting Officer at DreamWorks Animations and the Women Making A Difference winner for Executive Excellence, talks about the characteristics she believes are important for a high-functioning executive. Chiefly, Heather considers motivation, a strong sense of community, and a creative environment as the most important characteristics an executive can possess. As Heather explains, when you bring a strong sense of doing your best, however that gets formulated in your day-to-day work, it really helps your sense of focus and motivates the people who report to you. A good mix of exuding personal warmth and setting a strong example as a credible and reliable leader is the ideal way to keep people motivated, says Heather. When you say something, they understand you are being sincere in what you’re saying and that you take your job seriously, but they also realize it’s important to have a little fun and warmth in their jobs, no matter what position they are in. Lastly, Heather advises executives to do a bit of listening to their guts and trust what they think their ultimate objective is, and not sell themselves short. More importantly, even if they feel they are challenged with a situation that might be bigger than they can handle, it’s essential to realize they don’t have to do it alone.

2Minutes&More with Betsy Berkhemer and Renee Fraser airs every Sunday at 1pm on KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Tune in for a full hour of tips for business success.

Women Making A Difference - CEO Interview - Giselle Acevedo, CEO of Para Los Niños - June 6, 2010 - Segment Three

Interview with Giselle Acevedo, CEO of Para Los Niños and the Women Making A Difference Awards CEO of the Year

Betsy and Renee speak with Giselle about the philanthropic legacy of Para Los Niños and how the agency has evolved today into a powerful force for change. Para Los Niños was founded by Tanya Tull—a mentor of Giselle—in 1980, after reading about the plight of children on Skid Row in the Los Angeles Times. The organization was originally focused on child care for families in downtown Los Angeles, with Tanya pulling together some of her friends, $5,000, and a board of directors to open the first child care center right on 6th Street, an old warehouse that had been an eyelash factory but at the time catered to about 47 children. 30 years later, the agency has expanded to provide a range of what Giselle calls “fully integrated education and social services,” serving about 9,000 youth, children, and families each year. Currently, the agency operates 7 child development centers, a preschool, 3 charter schools, 12 elementary afterschool programs, a youth center for teens located on Skid Row, a mental health center, a work force investment program, a foster care program, and social services in the area of child abuse and prevention.

Giselle observes that people think of a non-profit almost pejoratively, and she very often reminds people that it’s really a business, but to be really successful, you have to be thinking about it as a business with a lot of heart leading to a mission. As a CEO, you have to always make sure that you’re aligning your intellectual beliefs with your actions, and you have to sleep every night knowing who you are and how you lead. In the nonprofit world, Giselle explains, there’s a greater amount of accountability, as your shareholders are your funders, your donors, the people in the community, and you have to make sure you’re not only managing with excellence, but that you understand the community you’re serving, who your population is, and that you’re measuring everything you’re doing. That’s why Para Los Niños has a program—Expectations To Outcomes—in which they measure when a child comes in, when they leave, what kind of services they’re getting, and what their success rates are across all their multidisciplinary approaches.

Giselle shares that the transition from running a for-profit business to directing a nonprofit was a humbling experience in many ways. She notes that, when you’re giving away the money, it’s very different than when you’re asking for it, mainly in that everyone responds to your phone calls. Nevertheless, Giselle has learned to ask for the money because she knows the children deserve it, and if she’s not doing that, then she’s not doing her job. This is a really hard time for nonprofits, Giselle notes, and many people have had to make tough business decisions, no matter what their heart said, because they knew it was the right business decision for the long term viability of the agency. To stand in the face of children and families and say “this program no longer exists” has been very painful, says Giselle, and her friends at other nonprofits have all experienced the 30% drop in giving the industry is currently suffering. For information on the work being done by Para Los Niños, visit the agency’s website at www.paralosninos.org.

2Minutes&More with Betsy Berkhemer and Renee Fraser airs every Sunday at 1pm on KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Tune in for a full hour of tips for business success.