It’s never good to put the cart before the horse, but that’s exactly what many companies do when they dump new technology solutions onto their staff without really understanding their people and processes first.

And you know what happens? Those super expensive technology products or systems fail.

In this episode of Bottom Line IT, host Mike Maddox sits down with Jeff Sage who is the managing partner at Potentia LLC. His work focuses on, “taking the people, processes, and technology aspects of the business and putting it into one mechanism to improve how things are run.”

Every company wants to be more efficient. But if you want to outfit your company with the right technology solutions to accelerate productivity, Jeff’s linear process might be the avenue to get you there.

According to Jeff, you have to first understand your people—who does what for whom and why? Second, you need to understand your process—Are your systems and workflows reflective of how your company should be run? THEN, you leverage technology to help those two components run smoother and quicker. Not the other way around.

And if you’re worried about your employees being resistant to change or not adapting well to new tech, Jeff offers some great insight inside the episode you won’t want to miss!

You can connect with Jeff Sage on LinkedIn and learn more about Potentia at https://www.potentia.cc/

It’s never good to put the cart before the horse, but that’s exactly what many companies do when they dump new technology solutions onto their staff without really understanding their people and processes first.

And you know what happens? Those super expensive technology products or systems fail.

In this episode of Bottom Line IT, host Mike Maddox sits down with Jeff Sage who is the managing partner at Potentia LLC. His work focuses on, “taking the people, processes, and technology aspects of the business and putting it into one mechanism to improve how things are run.”

Every company wants to be more efficient. But if you want to outfit your company with the right technology solutions to accelerate productivity, Jeff’s linear process might be the avenue to get you there.

According to Jeff, you have to first understand your people—who does what for whom and why? Second, you need to understand your process—Are your systems and workflows reflective of how your company should be run? THEN, you leverage technology to help those two components run smoother and quicker. Not the other way around.

And if you’re worried about your employees being resistant to change or not adapting well to new tech, Jeff offers some great insight inside the episode you won’t want to miss!

You can connect with Jeff Sage on LinkedIn and learn more about Potentia at https://www.potentia.cc/

Jeffrey Mosher welcomes Dave Heisey back to the MBN studios to discuss another Crestcom module.

For January's recording - discussing an important communication technique to create a shared understanding.

How many of us have asked our employees to do something only to see the results not what we had envisioned? Everybody has their hand raised, right? It’s a very common issue, and the problem is reflected in the George Bernard Shaw's quote: "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."

Andy Bounds is our Crestcom faculty member with expertise in communication, and has been voted Britain’s Sales Trainer of the Year. He talks about creating the big picture vision of what you hope to accomplish by focusing beyond the “thing” you want, to what the AFTER’s of that thing are. A couple of examples - lot’s of people buy newspapers every day, but nobody really wants a newspaper. They want the news, or the sports or the comics. And nobody wants toothpaste, they want cleaner teeth or fresher breath.

So when you ask for a report, you don’t really want the report, you want what you can do with the report (keep up on team progress, understand vendor performance, understand financial performance, etc…). There are questions you can ask of yourself, and that you can train your team to ask, that will help both you and them focus on the AFTER’s of any request that you might make.

Listen to Jeffrey and Dave discuss AFTER’s and how and why this skill is essential for leaders at all levels of your organization.

MBN was on the road to Sparrow Hospital to talk with Rebekah Wolff about a Keith Urban inspired drive that brings in over 200 stuffed monkey to the Sparrow Children's Center.

Sparrow remains the only hospital in Michigan to receive stuffed monkeys from superstar singer Keith Urban’s annual Valentine’s Day Stuffed Monkey Drive. 220 stuffed monkeys were dropped off at the Sparrow Children’s Center by Rebekah Wolff who has been the collection home for the fans. Last year, the national drive collected over 4,100 monkeys in nine countries and 38 states. It’s the 14th year that Urban and his fans have distributed the monkeys, starting with a total of 50 were donated nationally the first year.

Listen to an interview with Rebekah Wolff now!

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George Jepson, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Rx Optical, Kalamazoo, MI, joins Jeffrey Mosher for an update on Michigan Business Beat.

That Michigan Based Eye Care Provider had recently opened their 56th overall office location in downtown Kalamazoo. Rx Optical, opened its 6th location in Kalamazoo to meet growing patient base January 23rd.

Among the highlights of this interview they cover this being the 56th Office Location – Kalamazoo

• Rx Optical opened in Downtown Kalamazoo in 1947. The opening of this new downtown location marks Rx Optical’s sixth Kalamazoo office, with their seventh in the neighboring town of Portage,

Michigan.

• Michigan based eye care provider, Rx Optical, has opened its 56th office location at the Exchange Building, 155 W. Michigan Ave, in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan.

• The Exchange Building is a new building in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo. The 15-story building offers 345,000 square feet with 60,000 square footage dedicated to commercial/retail use.

• Rx Optical worked in conjunction with AE Design Solutions of Jackson, Michigan for this build, as well as with Architect Meyer C. Weiner of Portage, Michigan for the Rx Optical 779 sq. ft. office.

• The new location began seeing patients on January 23rd, 2020 in response to the growing need to accommodate Rx Optical’s patient base within the Kalamazoo region.

• The new Kalamazoo location will provide eye exams, eyeglass fittings, eye care solutions for adults and children, contact lens fittings, and frame adjustments and repairs.

Lansing, MI – Michigan Business Network was on the road to Charlotte, MI for the Sparrow Eaton and AL!VE Heart Month screening and presentation. Sparrow Eaton Hospital and AL!VE hosted a major Heart Month event that featured free heart health screenings for cholesterol and blood pressure, heart-healthy lunch, and a presentation that addressed both the medical interventions and lifestyle changes that can be used to manage or reverse the effects of cardiovascular disease. 

Listen to Jake Campbell, Director of Sparrow Eaton’s Health and Wellness Services!

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Jeffrey Mosher caught up with entrepreneur Carey Bisonet, President, Alpine Events, Grand Rapids, MI, to discuss the topic of Acquisition + Growth!

During their conversation hear about:

• Alpine Events, formerly known as Alpine Rent-All has been hard at work rebranding and acquiring The Rental Company (TCR) As a result of the acquisition, the team established a new headquarters, expanded its services and grew its staff.

• The purchase of TRC allows Alpine Events to expand and better meet the needs of its clientele by offering them a ‘one-stop-spot,’ when planning their important event.

• The Rental Company has been present on the Lakeshore for over 20 years and is well known for its experienced staff and high-quality inventory.

• The company now has two physical locations at:

- 3457 Roger B Chaffee Memorial Boulevard SE,

Grand Rapids, MI 49548

- 430 W. 17th St. in Holland, TRC’s former location.

Edythe Copeland, CEO, CAMW! Capital Area Michigan Works! joins Chris Holman to talk about how CAMW! offers resources for both businesses and job seekers alike.

CAMW! Business Services Team (BST) is an employer-focused service working with companies to customize and implement recruitment strategies to attract top talent. But that’s not all they do. The BST can help businesses screen candidates, schedule interviews, assist with phone interviews and connect businesses to additional training resources. BST members are available to assist with recruiting, hiring and training qualified workers, ensuring companies can retain employees and avoid costly turnover.

In 2019 through BST, CAMW! served 474 businesses and helped fill 1,227 jobs.

The BST also can help your business:

• Address hiring barriers Promote job openings

• Connect with industry experts

• Explore on-the-job training programs and scholarships

• Hold recruiting events

• Evaluate what’s working and how to improve

• Develop internal training

One CAMW! resource that benefits both the businesses and job seekers alike is the CAMW! Employer of the Day events. These events allow representatives from a company to come to one or more of our American Job Centers and share their open positions with job seekers. Businesses can use this time and exposure however you like. Many employers conduct on-site interviews to reach more candidates. Job seekers then can learn about open positions within that company and get connected on the spot.

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Calvin Jones is no stranger to hard work or big dreams! As Director of Government Affairs and Community Relations for the Lansing Board of Water and Light, he has made giving back to the community his greatest joy!

Growing up and maturing in a time when race relations were contentious an important part of his inspiration came from Martin Luther King jr. Famous quote, " Life's most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others"?

Leadership journeys are often personal and difficult for Calvin Jones, but as you will hear he was never alone…Join the fun and listen in to this inspiring edition of leadership lowdown.

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Reloaded Audio from January 14, 2020.

January 8th MBN hit the road to follow the efforts of LAFCU with high school students.

LAFCU returned to Lansing Christian School for the second time to present a Financial Reality Fair that helps students understand personal finance.

Around a dozen LAFCU employees were providing one-on-one guidance to students tasked to create a real-life financial budget. Using estimated salaries based on selected careers as well as assigned credit scores, students visit 12 booths staffed by LAFCU financial experts to identify expenses likely to be incurred when living independently. At station #13, a LAFCU financial counselor helps students explore ways to improve their financial decision-making.

This experience matched up Lansing Christian School senior class.

More than 20 volunteers help coordinate the event, and — Representatives from LAFCU’s Lansing-area branches.

Listen to interviews with Kelli Elsworth-Etchison from LAFCU, along with other audio captured during that visit.