Month: February 2017

Calling All Entrepreneurs | eNews from OWC

Posted on February 15, 2017 by - eNewsletter

The Grammys are over but the major business awards are just getting started. The most prestigious of all business awards is “EY Entrepreneur Of The Year.” Now in its 31st year, Entrepreneur Of The Year honors successful entrepreneurs in more than 145 cities in 60 countries who demonstrate extraordinary success in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment.
Download PDF of this issue: Calling All Entrepreneurs
Since its inception, the program has recognized more than 9,000 executives who were estimated to have created over 14 million jobs in 2015 alone, based on the recently released Harvard Business Review report “The Entrepreneur’s Purpose.”
Here are just a few of the benefits that past participants shared:

One of the truly great aspects of the program is its inclusiveness: Anyone can nominate anyone. Many of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year participants are nominated by proud colleagues, their vendors or admirers who think recognition is due. Self-nominations are even welcome. Learn more or submit a nomination today. The deadline for applications is Friday, March 10, 2017.
Full disclosure: Olmstead Williams Communications is a very proud sponsor for Entrepreneur Of The Year. But, that’s not the only reason we love the program. In fact, we’re big proponents of many top award programs. They’re one of the least expensive ways to raise your company’s profile and generate news.
From the Inc. “30 Under 30” and Fast Company’s “Innovation By Design Awards” to industry specific honors such as the “M&A Advisor Awards,” there is an awards program that will help drive your business forward.
Check out this chart of top award programs. We’re always here to brainstorm about these and other programs.

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award recipients in Greater Los Angeles as revealed last year. The deadline for applications this year is Friday, March 10, 2017. Learn more or submit a nomination today.

TaskUs’s Bryce Maddock has 5 tips to spotlight your outstanding company culture

Posted on February 8, 2017 by - Client News

Forbes recently asked Bryce Maddock, CEO and co-founder of TaskUs, about the most effective ways to showcase a company’s culture. Maddock shared five tips on how his company uses social media to showcase its corporate, build employer awareness and attract talent. TaskUs is active on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Snapchat. Last year, the company gained 181,428 followers on social. As a result of these efforts, the company received 33,195 job applications just last year.
“In a social media world, everyone wants an office worthy of Instagram,” says Maddock. “Employees know they are valued when they are seen. More powerful than word of mouth, social media lets people see our offices, group activities and, most importantly, happy employees.”
Read more: These 5 Clever Tricks Can Help Showcase Your Outstanding Corporate Culture (Forbes)

 

OWC's Williams offers tips on how to respond to a cybersecurity attack

Posted on February 8, 2017 by - OWC News

Digital Guardian spotlighted OWC’s CEO and President Tracy Williams’s recommendations for organizations to build an effective response plan in the face of a cyber attack. No organization, regardless of size, is exempt from cybersecurity threats, and having an established plan of action that immediately executes following a security breach is crucial to limit incident costs and damages to the company’s reputation.
For Williams, some of the most important things to remember when it comes to a cybersecurity crisis are:

  • Share company-wide, verbally and in all written materials. Don’t neglect your own employees. Protect your people by empowering them with knowledge. They’re your most important asset.
  • Identify all stakeholders and quickly develop communications strategy for each.
  • Your communications intent should be compassion, honesty, and transparency.

Read the full article: Cybersecurity Incident Response Planning: Expert Tips, Steps, Testing & More (Digital Guardian)

Lowe Institute at Claremont McKenna debuts first Los Angeles Consumer Sentiment Index

Posted on February 7, 2017 by - Client News

The first Lowe Institute Los Angeles Consumer Sentiment Index (“Index”) unveiled today shows a 12 percent decline in the fourth quarter 2016 versus third quarter 2016 results, a period when there was a sharp rise in consumer sentiment.  This is important data as the Index provides guidance on future consumption activity by Los Angeles area residents, key to assessing the overall prospects for the local economy.  Consumption accounts for, on average, 70 percent of all U.S. economic activity and its importance cannot be overstated.
“This is a notable drop in consumer sentiment though it is just for one quarter. If the first quarter 2017 results also drop then we can view this as a downward cycle,” noted Marc Weidenmier, Director, Lowe Institute of Political Economy.  “Right now, businesses should be cautious and take a ‘wait and see’ approach before making major inventory commitments.   For governments relying on sales tax revenue, it’s not time to redraw the budgets but time to pause and consider the potential ramifications if we head into a period of decreased consumption.”
National consumer sentiment has been measured by the University of Michigan since the 1950s and its predictive abilities have led to this sentiment series being included in the government’s index of leading economic indicators.  Los Angeles County has a population of more than 10 million and is the third largest metropolitan economy in the world.  The Institute deemed this a region that could benefit from its own consumer sentiment survey.
“The Index serves as a timely source of information crucial to assessing the pulse of the local economy but also as an example of how localized knowledge can be captured and utilized to improve forecasting and decision making,” said Robert J. Lowe, founder of the Lowe Institute and Chairman of national real estate company, Lowe. . “The fourth quarter results bear out the need for Los Angeles County data as the national consumer sentiment survey showed an uptick during this same period.”
Among the factors that can drive differences from the national survey is Los Angeles’ multicultural and diverse economy that is not reliant on any one industry, its position as a gateway to the Pacific Rim, and other business and economic variables that are distinct to the region.  “Another factor in Los Angeles may be the ‘Trump effect’ as the majority of Los Angeles County is deeply Democratic with policy views that are opposite those of the new administration,” said Weidenmier.  ”The fourth quarter survey was taken in December, after the election when Los Angeles area residents were absorbing the news following the surprising election outcome.”
The decline in Los Angeles consumer sentiment was across all ethnic groups – African American, Asian, Hispanic, Caucasian and other.  The decline was also consistent across most age groups with the exception of senior citizen (65+) respondents. There was a significant uptick with senior citizens and a very small uptick in the 45-54 age category.
The survey also asks for respondent’s employment status and includes full-time and part-time employed, self-employed, homemaker/domestic engineer, students and unemployed.  There was a significant decline in consumer sentiment across all six groups.  There was a slight uptick in consumer sentiment among retirees.