Tuesday - March 01, 2005

Barbara joins Jim to tell the story of how she got started in business and how she succeeded.
Nell Merlino
Nell joins Jim to talk about what Office Depot does for Count-Me-In and what they in turn do for women business owners. Titanya then joins Jim and Nell to talk about her business and how Count-Me-In helped her.
Mary Wong
Mary joins Jim to talk about what her organization does to help the community and Jennifer joins them to talk about working with non profit organizations.
Jim and Andrea talk about why women are good at networking and the challenges women face in the business world. They also talk about how Office Depot's Success Strategies for Businesswomen's Conference helps women overcome some obstacles.
Lillian joins Jim to talk about how she started her business when she was 22 years old and how out of failure comes new beginnings.
Lauren joins Jim to talk about what JKG Group does and she reveals how conferences like Office Depot's Success Strategies for Businesswomen's Conference are put together.

Wednesday - March 02, 2005

Jim Blasingame
Jim talks about the things small business owners need from bankers and how to get what you need.
Nino joins Jim for the first time to talk about what bankers are doing to recruit new customers and keep existing customers coming back. They go on to talk about how Clarke American has been successful in responding to significant changes in their industry.
Mike joins Jim on his first visit to the show and talks about how banks are expanding services so they are more valuable and helpful to their customers, and how that provides an opportunity for his company. Mike and Jim use the Clarke American model to identify how small businesses should look at their customer relationships.
George Hofmann
In his first visit with Jim, George talks about the relationship between banks and small businesses in the 21st century, and how Zions Bank has structuring itself to respond to the modern requirements of their small business customers.

Thursday - March 03, 2005

Beverley Williams
Jim and Beverley talk about the differences in how people perceive home based businesses today compared to ten and twenty years ago, including changes in both the culture and the marketplace.
During her first visit on Jim’s show, Mona talks about how she thinks liberals hurt those they claim to help.
Joan Pryde
In addition to a few other shorter issues, Joan and Jim talk about the difficulties on the horizon for funding Medicare, including the possibilities of increasing payroll tax, increasing premiums and possibly reducing coverage. They go on to talk about the problem that Medicaid presents for state budgets, especially with regard to long term care for the elderly. Joan and Jim also talk about the growth of personal computer purchases and how that will be affected by new operating system innovations.

Friday - March 04, 2005

Josh Costell
On National Salespersons Day, Josh joins Jim to talk about how to identify and deploy your unique strengths which provide you and your company with a competitive advantage.
Thomas Sullivan
Tom joins Jim on the 3rd anniversary of his first visit to talk about recent research conducted to determine the impact of marginal impact rates on entrepreneurship. The research found that when marginal rates were lowed as little as 1% then entrepreneurship among single and married Americans increased. They continue their discussion by talking about the advantages of privatizing social security.
Dr. Samli’s new book supports what you’ve heard Jim say for years. Focus on what customers want not what they need. The price war is over and don’t try to fight it. And the key to success in small business is differentiating your self from competitors large or small.
Cherié  Carter-Scott
Following Cherie’s travel log of her recent trip to Egypt, she and Jim discuss how small business owners should focus on the intellectual property they develop. Cherie says that we should get beyond the “Ah shucks” attitude of thinking that we don’t know anything that anybody would want and identify the things about our business and our industry and think about ways to license that knowledge as a way to leveraging ourselves.

Monday - March 07, 2005

Len Marrella
Concerning the recent release of Martha Stewart from prison of being convicted of lying to the FBI about whether she took advantage of insider stock information, Len and Jim discuss how Martha will be received as she returns to the market place and what that will say about how our society feels toward ethical behavior.
Grace-Marie Turner
Grace-Marie and Jim discuss the advantages of a health care system based on market forces and tax reform, including new programs such as Health savings accounts.
Karen Cortell Reisman
Karen helps Jim and his audience understand the important steps to learning how to communicate like a leader.
Rick Pinion
Rick joins Jim to discuss how small business owners should incorporate disability insurance in their overall financial plan.

Tuesday - March 08, 2005

Dr. Rolls joins Jim for the first time to discuss her new system of weight loss and weight maintenance, VOLUMETRICS, which involves focusing on eating foods that are high in volume, low in calories, but also high in nutrition. Dr. Rolls says that no food group should be excluded in your diet and that when you’re dieting, it’s even more important to make sure that you get proper nutrition.
Tom Asacker
Tom and Jim discuss the most recent dynamics in the relationship between a small business and its customers with emphasis on the experience of doing business with you, rather than what is being purchased.
Jennifer Read Hawthorne
Jennifer discusses with Jim the importance of defining success in many ways, not just in terms of money and stuff. They also discuss what women small business owners can learn from Martha Stewart’s return to the marketplace.
Zoltan Acs
First Zoltan and Jim discuss a recent summit which covered the changing world of economic development for communities. Both agreed that communities should be investing their resources looking for entrepreneurial organizations rather than only focusing on attracting industry. They go on to discuss the 2004 Global Entrepreneurial Monitor, which identifies entrepreneurial trends in 40 countries around the world.

Wednesday - March 09, 2005

John C. Maxwell
In his first visit with Jim, John discusses the import of developing successful relation in life and in business and he introduces some of the People Principles that are found in his new book.
Gary Shilling
Gary and Jim discuss the impact of globalization on inflation, the impact of the budget deficit on the economy, and the merits of social secure reform.
Giovanni Coratolo
Giovanni joins Jim to discuss his recent testimony before the congressional small business committees about the leading concerns of small business owners including healthcare, taxes, frivolous lawsuits, and regulations.
Sam Reese
Sam reports on the 2005 Miller Heiman sales effectiveness study which indicated that many companies, while currently successful could not explain why.

Thursday - March 10, 2005

Jeff Zbar
Jeff and Jim talk about the advantages of the newer personal digital assistants (PDA), like the blackberry for example, that combine email, web browser, contact management and cell phone in one handheld device.
Hector Barreto
Administrator Barreto talks with Jim about the upcoming business matchmaking events in Nashville, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. as well as the 2005 Expo in Washington during Small Business Week. They also discuss the issues relating to social security reform.
Ken and Jim discuss a number of current economic indicators as well as other topics that will impact small business owners over the next twelve months. In his last interview with Jim as Deputy Managing Editor at Kiplinger, Ken reflects on his 30+ year career as a reporter in Washington, D.C.

Friday - March 11, 2005

Jim Blasingame
Continuing his coverage of operating fundamentals, Jim explains why participating in the small business public policy debate is an operating fundamental. The reason is because politicians and bureaucrats are passing laws and regulations that have an impact on our bottom lines. Jim encourages you to identify your local, state and federal representatives and contact them about small business issues that are important to you.
Steve Martin
Steve and Jim continue their discussion of why it’s important to understand the concept of critical mass as you are making plans to grow your business.
Jim Blasingame
This is the second segment where Jim discusses the importance of small business owners being involved directly or indirectly in the small business public policy debate. Jim encourages small businesses to join organizations that represent and advocate for small businesses in the public policy environment, including the Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council and the Association for Competitive Technologies.
Ivan Misner
Just back from Davos, Switzerland, Ivan discusses how he trained a CNN anchor to interview participants at a networking gathering. He and Jim go on to discuss some of the myths of getting customer referrals.

Monday - March 14, 2005

Chris joins Jim for his first visit to talk about how to use orienteering as a team building exercise.
In his first visit with Jim, Dr. Saade explains how research is finding a direct connection between growth in entrepreneurship and economic development. He also identifies an emerging practice of entrepreneurs and inventors partnering with universities to take their ideas and products to market.
Barbara Weltman
Barbara joins Jim to remind Jim’s audience about upcoming tax date deadlines, as well as information about finding extensions. She also discusses her recent book on starting an e-bay business that includes some important tips.
Russell Brown
Continuing their series on Laws of the Business Buying and Selling Jungle, Russ and Jim discuss the importance of identifying any products that may become obsolete, how to identify them, and how to plan for future products.

Tuesday - March 15, 2005

March is national Nutrition Month and Jim is joined by Lynn to discuss the 2005 USDA dietary guidelines and the importance of eating a balanced diet, which includes not eliminating any food group.
Walter Olson
On the passage of the class action lawsuit bill, Walter joins Jim to discuss how this bill will move class action lawsuits from state courts to federal courts, which will reduce the opportunity for frivolous class action lawsuits. They also talk about the 8-year effort to pass a bankruptcy reform bill as well as other tort reform issues on President Bush’s Agenda.
Keith Ferrazzi
A new member of our brain trust, Keith joins Jim to talk about why networking and building community are 21st century keys to success.
Tim Berry
Now in his eighth year as a member of our brain trust, Tim helps Jim understand the difference between an idea and an opportunity, how to turn the former into the latter, and then how to turn opportunities into success.

Wednesday - March 16, 2005

Beverley Williams
Beverley joins Jim to talk about when to expand to a non home-based office, whether that be a complete change of address or maintaining two locations.
Sam Norwood
Sam joins Jim to talk about the February survey of business conditions that Tatum Partners conducts. The news was good in that the economy, according to the survey respondents, is still strong, but there does seem to be some diminishing of confidence. They also talk about the impact of inflation on the responses to the survey.
Bill Treasurer
Bill and Jim discuss how courage plays an important part in the development and management of your business.
Rosalene Glickman
Rosalene talks with Jim about how to conduct optimal thinking audits on your small business.

Thursday - March 17, 2005

Mary Wong
Mary and Marci join Jim to discuss how businesses are giving back to their communities and why this is an important strategy for companies of all sizes, besides the fact that it’s the right thing to do.
Jim Blasingame
Jim wraps up this year’s Small Business Resolutions talking about the personal aspect of operating fundamentals. He encourages small businesses how to learn how define success in more ways than money and stuff, to make a difference to at least one person every day, and while you’re seeking success, don’t forget to have fun.
Joan Pryde
Reviewing the world according to Kiplinger for this week, Joan and Jim discuss the future of petroleum prices, various sectors of the marketplace like the auto industry and retailers, new practices in healthcare and immigration.

Friday - March 18, 2005

William Hubbartt
Bill joins Jim to discuss why small businesses should establish security, best practices, and behavior policies that employees can use when creating, managing and transmitting company information, as well as their activity over the World Wide Web.
Karen Kerrigan
Reporting from Washington, D.C., Karen talks with Jim about the current public policy issues facing small business, including economic development, minimum wage, healthcare, etc.
Gary Hankins
In his first visit with Jim, he discusses how to overcome the fear of making a presentation, and how to become an effective speaker.
Bill Huss
His Honor helps Jim sort through some of the legal cases currently in the news, like the killing of a judge's family in Chicago, the murders in an Atlanta courthouse, and Congress getting involved in a private Florida case regarding the termination of food and water to a person in a vegetative state.

Monday - March 21, 2005

John joins Jim to talk about what he calls the 1 billion invisible poor people in the world that we forget about until there is something newsworthy, like a tsunami.
Rich Galen
Rich and Jim discuss why the Federal government has insinuated itself into two separate issues: the baseball steroids debate, and the Teri Schiavo case.
Sam joins Jim for the first time to discuss how small businesses can use Customer Relationship software to improve the way they serve customers.
Lois Geller
Lois joins Jim on her third anniversary on the show to talk about how to avoid "Ho-Hum" advertising. <br></["br"]>

Tuesday - March 22, 2005

Jim Blasingame
On the anniversary of the Johann Gutenberg's press, which Jim considers to be the greatest of human inventions, he talks about how this development put our journey of intellectual property into high gear, and how this impacts 21st century small business owners.
Richard DeKaser
Joining Jim to conduct the Fed Watch show, this nationally recognized economst talks about how the Fed has been doing with regard to managing money supply and controlling inflation. Richard and Jim also discuss the prospects for the 2005 economy.
John Dini
John joins Jim to discuss the question: Does making a charitable gesture to one employee create a precedent for future behavior, and could it even lead to litigation?
Jonathan Zuck
Enlisting the Brain Trust's top two intellectual property experts, Jim asked Andre and Jonathan to discuss their thoughts on our intellectual property journey, and what that means for small businesses in the 21st century global marketplace.

Wednesday - March 23, 2005

Michael joins Jim to kick off the SBA’s business matchmaking conference in Nashville, Tennessee, where Jim is broadcasting live.
Donnie joins Jim as he is broadcasting live from the Nashville business matchmaking event conducted by the Small Business Administration to discuss how this program has helped his company significantly improve their chances of doing business with government agencies and contractors.
Olga joins Jim as he is broadcasting live from the Nashville business matchmaking event conducted by the Small Business Administration to discuss how this program has helped her company significantly improve their chances of doing business with government agencies and contractors.
John joins Jim as he is broadcasting live from the Nashville business matchmaking event conducted by the Small Business Administration to discuss how this program has helped his company significantly improve their chances of doing business with government agencies and contractors.
Sheron joins Jim as he is broadcasting live from the Nashville business matchmaking event conducted by the Small Business Administration to discuss how this program has helped her company significantly improve their chances of doing business with government agencies and contractors.
Melanie R. Sabelhaus
Melanie is more than a smart business woman, she’s a force. She joins Jim to wrap up his broadcast of the business matchmaking even in Nashville, Tennessee. She explains how business matchmaking has helped thousands of small business owners acquire millions of dollars in contracts. She also introduces two new features on the website businessmatchmaking.com, which are the virtual matchmaking resource and the training program for doing business with the government.

Thursday - March 24, 2005

Jeff Zbar
Jeff and Jim encourage their listeners not to believe the field of dreams myth, which is “If you build it, they will come.” Just because you have a business doesn’t mean customers will find you. And just because you have customers doesn’t mean that they will come back on their own. If you want more business from your customers, you have to reach out to them.
Steve Forbes
The first topic Steve and Jim discuss is the Terri Schiavo case where the courts deemed that she should be deprived of food and water, and therefore allowed to die. They move on to discuss social security reform, health care reform, and the future of gas prices.
Joan Pryde
Joan and Jim discuss what Kiplinger has to say about the current trade deficit, the role of robots in surgery, postal rate increases, and a flurry of Chinese imports, among other things.

Friday - March 25, 2005

Julian joins Jim to discuss some new perspectives on leadership and why we should demonstrate leadership even with our customers.
Pam Danziger
Pam and Jim talk about how to rethink our ideas about marketing luxury, and how to turn that new thinking into increased profit margins.
Tom Mast
Tom discusses with Jim the challenges we face in the future regarding global petroleum availability, and something called Peak Oil.
Doug Stives
Doug, our resident CPA, helps us do some last minute tax planning for last year and prepare for this years tax planning.

Monday - March 28, 2005

David Zahn
First time on the show, David and Jim discuss things small business owners should know when hiring and working with consultants.
Kirk Cheyfitz
Kirk talks with Jim about the importance of trust in the marketplace and in our customer relationships.
Jim Ballard
Jim introduces the idea of recognizing Defining Moments in our lives, and the two Jim's discuss what to do when they happen.
Peter Meyer
Peter and Jim discuss the importance of making sure our mission statement, and any communication with the marketplace, focuses on what's in it for customers. Peter says to say "you" instead of "we."

Tuesday - March 29, 2005

Jim Blasingame
On National Mom & Pop Business Owners' Day, Jim salutes this important group of entrepreneurs, and reflects on how this level of business ownership has and has not changed over the years.
Barbara Weltman
Beginning her 8th year as a member of Jim's Brain Trust, Barbara talks with Jim about how the IRS is focusing on eBay owners tax-paying practices. She also offers some last minute tax tips.
Ilise Benun
Ilise and Jim discuss how to develop customer testimonials and how to use them in your marketing activity.
Rob Jolles
Beginning his 6th year as a member of Jim's Brain Trust, Rob talks about why we should pay attention to the personality of the person we're selling to, as well as selling fundamentals. Rob calls the "mirroring."

Wednesday - March 30, 2005

Doug Campbell
Doug and Jim discuss the need to reinvent your business every so often.
First visit for Ron, as he and Jim discuss the lasting impact of Alexander Hamilton, arguably one of the most important of America's Founders.
Andrew Langer
Andrew talks with Jim about the current regulatory reform attitude in Washington.
Leslie Kossoff
Leslie and Jim help small business owners understand the difference between delivering quality service and establishing a quality process.

Thursday - March 31, 2005

Beverley Williams
Bev joins Jim to discuss spring cleaning your customer list.
Gary Moore
Gary and Jim talk first about the investment wisdom of Sir John Templeton, and then move on to discuss the current debate over Social Security reform.
Joan Pryde
Joan and Jim talk about what Kiplinger has to say about the stock market in 2005, plus the regulatory environment for small business. They move on to discuss how states are cutting small businesses some slack regarding collecting sales tax, and then a little fun with politics.