Chamber seminar offers advice to struggling local businesses

More than 200 Conejo Valley business owners gathered at a Thousand Oaks restaurant to listen to five area leaders discuss "Defying the Odds: Sustaining Your Business During a Recovering Economy." The Thousand OaksWestlake Village Regional Chamber of Commerce had to turn interested people away on June 2 because Fiamme's restaurant in Thousand Oaks was filled to capacity.

"The Chamber knows how to reach out to members and put us in front of the right people so we can hear specialists speak specifically on the Thousand Oaks market," said Raylin Downs, a local business owner.

For $10 each, she and other guests were served wine, shrimp hors d'oeuvres and expert advice. The panel included George H. Cogswell III, president and publisher of the Ventura County Star; Brad "Brick" Conners, former U.S. Navy Port Hueneme base commander and current leadership adviser and senior consultant with technology consultant Booz Allen Hamilton; James Power, former vice president for global marketing information company J.D. Power and Associates; and John G. Lockhart, president/CEO of People Media. TV host Kristen Best moderated.

"I'm excited to hear from these panelists," said Internet radio host Peter Godinez.

Conners said when he asked Cogswell how the newspaper business was doing he was told to "go buy a paper and read all about it." The two men are close friends who met before Conners retired from the Navy in February, he said.

Cogswell said he's often asked about the newspaper business and he answers by saying "money is tight" and "pages are down," explaining that business is tough for two of their largest advertisers— real estate and vehicle dealers.

Lockhart began by stating one problem is that people aren't good at communicating with potential customers. In this economy it's important for people to come out of their shells and communicate effectively through advertising. It's not time to hunker down and try to hide until it's over, he said.

Businesses should focus on one or two messages they want to express about themselves and communicate those key points, using new media with outside endorsements, Lockhart said.

Power, whose family business began around a kitchen table, emphasized how important it is to market while listening to the voices of customers.

"You can't hide and pretend you're in a cave and let the storm blow over," Power said. "The recovery will come. . . . Now is the time to be investing in the future."

It's also time to say "thank you" and show appreciation to the employees who are still working for you after layoffs and cutbacks, Power said.

Cogswell said it's important for businesses to work within their means. He told entrepreneurs that he personally reviews every single invoice even though there are "stacks and stacks" of them. By doing so, he can keep track of what's going on financially, he said.

This is no time to be bleeding, Cogswell said. Everything should be focused on growing the customer base and revenue or improving efficiency.