 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
  |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR Dear Catapult Community, What's on your mind?__________________________ You know Facebook has become an overwhelming part of your life when you decide to give it up for Lent. No, I am not kidding. My friend complained to me this past weekend that she felt completely disconnected from the world, and then proceeded to tell me of her struggle to remain away from "The Book" through Easter. I suppose I can relate. I was traveling around Europe earlier this month and had very limited TV and newspaper perusal while hopping from city to city. In fact, I found out that the Tsunami was happening by seeing posts in my News Feed on my Blackberry (and that so-and-so had a great weekend, ate cereal that morning, and voted for Paul on American Idol). It is just a fact of life now, that social media has become our 'breaking news source', from missile launches, to pop culture (tiger blood!), to breakups and the everyday ho-hum. As useful as all of that may be, why not leverage these outlets EVEN more? The Catapult team would like to invite you to help us to leverage our social media connections in a more meaningful way. As many of you know, Catapult members are connected on Facebook, Twitter and Linked In. While we will continue to keep you apprised of upcoming events and articles that pertain to career development, we would also like to use these forms of communication for job postings, volunteer opportunities, internships, etc. The more interaction, the more opportunities will arise. Please feel free to share the opportunities you seek or think should be sought, with the rest of the community. Thank you for your participation! See you online... Helen Donington Chair & Co-Founder, Catapult Seacoast Join our new fan page!  UPCOMING CATAPULT EVENTS Spring Into Action Build essential relationships with local nonprofits Date: Thursday, April 28th Time: Registration: 6:30 PM - Event Starts at 7:00 PM Location: Wentworth by the Sea - Grand Ballroom Admission: $5.00 online / $10.00 at the door. Complementary Appetizers & Cash Bar will be provided. Please join Catapult to kick-off spring with an event featuring different aspects of community involvement. We will highlight the importance of volunteerism and why it is such a vital part of the community. You will hear from several Seacoast non-profit organizations on ways you can get involved in helping to make the Greater Seacoast community an even better place. The United Way Day of Caring A chance to get out of the office and help your community Date: Wednesday, May 11th Time: This is an all-day event and will be coordinated by Catapult Team Leaders Catapult is actively recruiting volunteers to join a Catapult sponsored team for the 5th Annual United Way Day of Caring on Wednesday, May 11th. Get out of the office and do some volunteer work while enjoying a gorgeous spring day! Have some FUN with Catapult members while giving back to the community. The Day of Caring is a community-wide day of hands-on volunteering in which United Way connects volunteers from local businesses and community groups with local non-profit organizations to work on various one-time projects that would not otherwise be completed. The Day of Caring empowers people to work together to address some of the most pressing needs facing our community. For more information about joining our team for The United Way Day of Caring, please email us today atlaunch@catapultseacoast.org. Project selection begins in late April, so the sooner we know you want to be a part of our team, the better! Catapult Connects Date: Wednesday, May 11th Time: TBD – available soon at www.catapultseacoast.org New this year, Catapult Seacoast will have an after business hours networking event the second Wednesday of each month. The first will be held Wednesday, May 11th. Time and location to come, but please save the date! Business Speaker Series Planning for the first Business Speaker Series event of 2011 is currently in the works for June. Keep an eye out for news on the event soon! IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Pool at Paddy's Thank you to everyone who attended Catapult's monthly winter event – Pool at Paddy's, which was held the third Thursday of each month from January through March. This was a great opportunity for new and existing Catapult member to meeting for an evening of networking and billiards at Paddy's American Grille in Portsmouth. Who is your favorite superhero or villain?
SEACOAST BUSINESS BRIEFS - Gov. Lynch to speak at Portsmouth chamber forum April 20 - Spring single family and condominium sales surge WHAT'S NEW We welcome new board member Sean Landry and UNH intern Kelsey Laubenstein to our team! 
Local business Liberty Mutual offers Catapult members discounts on insurance!Catapult Auto and Home Insurance Benefit Catapult member benefits include savings on auto and home insurance! As a member of Catapult, you qualify for a special group discount* on your auto, home, and renter's insurance through Group Savings Plus® from Liberty Mutual. This unique program allows you to purchase high-quality auto, home, and renters insurance at low group rates through the convenience of electronic funds transfer or direct billing at home. For a free, no-obligation coverage evaluation and rate quote, call James Saunders at 603-772-1027, or email: james.saunders@libertymutual.com * Group discounts, other discounts, and credits are available where state laws and regulations allow, and may vary by state. Certain discounts apply to specific coverages only. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten; not all applicants may qualify. Coverage provided and underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA http://www.libertymutual.com/jamessaunders Speak Up! Live Free or Die Alliance Hot Topic: Should union members in NH have a right to collective bargaining? ENTREPRENEURIAL INSIGHT FROM BRENT BECKETT 
Brent is the founder of Slim Famous (S.F.), a business specializing in product, brand and business development. Since it was founded in 1999, Slim Famous Original products have captured the attention of national media and retail executives including those at Warner Bros./Disney. Brent also provides clients with holistic, strategic marketing plans that are creative, penetrating, effective, unique and with proven results. - brentbeckett@gmail.comSIMON SAYS DO YOUR OWN THING – (Or The Almost Lone Ranger) During the late 1960s my father was one of the few people with a four-wheel drive vehicle in a rural part of Nebraska. He was often called upon to search for travelers who didn't heed the warnings about driving in prairie snowstorms and became enveloped in massive snowdrifts. Sometimes the search was successful and people were saved and other times it wasn't and people died. I reflect upon this story, regarding some of the great juxtapositions entrepreneurs deal with and it's not that sometimes we are successful and sometimes we aren't, but rather the need to listen to and follow the leads of others while making our own way at the same time. There are many juxtaposing ideas within entrepreneurialism making the professional endeavor ambiguous and abstract. The continuous contrasts and comparisons make taking the road less traveled a puzzling journey. After 12 entrepreneurial years I am often found scratching my head at the place where two roads diverge. What would you do if you were playing a game of Simon Says and Simon Says 'do your own thing?' That sort of goes against the nature of the game, but is within the rules established for it. It would seem that players have to do what they are told because Simon says so, but they are free to do what they want. It is a misconception that entrepreneurs have to entirely blaze a new trail, invent a new wheel or any number of cliché's depicting pioneering something new. After all, it is often merely a road less traveled, but an existing one none-the-less. In fact, considering the process of others who ventured before us can save a lot of time, energy and money. We can learn from their successes and failures. Taking that a step further, some of the most successful products or business services are direct copies of an original, but packaged and marketed differently; and sometimes that isn't even done or necessary. Additionally consumer response to a product or service based brand will dictate (or at least should) how we determine our decision-making. I see a lot of entrepreneurs fail because they are unwilling to adapt their vision to suit what the market is demanding. In other words, these players are out of the game because they did what they wanted and not what 'Simon' said to do. Simon being any number of factors and influences that steer us into a new direction and to ignore them is to err. The entrepreneur symbolizes an independent spirit willing to wage war against risk in pursuit of success. We are the cowboys of consumerism and pioneers of the financial frontier, but remember, The Lone Ranger was often influenced by the wisdom of Tonto and even Louis and Clark used a compass. Unfortunately there is often a feeling of fraudulence or failure for an entrepreneur when they accept help from others, but it is necessary. A recent episode of 'Every Day Einsteins' featured C.E.O.s from major companies including Amazon, Apple and Google who all said that nobody can create success alone and they had all climbed on a lot of backs to get where they are now. Henry Ford sat at the helm of a large switchboard signaling his team to arrive when he needed information. One of the world's greatest entrepreneurs relied on countless people to facilitate his vision and as many would say had a lot of help making it on his own and as he would say: "Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." It is understood that we all need to make our mistakes, but any parent will express their frustrations in watching their children suffer and struggle through this process. As a result, parents pad and protect their kids, making the stumbles and falls a little less hurtful. I imagine the lessons are still learned, but with fewer trips to the emergency room. As entrepreneurs we will inevitably stumble and fall because that is part of the risk taking experience and although helmets and elbow pads won't protect us we can make the effects less hurtful by padding ourselves with the right information, listening to others and surrounding ourselves with the right people. To reflect on one of the great moments in television is to think about Tonto saying "You are alone now. Last man. You are Lone Ranger." In reply, the Lone Ranger said 'Yes, Tonto, I am...the Lone Ranger. The last man and alone.' –Ironically they were standing side-by-side and Tonto would remain by his side until the end. CAREERALISM WITH J.T. O'DONNELL How to Spring Clean Your Resume By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Sean Harry  Photo credit: Shutterstock The trees are budding. The flowers are blooming. Allergy season has kicked in. I LOVE this time of year! One of the things I love most about spring is the opportunity to go through my closets and drawers and do some spring cleaning. I find it rewarding and energizing to get rid of the old and make room for the new. If you've been unemployed for longer than 4 months you probably need to do some spring cleaning on your job search. The resume you wrote months ago has probably become stale. Your LinkedIn profile is probably showing some gaps that you will turn off potential employers. It's time to revise your resume, update your LinkedIn status and get back into gear. Recruiters are predicting a hiring tsunami sometime around Q3 or Q4 this year. Are YOU ready? Here are 3 things you can do to spring clean your resume: 1. Add in any volunteer activities you have been doing since you wrote that resume a few months ago. You want potential employers to see you haven't been idle during your unemployment. Go ahed and list the duties accomplishments you've had while working at the Children's museum, leading a fund raiser for your local church, or grading papers in your son's third grade classroom. (Haven't done any volunteering? Well guess what should be on you "To-do" list for today!) 2. Include books you have been reading in your LinkedIn Profile. LinkedIn has an app entitled "Reading List by Amazon." This is a great way to show potential employers you are an expert in your field. 3. Revitalize your network. How long has it been since you talked to the people in your network who have actual jobs? If it's been more than a month, you need to "ping" them soon. You want to keep your name on the top of their mind for when something opens up in their company. Reach out to them with a pertinent article or website you have found that will help them in their business. Let them know you are still around! These three steps are so simple we can ALL do them today. With the weather changing and the flowers blooming, it's time to reinvigorate your job search. Clean up your resume and get back in touch with your contacts. You will be surprised with the results! Sean Harry has been successful for over 20 years at helping train and motivate people to find what's important in life and develop a strategy to achieve it. Read More SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Thank you to the following sponsors who have made our events possible.  Lightfin Studios Lightfin Studios was founded in the spring of 2006 by a group of experienced visual designers, usability experts, developers and professional service specialists. Backed by years of experience in the industry, they set out to start a company that was truly customer-centric. Since day one, Lightfin has tried to meet that demand in every way possible. "Everything you" means entrenching themselves in your industry, your brand, your messaging and your vision. The magic happens when they take that knowledge and craft it into effective and powerful communication tools. lightfin.com  JBC Communications JBC Communications' vision is actually quite simple. To tell our clients' stories in an impactful way so that their strategic goals are achieved. jbccom.com  Members of The One Hundred Club Private club, fine dining and service. onehundredclub.com/ Liberty Mutual Liberty Mutual Group and its companies are dedicated to our Customer Choice Model, allowing you to do business with us whatever way you want. You can access Liberty Mutual via our call center, website, your agent/broker, or our reps from our network of regional independent agent companies. www.libertymutual.com Discover Insurance Savings while giving back to the American Red Cross! Contact a Liberty Mutual representative today to get a quote and they will donate to the victims of the tsunami in Japan. Becoming a Sponsor Wondering how your business can reach the over 1,500 young professionals that make up Catapult? Become a sponsor today! Catapult offers a variety of sponsorship opportunities to local businesses who want to partner with one the most successful networking group of young professionals on the Seacoast. For more information, please contact sponsorships@catapultseacoast.org |
|
 |
|
IN THIS ISSUE:  Letter from the ChairUpcoming Catapult EventsIn Case You Missed ItOn The SpotSeacoast Business BriefsWhat's NewEntrepreneurial InsightCareeralism with J.T. O'DonnellSponsor Spotlight CATAPULT RECOMMENDS
FRIENDS OF CATAPULT  A community to celebrate local women. Learn More   Learn More  Networking doesn't stop at Catapult events. Get even more connected by becoming active in the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce. For nearly a century, the GPCC has been helping business leaders and citizens get connected. The Chamber's goals are to support and promote local business, influence public policy, develop tourism and improve the quality of life in the Seacoast. Learn More  Learn how Leadership Seacoast has educated and inspired over 500 people in the Seacoast community over the last 20 years. Leadership Seacoast positively impacts the communities of the Seacoast area by developing a base of effective, knowledgeable, and engaged leaders through exploration of community issues, effective leadership practices, and opportunities for personal involvement. Learn More  The LFDA provides a comprehensive, interactive and nonpartisan venue to inform New Hampshire citizens and to stimulate their interest and engagement in the issues facing our state and communities. The Alliance encourages a civil exchange of information, ideas, and trust to forge a new relationship between New Hampshire citizens and their government. Learn More  NHBSR aims to build and support a network of businesses committed to adopting socially responsible business practices, recognizing that people, principles and profits are inseparably linked. Learn More  The mission of the NHWLI is to educate women in the areas of Leadership, Vision and Values. The NHWLI will offer a variety of cutting edge programs, seminars and workshops aimed at women throughout New England. Programs, seminars, and workshops will provide insights and skills into the changing nature of work in the twenty-first century. Highly skilled and proven faculty will be recruited to deliver NHWLI offerings. Learn More  Stay Work Play NH, Inc. (SWP NH) was established as a nonprofit organization in April 2009 to further the 55% Initiative, support and advance several recommendations made by the Governor's Task Force on Young Worker Retention in the spring of 2009, and serve as an independent organization to run a website and associated marketing effort geared at providing comprehensive information on what New Hampshire can offer to the 20-30 year old demographic in terms of staying, working, and playing here. Learn More  The UNH Advising and Career center offers academic advising, career and internship advising, and employer services to UNH students and Alumni. Learn More  Are you a UNH Alumni living in the Seacoast? Visit the UNH Alumni site and sign on to Wildcat World. Create your own virtue yearbook page, search for friends, post a class note and learn about future events! Learn More  Special Thanks to All Catapult Sponsors Your sponsorship and encouragement allows Catapult to continue working toward making a positive impact on the Seacoast by providing unique and valuable opportunities to enhance personal and professional development for our next generation of business and community leaders. We sincerely appreciate your continued support. Thank you. - Catapult Board Live in the Seacoast but work in another area of NH? Connect with other YP groups around the State: CONCORD www.concordypn.org KEENE www.keeneypn.org LAKES REGION MANCHESTER www.mypn.org MOUNT WASHINGTON VALLEY www.mwvyp.org NASHUA www.iugonashua.com SALEM http://gshype.com/ YPs OF SULLIVAN COUNTY Catapult Wants to Hear from You! Interested in volunteering your time to help Catapult in 2011? Click Here. We welcome your input! Share ideas on what you would like to see from Catapult in 2011. Click Here. Have a great testimonial of how Catapult events have benefited you or your business? We want to hear it! Click Here. Would you like greater visibility for your business while helping to support Seacoast young professionals? Click Here. Found an article you think a friend ought to read? Send him or her to the online version of today's issue of catapult eNews.  
Catapult eNews April 2011 Volume 5, Issue 2 We hope you enjoyed reading today's issue of Catapult eNews. Written and designed by Catapult in Portsmouth, Catapult eNews is a free email publication. Event dates are subject to change. |
|||||||||||||||
  Copyright © 2006-2011 Catapult All Rights Reserved Subscribe | Unsubscribe |
|||||||||||||||||||
