Fall 2020 Newsletter
Hello all,
There's a lot to pack in here but I'll try to keep it short!
First, I'm the new chair of Lamorinda Entrepreneurs. So, hi! I was involved with Kal Deutsch and Rhonda Temple several years ago but pulled back as family (new daughter) and work (new job) took over.
I reconnected with them recently and learned that there was an opportunity for new leadership, and timing was good for me this time around. They handed over the keys and passwords a couple of weeks ago and here we are.
Since then I've made a few changes:
New website! I'm going to try to keep it updated but would love to get some help (see below).
New partnership with DVTI. I'm also leading an initiative with Diablo Valley College that's a perfect partner for us. DVTI members approved this partnership last week. (Help needed here too.)
New backend stuff. I'm reorganizing the email and email lists in GSuite. It will help whomever takes over this group from me.
I'm excited to bring new energy to this group and start hosting more events. Since my background is in technology (here's my LinkedIn profile), I'll lean this group that direction, but I won't forget our roots. Coming from San Francisco, the Lamorinda Entrepreneurs meetings I attended back in 2016-17 were a refreshing reminder that entrepreneurship is not all about code and websites. There's great value in maintaining entrepreneurial diversity.
Since we're starting off fresh, I need help! Off the bat, I have two big asks and a few smaller ones. Here are the big two:
Be our presenter for the next Zoom meeting? Have you figured out how to grow amidst the pandemic? Did you take your brick and mortar business online? Are you a whiz at Shopify or Magento eCommerce platforms? If so, I think we'd all benefit from hearing from you. I'd like to organize a 30-minute Zoom discussion which we'll record and post on the new website. Just reply if you're interested!
Take this survey from DVTI? We recently partnered with the Diablo Valley Tech Initiative to promote our events and support regional economic development. If you're a business owner in the Diablo Valley area (that includes Lamorinda), please take this survey!
And the others:
Blog contributors. Got something to say about small business and entrepreneurship? Let's feature you on the blog!
Logo designer. I try, but I'm just no good at it. I have a vision for a logo but need your help to execute on it.
Lamorinda Entrepreneurs community survey. Will you help me design a survey for the Lamorinda Entrepreneurs community? I want to find out what you all want to get out of this group, so let's make a survey and ask.
I'm looking forward to making lemonade with you from the many lemons we've been dealt this year. Communities like this one are more important now than ever.
All the best,
Ryan Buckley
Chair
Lamorinda Entrepreneurs