Merry Christmas!

Enjoy this little Christmas jingle from us:

Congratulations, November licensees!

Congratulations to the following Licenses, Etc. clients who were approved in November:

·         Ronald Maret at Ocala Plastering Inc. of Ocala, FL

·         Jose Pose at Posetek Appliance Services, LLC of Bonita Springs, FL

·         Steven D. Moss at Liberty Solutions Florida, LLC of Charlotte, NC

·         Glenn Babst at Glenn's Plumbing, Inc. of Marco Island, FL

·         James Hawley at Storm Solutions, Inc. of Fort Myers, FL

·         Henry H. Sherrill, III, at Custom Climate Concepts, Inc. of Palmetto, FL

·         Adam Canales at Gator Cooling, LLC of Fort Myers, FL

·         Brien Mastriana at Matriana Construction, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, FL

·         Garrett Grabowski at Certified Property Restoration, LLC of Port Saint Lucie, FL

·         Christopher S. Fox at Precision Roofing of North Florida, Inc. of St. Augustine, FL

·         Robert Mauceli at Vision Developer of Naples, FL

·         Patrick Hynes at The Martin Group, Limited Liability Company of Matawan, NJ

·         Brian Rippl at 5 Smooth Stones, LLC of Fort Myers, FL

·         James Hawley at Storm Solutions, Inc. of Fort Myers, FL

·         Khalil Nemer at Sonrise Construction, Inc. of Swartz Creek, MI

·         Donald Fecher at Donald Fecher Construction Services, LLC of Largo, FL

·         Derek Isaacson at Citory Solutions, LLC of Harmony, FL

And remember if you would like to be set up on Social Media Networking sites, call Lisa at 239.963.5369 for more information.

Fictitious Name Renewal

So we all love this time of year.  The ending of another glorious year.  We can start wrapping things up and hope that next year will be even better.  But it is also a time when a lot of renewals come due.  One of those is fictitious name renewal. 

When you file for a fictitious name, it is good for 5 years. Your renewal must be filed by December 31st of the 5^th year since you filed to remain active. This can easily be done online at www.Sunbiz.org. If you fail to file the renewal, the registration will "Expire" and will not be able to simply be renewed or reinstated. You would need to file a new fictitious name registration all over again. This will include another ad in the paper, too.

When you renew your fictitious name, it will be active again for another 5 years. The fee is $50.00 and at this time you can change your mailing address, the county of the principal place of business, the federal identification tax number and the name and/or address of any owner.

Many people have questions regarding if they need a fictitious name or not. This is because most people don’t understand what a fictitious name is. All it means is any name being used to do business other than the legal name of the company. An example would be ABC Contracting, Inc. that would like to advertise themselves using the name ABC.  This usually pertains to franchises like when a local company wants to do business as McDonald’s.

If you have a fictitious name and aren’t sure if you are due this year, go to http://www.sunbiz.org/ficinam.html and type in your name. Click on the link for your name that should appear on the next page and find the expiration date listed under the filing information.  As always, if you need help in filing or would like further clarification, give the gals at Licenses, Etc. a quick call.  We are always here to help.

Business Aside, Let's Talk Gifts for the Females in Your Life

As you know, our blog is all about providing information that will help your business succeed. We keep tabs on the latest rules and regulations at the state, remind you when deadlines are approaching, find the newest marketing strategies and share our personal insights about it all.  But life is more than just business. 

Christmas is fast approaching once again and yes we know that you hate to shop. Looking high and low for that perfect gift for the women in your life just is not what you want to do with your spare time. You would rather be fishing, out on the boat, or maybe just hanging in front of the TV. Well, we thought this could be our opportunity to help you in your personal life and give our award winning author a shameless plug in the process!

In honor of Small Business Saturday, we want to help you find the perfect present and support a small business in the process! With over 50,000 copies sold this year, Kristie's best-selling, award-winning books Promise, Purpose and now Genesis are the perfect presents for any of the women in your life and it is as easy as visiting: http://www.readourwrites.com/shop/

Not sure this is the right gift?  Be sure to check out what readers on Amazon are saying!

“I recommend this to anyone looking for a unique, heart-warming romance.”

“Could not put it down. A total page turner, love, fantasy and hot scenes. I recommend it!”

“I loved this book. A very sweet love story that every woman dreams of. “

“She also brings humor to the table and I found myself smiling several times while reading...I also laughed out loud to the point of crying at one part of the book, and ultimately also felt like crying.”

This could be your ticket to an easy Christmas Miracle – A present she will love and love you for. 

Congratulations, October licensees!

Congratulations to the following Licenses, Etc. clients who were approved in October:

•  Rolando Echeverria at Dryway Group Corp and Diversified General Services, Inc. of Fort Myers, FL
• Theresa Cleary of Lake Park, FL
• Thomas Shelton Blalock at All Natural Air, LLC of Cape Coral, FL
• Brian Moschello at Brian's Complete Home Improvements, LLC of Naples, FL
• Danna Quanstrom at DaPau Enterprises, Inc. of Orlando, FL
• Lynn Redding at Southernmost General Contractors, LLC of Ronda, NC
• Ed Rush at Rush Hour Residential Construction, LLC of Tampa, FL
• Pablo Arnaud at Above and Beyond Services and Construction, Inc. of Winter Haven, FL
• Ken Smith at Ken Smith Enterprises, Inc. DBA Servpro of Collier County of Lehigh Acres, FL
• John P. Kustra at Tropical Island Restorations of Fort Myers, FL
• Grove Bolt at Fathom Pools & Services, LLC of Punta Gorda, FL
• Ron Reichert at TCI Architects/Engineers/Contractor, Inc. of La Crosse, WI
• Thomas McConnell at Robert Castellano Building & Design, LLC of Cape Coral, FL
• James E. Hobbs, III at Fla. Stronghold Plumbing, LLC of Cape Coral, FL
• James Ferguson at H & H Fergusons' Contracting, Inc. of Pinellas Park, FL
• Richard Botolino of Lake Park, FL
• Don Martin at Sims Construction & Remediation Services, Inc. of Rockledge, FL
• Thomas Cuenot at Air Ref Co Inc. of Delray Beach, FL
• Andrew Baker at Midpoint Cooling & Heating, Inc. of Fort Myers, FL
• Robert Rush at Bay to Bay Inspections, LLC of Tampa, FL
• Tony Ankersmit at Multiband Engineering and Wireless, Southeast, Inc. of Sarasota, FL
• Jared Odom at Odom Custom Pools, LLC of Vero Beach, FL
• Jeffery Smith at Atlantic Construction of South Florida, Inc. of David, FL
• Nathan Brown at Image Paving, LLC of Miami Shores, FL
• James Williamson at Dalo Plumbing & Air, Inc. of Fort Myers, FL
• Neal Horrell at Guardian Hurricane Protection, Inc. of Lehigh Acres, FL
• Saleh Rabah at All Phase Solutions, LLC of Delray Beach, FL
• John Connolly at Connolly General Contracting of Cape Coral, FL
• Ron Federico of Chatsworth, CA
• Chris Clemann of Clemann Holdings LLC, DBA Clemann Design & Remodeling of Bradenton, FL

And remember if you would like to be set up on Social Media Networking sites, call Lisa at 239.963.5369 for more information.

Congratulations, September Licensees!

Congratulations to the following Licenses, Etc. clients who were approved in September:

·       Joseph Self at Rust Constructors, Inc. of Birmingham, AL

·       Daniel Kiesel at Bellwether Construction Services, LLC of Cape Coral, FL

·       Kenneth Goetzman at Goetzman Development, LLC of Starke, FL

·       David Doran of Naples, FL

·       Harrold Elie at Clear Sky Construction, Inc. of Lehigh Acres, FL

·       Andrew Lombardi at American Overhead Doors & More, Inc. of Molino, FL

·       Brian Moschello at Brian's Complete Home Improvements, LLC of Naples, FL

·       Brooke Emrick at Atlantic Steel Construction, LLC DBA Atlantic Steel of Miami, FL

·       Dennis Thiel at Kristal Pool Construction LLC of Cape Coral, FL

·       Jay Sullivan at UR Solar Power, LLC and UR Solar Power Licensing, LLC of Frederick, MD

·       Daniel Hamilton at Hamilton Electric, LLC of Naples, FL

·       Sharleen Hoadley at Centerpoint Construction Corp of Coral Springs, FL

·       Lee Litton at Gulfside Air Conditioning & Heating, LLC of Phoenix, AZ

·       Tim Beebe of Pompano Beach, FL

·       Arturo Parades at Paredes Mechanical, LLC of West Palm Beach, FL

And remember if you would like to be set up on Social Media Networking sites, call Lisa at 239.963.5369 for more information.

Business Lessons From a Visionary

Many people around the world are mourning the passing of Steve Jobs this week. He made a tremendous impact not just in the technology arena, but in various areas of our lives. He's even been called a world-changer.

According to a myriad of articles all over the internet, Jobs was known to be determined, focused, enthusiastic and a perfectionist, even to the point of being called crazy. He didn't give up, though, and he didn't stop at "good enough." He went the extra mile - and beyond. We can all learn from Jobs, including owners of small contracting businesses.

Here are some quotes we hope you'll think about as you go to work in your own business:

"When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through."

"To design something really well, you have to get it. You have to really grok what it’s all about. It takes a passionate commitment to really thoroughly understand something, chew it up, not just quickly swallow it. Most people don’t take the time to do that."

"When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop there. But if you keep going, and live with the problem and peel more layers of the onion off, you can often times arrive at some very elegant and simple solutions. Most people just don’t put in the time or energy to get there."

"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me."

"You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever."

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do."

Sand Dollar Awards

As chair of this year's Sand Dollar Awards Committee for the Collier Building Industry Association (CBIA), our very own Lisa Adams played a significant role at this year's banquet and awards presentation. The Sand Dollar Awards is the equivalent of the Oscars for local building contractors. It's a major gala event with 59 awards granted this year in categories ranging from best home design to best kitchen remodel to best website for an associate member.

Lisa and her committee put together a spectacular event with an oriental theme of Good Fortune. The night included the awards presentation, a silent auction and a performance by the Robert Williamson Band. A reward for all of her hard work, Lisa got to enjoy a beautiful evening at the formal event.

Lisa (2nd from right) with friends at the 2011 Sand Dollar Awards Gala. Photo by John Sciarrino, Giovanni Photography.

We're proud of Lisa and all she's done with the Sand Dollar Awards and the CBIA. Well done, Lisa! We'd also like to say congratulations to all the winners, including client The Lykos Group for their multiple awards!

CBIA is a local chapter of the Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Local chapters are located across the state. If you're not a member of your local building industry association, you ought to consider it. Numerous benefits include continuing education offerings, networking events and promotional opportunities, such as annual awards like the Sand Dollars.

Social Media Seminar for Key4Women

Thank you to everyone who attended the seminar yesterday!  Key4Women is a group started by KeyBank that provides customized business advice, access to capital, ongoing education, and networking opportunities.  Lisa was invited to be a guest speaker presenting information on Facebook, LinkedIn and the usage of social media in general There was an amazing turnout of 42 people to this breakfast meeting!  A few of the topics discussed were:

·         Actions to take to promote businesses

·         How to use Facebook to increase customer traffic

·         How to use referral marketing to outsell competition

·         Ways to use Social Media to increase brand awareness

·         How to increase your knowledge of customer attitudes and preferences with Social Media

 To see the presentation in its entirety, go to http://www.slideshare.net/lisaadamslicenses/key4-women-presentation.  There are active links within this presentation, so click away!

If you have any questions after watching this (or would like to hire us to perfect your social media message), please don’t hesitate to call Lisa at 239-963-5369!  



Lisa Adams with Joe from KeyBank



Congratulations, August licensees!

Congratulations to the following Licenses, Etc. clients who were approved in August:

·         David Blom at D&B Electrical Contractors of Longwood, FL 

·         Michael Soule at Gulfshore Construction Partners, LLC DBA Gulfshore Homes of Bonita Springs, FL

·         Greg Walls at Schear Construction, LLC of Lehigh Acres, FL

·         Matthew O'Brien at Execuvest Properties Corp of Tampa, FL

·         Calvin Wayne Hebb at Ultima Construction, LLC of Oakland Park, FL

·         Brian Noyes at Sun C.G., LLC of Seminole, FL

·         Andrew Ernst at AC Ernst Building Corp of Oviedo, FL

·         David Williams at Exceletech Coating and Applications, LLC of Clermont, FL

·         James R. Ceavers at H.A. Contracting Corp of Miami, FL

·         Kenneth Freeman at Kenneth Freeman, Inc. of Bonita Springs, FL

·         Brian O'Hara of Fort Myers, FL

·         Glenn Davis II at Kingston Construction Enterprises, LLC of Merritt Island, FL

·         Pamela FaJardo at B&D Roofing, LLC and B&D Construction of SW FL, LLC of Cape Coral, FL

·         Mitchell Sadlowski at SADAIN Building Contractors, Inc. of Fort Myers, FL

·         Julie Chambers at America's Best Contractors of Bonita Springs, FL

·         Andrew Shafer at Air Conditioning By Southern Climate Solutions, LLC of Naples, FL

·         Dennis Masters at BRD Inc. DBA BRD Construction Inc. of Buffalo, NY

We're also pleased to share the newly created or revamped Social Media Networking pages for these fine businesses we get to call clients:

·         Invitation to Paper

o    Facebook:  www.Facebook.com/InToPaper

Be sure to check them out!

And remember if you would like to be set up on Social Media Networking sites, call Lisa at 239.963.5369 for more information.

QR Codes – The Newest in Marketing

A new technological buzz is on the street and is spreading rapidly. The new advancement is called a Quick Response code, more commonly heard and talked about as a QR code. It is a specific matrix barcode. The words “quick response” refer to the fact that the code can be read quickly by a cell phone or reader and then can transmit unlimited data. They were originally created and used in Japan and are now being used throughout the United States in both commercial tracking applications and convenient applications for cell phone users.

QR codes can be placed on many mediums including magazines, business cards, buses, signs, and any objects users could need or want information from. The type of information that can be accessed by the individual scanning the QR code includes contact information, text, a website, a video, and more.  These codes are so advanced that they can even direct the user to compose a text message or e-mail or to receive a coupon for that specific business.

The QR code works very simply. The consumer needs to open the correct code reader application and hold their mobile device up to the QR code. The application then takes a picture of the code and directs the device to the information the code has been programmed to access.  

Download your reader application.  Choose yours based on the type of phone you have.  Each site lists the phones that support their apps:

·         KAYWA Reader:  http://reader.kaywa.com/

·         Mobile Tag:  http://www.mobiletag.com/

·         NeoReader:  http://neoreader.com/

Quick Response codes help you as a consumer and they can also help your business, no matter how small or large it is. By putting these codes on your products, flyers, invites, print advertising, etc. you can connect your clients to endless information. The potential growth for your business and possibilities to further service clients are endless.

Congratulations, July licensees!

Congratulations to the following Licenses, Etc. clients who were approved in July:

·  Kevin Taylor at Stage Technologies, Inc. of Las Vegas, NV

·  Richard Christiaens at Fort Myers Restoration Services, Inc. DBA Paul Davis Restoration of Lee and Charlotte of Fort Myers, FL

·  Robert Miller at Robert's HVAC & Refrigeration Inc. of Venice, FL

·  Ted Bickoff at General Plumbing, Inc. of Stoghton, MA

·  Scott Davis at Bayside Structures, L.L.C. of Molino, FL

·  Scott Ecker of Port St. Lucie, FL

·  Brandon Garmon at G3 Contracting, Inc. of West Palm Beach, FL

·  Joseph Bertolami at Lighthouse Pools, Inc. of Palm Beach Gardens, FL

·  Fritz Sullivan at Sullivan-Tassin, Inc. of Naples, FL

·  Anthony Geach at Roadway Management, Inc. of Sarasota, FL

·  Andre Williams at AE Williams Construction, L.L.C. of Orlando. FL

·  Neil Kynaston at Kynaston Construction, L.L.C. of Orlando, FL

·  Calvin Jack Eason at Eason Contracting, L.L.C. of Tampa, FL

·  Thomas Chad Lane at TCL Construction Concepts, Inc. of Winter Springs, FL

·  Pietro Mortellaro at G&M Contracting, Inc. of Tampa, FL

·  Jason Barfield at All Inclusive Maintenance & Construction, Inc. of Lakeland, FL

·  James Stamps, III of Fort Myers, FL

·  Robert Capozzoli at R&C Builders, LLC of Tampa, FL

·  Alex Mirabal at Air Central Services of Miami Springs, FL 

Be sure to check them out!

And remember if you would like to be set up on Social Media Networking sites, call Lisa at 239.963.5369 for more information.