SBIR Contracts Sustain Business
Get in Condition: Be a Desk Jock
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This article by Kathleen McGinn Spring was prepared for the February 26, 2003 edition of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All rights reserved.
How to Get Your Story Out
Susan Young, principal in East Brunswick-based
Susan Young Media, says “countless businesses and non-profits
tell me that they are the `best kept secret.’ My immediate response
is that you don’t want to be a secret! It’s perfectly acceptable
and okay to flaunt and promote your organization, projects, staff,
clients and talents.” A former newsperson herself, Young urges
clients to use print, radio and television news as the vehicle to
accomplish this. She says that getting ink can be the turning point
for a company or a non-profit. What’s more, the free publicity can
be had without draining a budget.
Young speaks on “How to Leverage the Media: The Nuts and Bolts
of News and Free Press” at a half-day event on Thursday, February
27, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Clark. Cost: $295. Register at www.sueyoungmedia.com
or call 732-613-4790.
Before starting up her agency, Young, a graduate of Quinnipiac University,
worked as a stringer for ABC News and for the Associated Press. She
also spent time as a radio anchor, a news director, and a member of
Christie Whitman’s office of radio and television. She says that knowing
how news decisions are made and what reporters are looking for when
covering stories are the keys to increasing an organization’s name
recognition, mission, membership, and profile.
She says the overriding question of any reporter or editor who receives
a press release is “`Why should I cover this; who cares?’” It
is essential to answer this question and to overcome objections. Newsrooms
receive dozens and dozens of faxes, E-mails and telephone calls every
day from people pitching “important” news and “great”
story ideas. It is up to reporters and editors to decide what is news. Remember
this each and every time in drafting a press release, she says, and
weed out the stories that may not be newsworthy. Think in terms of
how the story affects the general public.
Here are Young’s tips, tricks, and techniques for helping for leveraging
the decision makers in newsrooms.
Put the stapler away. Deliver your message with clarity.When writing a press release or calling a reporter or newsroom topitch your story, you have to be able to express yourself with aclear, concise, and targeted message. A press release should alwaysbe one page (if it’s well written, this should not be a problem).”As a former reporter and news director,” she says, “thecardinal sin in my book is a press release with a staple. Throw outyour stapler and fine-tune your writing. Each and every word and sentenceshould be critical to your release. If your words don’t add anythingto your story, then they should not be included. Choose your wordscarefully and creatively. Even the most complicated issue, legislation,merger, grant or program can be articulated in one page.Be a storyteller. News is about people. People love greatstories. Develop the art of personalizing, packaging, and framingyour story with the right elements. Print and T.V. need visuals andaction; radio needs a voice and audio. If you’re pitching a storyabout a company expansion or a new program that your organizationhas developed, find a person whose life has been touched by your news.Arrange for the reporter to visit the program in action. Commentsfrom the boss or executive director of your agency may be good, butreporters almost always prefer to speak to people who have actuallyexperienced something. The key here is the emotional and human angleof your story, not the administrative or operational end of it.Develop relationships with reporters. People tend to likeand appreciate others who are helpful, whether it’s on the job orat home. We typically shovel the snow from a neighbor’s walk or driveher child to school if we don’t have some kind of relationship withthe her. Reporters especially need and appreciate “help” becausethey are often swamped with possible stories and related tasks. Makeit easy for them to say yes to your story. Leave nothing to chanceor assumption.Ask, for example, how they prefer to receive copy and photos— mail, fax, E-mail with attachment, text in E-mail window, orsome other way. Small details make a difference.Pitching clear stories that are concise and have the necessary elements,and helping reporters to get their job done, are key ways for youto cultivate relationships with the media and get the “free press”that businesses and non-profits need to survive. When you master this,it’s a win-win.Top Of PageRutgers MBA Open HouseOn Thursday, February 27, at 5:30 p.m., and again at7 p.m., Rutgers holds open houses for its off-site MBA program atthe Westin Hotel in Princeton. Classes are held in Hopewell, and studentsmay earn up to 18 credits toward an MBA at that location. In addition,Ph.D.s may receive 12 credits of elective course work and CPAs mayreceive 3 credits for the core course in accounting.Designed for area residents who are working full time, the programhas been holding classes in Hopewell since 1994. For more informationcall 973-353-1697.Top Of PageSBIR Contracts Sustain BusinessPrivate sector companies have buttoned up their purses,especially where technology purchases are involved. The private sectorspending drought adds allure to government contracts. Yet, says techentrepreneur Abhay Joshi, securing those contracts is exponentiallymore difficult than it was just a few years ago.”It’s brutal out there, just brutal,” says Joshi, not once,but over and over again. His tone is full of empathy as he speaksof all the “brilliant scientists and engineers who have been laidoff.” The telecommunications and semiconductor sectors, in fullretreat, have shed tens of thousands of workers, and among them, hesays, are top-notch Ph.Ds, many of them patent holders with deep experience.What are these tech stars doing now?”Starting their own companies,” says Joshi. And bidding onSBIR contracts. The acronym stands for Small Business Innovation Research.Handed out by many government agencies, the contracts not only providefledgling companies — and their experienced brethren — withcash, but they also can lay the groundwork for the commercializationthat can lead to business with the private sector.Joshi, founder of West Trenton-based Discovery Semiconductors, hasbeen winning SBIR contracts since 1993. He speaks on a panel addressing”SBIR Phase II Proposal Preparation” on Friday, February 28,at 7:30 a.m. Sponsored by the New Jersey Small Business DevelopmentCenter, the event takes place at the Princeton University Friend Center.Other speakers include Gail Greenwood and Jim Greenwoodof the Greenwood Consulting Group, Randy Harmon of the New JerseySmall Business Development Center, and Wayne Tamarelli of NJTCJumpstart. Cost: $90. Call 800-432-2832.Joshi, who holds an MSEE from the New Jersey Institute of Technology,worked at Epitaxx before it was purchased by J.D. Uniphase. There,under the tutelage of Greg Olsen, who is now the president of SensorsUnlimited, he learned how to write SBIR applications. He had alwayswanted to go out on his own, and when he left Epitaxx in the summerof 1993, the first thing he did was submit several applications forSBIR contracts.Even though he had experience with the process, he felt he had to”close the missing links” in his knowledge. He did so by attendingworkshops run by the New Jersey Commission of Science and Technology.He also sought advice from Randy Harmon. “I took notes diligently,”he recalls. “I followed them carefully.”He submitted three proposals — two to NASA and one to the NationalScience Foundation. One, a project for NASA Goddard, was accepted.”Discovery Semiconductor was launched,” says Joshi.SBIR Phase I contracts pay up to $100,000 and extend over six months.They provide the funding through which a company can show proof ofconcept for its technology. At the end of six months, the companyfiles a report and request a Phase II contract, which provides upto $750,000 over two years. “It used to be that one in every eightto ten Phase I applications were accepted,” says Joshi. At thePhase II level the ratio went down to one in two or three. But theodds have grown longer.”In 1993, we were just at the beginning of the tech boom,”he says. “When I started my company, not too many people startedcompanies.” High-quality competition has blossomed. A modest man,Joshi says that if he were starting out now, he doesn’t think he wouldwin any SBIR contracts. “For one thing,” he says, “I don’thave a Ph.D.” And this in a market suddenly flooded with downsizedPh.D.s who believe, Joshi says, that they have little choice but totry to start a company.”It was different for me,” says Joshi, whose company has grownto 15 employees. “I was 28. I was scrappy. I had nothing to lose.”He says he had a contingency plan. “What was the worst that couldhappen? If I failed I was going to go to California. I had lots offriends who could get me a job.” Silicon Valley was booming. Therewere lots of choices. Now those options largely are gone, and Joshiis glad he added government contracts to his private sector work,much of it for telecommunications and defense companies.Over the past 10 years he has won five Phase I and four Phase II contracts,and has been able to commercialize the technology he developed underthose contracts. The government agency giving the contract retainslimited data rights and user rights, while the company owns the lion’sshare of rights to the technology, and is free to go on and commercializeit.While it is more difficult to win an SBIR contract now than it wasthree years ago, there are steps entrepreneurs can take to up theirchances. Joshi’s advice includes:Perfecting the technology. “This is the meat,”he says. “What are you proposing? The technology you write hasto be top class.” In addition, it has to be spelled out in a waythat is clear and compelling. “The reader has to say `that’s adamn good idea!” exclaims Joshi.Tech entrepreneurs lacking the writing skills to get make their technologyshine might seek some professional help in polishing up their proposals.Adding gravitas. Technology proposals need to be backedup by experience. The government agencies reviewing the applicationslook for credentials and for experience. On one occasion, says Joshi,”we worked with a rising star in material science at MIT.”Seeking a partner like this is a way for those without stellar educationcredentials or a track record of success to win a contract. Joshi’scompany, having delivered on a number of contracts and sold technologyto the private sector, now has a solid track record. Entrepreneurswho are just starting out might consider a partnering arrangement.Showing potential. The government agencies participatingin the SBIR program are interested in obtaining technology for theirown use, but even more than that, says Joshi, they want to encouragecommercialization. Toward this end, they look for solid business andmarketing plans.This is an area where many entrepreneurs, who often lack businessacumen, may need some outside help. It is important to be able topoint to potential customers and to lay out a plan for reaching them.Joshi suggests that entrepreneurs submit more than one applicationat a time, but that they don’t go overboard. Different agencies closetheir contract cycles at different times, and similar proposals canbe submitted to different agencies. “You have to focus on a few,and do them right,” says Joshi. “You can’t have 20 proposalsof poor quality. Do three, four, or five in one cycle, and you mayclick on one.”The SBIR contract process provides entrepreneurs with a second chance.If an application is not accepted, the submitter can request a debriefing,and the agency must honor the request. In the debriefing, the agencytells the entrepreneur why his proposal wasn’t accepted. This, saysJoshi, provides an opportunity for improving the proposal and re-submittingit.Joshi is now married, to Sharon Joshi, who serves as CFO ofDiscovery Semiconductor. The two met before the company was founded.”There was no office romance,” jokes Joshi. No longer a footlooseyoung hot shot with nothing to lose, he is also the father of twochildren, ages four months and three years.Times could be better, but Joshi’s company, founded on an SBIR contract,is solid. He says he is glad he began competing for government researchcontracts a decade ago, before others recognized how important thegovernment business could be to launching and sustaining a high-techcompany.Top Of PageGet in Condition: Be a Desk JockOn a morning when snow drifts were keeping hisfront office staff from work, Dr. Glen Lederman, an orthopedic chiropractor,was juggling patients and phone duty. Nevertheless, he took a minuteto talk about the role good sitting plays in snow day preparedness.”My big speech to patients is to prepare for something like this,”says Lederman, who practices in Plainsboro. “You don’t conditionyour muscles, you sweep some snow off the roof, and ouch!”Lederman, a graduate of Tulane (Class of 1990) who did his chiropractictraining at Life University in Atlanta, deals with the sudden painbrought on by, say, shoveling a 50-foot driveway, as well as the stressesthat accumulate little by little in the course of a work routine.”Human beings are not designed to do the same thing over and over,”he points out. The majority of his patients, however, are desk jockeyswho do just that. Included in the advice he gives them is the imperativeof setting up a workstation in such a way that it mitigates any long-termdamage from repetitive stress. He also advises a regimen of movingaround — at least a little — during the workday to give musclesa fighting chance to stay fit enough to tackle the tasks associatedwith the occasional blizzard.Lederman gives his patients a booklet entitled Sitting Fit!, an excerptfrom the book Sitting on the Job by Scott Donkin (available by calling800-552-6347). The booklet’s advice includes the following:Elbows in. If you frequently use a keyboard, it is usuallybetter to keep your elbows close to your body and your wrists parallelto the keyboard. By not bending forward, backward, inward, or outward,you reduce the strain on the wrists and forearm muscles and ensurebetter positioning of your upper arms, shoulders, and neck.Look around. Reduce eye strain by frequently changingyour focus to an object far away or by closing your eyes. Your eyesneed frequent vision breaks to minimize strain.Check your light. The chances for headaches are reducedwhen proper posture and good lighting are in use. The eliminationof reflective glare is also helpful as is the proper arrangement ofwork materials and equipment.Save your neck. Neck pain can be reduced by adjustingthe work station to fit your body so that your head is not unnecessarilytilted or rotated too far. Also periodic breaks to move and exerciseyour neck, shoulders, arms, and upper back are essential to counteractthe effects of head tilting.Relax your back. Reduce back pain by sitting in your chairwith your buttocks aimed at where the seat and back rest meet. Adjustthe chair’s seat pan height and back rest to fit the unique contoursof your back and hips, so that you can sit comfortably erect. Usethe back rest while working.Fight fatigue. An answer to fatigue is exercise. Stretchand move during your breaks and take several micro breaks during theday.Even a simple break helps. Try leaning back in your chair (after checkingits stability!) and stretching your arms up and your legs out. Wiggleyour fingers and toes. Close your eyes, smile, breathe in deeply andout slowly. In the minute it takes to perform this micro break, youreleased the lock of your visual and mental tasks, stretched awaythe muscle tension built up in your buttocks, pelvis, and lower spine,and refreshed your body with extra oxygen by expanding your rib cage.You also improved your posture as well as the circulation of bloodthrough your legs and back to your heart.Do it. Remember, you’re in training for the next blizzard, andin the meantime are warding off painful repetitive stress injuries.Top Of PageFree Business ConsultingProfessional business consultants working through theSmall Business Development Center of the College of New Jersey offerconfidential short and long-term business counseling. To help businessesget the word out, they are prepared to address marketing strategies,market plan development, market research and surveys, and strategicplanning. To get the money flowing, the consultants give advice onbusiness plan development and assessment, loan packages, and publicand private financing.The consultants work with established business as well as start-ups.For start-ups, they give advice on establishing trade name and legalstructure, completing federal and state tax registrations, site selection,and feasiblity analysis. For all companies, the consultants provideinstruction in establishing record keeping systems, preparing financialstatements, and projecting cash flow. For further information call609-989-5232.Top Of PageWomen in Food ServiceThe New Jersey Restaurant Association hosts a lunchand afternoon celebration to celebrate Women in Food Service on Monday,March 3, 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Trenton. After a boxed lunch atNJRA headquarters on 126 West State Street, those attending will meetfor a commemorative group photo with legislators, one-on-one meetings,a session of the General Assembly, and either a tour of the StateHouse or a visit to the New Jersey State Museum. The day closes withan authentic British afternoon tea catered by the Ship Inn Restaurant& Brew Pub, featuring micro-brewed beer, and a Wine Tasting by FedwayAssociates.The NJRA represents 21,000 food establishments that generate $450million in taxes. The restaurant industry employs 200,000 people andis the largest private sector employer in the state.The event committee includes Betsy Alger owner of the Frog andPeach in New Brunswick, Ann Hall of the Ship Inn in Milford,Deborah Dowdell of the NJRA.Women in all positions — from owners to sous chefs, generalmanagers to back of the house employees, will participate. They includePatti Lombardo, purchasing agent of the company that owns theTigers Tale on Route 206, Gina Albanese, marketing directorof Panico’s in New Brunswick, Patricia Lytwenec, operationsdirector of Soho on George and Old Man Rafferty’s in New Brunswick,and six women from the Frog and Peach: Virginia King, Marion Palumbo,Gerry Kirchofer, Shannon Levine, Aime Aucott, and Jeanette Moreno.Top Of PageTax Law SeminarA free seminar on changes in New Jersey business taxlaws will be offered on Tuesday, March 4, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at theHilton Garden Inn in Edison. Following a wine and cheese reception,CPA Steven Mizrach, managing partner of the Iselin-based DistinctiveGroup LLC, discuss how tax law changes will affect the operationsand bottom line of small to medium-sized businesses.Sponsored by First Savings Bank, the seminar is free by pre-registrationthrough one of the participating chambers of commerce — Metuchen,Woodbridge, East Brunswick, Old Bridge, and Perth Amboy. Call Mizrach’scompany, 732-283-9300, for more information.Top Of PageVenture Capital Panel at NJENVenture capitalists covering every stage of investment will speakon a panel at the Wednesday, March 5 meeting of the New Jersey EntrepreneurialNetwork. The meeting is noon to 3 p.m. at the Doral Forrestal. Cost:$45. CAll 609-279-0010.Companies that need early stage investment will want to meet FredBeste, a partner at the MidAtlantic Venture Fund. The fund is onthe “bleeding edge” of early stage investment and Beste bragsthat — as a venture capitalist — he has never had to holddown a real job.Chris Sugden, a partner in Edison Ventures, will discuss investingin companies in the “break out” stage. Edison Ventures takespride in the fact that it is one of the few New Jersey-based VC fundersthat actually invests in New Jersey companies.Jim Buck, a partner in TDH Ventures, will discuss later stageventure investment. He will also cover potential investments from”private equity.”Robert Frawley, president of NJEN, predicts that each panelistwill tell why investing at his stage is better for both entrepreneursand investors.Top Of PageTCNJ to Hold Business ClassesThe College of New Jersey Small Business Development Center (SBDC)has a full schedule of business classes for March. Some are free,some require a fee. Call 609-989-5232.On Monday, March 3, at 6:30 p.m. in the Westergaard branch of thePiscataway Public Library, Martin Mosho teaches “How toStart Your Own Successful Business.” Mosho’s business is calledNew Jersey Biz Wiz, and this workshop is free. He repeats that classon Thursday, March 6, at 7 p.m. at the East Brunswick Public Library,and on Saturday, March 8, at the Trenton Public Library. Mosho bringsthe free workshop to the Plainsboro Public Library on Tuesday, March18, at 7 p.m., and to the Princeton Public Library on Wednesday, March19.As for paid sessions, Mosho teaches one called “Are You an Entrepreneur?”on Wednesday, March 5, at 6 p.m. at the College of New Jersey. Cost:$45.Michael Sleppin, of Paradigm Associates, speaks on “Sales,Sales, Sales = Money, Money, Money” on Wednesday, March 5, at1 p.m. at the College of New Jersey. Cost: $45.00Cliff Radziewcz of RadComm Inc. will discuss marketing andsales on Monday, March 10, at 6 p.m. at the College of New Jersey.Cost: $85. A dozen more workshops are set for March.The SBDC is also partnering with the Greater Mercer County Chamberof Commerce and the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce for a seriescalled “The CEO Tool Box,” to be held on the fourth Tuesdaysof each month at 8 a.m. at Panera Bread Bakery and Cafe, Nassau. Cost:$20 per session. Call 609-989-5232.Rocky Romeo, of Rocky Romeo LLC, will speak on March 25 on howcompanies can leverage existing accounts to maximize their networks.His title: “Connecting Right to Compound Your Success.” OnApril 22 Blaine Greenfield, of Blaine Greenfield Associates,will discuss targeting new markets with “Looking For Marketsin All the Wrong Places.” Sales booster Michael Sleppin,of Paradigm Associates, will help refine sales technique on May 27with “Recharging Your Sales Tactics,” while Radziewicz bringshome the money on June 24 with “Building Your Access to OtherPeople’s Capital.”Top Of PageFree Tax GuideThe New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants offers a freeonline tax guide at www.njscpa.org/finances/taxguide.cfm, completewith tax rates, answers to tax questions, and tax forms that can be downloaded.The site also links to the Internal Revenue and New Jersey Divisionof Taxation.The same organization also offers a free “Find a CPA” service,so you can look for a tax advisor based on firm size, location, andother criteria — including languages spoken. CPAs are availablewho speak Japanese, Hindi, Hebrew, and Portugese, for instance. Goto www.findacpa.org.Free assistance may be available to those who have recently been throughsome sort of family tragedy. This service was set up after September11, but the volunteers decided to make it an ongoing program. Variedcircumstances can qualify a family for assistance. Call 973-226-4494or go to the website to request help.Top Of PageTalking BooksThe New Jersey Library for the Blind and Handicapped will introduce”Internet Streaming for Audiovision” at a celebration on Monday,March 3, at 2 p.m., at 2300 Stuyvesant Avenue, Ewing. The new radioinformation service for the blind provides detailed access to stateand local news for those people with a print disability. New JerseyNetwork has significantly helped to introduce this service.Also to be celebrated are the kick off for the “Take a TalkingBook” campaign, for senior adults who can no longer see to read,or who are physically unable to hold a book. The day will also notethe anniversary of the Pratt-Smoot Act, passed in 1931. This legislationestablished free library services for the blind nationwide and setup the Talking Book program. A proclamation from the governor willbe read. For information call 609-530-3242 or write CN 501, Trenton08625-0501.Top Of PageVolunteer ConferenceThis year’s New Jersey Conference on Volunteerism will focus on disasterpreparedness and response. Entitled “Let’s Roll,” it is setfor Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5, at the Atlantic City ConventionCenter. The Governor’s Volunteer Awards will be given on Saturday.For information call 800-286-6528 or go to www.njvolunteerism.comTop Of PageCorporate AngelsThe $10 million Conference Center at Mercer, on the West Windsorcampus of Mercer County Community College, is now open. During thefacility’s February 20 ribbon cutting ceremony, one of its meetingrooms was dedicated to Merrill Lynch because of the financialservices company’s generosity to the school.The atrium is named for Yardville National Bank , anotherdonor, while a third room honors long-time supporter Jamily Faridyof Faridy Veisz Fraytak Architects.The conference center, which already has bookings for over 200 conferences,meetings, and training sessions, offers webcasting, satellite teleconferencing,and global videoconferencing. Its tiered auditorium seats 219 peopleand is equipped with individual laptop ports.United Van Lines has donated 40,705 decks of cards, 1,500magazines, and 50 paperback books as part of project “EnduringFreedom.”The purpose of the donation is the support of America’s military personnelserving away from home.News for the Vision Impaired. Broadcasts of print newsare available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to all New Jersey residentseligible for the services provided by the New Jersey Library for theBlind and Handicapped.Newspaper excerpts and special interest programs are broadcast overclosed-circuit radio through the efforts of 85 volunteers. Publicationsincluded in the program include the New York Times, the Times of Trenton,and the Philadelphia Inquirer.For more information call 800-792-8322.The Mercadien Group and the College of New Jersey are set tosponsor the third annual Nonprofit Management Certificate, which issupported by a grant from Merrill Lynch Community Development Company.The program begins on Wednesday, March 26 and runs every Wednesdayfrom 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for 10 weeks at the College of New Jersey.The enrollment fee for the program is $1,000 and scholarships willbe awarded to community development qualified organizations.Those are organizations which provide affordable housing or communityservices for low or moderate income individuals.They also undertake activities that revitalize or stabilize low ormoderate income geographies, or promote economic development by financingbusinesses or farms that meet the size eligibility standards of theSmall Business Administration’s Development Company or Small BusinessInvestment Company programs or have gross annual revenues of $1 millionor less.Applications must be received by Friday, March 7, and should be sentto Rajib Sanyal of the College of New Jersey at 609-771-3050.Top Of PageApply PleaseThe Somerset County Business Partnership has announcedthat nominations are being accepted for the 53rd Annual OutstandingCitizen of the Year and the 8th Annual Quality of Life Awards.The awards are given for exemplary volunteer efforts demonstratingcreativity, vision, leadership, and citizenship by providing serviceto programs and activities that positively affect the welfare of thecommunity.The former award is bestowed up an individual and the latter awardon an organization.Among the criteria for the award are: service should have affectedthe welfare of the community; individuals should be cited for activitiesoutside normal employment responsibilities; activities should havebeen performed during the past year, but may be cumulative from prioryears.Nominees do not have to be Somerset County Business Partnership membersor investors; previous recipients are eligible for activities otherthan those for which the prior award was given.Nominations may be completed online at www.SomersetBusinessPartneship.comor may be obtained by calling 908-725-1552. The deadline for nominationsis Friday, February 28.Next StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
