Tag Archives: Business Owners

2013 Chino Hills Business of The Year | Welborn Social Media

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Lacey Welborn
Lacey and her brother Zeb Welborn founded Welborn Media. She has designed and launched websites, several projects, marketing materials, a podcast, a book and more. Her passions include her family, her friends, creating things and helping businesses grow.
Latest posts by Lacey Welborn (see all)

Welborn Social Media named the 2013 Chino Hills Business of the Year by the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce!

Last Friday night, June 28, I went to the 2013 Installation & Awards Dinner for the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce. I was already looking forward to the evening because it would be my first event as a member of the Chino Valley Chamber Board of Directors, but I had no idea how amazing I would feel at the end of the night.

Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce 2013 Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Award Presented to the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce

2013 Chino Business of the Year Award

While at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino for the event I thought back over the last few years.

My sister, Lacey and I founded Welborn Social Media in 2011 while we were both living at our parents house. Before that I was running my Chino Valley tutoring company, The Tutoring Solution. It was there that I encountered business owners and found they were not what I expected (greedy and self-interested people who only care about money). Instead they were people who loved what they did and were simply trying to help others.

Before that, as an educator, I felt discouraged at the lack of drive and motivation in my students. My mind began forming a theory that our societal problems stem from a lack of passion and excitement in a person’s professional life.

Our goal at Welborn Media has been shaped by these experiences. We want to help business owners who are passionate and love what they do. Why? Because, if we can help them be successful more people will try to emulate them. In our opinion, the world will be a better place if there are more people who love what they do, are good at it, and are willing to help others.

Joining the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce in January, 2012 was an easy choice: it aligned with our mission.  Through the Chamber, Lacey and I have met some phenomenal people . . . all hard-working and all willing to help others.

Since then we have developed some strong relationships. We have been managing the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce Facebook page and have worked with friends of the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce: Rodell & Company, ABC Services, Alba Moesser, Los Serranos Country Club, Gotcha Covered, Beltone Hearing Aids, and Kardar Insurance.

At the end of 2012, the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce selected us to build their new website which was completed a few months ago. We have received so many complements on the new website. I know they are happy they chose us for the project.

When we decided to become a part of the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce we knew it would allow us to help businesses in our community grow. If we can help our passionate local business owners use the Internet more effectively then the people and businesses in our area will thrive. We want to introduce local businesses to the online opportunities available to them, and show them how they can maximize their efforts by developing a strong online presence for their business.

At the end of the Installation & Awards dinner the final award of the night went to the 2013 Business of the Year. Debbie Mitsch, the newly sworn in president, began, “This business started in 2011 and is very big in the social media world…” She announced “Welborn Social Media” as the 2013 Chino Hills Business of the Year. I was shocked.

There are so many successful, vibrant businesses… it is truly an honor. We are so very thankful the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce feels we were worthy of such an award.

My sister and I still have a lot of work to do to turn Welborn Media into the company we both know it can be. It’s a tremendous feeling to have others recognize the efforts and strides we have made as well as see the potential we have.

It’s amazing to see how supportive others in our community have been to us and how quickly our business has grown. Thank you to every person who had a hand in our selection as the 2013 Chino Hills Business of the Year.

Thank You!

Zeb Welborn

Welborn Media and the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce Website

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Lacey Welborn
Lacey and her brother Zeb Welborn founded Welborn Media. She has designed and launched websites, several projects, marketing materials, a podcast, a book and more. Her passions include her family, her friends, creating things and helping businesses grow.
Latest posts by Lacey Welborn (see all)

At the beginning of 2012 Welborn Media joined the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce. So far we’ve attended numerous events, given a handful of helpful presentations, met so many hardworking business leaders, and Zeb has become an Ambassador for the Chamber. Recently we were brought on to redesign the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce website.

About the Chamber:

“The Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce continues to be the largest and most comprehensive business organization in the Chino Valley speaking on behalf of its member firms. Members include a mix of companies of all sizes and industries, from entrepreneurial start-up companies to large long-established business entities. The Chino Valley is indeed “Open” to business and the Chamber works to make this community a premiere place to do business.”

We were excited to get the opportunity to create a website that would be able to benefit so many people in our own community, whether it be business owners who would like an online presence, or residents looking to find out more about businesses and events in the community.

The old Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce website was difficult to update and difficult to navigate. We wanted to make sure we gave our chamber something much more useful, for chamber members and visitors to the website alike. We decided to use WordPress as a content management system in tandem with ChamberMaster, a powerful easy-to-use member management software created specifically for chambers of commerce. By keeping the design clean and modern we were able to create a site that is easy to navigate while still representing the Chino Valley. Here are some screenshots of our chamber of commerce website design:

Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce Website - Business DirectoryChino Valley Chamber of Commerce Website - Board of Directors
Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce Website - Events CalendarChino Valley Chamber of Commerce Website - Join, Sign up
Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce Website - About the ChamberChino Valley Chamber of Commerce Website - Home Page

Check out the new Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce website and let us know what you think!

Click over to our Clients page and scroll to the section Website Design to see some of the other websites we’ve built.

Is It Legal to Post Photos From Google Images On My Facebook Page? | by Noe Gaytan

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Noe Velasco
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Photo Credit: MikeBlogs on Flickr

If there is one thing that I have learned from working with social media, it’s that people love photos. Just look at the countless image sharing web sites that have popped up such as Instagram and Flickr. Almost every good article that you will come across on the internet will also include a picture. When we make Facebook posts for our clients, we always get more Shares and Likes if we include an image. For whatever reason, people are just naturally drawn to visuals. So when the need for photographs arises, many people look to Google Images and don’t think twice about posting it on their Facebook. While this may be morally or socially acceptable to do on a personal page, there are deeper legal and ethical implications when doing this on a business page.

There is a term in law known as “the three a.m. stoplight”. If you pull up to a red light at three in the morning, and there are no cars around, is it illegal to run it? The answer is yes, it is illegal. However, chances are you won’t get caught so most people choose to take that risk. The same applies to sharing images on the internet. If I were to take a photo from somebody’s blog and post it on my Facebook page without proper attribution, I would be infringing on their copyright. Internet culture has evolved so that most people don’t really consider copyrights. We choose to run that red light because, hey what are the chances that blogger is going to happen upon my Facebook page, right? Most people may choose to take that risk with their own personal accounts. But business owners with their reputation on the line will certainly think twice about it.

Luckily, there are ways around this. So you think that picture of the cute kitten would be perfect to post and show your followers? Well you can get permission the old fashioned way: just ask nicely. Wherever the image originated from, you might be able to contact the owner. However, since the internet is a share-happy place, the post you find might be a re-post of a re-post of a re-post, and the person you try contacting may not be the proper copyright holder. In that case, it would be safer not to use the image. Another approach is to specifically search for “free to use” images. These can easily be filtered through an advanced search on most image databases. In most cases you will be required to properly attribute the work by including a link or naming the author. There are even ways to shorten the URL and make the link less intrusive.

Many people look to Google Images to find pictures because it is what they are most familiar with. But the question “Is it legal to post photos from Google Images on my Facebook Page?” Google Images is a search service that compiles images but it is not a database. Any image found through Google Images is coming from a separate site. It would be that site that holds the copyright. There are other web sites that ARE media libraries where you can find photos and videos, often for a price. Getty, AP, and Reuters are the top paid sources. Flickr is an excellent place for finding free to use images.

If you come across an image you want to share, you can take one of two approaches. The first option is to share the link. You can do this by copy and pasting the URL onto your Facebook status, or by clicking on a “Share” or “Like” button that might be on the page. Each one is formatted differently on Facebook, so try both and see which you like better. Or, you can upload the image yourself and be include as part of your post something like “Image by MikeBlogs on Flickr”. Nobody wants to get into a messy copyright infringement situation. But business owners should not let that keep them from sharing images. If you use the proper tools embedded on to most sites, then you are sure to be safe. That is why the share button exists. Social media is all about sharing. Just remember to play nice and give credit where credit is due.

Share Your Passion. Grow Your Business.

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Zeb Welborn
The owner of Welborn Social Media and the founder of The Tutoring Solution.My goal is to help business owners share the passion they have for their business with as many potential customers as possible.By helping passionate people achieve their dreams I am helping to create a society of passionate leaders that will help inspire others to make their dreams a reality.
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As an owner of both The Tutoring Solution and Welborn Social Media I have been committed to helping others achieve their goals.  Our motto, “Share Your Passion. Grow Your Business” is helping us build more successful business using the internet and social media.

Zeb from The Tutoring SolutionAs a tutor I inspired students to perform better in school by showing how learning could help them achieve the goals they set for themselves.

As a social media expert I help businesses grow by sharing the passions business owners have for their business with others.

The Tutoring Solution put me into contact with many business owners across the United States and after working with them I’ve come to admire many of them.  They are passionate and focused, determined and creative.  The most successful business owners have a strong sense of purpose and a desire to help others.  Those business owners lead rewarding lives.

We want to help more people lead rewarding lives.  We want to help people become passionate, focused, determined and creative.  We want to inspire others to achieve things they never thought possible.  When people are passionate, focused, determined and creative and when they reach a seemingly unattainable goal, they are happier . . . and the world becomes a better place.

We want to make the world a better place.

By helping small business owners share their passions, we are showing others that passion and commitment can help make any dream a reality.  We want to use our skills and knowledge to share your passion. Social media is the perfect tool to give your company a voice and to interact with the customers you need.  Let us help you grow your business.

To honor our commitment to inspiring others to excel we have teamed up with The Tutoring Solution to offer five scholarships to students across Southern California.  The Pursue Your Passion Scholarships asks students to write an essay describing their passions and how they plan to use their scholarships to help others. If you’re interested in finding out more information about our Pursue Your Passion Tutoring Scholarships please click on the link.

If you’re interested in finding out more information about how social media and Internet marketing can help share your passion contact Zeb Welborn today – (909) 973-9089 for a free custom analysis for your business.

Enthusiastically Share Your Business with Others Using Social Media

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Zeb Welborn
The owner of Welborn Social Media and the founder of The Tutoring Solution.My goal is to help business owners share the passion they have for their business with as many potential customers as possible.By helping passionate people achieve their dreams I am helping to create a society of passionate leaders that will help inspire others to make their dreams a reality.
Latest posts by Zeb Welborn (see all)

Every week I attend a meeting with the department heads at Los Serranos Country Club where we discuss ways to improve the experiences of our customers.  Recently, we have begun taking turns discussing sales strategies based off of the book, Cunningly Clever Selling by Andrew Wood.  One point I really connected with was the role enthusiasm plays in business – enthusiastically share your business with others and love what you do.

Cunningly Clever Selling by Andrew Wood

Do I love what I do?

Through a lot of soul searching and development, I discovered my life’s purpose in 2010.  I traveled across the country in a 2007 Toyota Tacoma with no real destination. My goal was to find a job . . . any job.  After 3 months, I returned home with no job, in a worse financial situation then when I began my journey.  It was at that point . . . when I returned that I decided I wanted to help people, because I felt helping people would make me happy.  This may sound obvious, I think everyone in the world would probably say they want to help people, but it was making that conscious decision that changed my life’s course.

Instead of finding a job I started The Tutoring Solution in 2010 because I felt education was the best way I could help people.  Education develops minds and opens doors to brighter futures and more satisfying lives.  Through this venture I got the opportunity to interact with many business owners. These business owners were caring, passionate and had a real zest for life.  Why did they seem so much happier than most people I met?  The answer is simple – Passion.

My life’s purpose is to inspire others to find their passion and pursue it.

Using Social Media as a tool has given me a tremendous opportunity to spread passion. Every business owner we work with is passionate about their business and what they can offer for people who choose to do business with them.  On a daily basis, I get to see the passion and enthusiasm these people bring to their businesses and their customers.

  • General Manager, David Kramer at Los Serrranos Country Club is extremely passionate about providing an amazing experience for golfers who visit Los Serranos Country Club.  He works hard to entrench the customer into the history of the game of golf and is constantly figuring out ways to improve their golfing experience.  When you speak with him, his love of the game and love of the customer is unquestionable.
  • Richard McKinnon, President of System 1 is extremely passionate about improving the homes of people in his community by removing their acoustic ceilings and painting their homes.  When you speak with Richard, you have absolutely no doubt that his company is the best Acoustic Ceiling Removal company in Southern California, because he puts his heart and soul into the business.
  • Jennifer Davis, the Owner of Scrapbook Expo is extremely passionate about putting together amazing Scrapbook shows for scrapbookers across the United States.  She is constantly thinking of new and creative ways to enhance the experiences of those who attend her shows while figuring out ways to improve the experience for all the vendors who take part in her shows.

It is by sharing the passion of people like David Kramer, Richard McKinnon and Jennifer Davis that I am able to fulfill my life’s mission . . . to spread passion.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Life is what you make it. Always has been, always will be,” and I whole-heartedly agree.  We all have immense potential inside of us and many of us refuse to maximize our potential because we are afraid of failure or afraid what others will think.  To enjoy life you must take risks.

Which takes us back to our original question . . . Do I love what I do?

I wake up every morning excited about what the day will bring.  I work Monday through Sunday at all hours of the day, not because I need to, but because I want to . . . Because it’s fun . . . Do I love what I do?  You betcha!

 

How Will Blogging Help My Business? | 5 Key Benefits Blogging Brings to Any Company

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Zeb Welborn
The owner of Welborn Social Media and the founder of The Tutoring Solution.My goal is to help business owners share the passion they have for their business with as many potential customers as possible.By helping passionate people achieve their dreams I am helping to create a society of passionate leaders that will help inspire others to make their dreams a reality.
Latest posts by Zeb Welborn (see all)

Last week, I had a phone conversation with Mary McPadden, owner of Balanced Billing in Phoenix, Arizona.  I met Mary at the 2011 Business Growth Expo (Tempe, AZ). At the event, she said she knew she needed to start blogging, but did not understand how devel0ping a blog could help her company.  Many business owners I have encountered feel the same way.  Everyone tells them they need to start blogging, but many do not understand the benefits a blog can bring to their business.

When I started The Tutoring Solution in 2010, I needed to find new ways to make people aware of my business.  I made the commitment to build a website, once it was online I found that people were not visiting my site like I had hoped.  I began looking for new ways to promote my business, but didn’t have a lot of money to do so.  This is when I discovered blogging.

Blogging has had an immense impact on my business . . . not only in attracting more customers, but also by helping me develop a better understanding of the needs of my customers.

  • Google (Search Engine) Results

A blog is the most efficient way to drive new traffic to your website using Search Engine (Google) results.  When a person uses Google, they are looking for something specific that they want.  If you are offering the product or service they want, it’s extremely important to be ranked highly on the Google Search Engine.

Google Search Results are separated into two different categories, paid results and organic results.  Organic results are more effective than paid results in attracting visitors to your website.  When a person looks up something on Google, the organic search results that Google comes up with are the websites Google feels are the closest match for what the person is looking for.  Being ranked #1 on Google is a sure-fire way to bring new business to your website.

Blogging also allow users to find your website through a variety of different keyword searches.  I started The Tutoring Solution website in June, 2010.  Since that time, people have found my website using 2,111 different keyword searches on Google.  Every blog article written generates new keywords people can type in to find your business and increases the chances your business will reach the first page of Google Search Results.

  • Content for Social Media Websites

Another question we are frequently asked is, “What should I post on my Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/Google+ Pages?”  A blog should be the backbone of any Social Media campaign because it is an excellent way to generate content for your Social Media pages.  The more engaging your blog posts, the more likely people will interact with your Social Media pages. It makes it easier to increase followers on each one of your Social Media websites.

  •   Strengthens Your Website

When we began working for System 1 in Chino Hills, they had a fairly nice website setup which provided the basics for its customers including the types of services they provide and relevant contact information.  Though they are an amazing company with a rich tradition here in Southern California, the lack of information on their website has hindered their success.  The implementation of a blog has enhanced their online presence. Customers visiting their website have more information at their fingertips when making a purchasing decision.

Countless customers have decided to get their tutoring with The Tutoring Solution as a result of our blog.  I can’t tell you how many times a parent has chosen us because they related to the information we were putting out on our blog.  Providing useful tips and information to your current and potential customers is a great way to establish a relationship and increase sales.

In today’s world, customers want to know the company they are doing business with.  The more information you have available on your website, the more likely your messages will resonate with your potential customers.

  • Helping Instead of Selling

Before I started the blog for The Tutoring Solution, I received quite a few calls from customers who were interested in the product, who wanted more information and were trying to feel me and my company out.  My website suffered from not providing enough information to my customers.  As a result, I had to try to “Sell” my tutoring services to potential customers over the phone.  Almost every one of these conversations ended the same way . . . “Let me talk it over with so and so . . .”  I never heard from these people again.

The implementation of a blog had a drastic impact on the type of phone calls I received.  Instead of feeling the need to “Sell” my products, the callers were already sold and the only real question I received was how soon they could start and how I could help them.

When I first started The Tutoring Solution I charged $15 to $20 per hour, highly undervaluing my services and still parents asked for lower rates.  I decided to create my blog to establish myself as the tutoring expert. I now charge between $35 to $50 per hour and no longer receive any questions regarding my pricing.  My blog helped solidify me as the tutoring expert to customers who chose The Tutoring Solution over other companies in my area.

Every business sets out with the goal to help others, but many times we feel like we have to “Sell” our products to unwilling participants.  Developing a blog allowed me to stop ‘selling’ my services, and instead, let me enjoy providing a helpful service to my community.  Many parents have told me that because of my blog, they were are already sold before they picked up the phone.

  • Increases Your Understanding of the Needs of Your Customers

Mary McFadden from Balanced Billing is a potential customer for Welborn Social Media who expressed a legitimate concern . . .  How will blogging help my business?  For me, it’s obvious, but when she asked me that question I found it hard to articulate my answer.  By blogging, I am able to solidify, in my mind, the value and benefits I am providing to my customers.  By answering real questions from customers and potential customers and using blogs to answer those questions I develop a stronger understanding of the needs of my customer.  And my customers realize Welborn Social Media cares about their concerns and knows we will put forth the work to make sure their needs are met.

Every customer has needs. They have their own concerns regarding any service or product they purchase.  Blogging gives a company the opportunity to relate to their customers, to address any issues that arise, and alter their products and services to better meet the needs of their customers.  When a company puts the needs of the customer first, they will see financial benefits as a result.

*If you have questions regarding implementing a blog for your website, please contact Zeb Welborn at (909) 973 – 9089 or Zeb@WelbornSocialMedia.com.