A Message from BAF President Peter Boritz [Annual Newsletter]

As we wind down the year it’s a great time to reflect on this year’s accomplishments and look ahead to 2012. While many for-profit and non-profit organizations have faced incredible challenges, I’m proud to share that BAF has been able to grow in many ways despite the economy.

We measure success in two ways: First, by how well we are executing on our mission, which is shown by the progress our mentees are making. Second, by how BAF is doing as an organization to sustain and expand our mission.

Many of our mentees have had a very successful year, Stacey Antine, Sarah Farzam and Ann Sheridan, to name just a few. In order to help more candidates, we have introduced the BAF Think Tank, and we have created new free educational workshops. We have grown our fan base and developed a new and expanded online presence through the use of social media such as Linked In, the BAF Blog, and our You Tube presentations. Our organization has added two new board members, Ronald Davison and Robert Steele, both of whom knew Ben and are ready to offer their expertise to our board and to our mentees.

For 2012 our focus is to continue building on the great foundation that has been established by the former and current leadership of BAF. The benefits of our program can be seen in many places, as we help entrepreneurs build their businesses, fueling the economy and job growth, and our non-profits make dramatic differences in people’s lives. We need your help in supporting our mission. Join us online and offline. We invite you to attend our workshop events and the Annual Reception on March 5th, 2012.

A special thank you to all of our supporters. Please reach out to me and share your ideas or thoughts on our new initiatives and programs. Have a healthy and a happy Holiday and New Year.

Click Here to download the BAF 2011 Annual Newsletter.

Horse-Riding Lessons for Disabled [BAF Mentee Update]

A self-described lifelong horse lover, Suzy Marquard has found a way to "combine a passion with doing good" in her work with GallopNYC, a therapeutic horseback riding organization.

Ms. Marquard, a retired corporate finance lawyer, became involved with GallopNYC in the spring of 2007, when the organization had just started giving lessons to New Yorkers with disabilities.

Turn Your Projects, Dreams and Passions into a Reality [Online Tools]

Are you working on a special project or venture that’s ready to take off? If so, Rock the Post will provide you with the resources, connections and support necessary for your project to be successful.

Rock the Post is a free business social networking site that serves as a bridge between entrepreneurs, professionals and investors to help take projects to the next level. The site targets entrepreneurs, professionals and artists with a range of expertise as well as investors who are looking to support a cause or invest in business opportunities.

Startup Revenue: From Zero to $1 Million in a Year [Video]

When Shane Snow co-founded Contently a year ago he had just 48 cents in his bank account. Fast forward to the end of 2011 and the startup is on track to clear over $1 million in revenue.


Watch Shane’s interview to hear about his experience going through the TechStars mentorship program, raising money and how his experience of losing a big sale helped him better understand Contently’s business model.

Venture Studio, in association with Mashable, is brought to you by Square1 Bank. The show is hosted by Dave Lerner, a 3x entrepreneur and angel investor.

What Every Entrepreneur Should Know About Asking for Help [Video]

Marissa Evans created her company, Go Try It On, as a means of answering that age-old question, “What should I wear?” Along the way, she recruited a technical team, launched her product at South By Southwest and was able to land $3 million in funding.

Check out Marissa’s interview to hear what she has to say about some of the challenges she’s experienced, how she relies on friends in tough times and what every entrepreneur should know about the power of asking for help.

Venture Studio, in association with Mashable, is brought to you by Square1 Bank. The show is hosted by Dave Lerner, a 3x entrepreneur and angel investor.

Seven Do's and Don'ts for LinkedIn

1. Presentation should be your priority. It goes without saying that the whole point of a profile is to put you/your business in the best possible light, as it will be your first impression to all potential employers, as well as clients and business partners. Having a good profile page can make you stand out from the crowd before contact is made.

2. You can use targeted keywords in your headline. By using very specific words on your professional headline you will be able to draw in companies that are searching specifically for what you can give them. This means only people related to you find your profile when they conduct a search.

3. You should maintain professionalism with all contacts. Although LinkedIn is a social network, it is important to maintain a certain level of professionalism with both friends and clients. You want potential employers to consider how professional you will be in a working environment and this allows them to see this prior to an interview.

4. You can do targeted research. You can search for targeted keywords to find companies relevant to you. Once you’ve found a company’s profile you can conduct research on them, and find people who could possibility introduce you to hiring managers (if you’re looking for work) and key decision makers (if you’re in B2B sales).

5. You can promote your profile. You can use websites, blogs, social media, email, business cards and even stationery to promote your LinkedIn profile using the LinkedIn badges. This will point people towards your professional profile and give people and organizations a chance to learn more about you.

6. Another great thing unique to LinkedIn is that you can see who has viewed your profile. You can respond by looking at their profile, and if you like the look of things, respond accordingly.

7. Do not lie on your profile. This is something that many people do to make them more attractive to employers and recruiters. At the end of the day, an employer will often find out if you’re lying about your qualifications, so it’s a lot easier to just be truthful from the start. And it’s the right thing to do!

This post originally from OpenChoiceIT.