Together, we’re driving the Greater Memphis region forward, making it a leader in business agility and success. Join the Greater Memphis Chamber in honoring the collaboration, innovation, and transformation that are making Memphis Greater every day.
by Amy Daniels
Talk about change has become tired and cliché for businesses over the past year – though our collective fatigue has made it no less true. Both here in Memphis and around the world, small and medium-sized enterprises that withstood the impact of COVID-19 were still forced to cope with incredible pressures.
[Read more…] about For workers’ comp, change is inevitable. But uncertainty isn’t.
by Amy Daniels
We all know the expression about “best-laid plans.” So often, the things that can go wrong do, and we’re faced with having to adapt to those changes. Concerns about the Delta variant of COVID-19 have proven to be no exception, with this strain considered even more contagious, and spreading fast in many regions throughout the world.
[Read more…] about Don’t Panic, Just Pause and Pivot: How to Execute Events Amid the Delta Variant
by Amy Daniels
At Paragon, we talk a lot about community. We know customers enjoy the level of technology and services offered by megabanks while also seeking the kind of care and respect they receive from friends and neighbors.
In the tradition of neighbors helping neighbors, we invest in the communities we serve. And one way we do this is through Paragon’s Mortgage Access Program. We want the dream of homeownership to become a reality for as many Memphis and Shelby County residents as possible. We believe homeownership promotes wealth while helping to lift residents out of poverty and strengthen our neighborhoods.
Paragon’s Mortgage Access Program was created for first-time homebuyers who are looking to purchase a primary residence. We provide up to a 103 percent loan value — meaning we’ll give participants 100 percent financing for their homes, plus an additional three percent to pay for closing costs. Paragon’s team partners with various down payment assistance programs throughout the city to further guide people throughout the home buying process.
Homebuyer education is an essential component of the Mortgage Access Program. A homebuyer education course is an online or in-person class designed to help prospective homebuyers better understand what’s involved in finding, buying and owning a home. We connect our customers with courses that help prepare them for what to expect before completing the purchase of their first homes.
This loan program also takes into account a debt-to-income ratio of 45 percent and does not have any income limitations. Debt-to-income ratio can be determined by taking monthly debt payments and dividing them by gross monthly income. Additionally, program participants must have a credit score of at least 600, and the property they’re purchasing must be located in a majority-minority census tract.
We’ve seen how the power of homeownership can transform our communities. Learn more about the Mortgage Access Program here.
Chris Waggoner is Senior Vice President of Mortgage Banking at Paragon Bank.
by Amy Daniels
Whether you’re a public relations novice or seasoned pro, few other tasks are as much of an art form as media relations. Often, these interactions are surrounded by stress and deadlines, and center on a particular activity known as “the pitch.”
Most of us at least think we have the formula down pat. Name correctly spelled (and addressing the correct person). Ensuring we’re pitching to the right reporter for the topic in question. Respecting their valuable time by offering something of interest and to the point. We check all these boxes – sometimes only to hear nothing back.
For many of us in PR, scenarios like this are disappointingly common. But putting frustration to one side, it’s critical to ask ourselves how much we are focusing on our philosophy of approaching pitches.
Muck Rack’s State of Journalism 2020 study noted that 34% of journalists say a lack of personalization is the main reason they reject pitches. Yet communications professionals frequently treat pitching like a reactive exercise to a client’s request, or something they do only when a new content idea comes up. They can also fall into the trap of allowing the media to merge together in the mind, rather than being seen as the diverse collective of individuals it really is.
Instead, pitching should be about relationship-building.
Undoubtedly, a catchy subject line, focusing on offering value to the reporter rather than yourself, and persistent but polite follow-ups remain essential. And in the best of cases, you genuinely have something to offer reporters – a great story – as they have something to offer you – solid client coverage.
Here are three tips to get started.
1. Be proactive.
Consider which reporters you are most interested in, and who cover and write about your client’s subject matter expertise, and what about their beat and writing/reporting styles are unique.
Once you’ve brainstormed, become a fan of these reporters by using LinkedIn, or following them on Facebook or Twitter. Retweet, comment, direct message and share their articles and blurbs. Of course, don’t try to force relevance, and always thoughtfully engage with the reporter’s content.
2. Ask better questions.
A Harvard Business School study found rapport increased when meaningful and engaging questions were asked. Consider your pitch the start of a relationship – an initial conversation. A reporter’s time is valuable, and so is yours. So, use it wisely.
Read or think about what you’re sharing from their perspective. Given their background, what do you think they’d like to be asked about the story? What aspects of it will appeal most to them? Can you think ahead and identify the deeper questions that will engage the reporter most?
3. Seek out the meaningful – not the advantageous.
This is a bit like what we were told, and often ignored, about making friends in school. It’s more important to seek out natural fits – and if you have to force something, it’s likely not meant to be.
In the context of reporter relationships, this can mean that a good source from a local newspaper might be better than the name value of a New York Times or The Wall Street Journal reporter. That’s not to say coverage in these outlets isn’t substantial, because it absolutely is. But it’s about what they cover, and how relevant it is to the message you’re trying to deliver for a client. Ezra Klein said it best when he told a questioner on Quora that pitching is about building credibility. In other words, give the reporter a reason not to delete your email, and they won’t.
By drawing on the same tools we put in place to create any other connection, pitching becomes a tool that builds enduring rapport, for our benefit, that of our clients and even members of the media. From the message to the people delivering it, everyone is lifted to higher ground.
[Read more…] about Stronger relationships are the key to better pitching
by Amy Daniels
Guest reviews, comments and messages live on the internet in perpetuity, making it crucial for business owners to take action when it comes to maneuvering the narrative surrounding their business. What is said about you on review platforms, in comment threads and on message boards shapes your brand beyond your control. In fact, approximately 86% of consumers read reviews for local businesses before buying into the company’s goods or services.
[Read more…] about Should business owners read online comments?
by Amy Daniels
Social media can be one of your business’s biggest assets or biggest blind spots. Establishing a consistent presence puts you in control of your message. It provides the opportunity to share exciting news and relevant updates in your own words and engaging visuals of your choosing. Without it, awareness of offerings and your brand’s reputation and relevancy could simply go outside of your control in the digital landscape. But once you dip your toes in the social media pool, you can quickly find yourself underwater in the deep end. To keep social media manageable for your business, you have to be strategic.
[Read more…] about Taking control of social media before it takes control of you
by Amy Daniels
The U.S. boasts the world’s most sophisticated cotton sector, and both its domestic value and role in global supply chains cannot be understated. In 2019, growers generated nearly 20 million bales of cotton, worth some $7 billion in value. The industry as a whole employs more than 18,000 people. It benefits from a rare combination of direct access to the latest technologies and research, some of the world’s most knowledgeable farmers, and productive soil. But remaining at the cutting edge requires bold thinking about how this valuable commodity is sustainably produced, marketed and transported.
Those in agtech sit at the center of constantly evolving discussions on advancing the production and profit goals of farmers, bringing specialty products to market, and mitigating supply chain barriers. The overarching objective is to realize this while being good stewards of the world’s most precious natural resources, and responding effectively to consumer expectations of more sustainable, traceable products.
Building and delivering the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, a farm-level sustainability initiative that uses sophisticated data collection to document best management practices, has made clear that without partnerships and collaboration between all players in the sector, none of this would be possible.
Farmers, producers and suppliers working together so closely with the help of technology has helped realize three key achievements.
First, partnerships like this encourage traceability in the sourcing of natural materials, ultimately benefitting consumers who want to know more about the products they buy. While it isn’t currently possible to isolate every cotton fiber, and trace each fiber back to the farm level, new technologies such as blockchain delivers the next best solution, compiling and verifying transactions at every level as a product travels through the supply chain. From point A to point B to point C, participants can identify the sources, farming practices and environmental credentials of each contributor to a product. For our part, we are incredibly fortunate to work with industry leaders and progressive ag-tech organizations to deliver end-to-end traceability, accessible from any device in textile-producing regions around the world.
Second, working together supports proven credentials for all players in U.S. cotton, as accessible to the value chain as to the general public. This is a particular benefit for brands and retailers. A Brandingmag study in 2020 suggested up to 64% of consumers fit the profile of having a willingness to spend more on sustainable items. Conscious consumers will reward businesses whose efforts to create ecologically friendly products are tangible and easy to see. In practice, collaboration between supply chain participants results in the most accurate information possible concerning labor practices, water and energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions. Claims about products and practices are readily verifiable and able to be communicated to customers.
Third, working together bolsters mutual accountability, pushing all participants to higher standards. The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol’s goals are ambitious, including a desired 13% reduction in land use, an 18% decrease in water usage, a 30% soil carbon increase and a 79% cut in greenhouse gas emissions. And the challenge they pose are heightened by the reality that most of the world’s arable land is already under cultivation, meaning growers must do more on farmlands that already exist. But a substantial benefit of collaboration is the ability to digitally observe what each player is doing to drive more sustainable cotton production, offering suggestions, assistance and valuable insight where needed. Growers who wish to participate in the Trust Protocol, for example, must commit to specific continuous improvement measures first identified in their customized field assessment, ensuring that their farming operations and key sustainability indicators evolve further toward shared objectives.
The changes that are needed to make U.S. cotton primed for the next generation will not be possible without partnership-based approaches. We tend to think of ourselves as being like runners in a race, where the continued endurance of those beside us encourages and enables us to keep reaching for the finish. Believing in ourselves and counting on each other are one and the same in driving greater sustainability.
[Read more…] about The Power of Partnerships in Cotton Sustainability
by Amy Daniels
What first catches your eye when scrolling through social media? I don’t think I’ve ever scrolled past a post on Instagram and stopped because of the caption. I stop because of the captivating visuals, whether they depict beautiful merchandise or evoke jealousy that I can’t cook food that looks half as enticing as a restaurant’s photo. While captions are important, it’s the visuals that make you stand out from the crowd, grab attention instantaneously and make you recognizable to your audience.
by Amy Daniels
If the employment cycle is a pendulum, it has swung from one apex to another in the last 14 months. Businesses that furloughed or laid off employees in spring 2020 are now desperate to find candidates willing to interview. If you’ve recently hung a “now hiring” sign in your window, I want to pose a question: Have you considered hiring people with a criminal record?
[Read more…] about Now hiring? Fill openings with ex-offenders
by Amy Daniels
Memphis, TN (May 3, 2021) For the second year in a row, the economic development efforts of EDGE and the Greater Memphis Chamber have been recognized as a one of the nation’s top 25 economic development partnerships receiving the prestigious Mac Conway Award for Excellence in Economic Development.
by Amy Daniels
The Second Draw Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan intended to help small business owners during the coronavirus pandemic was set to expire on March 31, 2021, but was recently extended through June 30, 2021. There are many businesses still hoping to receive funding. If you’re one of them, read along as we answer a few frequently asked questions surrounding the Second Draw PPP loan.
by Amy Daniels
The Black Business Association of Memphis (BBA) named Ernest Strickland as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. Strickland joins the organization after serving as Senior Vice President of Workforce Development for the Greater Memphis Chamber. In his new role, Strickland will oversee the 47-year-old organization that empowers entrepreneurship and improvement of business and growth opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses. BBA partners with multiple organizations throughout the community supporting the goals of economic equality. Strickland will officially take the helm on Wednesday, April 1st.
[Read more…] about Ernest Strickland Named President & CEO of Black Business Association
