Affectionately known as "The Most Candid Consultant On The Planet," and widely recognized as the man who literally wrote the book on SPEEDÂ, Stone is no theorist. He works exclusively in the "No Bullâ Zone, and has a real job just like you and your team. Several actually . . . serving as Chief Sales Officer, Trusted Advisor, Sales Troubleshooter, and Top Producer for some of the world's most respected Training & Consulting firms.

For over 20 years, Stone has been helping organizations drive their business strategies more effectively. His unusual candor and energetic style provide a refreshing and much needed perspective to clients striving to improve their organizational SPEED (the ratio of results to time invested).

Mr. Payton is an accomplished speaker, published author, and co-founder of MarketMateTM  a unique network of consulting firms and individual specialists solely dedicated to helping clients Grow Their Business Fast. He is speaking at a Growth Answers event on Wednesday August 20 at 7am at the Georgian Club for more information please go to www.growthanswers.com. For more information about Stone please go to his website www.marketmate.org or blog www.stonesells.blogspot.com

Next we had on Procurement Guru Norman Conway with Prorizon. Norman was just named the Pro to Know from Supply & Demand Chain Executive magazine. Norman explained that if your company issues more than 500 POs per month, his Web-based e-procurement system can streamline and automate your processes, cutting costs by 45-75%, an average of $60 per PO. It"s so easy to implement you can go live on their Web services platform within 45 days without having to buy and implement software or overhaul your current systems. Prorizon helps you Streamline procurement processes; Maximize resource utilization;  Standardize user-controlled buying; Track assets and Audit performance. For more information please go to Normanâs website www.prorizon.com

Next we had on Michael Thomas National President of the CRM Association. Michael explained that Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is now part of the mainstream.  Customer strategy is âordinaryâ and something that is a day-to-day concern for all enterprises, large or small.  The business universe has shifted its focus from the company at its center to the customer at its hub.

As a result, the CRM industry has matured.  More than ever, firms that do nothing but work involving the analysis and enrichment of customers abound.  CRM as an industry has not just practitioners, but vendors, integrators, management consultants, boutique specialists, evangelists, analysts, pundits, bloggers, authors and even detractors!

As the industry has matured, so has the customer â not just the industryâs customer but the customer that CRM was created to support.  The customer experience, formerly an art and a gut check, is now a cutting edge science that is necessary for business growth and differentiation in an era where customers are fully empowered and highly volatile.  

CRM Association represents the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) industry and all its constituents.  CRM represents what is now becoming an organized body of knowledge and strategy to be reckoned with.  The CRM Association aims at representing the industry as not just a purveyor of knowledge and information, but an action-oriented association that will protect and promote the interests of customer relationship management and its institutions and provide the members with the tools that it needs to enrich and improve that customer experience â be it the memberâs direct customers or the customers of the members customers.  Please learn how to join Michael at his associationâs big Return to Customer event August 26-27. For more on the CRMA please go to www.crmassociation.org or to learn more about Michael and his company Neighborhood America please go to www.neighborhoodamerica.com

We closed the show with Susan Knox Founder of Corporate Connections. Corporate Connections provides direct Access & Highly Targeted Introductions to individuals helping fill your Pipeline & Accelerate the growth of your business. Susan explained that People Do Business with people they Know, Like and Trust.  The challenge is it may takes weeks, months and often years to get connected to the Right Relationships.  Being a native Atlantan, Susan has spent the last 10 years of her career building Trusted Relationships which helps others expedite their business development initiatives.  Corporate Connections Accelerates your opportunity to meet the right people at the right time at the right place.  For more information about how you can tap into Susanâs Golden Rolodex please go to her website www.corporateconnections.us

Also if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about please email Amy Otto at Amy @ atlantabusinessradio.com and we will try and get them on the show. 

Before we got started we had big news from one of our recent guests, Bart Foster with SoloHealth. Remember Bart created that innovative EyeSiteâ self-service vision testing kiosk. Well, SoloHealth has been selected as a semi-finalist for the $100,000 entrepreneurial contest from a list of more than 1,500 entries.  SoloHealth is the only Georgia company to make it to this stage of the competition.  Online voters will select the top five finalists by going to www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/boostyourbusiness/, watching the finalists" 30-second videos, and voting for their favorite entrepreneur between now through Sept. 30.  Winners will go to New York later in the fall to compete in the finals. So please support Bart by going to the Forbes website and voting for him.

Our first guest this morning was Blake Hauger with Waterford Loan Consulting, a fully licensed and professionally certified mortgage consulting firm. His compnay is not a mortgage broker or a lender. At Waterford they do the mortgage shopping for you.

They help eliminate the shopping headaches, last minute changes, and offer security during the mortgage process. They are making sure their clients get the best rates and terms from the mortgage brokers and lenders.

Owned by James and his wife Bridget, Intown Healthy Hound's mission is to provide products and services to keep our community's pets safe, happy and healthy. The store's products and practices are designed to be environmentally-friendly as well.

Located in the heart of Grant Park, Intown Healthy Hound & City Kitty is also a great neighborhood gathering place after a romp in the park. For more information about James' store as well as his home pet food delivery servie please check out his website www.intownhealthyhound.com

 She has been in Atlanta for 9 years and calls Atlanta, Georgia home. She is a member of PowerCore and the Atlanta Downtown Express Network of the American Business Woman's Association. In her spare time she is a plus model here in Atlanta as well as being a beauty queen with the Miss Plus America Pageant. For more information please check out her website www.actionsecureshredding.com

Also if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about please email Amy Otto at Amy @ atlantabusinessradio.com and we will try and get them on the show.   

David also brings an artist's eye and creativity to his work. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Atlanta. His award-winning web design and user interface work has been displayed in articles in PC Magazine and Internet World and used as an example in the book Dynamic HTML Black Book for his innovative use of dynamic content. He has led creative teams on co-branded projects with CompuServe, The Weather Channel, Erols, Bigfoot, USA.net, Polygram, and American Express.

For more information about David, his blog, his art and his firm please go to his website www.equationarts.com

Joyce's latest venture is a complimentary blend of her love for all things entrepreneurial and her sisterhood with other women. One in every ten adult women is a business owner. The Millionaire Mom membership site is designed to support mothers in the unique challenges of raising a family and a business at the same time. The site not only offers a forum for communicating advice, insights and a place to commune with other like-minded moms, it also provides concrete business advice from millionaire moms who have "been there, done that" and achieved phenomenal success in the process. Our goal is to help each woman become accomplished and profitable in her own venture-one family at a time.

Today we talked to Joel Nunez founder of ImHonest.com. ImHONEST.com is a non-traditional lost and found service that provides identification and recovery for items of value. In addition to offering an affordable and user friendly solution for owners to proactively label and register their valuables, ImHONEST.com makes it easy for the finders of lost items to act on their honesty.

ImHONEST.com was founded in 2004 by international marketing executive JoÃl A.NÃÃez, after a frantic search for his missing wallet drove him to create a solution that rewards honesty and donates a portion of proceeds to not-for-profit organizations.

The issue of finding lost valuables is becoming growing in importance. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, the average American household now owns 26 consumer electronics products. MP3 players, digital cameras, and notebook computers - all easily lost or misplaced â are three of the top five fastest-growing product segments in the study. Unfortunately, as the number of portable electronic devices continues to grow, so too does the risk of losing them. In fact, a global survey of 900 taxi drivers by mobile devices security firm Pointsec showed that thousands of mobile phones, PDAs and laptops are forgotten in taxis every day.

Two of the most common reasons that lost items are not returned to their owners are: Inability to identify the owner of the lost item and Lack of an easy way to return the found item

The ImHONEST.com system, with its user-friendly label registration and reporting system, solves both of these issues. ImHONEST.com makes it easy for finders of lost items to return the items to their owners by providing:

1. Personalized labels containing a unique ID code
2. Choice of toll-free and online "found itemâ reporting
3. Over 4,000 drop-off locations at all of The UPS Store locations
4. Pick-up service from any residence or business location
5. Support for international shipping of found items
6. A gift rewarding the finder's honesty

Please click on the POD button to listen to the latest Atlanta Business Radio  show podcast broadcasting live each Wednesday at 10am EDT from Atlanta, GA, USA.   Here's how to listen to the podcast of our show.
First click on the title of the show you are interested in. Then there should be a player in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Now just press play and the show you chose should start playing. You can also download the show to listen on your mp3 player. We are now available on iTunes, click this link and you can find all our past shows. Press SUBSCRIBE and you will automatically get the latest show when you sync your iPod to your computer.

Remember if you want a pretty comprehensive listing of all kinds of Atlanta Events including Business Networking events please check out www.AtlantaEvent.com. 

Today we talked to Mike Gomez, Managing Partner of Allegro Consulting a growth specialty firm.  Mike is a former USAF pilot and sales and program management executive with aerospace giants, McDonnell Douglas, Boeing, and Lockheed where he accumulated an impressive sales record of over $4 billion. 

After leaving the corporate world Mike started his consulting firm to assist mid-sized business with creating and executing growth strategies.  Among his successes was guiding the growth of a $8M logistics business to $35M in just over two years. 

Mike will be conducting a free seminar for business owners serious about growing their companies titled "The 10 Essential Elements of Long-Term Sustained Growthâ.  It will take place on Wednesday, July 16th from 7:30 to 9 AM at the Georgia Tech Global Learning Center. You must RSVP to attend so please go to Mike's website www.allegroconsultant.com and click on the Register Now link in the bottom left hand corner.

But that's not all. AllYall.tv is also all about what YOU love about the South! They make it easy for all of their users to upload their own videos, and share them with the rest of the world. We're totally free of charge, and our goal is to showcase not only our own original content, but to also broadcast the things our user community loves about the South.

This is a Southern-style social networking site. Everybody gets his or her own profile to customize, and everybody's invited to the party: mingle with other members, hobnob with artists, share videos, share opinions. For more information about advertising on Jay and Jake's new website or if you just want to stop by for a spell and visit please go to www.AllYall.TV

Joe told us to mark our calendar and plan to join him for the First Annual Menâs Health & Wellness Expo on Saturday, June 14, 2008, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm in the Saint Josephâs Carroll Conference & Education Center. Download and print the Expo brochure.

This full-day community education program is free to the public and features a variety of physicians and other health care experts on health and wellness-related topics. Sessions throughout the day will explore how to prevent illness as you age and how nutrition, exercise and stress specifically affect your bodyâs ability to function in the areas of heart health, prostate health, digestive health, bone health and diabetes prevention.

There will be free health screenings offered throughout the day to both men and women. Screenings include: Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Blood sugar, Body Mass Index (BMI) and Bone Density. You can also get a
FREE voucher for a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test & DRE (digital rectal exam) by appointment with an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist from Saint Josephâs

The Center also educates and helps couples dealing with issues of sexual intimacy and communication, conditions which are exacerbated as men age and during times of illness. For more information about the Menâs Health and Wellness Center at Saint Josephâs, contact Renee Sevy at (404) 851-5670 or rsevy@sjha.org or go to www.saintjosephsatlanta.org/menshealth

Also if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about please email Amy Otto at Amy @ atlantabusinessradio.com and we will try and get them on the show.

The Benevolink program helps consumers give to their favorite charities, including schools, religious, arts and cultural organizations and other causes our consumer members really care about, through the act of shopping . It also helps businesses increase sales, profits and market share, while forming bonds with consumers. And lastly it helps charities generate additional, unrestricted revenue on a year-round basis while adding value for their supporters

Now, the simple act of shopping -- when coupled with the power of 'pooled giving' and consumer choice -- creates a win-win-win scenario for consumers, businesses and charitable causes. Our vision is to significantly increase the funding capacity over time for more than one million nonprofit organizations making a difference in their communities across the United States.  For more information please check out their website www.benevolink.com

Theresa Barberâs diverse experience in business and franchising gives her the expertise to carefully guide entrepreneurs in the sometimes-difficult path of choosing the best franchise for them.

For eight years Ms. Barber managed a multi-million dollar worldwide tour company, which gave her extensive experience in management, finance, sales, and marketing. Her love of travel brought her into the franchising arena in 1996 when she joined Uniglobe Travel as a Franchise Advisor, becoming a top performer early on. She accepted the role of Manager of Business Development when she moved from New England to Georgia. Here she worked directly with franchisees in the Northeast and Southeast regions to help them achieve their business goals. She advised them in areas of staffing, marketing, and budgeting for growth. Ms. Barber conducted regular regional meetings with franchisees, trained owners and employees in technology, customer relations, and franchise âbest practices.â Her main focus prior to moving back into sales as an Area Developer with Uniglobe was âhand holdingâ the new franchisees for a smooth transition into ownership.

In 2000, Ms. Barber was recruited by Netspace to spearhead the franchise sales department of a brand new technology franchise. With her strong sales and management skills, and the love of the internet motivating her, she soon became the national leader in franchise sales, and helped build a very successful franchise organization. She assisted in developing internal processes, and trained new franchisees in technology, sales, and marketing.

Today, Theresa Barber utilizes the skills that she has acquired over the years to help individuals find a perfect match in the franchising arena that compliments their own skills and allow them to achieve their goals. If you are thinking about buying a franchise you should give Theresa a call and take her up on her free consultation she can save you some time and some money. For more info please check out her website http://tbarber.franchoice.com

As consumers become more accustomed to many types of fast and efficient self-service transactions, (ATMs,, airline check-in, photos, etc.) and with their growing knowledge and concern about health, it is inevitable that more people will embrace self-directed health care. With EyeSiteâ as the entry product, our goal is to become a world leader in self-service health screening and efficient referral to health care providers.

According to the American Optometric Association, the average person only visits an eye care professional every 36-48 months, about half as often as recommended.

Because eyesight usually deteriorates very slowly and can easily go unnoticed, many people donât realize they could benefit from vision correction and the importance of regular exams. The EyeSiteâ self-service kiosk, located in high-traffic locations, will entice individuals to assess their vision more often, resulting in greater utilization of services from eye care professionals and more sales of vision care products. For more information about Bart and his company please go to his website www.solo-health.com

Also if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about please email Amy Otto at Amy @ atlantabusinessradio.com and we will try and get them on the show.

Elizabeth is Founder and CEO of Flourishing BusinessÂ, a business advisory firm for entrepreneurs specializing in working with high growth startups that want to augment their internal expertise with that of seasoned business advisors, who can help with strategy and execution. For more information, visit: www.flourishingbusiness.com or www.chicentrepreneur.com.

Also if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about please email Amy Otto at Amy @ atlantabusinessradio.com and we will try and get them on the show.

As CEO, she is responsible for sustaining and growing client relationships, providing strategic counsel, and managing client programs. Zenith Design Group is entering into its 10th year - a milestone for a fully self-funded organization which is still owned by Bonnie. Zenith has recently been named one of Atlanta's top Woman-Owned Businesses by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. She gave us lots of great information about the challenges and rewards of starting a business from scratch and growing it successfully. For more information please check out her website www.zenithdesigngroup.com

Next up we had on Jill Felts owner, president, and lead designer of Atlanta-based Compelling Creations, Inc.  She has been in the business world for more than 20 years.  Since 1996, she has channeled her entrepreneurial drive into a passion to share her beliefs through messages and symbols inscribed on her sterling silver faith jewelry.  In the past few years Compelling Creations has supported non-profits nationwide through the sale of the jewelry designs via the companyâs retail website.

In 1995 I set out to find an easy way for non-profits to fundraise 24/7 and remain still focused on their unique mission. I am humbled to hear how my jewelry designs touch the lives of so many people.  We have become the âHallmark of jewelry.â?  When people donât know how to express their sentiments in words they give one of my designs. For more information about Jill's beautiful designs and to learn how your non-profit can raise more funds please go to her website www.compelling-creations.com

Also if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about please email Amy Otto at Amy @ atlantabusinessradio.com and we will try and get them on the show.

After doing these various projects, Stu went back to finance after his MBA (a degree held by less than 10% of his industry peers), this time commercial finance so he could learn about working with debt and helping small business owners.  Stu started Southern Lending Solutions, LLC about 2.5 years ago so he could help these small businesses who were clearly being ignored by the big banks. For more information about Stu and his company please go to his website www.southernlendingsolutions.com

Next up we had on Annette Curtiss with Sales Diagonal. Sales Diagonal was founded in 2007 and they are a Business to Business Consulting firm that specializes in developing and executing High Impact Value Driven strategies to increase sales revenue.  They focus on increasing an organizational's sales revenue by decreasing poor workflow, improving productivity, improving processes and identifying sales tools. The firm's focus is on People, Process and Technology.

Sales Diagonal Consultants are experienced in the Health Care, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Technology, Insurance, Software and State and Local Government sectors.  The consultants have big-company experience and have refined and applied their processes to deliver successful strategies to businesses of all sizes. For more information about Annette and her firm please go to her website www.salesdiagonal.com

Southern Silver specializes in new and vintage sterling silver flatware and serving pieces. Thereâs also a wholesale stainless steel implement (serving piece âbladesâ? without the handles) piece of business thatâs pretty meaningful.

Southern Silver has lots of potential growth areas, so please let me know if there are any sterling silver pieces you think might add value to the customer experienceâ baby gifts, picture frames, corporate gifts, etc.

Southern Silver will not be operating a retail shop, but please visit them online at www.southernsilver.com.

Their clients are very busy, and they find navigating the intricacies of pricing, interchange and fees to be time consuming and confusing. Optimized Payments uses a proprietary methodology to identify and implement the appropriate savings strategies for acceptance of all payment types, from credit and debit cards, to electronic checks and gift cards.

They also have a no-risk approach to every client engagement. If Optimized Payments doesnât deliver measurable results to their clients' your bottom line they the client does not pay a fee. For more information please check out his website www.optimizedpmts.com

Previously, Mr. Stone spent 22 years with Colonial Life & Accident Insurance where he was Marketing Director for State Government Development. He was responsible for the management of thirty agents and three assistant managers who assisted him in the development of government related business in the State of South Carolina. Mr. Stoneâs extensive experience in the insurance industry, combined with his experience in corporate sales and marketing of insurance products, has been successful to public and private businesses in the Southeast. His leadership in the private sector led to the creation of a profitable distribution company, Phillips/Stone and Associates out of Raleigh, NC that was sold to investors after 4 years of profitable operations.

He is an active member in the South Carolina Technology Alliance, Central Carolina Economic Development Alliance Committee of 100, and the Atlanta CEO High Tech Council. He served as technology chair for the South Carolina Health Underwriters State Board as well as a Steering Committee member of the Columbia Technology Entrepreneur Council.

Founded in 1998 as EasyBenefitsâ, an organization catering primarily to the K-12 education sector, a great deal of experience and recognition was gained in ensuring effective introduction of benefit management systems to small and large clients.

EasyBenefitsâ grew out of Columbia, South Carolina; saw progressive growth over the subsequent years, through teamwork and strong leadership from President/CEO Joseph Stone. Recognition of the organization's potential was received in the form of multiple technology and service awards, including the Greater Columbia ITC Palmetto Pillar on more than one occasion.

2006 marked the beginning of a new phase for EasyBenefitsâ. With the introduction of Co-Founder Charles Wall, the organization was reformed as EasyHRwebâ, branching deeper into HR solutions. EasyHRwebâ offers web based tools for a variety of standard HR procedures through their products; the Online JobCenter and Benefits Center.

EasyHRwebâ continues to thrive under strong leadership, team work, and a dedication to customer satisfaction. Research and development of new products, while maintaining and improving existing services and support networks are high on EasyHRwebââs priorities. By increasing knowledge and experience EasyHRwebâ looks forward to continuing its success into the future. For more information please go to their website www.easyhrweb.com

Pat Huddleston served in the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 1990 to 1996. From 1992 to 1996 he was an Enforcement Branch Chief, leading investigations of cases involving insider trading, brokerage firm misconduct, and Ponzi schemes.  While at the SEC, Pat traveled the United States taking sworn testimony from brokers, sales managers, and Ponzi scheme operators.

Pat has served as an expert witness in securities litigation cases, and has been appointed by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, on the recommendation of the SEC, to act as Receiver in two cases involving fraudulent securities offerings.  Pat has been quoted on investor protection issues in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today, among other publications.

Motivated by a desire to protect investors from falling victim to reckless brokers and professional scam artists, Pat created Investorâs Watchdog, a company dedicated to helping investors avoid the transactions and relationships that will cost them a lifetime of savings. For more information and to check out your broker please go to Pat's website www.investorswatchdog.com

Next up we had on Dr Shelley Negelow. Dr. Negelow is a National Trainer, Business Consultant, Speaker and Author. she is also the founder and CEO of Power of Woman Seminars. For over fifteen years, she has been teaching the nationally acclaimed seminar Power of Woman, which trains women in how to achieve satisfaction and success in their business and personal lives. Shelley is passionately committed to supporting women in learning how to create a life they love.

Dr Negelow was the #1 Executive Recruiter in the southeast with the largest executive recruiting firm in the country. She also owned her own recruiting company. Her book, The Master in the Mirror: A Womanâs Guide to Living a Passionate and Joyful Life, is available through www.TheMasterInTheMirror.com. For more information about her upcoming seminars please go to her website  www.PowerOfWomanSeminars.com

Also if you know of a business owner in Atlanta that we should know about please email Amy Otto at Amy @ atlantabusinessradio.com and we will try and get him or her on the show.

United Cerebral Palsy of Georgia was founded in 1962 by a group of citizens in metro Atlanta. These pioneers had a vision of cradle-to-grave community-based supports to meet the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Nearly half a century later, UCP of Georgia stays true to our founders' purpose and its mission of supporting people in a Life Without Limits.

Since its founding, UCP of Georgia has grown into a comprehensive service organization offering a range of supports for people living with any developmental disability (not just those with cerebral palsy). The array of services includes early intervention and therapy in an inclusive child care setting, engaging day supports for seniors, employment services, in-home supports, community living supports, after school care, and day supports.

To learn more about the services this great organization provides or to make a donation please go to their website www.ucpga.org

When it comes right down to it, your company is made of people. Individual team members bring more to the table than just their expertise. They demonstrate their own dynamic set of working styles. They bring their own feelings about their roles. They have their own agendas, both good and questionable. Most importantly, they interact with every person in your organization in a unique way.

Through interviews, distinctive assessments and a wide variety of services, Trove identifies your strengths, shortcomings and opportunities for improvement. And not just from a numbers perspective or a one-size-fits-all approach.

Utilizing decades of experience to apply the right tools and techniques for your company, Trove will maximize the potential of your partners, employees and even prospective hires. And in the process