Networks Sports Consulting

NetWorks Sports Small Business Profile: Athletes Chef

September 27, 2011 by Angela Taylor

The NetWorks Sports Small Business Profile is a brief vignette that provides a closer look at companies founded by individuals who have been involved in the sports industry at some point in their career. These business owners will share their journey as an entrepreneur as well as insight for those of you interested in starting your own venture.

NetWorks Small Business Profile on Athletes Chef LLC and its founder, Kyle Coleman

Kyle Coleman - CEO & Executive Chef, Athletes Chef LLC

Name: Kyle Coleman

Title: CEO & Executive Chef

Company Name: Athletes Chef, LLC

Company Website: www.athleteschef.com

Blog/Twitter/Facebook: http://www.twitter.com/athleteschef

When did you start your company and what was your inspiration for starting it?
I started Athletes Chef in 2011. My inspiration for starting my business was to reach out to youth athletes in urban areas and their parents and introduce healthy yet affordable meal options that promote wellness and meal options that optimize sport performance.

What’s your Elevator Pitch?
Athletes Chef specializes in prepared meals for ahletes and those with dietary concerns. We provide healthy food demostrations to youth athletes, their parents, schools, organizations and adults with dietary concerns.

What is your company’s Mission Statement?
To promote healthy nutrition education to youth, collegiate, professional athletes, fitness enthusiast, weekend warriors and everyday Americans through cooking demonstrations with various organic products and hormone free meats, presentations and social media.

What is your favorite part of owning your own business?
I enjoy being able to make healthy food exciting and delectable to achieve the dietary goals required. I simply enjoy being a chef and being involved with sports at the same time.

Tell us about your career before you became your own boss.
At a very young age, I became intrigued with food while laying on the kitchen floor watching my mother prepare meals, and assisting my father with barbecuing in the backyard. As I grew older, I developed a passion for food as I experimented in the kitchen baking cookies and cakes and preparing meals. Because of this passion, I took an educational leave of absence from Ford Motor Company, and enrolled in Schoolcraft College’s Culinary Arts Program.

I graduated from Schoolcraft College in April, 2005 with an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts with honors. I was a student assistant in the Culinary Arts Program and worked as a private chef for several families, and also catered private parties when not taking classes. I was part of a development team at Schoolcraft College, which worked with new oven technology and conducted testing for Subway. With the TurboChef Schoolcraft College partnership, I studied and taught oven programming, development of cook cycles, and product development.

After graduation, I became a full-time employee of TurboChef Technologies as a Corporate Chef. During my tenure with TurboChef, I was the company’s representative to Starbucks, Sara Lee, and Tyson to name a few, where I developed opportunities and supported numerous customers that remain with TurboChef to this very day. I also led the efforts to expand the customer base into U.S. Military Bases as they became familiar with TurboChef ovens and what this technology could do for them.

Later I served as a contract employee to Concerto Foods as Corporate Executive Chef where I developed 19 menu items and developed food service items for Hyatt Hotels and Tim Horton’s. I later was employed by Smoky Market Foods, and during this tenure I served as Corporate Executive Chef and Director of Foodservice Operations. I oversaw the building of the company’s pilot restaurant, authored the standard operating procedures, and developed training platforms among many other tasks.

After leaving corporate America, I decided it was time to refocus my career and combine my passions and joys which are food, sports, healthy nutrition and children. To ensure the highest nutritional meals for my clients I have become a Certified Fitness Chef, Certified Sports Nutrition Specialist and Certified in Kid’s Nutrition Specialist so I can assist them in performing at optimal levels on a daily basis. Additionally, I’m also involved with First Lady Michelle Obama’s child obesity initiative- Chef’s Move to Schools.

Were you previously involved in the sports industry? If so, what capacity?
I played high school football.

What was your goal when starting the company? Has that changed? What is your long-term vision for your company?
My goal is to educate athletes on the meal options they have to help them meet their preformance goals.

What is it like running your own company? Give us a “day in the life.”
I can’t put into words how rewarding it has been to go in the urban community and educate the youth on healthy food options and provide affordable meal options to the parents as well.

What are the greatest challenges of owning your own business?
The biggest challenge of owning your own business is owning the process of successfully marketing your own business and and growing the business.

What has been the biggest surprise you’ve had in being an entrepreneur/business owner?
The biggest surprise in being a business owner for me has been all the formal procedures required to proceed forth.

What are the greatest rewards of entrepreneurship & business ownership?
The greatest reward of being a business owner is follwing your dreams and passions and being compensated at the same time.

Is there a mentor (or mentors) that has helped you along the way?
I don’t have a mentor at this time. I am relying on a lot of research combined with a passion for the business.

Please share any advice for readers who are considering starting their own business.
I cannot stress enough to others considering their own business to do a lot of research and if you cannot find the answer seek someone that can lead you in the right direction.

Favorite Book: Mind Gym

Favorite Movie: The Blind Side

Hobbies: Attending various sporting events

What’s playing on your iPod: Various artists

Mac or PC: Mac

Favorite TV Show: Any Food Network shows

Favorite Restaurant: Too many to name

Favorite Quote: “Nothing fails you but a try”

For more information on Kyle & Athletes Chef, log on to www.athleteschef.com

Sign up for the NetWorks Sports “Changing the Game” Newsletter today!!

Filed Under: Blog, NetWorks Newsletter, Small Business Profile Tagged With: Athletes, Athletes Chef, fitness, Kyle Coleman, Nutrition, sport performance

NetWorks Sports Future Leader: Chris Chaney, Founder of Ivy Sports Symposium

September 27, 2011 by Angela Taylor

NetWorks is committed to supporting young professionals looking to get their foot in the door in the sports industry. Our team has received an extraordinary amount of support throughout our careers and are truly impressed with the generation of young leaders who are ready to help take the sports industry to all new heights. If you know of any individuals like this, please let us know about them. If you are in a position to hire or recommend these NetWorks Future Leaders, please contact us and we will put you in touch with them. They are our future!

Today’s NetWorks Sports Future Leader is Chris Chaney

Chris Chaney - President & CEO of Chaney Sportainment Group

“I was introduced to Chris Chaney nearly 8 years ago by Jamie Zaninovich (currently the Commissioner of the West Coast Conference) and have been impressed by Chris’ drive, vision, knowledge, and work ethic ever since. Chris is the consummate entrepreneur, someone who is innovative & willing to see his vision through from start to finish. Over the years, through his leadership, he has created a number of very successful initiatives and has demonstrated why he will be an invaluable addition to lead any team to accomplishing its objectives in an effective & efficient manner. His future is very bright. Ten years from now, I won’t be surprised to see his name listed among the leaders in the sports industry!”

~ Angela Taylor, President & CEO of NetWorks Sports Consulting

Name: Chris Chaney
College(s): Princeton University
Degree(s):Bachelor of Arts, Sociology
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SportsSymposium
Resume Available: Yes, upon request (send email request)

Tell us a little about your background.

I am originally from Germany and decided to come to the USA after high school to follow my dreams. I have been extremely fortunate to meet some outstanding people, friends, mentors and colleagues, in college and over the years since.

What type of work experience have you had?

I really started my career in college through internships, many self-starter projects and ultimately launching the Ivy Sports Symposium (formerly Princeton Sports Symposium). My first job after college was with the NBA in Global Marketing Partnerships servicing clients such as Coca-Cola, Haier and Nike, and I have been an entrepreneur ever since.

What type of job(s) are you seeking?

I’m interested in leveraging my extensive global network as well as sports and entrepreneurial experience for an outstanding and cutting-edge organization within the sports and entertainment industry. After a few exciting years in the entrepreneurial world, I am ready for the next step in my career.

What is your greatest strength?

I’m a DOER as well as an excellent relationship builder and high-level strategic thinker.

Tell us about a project that you completed successfully.

The project I have enjoyed working on the most and which has given me the personal satisfaction of helping others is the Ivy Sports Symposium.

It all started in 2006 when I was sitting in the office of one of the staff of the Princeton athletics department discussing the annual street basketball tournament I was organizing, and we somehow came across the topic of a sports business conference while in conversation. I immediately became fascinated with the idea of creating such an event on campus and decided to do it.

Five and a half years later, the Symposium is one of the global sports industry’s premier conferences. It has gained industry-wide recognition by featuring more than 180 unique speakers from around the world (literally as far as Dubai and China) representing all facets of the sports business, and welcoming student attendees from over 30 colleges and universities.

What experience (if any) do you have in the sports industry?

I’ve consulted for a variety of companies in the sports and entertainment industry on revenue enhancement and global expansion (e.g. lifestyle footwear company, mixed martial arts apparel company, Egyptian Premier League soccer club, worldwide obstacle racing series, postseason college basketball tournament, indoor American football league) as well as conceptualized a number of large-scale entertainment, basketball, golf and tennis event properties throughout the Middle East and the USA.

Why do you want to work in the sports industry?
The sports industry is a fascinating part of the business world that is an ubiquitous part of our daily lives. Sports has always been a passion but I am particularly intrigued by the competitiveness within the industry, the fact that it rubs shoulders with virtually all other industries as well as the unique and creative ideas and concepts that have come out of sports over the years.

Who has had the biggest influence on your life?

My mother.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Being a leader in the business world while also working towards positive change in our society.

Anything else we should know about you?

Too many extracurricular leadership positions to list but I loved all of them. I was selected as young leader of the sports business by the industry think tank Partnership Activation in its inaugural Rising Stars class. I am inspired by Marcus Aurelius.

For more information about Chris, read his bio. To request a resume, please send an email to info@networkssports.com

Follow NetWorks Sports on Twitter at @NetWorks_Sports

Filed Under: Blog, Future Leaders, NetWorks Newsletter, Uncategorized Tagged With: Chris Chaney, Ivy Sports Symposium, Princeton University, Sports Business, Sports Careers

NetWorks Sports Career Advice: Acing the Phone Interview

September 13, 2011 by Angela Taylor

NetWorks Career Advice: How to Ace the Phone Interview

You just got word that you landed a job interview with a company that really interests you — only there’s a slight catch. You won’t be meeting with your interviewer(s) face to face. Instead, you’ll be taking part in a phone interview, the results of which will determine whether you’re invited to meet with company representatives in person.

Many companies use phone interviews as an initial employment screening technique for a variety of reasons. Because they’re generally brief, phone interviews save companies time. They also serve as a more realistic screening alternative for cases in which companies are considering out-of-town (or out-of-state and foreign) candidates.

So the chances are pretty good that, at some point in your job hunt, you’ll be asked to participate in a 20- to 30-minute phone interview with either one person or several people on the other end of the line. In many ways, the way you prepare for a phone interview isn’t all that different from the way you’d get ready for a face-to-face interview — save for a few slight additions to and modifications of your list of preparation tasks.

Here’s what to do:

Treat the phone interview seriously, just as you would a face-to-face interview.
A phone interview seems so informal on the surface that it can be easy to fall into the trap of “phoning it in” — i.e., not preparing for it as well as you would for an in-person interview. Don’t get caught with your guard down. Be sure to research the company, study the job description, and practice your responses to anticipated questions, just as you would for any other interview.

Have your resume and cover letter in front of you.
You’ll almost certainly be asked about some of the information that appears on these documents. You might also want to have in front of you any supporting materials that relate to information in your resume and cover letter, like documents you’ve designed or written, a portfolio of your various projects, or the written position description from your key internship.

Make a cheat sheet.
Jot down a few notes about the most critical points you want to make with your interviewer(s).

Are there certain skills and experiences you want to emphasize?
Do you have certain interests or passions you want your interviewer(s) to know about and understand?
Be sure these pieces of information appear on your crib sheet. Then touch on them during the interview, even if your only chance to do so is at the end of the session when the interviewer asks you if you have any questions or anything to add.

Get a high-quality phone.
This isn’t the time to use a cell phone that cuts in and out, or a cheaply made phone that makes it difficult for you and your interviewer(s) to hear and understand each other.

Shower, groom and dress up (at least a little).
Odd advice? Perhaps. But focusing on your appearance, just as you would for a normal interview, will put you in the right frame of mind from a psychological standpoint. You won’t do as well in your phone interview if you’re lying in bed, for example, or if you’re draped over your couch in your pajamas.

Stand up, or at least sit up straight at a table or desk.
Again, there’s a psychological, frame of mind aspect to consider here. But on a more tangible level, research has shown that you project yourself better when you’re standing up, and you’ll feel more knowledgeable and confident.

Quick Tips:

Confirm the time of the phone call (i.e. possible difference in time zones).
Identify who will be calling whom.
Have appropriate phone numbers.
Try to determine all participating parties and the job titles of each.
Address any potential distractions in advance.
Interview in a quiet place.
Listen closely to the question before responding.
Do not hesitate to ask the interviewer to repeat the question or ask for clarification if you are unclear of what is being asked.
Do NOT answer incoming phone calls.
Do NOT eat or drink during the call.

Phone interviews can be tricky, especially since you aren’t able to read your interviewers’ nonverbal cues like facial expressions and body language during the session — a big difference from the typical interview. But if you prepare well for your phone interview, you won’t need to read anyone’s nonverbals to gauge your performance. You’ll know for sure how you’ve done because you’ll be invited to a face-to-face interview, where you’ll have yet another opportunity to prove you’re the best person for the job.

Good luck on your next phone interview. A solid interaction during a phone interview is the first step to getting an offer for a formal interview. Take your phone interviews seriously!

If you have any additional advice for how to handle phone interviews, please share with our readers by entering your thoughts in the comments section below. We appreciate any additional advice for our readers.

To find out more career advice, follow us on Twitter @NetWorks_Sports

Filed Under: Blog, Career Advice, NetWorks Newsletter Tagged With: Career Advice, Interviewing Skills, Job Interview, Phone Interviews, Resume Tips

NetWorks Sports Small Business Profile – Knowetry Consulting (@Knowetry)

September 13, 2011 by Angela Taylor

NetWorks Small Business Profile on Knowetry Consulting and its founder, Stacy Parson

Name: Stacy Parson

Title: Principal

Company Name: Knowetry Consulting

Company Website: www.knowetryconsulting.com

Blog/Twitter/Facebook: http://www.twitter.com/knowetry

When did you start your company and what was your inspiration for starting it?
I established Knowetry Consulting in October 2009. My inspiration to start my own business was to spend most of my days doing work that I love.

What’s your Elevator Pitch?
The “Pitch”: I want people to leave every encounter with me knowing more about themselves and how they fit into the world. “Know your story. Live your story.”

What I Do: I use an approach of “grounded innovation” — the action-orientation of a consultant with the reflective, discovery-based methods of a coach — to help my clients increase their personal and professional influence.

The Knowetry(TM) Consulting vision mapping process is at the heart of my coaching practice and helps people visually chart the course from “Now to What’s Next.” By doing this, my clients create a vision that provides inspiration and lays the foundation for the new ways of thinking, communicating, and behaving required for future success. This simple, creative and practical starting point sets the stage for a coaching experience characterized by innovative methods of achieving real-world results.

What is your company’s Mission Statement?
I support people in making the shift from being High Achievers to becoming Happy High Achievers.

What is your favorite part of owning your own business?
My favorite part of owning my own business is getting to focus most of my day on doing exactly what I love to do — Having conversations that help people clarify what their dreams are, and how they want to impact the world.

Tell us about your career before you became your own boss.
Prior to moving into my coaching and facilitation practice full time, I was the Director of Employee Development at Yahoo! Inc. The highlight of my time at Yahoo! was leading the design and implementation of the first organization-wide career development framework, which included a foundational workshop that has been very well received — in the last six months I’ve been to Singapore, Bangalore, Munich, and London to certify trainers, and it is being delivered globally in 15 countries. Yahoo! expects to have about 2,000 employees complete the workshop by the end of 2011. In 6 months, the workshop and related resources contributed to a 7% increase in career engagement, as measured through their employee engagement pulse survey.

Prior to that I was at Deloitte Consulting for 10 years – 5.5 years as a Change Leadership consultant, 3.5 years as an internal career coach, 1 year as the leader for Professional Development for the Consulting practice.

Before that, 3 or 4 roles that seemed random at the time, but contributed to the set of skills that prepared me for my roles at Deloitte.

Were you previously involved in the sports industry? If so, what capacity?
Stanford Women’s Basketball (1986 – 1990); Graduate Assistant Coach, University of Washington Women’s Basketball (1990 – 1992); 10 years coaching 8 yr – 12 yr girls in Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), North Coast Express Basketball, and National Junior Basketball (NJB).

What was your goal when starting the company? Has that changed? What is your long-term vision for your company?
My original goal was to find work that I loved so that I would not spend the next 30 years doing something I was capable of, but only mildly interested in. I wanted to combine my strengths, interests and leadership capability in ways that made a real difference in people’s lives. When I wasn’t finding exactly what I wanted to do in a structure/role that I wanted in Corporate America, I began thinking about how and when I would establish my own practice. My target client base for coaching has always been professionals in high demand professions (consulting, high tech/Internet, legal, finance). Recently, I have deepened both my interest and experience in working with professionals who have immigrated from India, and who want support in navigating their careers within American corporations. My long term vision is to maintain a sole-proprietorship, however, I do want to continue to increase my impact by partnering with others, and creating solutions that can be scaled to reach a broader audience. In 2005, I set a goal to help create 5,000 Happy High Achievers, and thanks to the platform provided at Yahoo!, that goal is likely to be reached within the next 18 months. So, it’s time for me to recast my vision…

What is it like running your own company? Give us a “day in the life.”
I’ve intentionally defined my area of focus so that I can spend most of my time doing things I love. On most days, I’m doing some combination of the following: 1) Developing Relationships and New Business — talking with people about what’s most important to them or their organizations and how I can help them (developing/enhancing relationships and new business). 2) Coaching and Facilitating — working with coaching clients to clarify their vision for impact, design a plan forward, help them overcome challenges, and provide accountability and support; or facilitating groups of 10 to 200 during career development, leadership development, and coaching skills workshops. 3) Design and Development of Solutions — thinking of creative ways to help people take action toward their personal and professional dreams and designing those solutions to use in my coaching and facilitation, 4) Deepening my Expertise — reading about and exploring what makes people tick and how we can support each other in realizing our full potential. 5) Improving my Leadership — thinking about what my strengths are and how I can build and use them to make a difference. 6) Operations — Oh, and I do spend a bit of time on the operations side – scheduling, client engagement and practice administration, budgeting and invoicing, and an occasional visit to the Apple Genius Bar.

What are the greatest challenges of owning your own business?
I’m a person who has a lot of interests and likes to explore possibilities, so my biggest challenge is to stay focused on my niche and to make choices about how to spend my time that are going to return the most value. I’m continually checking in to make sure I’m doing the work I really want to do, and not creeping into the areas of work that I “can” do but that will ultimately lead me out of my “sweet spot”.

What has been the biggest surprise you’ve had in being an entrepreneur/business owner?
I’m enjoying the business development aspect much more than I expected that I would.

What are the greatest rewards of entrepreneurship & business ownership?
For me, the greatest reward of owning my own business is when people share with me how our work together has helped them to fulfill their dreams of success and satisfaction – buying a new home, getting a promotion, designing the family and relationships they want, establishing a new business, overcoming a fear, becoming more at ease with themselves and the impact they are having in the world, clarifying and living their purpose.

Is there a mentor (or mentors) that has helped you along the way?
I have been SO blessed with many mentors and supporters at every stage of my life. My family makes sure I understand that when you have people who will love you no matter what, it gives you courage to take risks in the world. My youth basketball coaches (Rey Lopez and Donis Bailey) helped me understand that I had options, helped me dream and believe that I could achieve things that not very many other people do. My high school coach (Craig Raub) taught me how to acknowledge my capabilities with humility. My college coach (Tara VanDerveer) taught me how to have intention, conviction, and develop the capacity for success on a large platform. My mentors at Deloitte (Eileen Fernandes and Eileen Raney) always asked me to step further toward my edges, but would never let me fail. Vance Caesar (whom I’ve never met) coined the term “Happy High Achiever”, which I have shaped my work around. One of the founders of Co-Active Coaching (Laura Whitworth) taught me how to listen for the conversations that want to happen, “assess and not vote”, and to “ask for 100 percent of what I want 100 percent of the time”. Susan Burnett at Yahoo! teaches me how to create outcomes that live on even after you move on. And, Natalia Gabrea at Hiruko Center teaches me how to be courageous on a daily basis.

I am ALWAYS looking for people to help show me the way.

Please share any advice for readers who are considering starting their own business.
My advice to anyone considering starting their own business (especially a service business) is to: 1) know what your “secret sauce” is, and when and how it is valuable to others 2) be really clear about the solution you are providing, and for whom; 3) focus on being more “interested in” vs “interested to” the people you meet (from Good to Great by Jim Collins) 4) ALWAYS support and be generative with your network because they will sustain you

Favorite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favorite Movie: The Usual Suspects, but really liked the Adjustment Bureau too

Hobbies: Reading, listening to live music, wine tasting, creating playlists, discovering new bay area food spots

Favorite Place to Vacation: Right now…India

What’s playing on your iPod: Kinsmen by Rudresh Mahanthappa (and 26,000 other songs)

Android or iPhone: iPhone

Mac or PC: Mac and iPad

Favorite TV Show: Mad Men

Favorite Restaurant: A Cote in Oakland, CA

Favorite Quote: “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” – Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

For more information on Stacy & Knowetry Consulting, log on to www.knowetryconsulting.com

Sign up for the NetWorks Sports “Changing the Game” Newsletter today!!

Filed Under: Blog, NetWorks Newsletter, Small Business Profile Tagged With: Career Coaching, Coaching, Consulting, Knowetry Consulting, Small Business, Stacy Parson, Stanford Women's Basketball, Vision Boards, Vision Planning

Featured Video

Radio

Twitter