Guest Viewpoint

I was expecting 20 people in my first session200 people showed up. At that moment, my view of the industry changed forever. Throughout the past few years, a group of young leaders met through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. We shared a common interest: helping each other to improve our businesses and the industry at large. We also shared a passion for change and what the future held for our respective businesses. A few of us were bored and frustrated with our businesses after years of economic turmoil. Some even felt lost in the industry because they hadnt connected with like-minded people. The time, we believed, was right to formalize our discussions, debates and socializing into something that could help the industry. Enter PromoKitchen. PromoKitchen started as an idea in January 2011 and, by year end, blossomed into a fullfledged community with a passion toward sharing best practices and mentoring others. As social media was a common thread throughout the group, we came up with the idea of starting an industry blog. Our vision was to create a Mashable for the industry, staffed exclusively by volunteer leaders (chefs) who were passionate about sharing their experiences with others. The PromoKitchen community represents a cross-section of professionals (suppliers, distributors and service providers) raising the standard of THE NEW MOVEMENT IN PEER EDUCATION AND MENTORING working together by collaborating in an open, accessible environment. Its founding chefs include By Mark Graham Bobby Lehew, CAS, (Robyn); Jonathan Irvin (EasyPromo3D); Mark Graham (RIGHTSLEEVE Marketing and commonsku); Tonia Allen Gould IN 1998, I STARTED in the promotional products industry as an inexperienced, (TAG! The Creative Source); Lisa Horn, CAS, yet enthusiastic, distributor entrepreneur. I was 23 years old. (Content Matters); Tee Hamilton (Aye Creative); It took me two years to figure out there was an industry association where supCharity Gibson (Green Banana pliers and distributors met to do business. It took me another eight years to feel truly connected because I had trouble finding my footPromotions); Danny Rosin (Brand COMMUNITY ing in the industry. This all changed when I had had enough of sitFuel Promotions); Robert Fiveash ting on the sidelines and volunteered to lead a class on social media (Brand Fuel Promotions); Kim at The PPAI Expo in January 2009. Newell (World Wide Lines); Brad White My favorite education sessions at The Expo were always led by industry practi(Boundless Network); David Verchere tioners, so I was enthused by the prospect of giving back by sharing my experiences. (PostHelpers); CJ Schmidt (Hit Promotional

Whats Cookin In The PromoKitchen

MARCH 2012

PPB

35

Guest Viewpoint
We also introduced a mentor program (www.promokitchen.com/ mentor-program-overview) where mentees and mentors are paired together based on common interests. To date, we have attracted 20 applications, and the program formally launched in February. Mentee and mentor applications can be completed online. All matches are made by our mentorship chair, Kim Newell. Weve been energized by many of the stories people have shared with us, including this one from a distributor who applied to the mentor program: I am looking for practical steps and guidance to turn our little family business into a profitable one. I need to steer this ship in a new and profitable direction. Thank you for those of you who dreamed up PromoKitchen and are willing to pay it forward. At The PPAI Expo in January, we hosted a launch party at the House of Blues for anyone interested in making the industry a better place. We attracted a capacity crowd of 360 people. It was exactly what we envisioned: bringing together a group of young and young-at-heart industry leaders looking to have fun, share best practices and connect. Long after the party ended, the conversations continued online. In two short months, PromoKitchen has gone from an unknown and unproven concept to an industry-wide going concern. We are excited about the future of this community, and we are committed to providing rich content and a helpful hand in order to maintain a strong level of professionalism and success amongst our peers. ppb

Chefs and guests celebrate at PromoKitchens launch party at The PPAI Expo 2012. Products); Roger Burnett (Workflow One); Matt Kaspari, CAS, (Kaspo); Devin Piscitelli (Aakron Rule Corporation); Mark Godsey (Gold Bond); and Michael Legel (Continental Plastic Card Co.). PromoKitchen has twin missions: best-practice sharing and mentoring. Heres how we deliver on each: We publish content three times a week on www.promokitchen.com. Articles are classified into one of six categories: creativity, marketing, operations, productivity, sales and technology. We have established editorial guidelines, and everyone is invited to submit ideas for articles. Co-editors Bobby Lehew, CAS; Lisa Horn, CAS; and Tonia Allen Gould apply their strong editorial skills to this task. Were looking to address the white elephants in the industry, encourage discussion around thought-provoking content and interview the leading minds in the industry (see our interviews with Paul Bellantone, CAE, and Craig Morantz as good examples of this).

Scan these QR codes with your smart phone to watch PromoKitchen interviews with Paul Bellantone, CAE, president and CEO of PPAI, and Craig Morantz, former executive at supplier Polyconcept.

Want to get involved? Here are some helpful links:

See whats cooking in the Kitchen: http://promokitchen.com Write for PromoKitchen: http://promokitchen.com/write-for-promokitchen Get involved in the mentor program: http://promokitchen.com/mentor-program-overview Like the PromoKitchen Facebook page: www.facebook.com/promokitchen Follow PromoKitchen on Twitter: http://twitter.com/promokitchen
Mark Graham is the founder of RIGHTSLEEVE, one of the industrys leading web-based distributors. He is also the CEO of commonsku, an enterprise social software platform for the promotional products industry. He is the national winner of the Dell Small Business Excellence Award. In 2011, Graham was recognized as one of PPBs Rising Stars, honored as Distributor Entrepreneur of the Year by Counselor magazine and named to ASIs Hot List. Graham has been featured in several major media publications on his approach to technology and social media, including PPB, Counselor, Wearables, Stitches and Advantages. He has given multiple presentations on web marketing, branding and social media best practices to promotional industry professionals across North America at events such as The PPAI Expo, PPAI North American Leadership Conference, PPPC National Convention, MAPPA Convention, SPPA Showcase, PPA Chicago, NPI Show, PROMOTIONS EAST, Partnering Group, ASI Power Summit and at ASI shows across the country.

36

PPB

MARCH 2012