I love weddings!  If you are thinking of getting married, or know someone who is, give Sharon Renzo at Weddings By Design a call and let her help with all the details so that you can love the wedding day too.

Quiet, thoughtful, reserved – that’s been my impression of Sharon Renzo.   And hey, I was right!  But what else would you want in your wedding planner?  After all, isn’t there enough excitement and drama during the “bridezilla” process of planning these things?  Luckily, Sharon hasn’t experienced any major drama problems, but maybe that’s because she radiates cool, calm and collected.

However, there was one experience that came close: a legal type person, a perfectionist possibly, who forgot the venue was not a courtroom, got very nasty and mean to her MOM of all people(brides mom, not Sharon’s mom) and told Sharon she wasn’t aggressive enough with the bridal party (how to win friends & influence enemies).  Surprise, Sharon didn’t seem fazed at all.

Here's a little background on this entrepreneur: Sharon’s pre-event planning days were spent as a paralegal.  But she had often been the go-to person for family members and friends when an event needed to be orchestrated, so when her lawyer boss passed away and she discovered that she didn’t like the profession so much, she started doing the event planning as a business.  Then, 11 years ago she turned it into Weddings By Design.  She has completed training and education through the Association of Bridal Consultants and bears the designation of Professional Bridal Consultant.  As a member of the Association of Wedding Professionals, she is dedicated to a positive attitude, excellent work ethic and incredible organizational skills. Her full service planning business is also available for other types of event planning, such as corporate events, family reunions, Chamber events – like the Fun Trips.  Floral design is another of her many talents

As with all things in this economy, there are more and more DIY’rs (Do It Yourself) so the trend she is seeing is people wanting “more for less” or being more involved to cut expenses.  But, Sharon still gives 200% to her brides and their families because it IS a big day, a special day, and having a happy bride and family at the end of the day is her goal.  I know she loves what she does, it shows when she talks about it.


If you are interested in getting more information, please call her at (916) 681-2377, or email her at sharon@weddingsbydesign.net.  FAQ are available on her website as well.

Here's another local business that I want to tell you all about because of that passion for your work I so love!

If you're not sure if you're passionate about YOUR job, ask Marsha Braaten about Choice Framing and see what happens to her eyes and face!  She lights up with delight and excitement.  In business in Elk Grove CA for 3 years now, she and her partner Sam Falk are so enjoying their exits from the high tech/corporate world with the venture.

Marsha and Sam have been together for 25 years, finding out early in their relationship that they both love to collect art - originals, prints and sculpture among the favorites.  Sam took an assessment test some time ago and the results suggested his life should be in the arts - specifically art framing.  So, he began his plans for the shop, bringing along his other life's love - Marsha - to help him manage the business.  Together they bring to Elk Grove CA an alternative to the discount houses, giving our town superior customer service AND competitive prices.


Sam is the meticulous, detail guy at Choice Framing.  He measures to the 32nd of an inch when measuring the frames and mats to make sure the final piece is the best it can be - perfect beyond words.  Marsha is the design gal.  She loves to get her clients excited about her ideas using fabrics, colors and different framing options.  She will work with clients that come in with specific ideas and know exactly what they want, as well as those that come in with absolutely no idea of what to do.  All levels of clients continue to be "blown away" by her final piece of art.  And, they are competitive.  She challenges you to get a quote from the other locals and then come in to see her.  I know I can't wait to bring my next project to her!


And the "fun facts" about Ms Marsha:

Marsha collects roses - she has 20 varieties in her backyard and would love to add more but is now out of space.  Gardening in another passion of hers and includes tending orchids and tomatoes.

Marsha believes she is shy - yeah, I was surprised by that.  I don't see it at all - very outgoing, friendly and open. Sam thinks he is too.  But, this is old history now and I suspect this is due to the confidence they have in their business and the wonderful associations and friendships they have developed as being an integral part of the Elk Grove CA community.  As members of the Elk Grove Chamber and ambassadors as well, they have developed a presence that is here to stay!

Kids are precious - and they hold a special place in my heart as Mom of 2 and Grammy of 3, so this profile on Lisa Brown, who teaches these little people more than just dance, really touched me.

The always on stage Lisa is nervous about her interview.  Why? Probably because she's usually got an audience of little people, so discussing her history and life to someone is not typical conversation. Not to worry Ms Lisa - you are so genuine and engaging and funny and easy to talk with, and that truly comes across.

Ms Lisa has been in the performing arts industry for 25 years, starting with teaching tap dance to seniors (seems there should be a joke or oxymoron in here somewhere....but can't find it).  But really, what better way to keep in shape and your body moving than tap dance?  I want to be tap dancing when I'm a senior....oh wait, I AM a senior (dang AARP!)

Back to Ms Lisa....

Wanting to be a professional dancer, Ms Lisa got her degree in Performance Arts at Sacramento State University and was with the Capital City Ballet for about 7 years.  It came to her that this part of the business was not going to pay the house mortgage, and since she really preferred to give the gift of art through teaching, turned her beautiful doll-like eyes in that direction.  Ms Lisa taught in Woodland for a few years, then opened Happy Day Dance in Sacramento, partnering with another person who owned Happy Day Gym.  After some time, they parted company and Ms Lisa kept the dance portion, re-opening as LaPetite Pirouette Dance Academy, which later became Encore! Studio of Performing Arts.

One of the attributes of Ms Lisa is that she not only wants to teach her students about performance arts, but also about confidence, poise and perseverance.  There are many other dance studios to choose from, but if you want your child to gain a perspective on life that includes these factors, there really is no other choice.

For 13 years Ms Lisa taught 300 kids all by herself.  This got to be too much so she decided to hire additional teachers to relieve some of the burden.  Along with the little people dance classes, piano and music lessons, she added competition dance to the curriculum.  The older kids weren't feeling "adult" enough with "LaPetite" on their dance attire, so Ms Lisa decided her studio needed a face lift.  In true fashion, Ms Lisa asked the teens to come up with a name and Encore! Studio of Performing Arts was born.

And 25 years after the business was planned on a restaurant napkin, they continue to grow:  Encore now has 9 employees, 6 classrooms in 3 locations, and averages 700-900 students (wow!).  They've now grown out of the current facility, which is why she's in 3 locations.  She and husband Jim (who just happens to be a contractor!) are now working on building a state of the art facility to house all of her Performing Arts programs, performances and retail outlets. This, unfortunately, has been quite an ordeal for a few years and continues to be, but if I know Lisa and Jim, their brave and strong hearts...and business acumen... will get them this dream.  After all, she's been to the University of Hard Knocks 3 times now, and has 3 degrees to show the SBA who's boss!!  Channel 13 seems to have a honing devise to her location - they've "popped in" 2 different times to interview her on different subjects.  I think maybe it's time for visit number 3?

Lisa's motto/mantra/life affirmation: 

Life is a Dance, the rest is just rehearsal!

And on to the "fun facts":

#1: Ms Lisa was known as "Ms Palm Desert", aka Ms Date at the Date Festival - back in the day (we won't say which day)

#2: Ms Lisa has 5 cats (maybe she played Cat Woman sometime in here career?), two of which are named Romeo and Julio (Julio is aka Juliet, turned Julio when the took "him" to the vet to get "spayed" - surprise!)

Dr. Bill Wittich is a speaker, consultant and coach in the field of leadership motivation.  Bill earned his doctorate from the University of Southern California, and taught for 31 years at California State University, Long Beach. 

I heard first heard him speak at a Chamber event on the topic of Generational Divide. This is an interesting and thought provoking topic - at least it was for me.

Here's Dr. Bill's story:

Bill loves to talk! He also likes to share his love of helping people.  Luckily, he gets to do both through his company - Knowledge Transfer - and he gets to do it 250+ days a year.

My assumptions was that his audience was typically large corporations and organizations but in fact, he helps non-profits more than he does large companies.  Why is that?  Because non-profits seem to have more interest and need in people retention, as well as funds available to support the training.  Bill helps them understand how to respect a volunteers time, and communicate more effectively so they are able to retain these individuals who give so freely of their time without expectation of pay.

When Bill was just starting his company, he realized that the non-profit sector didn't really have a training opportunity and they were probably more in need because of the volunteerism factor.  He got into this field a little bit by osmosis - he was very involved in fund raising while at USC and found he could easily get by the "rejected" syndrome so many sales people face and difficulty with.  That morphed into speaking engagements (as a professor at USC, he had public speaking down pat!" on the subject of marketing and presentation.  Since he was also running a video/audio production company at the time, the two fields merged and he was off!

If you have the opportunity to hear his presentation on the Generational Divide, I strongly urge you to attend.  I personally was taken back by the accuracy of the 4 generations - and of course really identified with my own "Baby Boomer" sector.  I also had an opportunity - the very next day - to experience a Millennial's world and their impression of the work world.  This 18-25 year old group wants enjoyment and life balance first.  The individual I encountered was out of work, but wasn't going to get just any job - he wanted one he could enjoy.  I, being of the Baby Boomer age, had a little difficulty getting around "But what about retirement?  What about the mortgage?"  But, I'm "optimistic" he'll figure it out.  Those in the "Mature Generation" group would be wondering about this kid's loyalty when, after 1.3 years with his first employer, he would be looking for the "next" best thing in life.  The "GenEx" group would be saying "skeptically" - "Don't waste your time, you'll adapt - don't look back". 

To see more of Dr Bill's adventures, opportunities and recommended reading, go to his website Bill Wittich.

Fun Factoid about Dr. Bill:
He was politely (or not) asked to leave his Catholic SoCal High School at age 15 because every text book he opened also had a hot rod magazine in the middle and he wouldn't focus on his education (according to their standards.)  He went on to a community college (after misstating his age and graduation status) to study auto body and fenders.  A teacher interested in his success, suggested he go on to study industrial arts, which he did.

As promised, I've decided to use my blog as a place to promote local businesses.  My first profile spotlight is Tony Goularte from Mechanics Bank in Elk Grove.

If you haven't been into Mechanics Bank in Elk Grove yet, please stop by and visit - you will be amazed at the welcome you receive.  Stop first to visit Tony Goularte, the banks Financial Service Manager then be sure to step into Denise Santiago's office, the Office Manager. 

Don't try to pronounce Tony's last name without some help - I still struggle and I know the man.  It's Goo-lart.  I always try to add a couple extra vowels and use that "e" at the end (they're there - aren't you supposed to use them?)

Tony is one of my most favorite people in this town.   I love to talk to people who have a passion for what their business can do for others and his tops most.  His face changes dramatically when he get started on how much he loves what he does.

Tony's life started in the bay area - Pinole to be exact.  His mom, retired now, was with Mechanics Bank for 40 years, ending her career with this family owned bank as the Vice President of Human Resources.  Tony started his first bank account - with Mechanics - at the age of 5 with a Christmas Club Savings account.  So Tony has had banking in his blood for a long time.  He has personally seen how this bank can stand behind its claim of "home town and community focused".  He would have loved to come to work for the bank after his graduation from CSU Sacramento, but because his mother worked in HR, that conflict didn't support his employment.  So, he went to work for one of the big banks, seeing firsthand the difference in banking with a large organization and the privately held, family owned business he grew up with.

Banks are notorious for making people "account numbers" and although they attempt to offer "customer service" in the form of a door greeter (can we say "Wal Mart"?) it just doesn't get them there.  And I guess I should clarify here - I don't mean to trash the big banks.  They have their client base that needs them and they can be good at that.  But when a customer truly wants a bank that can give them the "Nordstrom" experience, knows them, treats them like they are part of the family and can act as a resource (need a good dentist? contractor?), then Mechanics Bank is the one your want.  With 40+ offices (not branches mind you!) in California and the offer of NO ATM fees (see bank for details), you can find one that works for you.

Here's an interesting insight Tony gave me:  most people see their dentist twice a hear - they know their dentist's name; they see their doctor about the same - they know that person's name too.  People interact with their bank - DAILY - how many people know their banker's name?  I found that an intriguing analogy - don't you?

Back to Tony's life....sports is something he loves and used to spend a lot of time playing at: skiing, water sports, baseball, football, baseball (yes, I know I said that twice...he likes baseball!)  Today, with little Aaron (named after Hank Aaron - see why I said it twice?) and wife Traci as his daily "outside of work" focus, he doesn't find the time to get as involved physically with sports, but has found another outlet or two.  He is actively involved and on the board of several foundations raising funds to help kids do what they want:  Elk Grove Youth Sports Foundation, Elk Grove Police Activities League (PAL) and California Fire Exploring.  These groups raise funds to help under privileged kids go to sports camps and the fire fighting academy.  Tony's community involvement includes the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce and BNI (Business Networking International) where he currently serves as the Vice President. 

Here's a little "fun fact" or two about Tony:
His little league team ranked 5th IN THE WORLD!  When he was 12, he played in the Little League World Series and his team gained 5th place.  That's impressive!

He also told me a funny story about a cat and the toilet - but I promised I wouldn't print that.  You'll have to ask him about it when you visit him!

Gosh - has it really been 5 months since I've posted anything on my blog . . . . unfortunately so. It is difficult sometimes to find the time, and more often for me, the inspiration. What do people really want to hear about? Surely this space can be more informative, entertaining or useful than article regurgitation, right?

So, what I've decided to do is use this space to promote other local businesses. I interview and write articles for a few people in the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce for our internal newsletter, and that inspired me to consider using those same articles here. These individuals are business owners or professionals and have some interesting facts to share. I will, of course, have to obtain their permission, but most I believe will agree.

However, I will also be searching for others that may want to have their business profile hi-lighted and if you are one, please contact me.  I have so much fun meeting new people and finding out about how they got to where they are in life.

Sharon Holbrook

“In business as in life – you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.”
~Dr. Chester Karrass


As a professional negotiator for many, many years, I made mistakes using tactics that didn’t work. But I also discovered many more that did. I was very pleased to discover that Dr. Karrass, the expert in negotiations, happens to agree with me!

Negotiations can be terrifying, intense, intimidating – or they can be simplified. Whether you are negotiating for a personal item, time, a raise, an automobile, a house…… or a large contract with an intimidating vendor, all of these scenarios have a similar thread: both sides have something to win… and to lose. Obviously, both sides want to come out winners, so how do you do that?

Below are 10 things to consider when entering into any negotiation:

1. Don’t be afraid to negotiate, even if there is a great distance between what the two parties want. And don’t be intimidated by status or authority – remember your “opponent” is human first.
2. Don’t be intimidated by facts or statistics. Strive to understand them and use them to your advantage.
3. Do not be intimidated or forced to act by a last and final offer. There’s always room for negotiation and remember that if it isn’t good tomorrow, it probably isn’t good today.
4. Having said that, do not negotiation for the sake of negotiation. When you feel you’ve reached a good conclusion for yourself and it’s fair for the other party, it’s time to go home.
5. Develop a strategy:
a. Gather information about the product or service: what is it, how and why is it important to both you and the provider, how does your added volume impact the industry and/or provider
b. Strive to know the motivation – both yours and the other party’s
c. Ensure you are negotiating with the decision maker – and that you have a decision maker on your side of the table
d. Define reasonable targets and goals for yourself
6. There is always a story to negotiations so be prepared to listen carefully to what the other party needs – and try to get the best deal for both sides.
7. Time = money. The more time you spend in your due diligence and discussions, the better deal you will realize. Take time to plan and prioritize your agenda.
8. It pays to be skeptical. Remember that everyone is in the negotiations to get the best deal for themselves and often things are less credible than they seem.
9. You have more power than you think – consider your value to the opposite side.
10. To get a win-win deal, both parties have to leave the table feeling that they’ve made a fair trade. Negotiate with integrity and good judgment.

Negotiating in good faith, creating this Win-Win outcome for both parties can actually generate new opportunities in what the parties can do for each other. And as entrepreneurs everywhere – isn’t this what we all need and want to be successful?