That’s the equivalent of the closure of 23 pharmacies in each of the 50 states. 

If you don’t want to be part of that statistic, I suggest you listen to today’s show about a topic that affects every citizen and business owner - safety, competitive and regulatory issues facing the independent pharmacist. <- Click that link to listen.

More specifically, the challenges from competition, safety, legislation, insurance, audits and enforcement agencies that are keeping the independent pharmacist busier than ever, and more worried and pressured than ever. 

Mark’s guests for a panel discussion today were Ray Swanson of Centice, maker of PassRX and Mike James, an independent pharmacist in North Carolina and, among other things, an advocate for the independent pharmacist in Washington D.C.

Bio and contact information for the show’s guests

Mike James
A resident of Raleigh, North Carolina, Mike graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama with a B.S. degree in Pharmacy. He is a member of the National Community Pharmacists Association, Association of Community Pharmacists, Fellow American College of Apothecaries, North Carolina Association of Pharmacists, Pro Care Association and the North Carolina Banking Commission. James is President of Person Street Pharmacy, Inc., President of Century Drug, Inc. Deerfield Beach, Florida as well as Governmental Affairs Director for North Carolina Mutual Wholesale Drug Company. Mike is very involved with National Government legislation and continually serves as an advocate for the retail independent pharmacist in Washington, DC.

To speak with Mike, email him at forestmjames *at* mindspring dot com or phone his office at 919-832-8671.

Ray W. Swanson 
Ray W. Swanson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Centice, brings more than 20 years experience in the medical diagnostics and devices industry, with an emphasis on commercial and general management roles. Previously, Swanson was Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations for TriPath Imaging, a publicly traded cancer diagnostics and device company based in Burlington, N.C. From 1987 to 2000, Swanson held senior management positions of increasing responsibility at Dade Behring, one of the world’s largest clinical diagnostics companies. Swanson was part of the team that formed Dade International through the acquisition of the diagnostic business of Baxter International Inc. in 1994. Prior to 1987, Swanson held positions with Johnson and Johnson, American Hospital Supply Corporation, Solvay Inc. and Washington University School of Medicine. Swanson has B.S. and M.S. degrees in zoology from Eastern Illinois University and an MBA from the University of Iowa.

To speak with Ray, email him at rswanson *at* centice dot com or call his office at 866-498-7277.

Click here to listen now.

No, this isn’t a political discussion. Trust me:)

Finally, we talk about strategies to immediately improve your business regardless of who gets elected.

We start off talking about the unintended consequences on business processes from the $15 per checked bag fee that American Airlines will likely encounter. This segues into a discussion on pricing and getting out of being in a commodity, price shopped business. Not leaving your market, but instead, not being a commodity in that market, price-wise.

Click the link above to listen.

Mark also discusses the Papa John’s / LeBron James “Crybaby” flap and how great a job Papa John’s did at handling the situation. 64300 search results on Google in just 1 day…all because they handled it right.

Today Mark talks about a few of the social media sites and how to put them to use for your business.

How to use them to establish your expertise. How to use them for better SEO (search engine optimization). How to use them for market research and to get your finger on the pulse of what’s new (and what’s gonna be new) in your market.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/SmallBusinessMarketingHotseat/2008/04/25/Small-Business-Marketing-and-Operations-Help-Hotseat-Radio to listen now!

Mark interviews Dr. Joe Capista, author of What Can a Dentist Teach You About Business, Life and Success?

Joe and Mark talk about success, accurate thinking, the value of mentors, being an expert, balancing life and business and more.

Listen to the show.

About Joe Capista

Dr. Capista shares insights into the very principles and systems that took him from growing up in an average blue collar Philadelphia neighborhood, struggling with his studies as a young boy to becoming top in his industry, building a multi-million dollar dental practice from the ground up, enjoying a 34 year marriage, great health and lots of opportunity to give back to his community.

Long before it was popular to subscribe to beliefs such as the Law of Attraction, Dr. Capista dedicated himself to the study of the power and impact of the mind and spirit in creating your reality. For over thirty years he has studied the power of thinking, the mind and goal setting that has afforded him what most would consider a wildly successful life.

Some of the conversation is about finding your place and then singing it from the treetops (logically speaking, that is) - no matter what position is.

Listen to the show now.

Needless to say, authors and print on demand publishers are up in arms about it.

Listen to the show now.

Also - see these Business is Personal posts for more on this topic:

• My original post on the Amazon POD flap
• Business is Personal: Amazon responds

Here’s the scoop on Mr. Breyfogle:

A professional engineer, CEO and author, Forrest W. Breyfogle III has dedicated his career to assisting companies achieve optimum quality and efficiency. A fellow with the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and a Crosby Medal Award recipient, Breyfogle has written a new, four-part, business book series, Integrated Enterprise Excellence, which takes managers beyond Lean Six Sigma and the balanced scorecard.

This series describes a business system where organizations can move toward achieving the three “R”s of business: Everyone is doing the Right things and doing them Right at the Right time.

The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System will be available in the spring of 2008 and is an “Enhanced, Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement”.

The first 3 volumes include:

• Integrated Enterprise Excellence Volume 1 – The Basics: Golfing Buddies Go Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard
• Integrated Enterprise Excellence Volume 2 – Business Deployment: A Leaders Guide for Going Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard
• Integrated Enterprise Excellence Volume 3 – Improvement Project Execution: A Management and Black Belt Guide for Going Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard

A 1968 graduate of the University of Missouri at Rolla, Breyfogle obtained a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. Upon graduation, he went to work for IBM as a development engineer, in Lexington, Ky. His stint with IBM was put on hold when he was drafted by the Army one year after joining the company. Breyfogle was stationed in Dover, N.J., where he served at Picatinny Arsenal.

After his time in service, he returned to IBM in 1971, relocated to Austin, Texas, and stayed with the company until 1992. At IBM, he held positions as a development engineer, product test engineer and an internal statistical consultant. Additionally, Breyfogle graduated from the University of Texas with a Master of Science in mechanical engineering in 1975.

In 1992, Breyfogle founded Smarter Solutions, Inc., where he currently serves as CEO. Specializing in training, coaching and consulting, Smarter Solutions introduces companies to the next generation of Lean Six Sigma – Integrated Enterprise Excellence. Breyfogle and his company have worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies, including CIGNA, Hewlett-Packard and Sherwin Williams.

He has authored and co-authored a total of 11 books and published over 80 technical resources for well known, worldwide publications on Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma and Lean methods. In addition, he is a member of the board of advisors for the University of Texas Center for Performing Excellence.

Breyfogle currently hosts seminars through Smarter Solutions and frequently speaks to professional organizations across the country. He enjoys playing golf and often uses the game of golf to illustrate improvement strategies in business. Breyfogle has two children and lives with his wife in Austin, Texas.

To contact Forrest, visit http://www.SmarterSolutions.com.

Listen to Mark’s radio show.

If you can’t measure it, how do you know if it’s really working?

This week, Mark talks about how to measure the response to your marketing, regardless of the media you’re using.

This week, we discussed how to measure your advertising response in ANY media.

PS: Pardon the stumbles at the beginning. Technology was my friend today:)

Easier than you think - IF you think.

 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/SmallBusinessMarketingHotseat/blog/2008/02/01/Small-Business-Marketing-Hotseat-Hotseat-Radio

January 11, 2008 - Positioning your business

Rohn’s materials can be found here.