BUSINESS TIPS OF THE MONTH

What are you doing to maintain a healthy financial picture for your business?

In the current economy, businesses are doing what they can to STAY in business. Some are laying off employees; some are eliminating unnecessary expenses; some are reducing employee hours.

Keeping your books up to date and reviewing and analyzing financial statements are critical to knowing whether you need to reduce spending.

I refuse to participate in a recession… how about you?

ORGANIZATIONS—PERSONAL TIDBITS

Team In Training Update
The ride was absolutely spectacular! We were a little nervous beforehand. It was snowing in the higher elevations on Friday and rained all day Saturday. So by Saturday night, we were a little nervous about having to ride in the rain. But as it turned out—Mother Nature smiled… It started overcast and cold, but turned out to be a beautiful day! We were geared up for rain, but by the end of the day we were in shorts and enjoying the sunshine.

A resounding “Thank You” to all of you who donated! Over four months, approximately 1,700 Team in Training participants raised $6.8 million. That is just amazing! I cannot wait for January to roll around so I can do this again!

Another personal note: My oldest son, Michael, turns 13 on July 4th—and so the teenage years begin! (The youngest, Brian, turns 9 on July 6th and he is carefully watching his older brother and doing the opposite when he sees Michael getting into trouble!—smart kid!)
 
GROWING MY BUSINESS
 
An Introduction To Toni – A New Member Of The Virtual Jeannie Team

As a Santa Rosa Native I have seen a lot of changes growing up. My parents have six children and I am the second in the lineup, so you can imagine how crazy things got at times in the house. When I was in the fourth grade I took up the violin and kept it up till I left high school. In the eighth grade, I also took up viola, the parent instrument of the violin. I played in the orchestra for Santa Rosa Junior High and Santa Rosa High School, so I had the opportunity to participate in the plays from the orchestra pit and which I really enjoyed. In High School I made the Drill Team and enjoyed being involved in sports, even if it was from the side lines instead of as a team player. My uncle, being a very artistic person, put together a Private Drill Team called the Mochachas, comprised of mainly friends and family, which consisted of about 100 people. We performed at parades here at the Santa Rosa Rose Parade and others in the surrounding counties. We all had a great time and those are great memories.

In addition to being musically inclined, I really enjoy sports. I played baseball—coaching a team when I was 18—and played soccer. I was also a swimmer; I was on the Neptune swim team for eight years. Of course that kept me busy and out of trouble.

After High School I wanted to be in the business world as a bookkeeper. But at 22, my husband and I had our first child and the business world had to wait. Now my daughter is all grown up and has two children of her own—we call them “The Reds,” because of their bright red/orange hair)—I enjoy every minute of their company.

Right now I am enjoying working with Jeanne part time and doing Voice-Over work from home. I also go to Santa Rosa Junior College part time. I am looking forward to meeting all of Jeanne’s clients in person or “virtually.”
 
Good to meet you all!

VIRTUAL JEANNIE VIRTUAL SPOTLIGHT

Barbeque anyone? This month’s spotlight is on Larry Vito BBQ Smokehouse & Catering.
Their food is absolutely fabulous!

		BBQ Smokehouse & Catering Opens Sonoma County’s Only All Wood Burning BBQ Joint Look for authentic, affordable slow-smoked southern barbecue cooked the old-fashioned way with the indirect heat and smoke of burning hard wood when BBQ Smokehouse & Catering opens in downtown Sebastopol on Tuesday, June 16. It’s the only all-wood-burning barbeque joint for miles.

BBQ Smokehouse offers casual counter service with hearty portions for lunch, dinner and take-out, Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on our deck overlooking a wooded area on Laguna Park Way. Expect the best in traditional and non-traditional barbecue dishes including North Carolina-style pulled pork, Texas-style brisket, Memphis spare ribs, southern chicken and hand-made chicken Andouille sausages. Signature barbecue sauces and rubs create an unforgettable taste experience. “Southern barbecue is the only authentic American cuisine we have,” Pit Master and 5-Star Chef Larry Vito said. “A pit that just burns wood is the only way to get the uncompromising results I wanted when I started down this path.” Other offerings include barbecued tofu and abundant salads not typically found in barbecue restaurants. For appetizers, order Chinese chicken wings, smoked trout or stuffed new potatoes. “What makes us different from any other barbecue restaurant around is that we invested in all-wood-burning barbecue pits to ensure that the sweet-smoky flavor is sealed into the barbecue,” Vito said. “Our most recent addition, the Oyler, can smoke 1,000 pounds of barbecue at once and feed over 2,400 people—all while maintaining the natural, wood-only techniques,” he said. Vito is best known as a classically trained and critically acclaimed Mobil 5-Star chef. He brings the same passion to barbecue that won him the honor of being named executive chef of San Francisco's 5-Star rated Stanford Court Hotel where he earned 3 Stars from the San Francisco Chronicle, the highest rating at the time. Vito has been favorably reviewed and featured in stories in The New York Times, Gourmet Magazine, the San Francisco Examiner and a variety of other local, national and international publications. In 1996, he moved to Sonoma County, where he has spent the last thirteen years developing The Larry Vito Catering Company and BBQ Smokehouse & Catering. Vito doesn’t intend to rest on his laurels, though. “You can read all about what a great chef I am but if it doesn’t taste good and you don’t feel you got a good value, you won’t come back,” he said. “In the food business you’re only as good as your last meal.” Contact Information Larry Vito's BBQ Smokehouse Catering 6811 Laguna Park Way Sebastopol, California 95472 Phone: 707-575-3277 Website: www.bbqsmokehousecatering.com