Lorraine Ball

Building a strong local economy is a real passion of mine.  Time and time again I see evidence that if you want to sell your product in a local market, you have to shop there first.

This was the theme of my presentation at Rainmakers last month. ( I just got the video links) . The video is in two parts and it contains a serious call to support local businesses.

With this local focus in mind, I thought I would share just a few of my favorite local restaurants. These are places I would miss if they were gone. . I hope you will consider voting with your dollars this holiday season, paying them a visit, and helping to build a strong local economy.

No links to websites sorry, but more importantly I have listed address so you can check them out yourself.

Ocean World on 86th Street and Ditch. Some of the best and most reasonably priced sushi in town. The food is so good it is easy to overlook the mediocre service. It is usually busy, but not overcrowded at lunch time, 1/2 prices specials on Sunday, and always a long wait on Friday night.

LaPeidad 6524 Cornell Ave – Great, authentic TexMex. Fast friendly service, good food, reasonable price. Nice outdoor dining when the weather permits. When I need a TexMex Fix this is my favorite.

Kona Jack – Meridian and 96th Street – Not to be confused with the Kona Grill chain in Clay Terrace. This Indy tradition has a wonderful, diverse fish menu, and even sells fresh fish for you to take home and prepare yourself. Sharing a kitchen with Daddy Jacks, you can often convince your waitress to serve something off the menu from the other side.

Santorini Greek Kitchen – 1417 Prospect Street, in Fountain Square – Well worth the trip to Fountain Square for the huge portions, home-style Greek food, and great service. It is also the only place in the city that makes Eggplant parmesan the way I like it – I think you will too.

These are just a few of my favorites. What are yours? List them here, and more importantly, pay them a visit this month!

It is Planning Season! - As the year winds down, it is a good time to think about business planning, so I will be offering two sessions of my popular BusinessMap workshop on:

December 17, 2009 and January 21, 2010.

Each program will run from 8 am to 11 am.

Thanks to Spin Web for graciously offering to host the program at their offices located at: 8580 Cedar Place Drive Suite 116 Indianapolis, IN 46240

In this lively three hour workshop, participants will learn the elements of a good business plan, as well as tips and strategies on how to get started, and make planning an integral part of your business operation.

Business Map© will focus on How To:

• Get started, including a simple outline to use as the foundation of your plan.
• Organize information – the structure and flow of a typical business plan.
• Avoid the 10 most common mistakes small business owners make when writing their business plan
• Decide what each section should contain – where to find supplemental information.

The Fee to attend is $75.00 and it includes a copy of my BusinessMap workbook, and a CD complete with samples, plan outlines and spread sheets to build Performa Financial statements.

Seating is Limited! Register Now!