If it seems as if every election these days includes a school referendum, you're right.  When Indiana shifted public school funding away from property taxes, that moved Carmel Clay Schools from near the top of funding dollars received to the bottom. 
 
That change means some of the highest-performing public schools, including CCS, need voter support to add programs they need.  We’re not the Lone Ranger; several other states, including Ohio, use this method.  If you’d like to learn how Indiana got to the current funding method, you can learn more from Hamilton Southeastern CFO Mike Reuter on the OneZone website – (onezonecommerce.com; September 19th 3 for Thursday).
 
The request this fall is to fund a school resource officer in every Carmel school, in addition to mental health professionals and programs to ensure every student in our schools has access to help in their school.  School resource officers are much more than safety professionals.  They’re mentors and relationship-builders too. 
 
OneZone supports the school referendum. As a chamber of commerce, why do we care?  Because high-performing schools remain one of the biggest reasons businesses choose to locate here and stay here.  Great public schools matter.  Fortunately, ours are strong and safe.  Let’s keep them that way for all our students.  We strongly encourage you to vote yes on November 5th. 
 
Mo Merhoff
President, OneZone

​You’re young, skilled and hungry for professional growth. How do you fast-track your progress?
 
In this post, we share simple but effective ways to build fruitful connections and a reputation as someone who’s worthy of trust and opportunities.
 
Build your network before you need it.
 
Yes, networking. While the concept of networking strikes fear in many of us (particularly introverts) — it’s really a low-pressure, high-return effort when done correctly.
 
Put simply, fruitful networking isn’t about asking for things, necessarily. Most of the time, it’s about giving: being generous with your time, expertise and contacts, much like you’d treat guests in your home.
 
Earlier this year, we wrote about three ways to increase your networking ROI. Give that a read and enjoy the open doors that follow.

Much has changed about how we make buying decisions from just a few years ago. Now that more people own a mobile device than a toothbrush, our craving for instant access, gratification and personalization continues to sway how buyers choose offerings like yours.
 
With that in mind, we dug into recent market studies to highlight trends you’ll want to keep in mind as you fine-tune your marketing and customer retention strategies.
 

​One-click payments
 
Aside from the convenience factor, one-click checkouts remove shopper indecision and cart abandonment — “both major revenue losses for all retailers,” reports CMO by Adobe. One-click payments also save shoppers from having to enter personal data and pull out their credit cards on-the-go, like sitting in a doctor’s office or waiting for their meal at a restaurant.
 
With Amazon’s 1-Click patent expiring in 2017, we’ve seen more and more retailers offering one-click payments. Whether you’re selling tchotchkes or asking prospects to book a free consultation, it’s smart to remove as many steps, clicks or obstacles as possible that can delay that “yes.”
 
Enhanced (and data-driven) customer experiences
 
A couple of years ago, researchers predicted customer experiences would soon be the greatest competitive advantage driving sales — more so than price, product features or other attributes. (We wrote about that here.)
 
Brands are paying attention. Earlier this year, a Forrester Consulting study found “80% of business decision makers said improving their company’s customer experience was among their top priorities for the year ahead.” Expect a greater focus on using data to deliver personalization, immersive mobile experiences, and a single view of the customer across industries — all “in an ethical manner to earn trust,” reports CMO by Adobe.
 
Wellness impact
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Trendwatching, which analyzes global buying behaviors and advises brands from Google to Unilever and Disney, points us to wellbeing challenges that carry opportunities for businesses to impact the health and happiness of consumers.
 
The report, titled The Future of Wellbeing, cites two epidemics that influence buying behavior:

• Burnout: “Consumers from all backgrounds have burnt through their mental and physical reserves,” the report reads.
• Air Time: Increased concern for the environment and demands for brands to “react with reduction, prevention, and protection.”

 
Consider ways your organization can counter both concerns: alleviate stressors or tripping points that can hurt the way users experience your product or service, and reduce your environmental footprint. (Trendwatching has specific examples and recommendations in this free version of their report.)
 
For tactics more specific to your business and audience, consider any patterns you’ve observed over the past year:

• Do prospects stop responding at a given point?
• Do visitors to your website abandon a shopping cart or sales page?
• Do customers tend to disengage after a certain point?
• Does a common challenge or experience keep customers from returning?
• What common questions, objections, or support requests come up frequently?

 
As you identify weak spots, look for ways to remove sources of confusion, delays or difficulties that could turn off customers. Even better: Ask customers directly — not just once, but habitually, and continue to refine their experience accordingly.

​In business and life, most doors are opened through networking. You know you should get to know more people, but your plate’s already full and it’s hard to fit in another event. Often, we neglect networking until we can’t anymore, because meeting new clients, connecting with a dream mentor, scoring a job or promotion all hinge on relationships.
Below we’ll cover three simple habits to make your networking more meaningful and fruitful — both for you and the people you connect with. No new revelations here: just common-sense reminders you might be neglecting in the midst of busyness.

 My packing up for the day would slow down when I realized someone was in the hall outside my classroom door.  One afternoon it was an emotional sophomore arguably over-anxious over making some team.  But another time it was a 17-year-old prolonging going home, because home was where an alcoholic, abusive parent waited.  In my seven years in a high school classroom, there were many after-schools spent with a student, sometimes listening, sometimes encouraging, and sometimes intervening.
 
Every single teacher can relate to this.  Anybody who’s ever spent a day in a classroom can.  I’d argue it’s a major reason why teachers continue in a profession fraught with challenges.  It’s a conscious choice to make a difference - one student at a time.  We’re kidding ourselves if we presume that every student is the product of a healthy, successful nuclear family, and that teachers aren’t often the only adult in a student’s life to whom they can turn for help. 
 
That’s why the legislature’s recent elimination of mental health program funding from House Bill 1004, this session’s omnibus school safety legislation, was so disappointing.  Even more disappointing was the reason given by the vocal group responsible – that teachers are taking away parental rights by committing to helping students with mental health issues.  Think about that premise for a minute . . .teachers, the very people completely committed to creating success for their students, should be precluded from making a difference in the mental health of those students. 
 
Two years ago, the City of Fishers launched Stigma-Free Fishers – a campaign involving the entire community, with the goal of working together to reject stigmatizing labels and make a difference for those affected by mental illness.  HSE created a slogan for their program - Labels are for Jars, not People.  Slowly but surely, that community-wide commitment is making a difference, and the city is tracking their success and reporting the results (https://stigmafreefishers.com/about/reporting).
 
Fishers’ efforts deserve to be replicated all over Indiana, but that won’t happen if legislators decide to eliminate key players’ ability to be part of the solution.  It’s important we send a strong message to our legislators that teachers always have and always will often be the difference makers in students’ lives.  Somebody needs to be there for the person waiting outside the door.

Growing up in Wisconsin meant taking part in a sacred, weekly ritual – seeking out the best Friday night fish fry.  We’d head off to some tiny Central Wisconsin community, where we’d find a small Mom and Pop spot with oil-cloth tablecloths, a foosball machine, a television show debating the latest Packer news. . .and beer.
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Make no mistake.  These were places meant for families and filled with them.  They were not deemed dangerous – far from it - and nobody presumed that my dining with my family where alcoholic beverages were being served would make me a future alcoholic.  Bars were gathering places, meeting-with-friends places, having a beer with your fish fry places.
I’ve also yet to find any evidence whatsoever that high school young people in other states, who worked at grocery checkouts, began their lives of drunkenness and crime because they drug a bottle of wine across a barcode reader.  But if you’re under 21, you can’t do that in Indiana.  We presume there’s a cause and effect.
You can’t participate in a restaurant “happy hour” special either, although you can have a happy day, apparently.  All-day drink specials are OK.

Listening to Sen. Alting’s lengthy public policy committee hearing on the substantial proposed amendment to HB 1518 taught me a lot more.  Ever purchased liquor from a golf course drink cart?  You broke Indiana law until 1518 passed on the last day of the session. Last summer’s study session covered a lot of ground, and laid the foundation for many of the changes proposed in the bill.  With care, Sen. Alting and others in the legislature are working to update Indiana’s alcohol laws, and their work should be applauded. 
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Other parts of the 1518 mega amendment make sense too.  Municipalities ought to be able to decide the number of liquor licenses needed to accommodate development projects without a referendum.  That’s why there are local zoning and planning ordinances.  Those decisions should belong to cities and towns, not the state.  Sen. Alting’s comment was on point – “That would just add more government, not less.”  Fortunately, that amendment stayed in the bill too.
Prohibition was not our country’s finest example of practical legislation.  Perhaps if we could change the conversation about alcohol from how to prohibit use of it to how to be more responsible with it, we might land in more reasonable territory.  

​Tell us about your company’s mission and values.
Live Nation at its core sets out to provide artists and fans with the best concert experience possible. At the local and even departmental level, which is the VIP seats program, our mission is to help our guests, whether they are a business or personal buyer, to entertain and enjoy a live music experience the best they can.

What are the services you use the most (or are looking forward to using) from OneZone?
We are most looking forward to introducing local businesses and individuals to all entertainment options Live Nation can provide locally, especially our VIP options at Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center and Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park. Many have seen VIP tickets or even enjoyed them for a show here or there, but many are not aware how to purchase them for a single show, for a partial season, or for a full season. The ability to introduce and help people and businesses get the most out of their concert experience is truly what we are looking forward to!

How do you stay engaged with trends that you see in your industry?
Live Nation is one of the companies that set most trends in our particular industry, however, there is much to learn and implement from all sorts of organizations including sport properties. We strive to provide the best products, best services, and best value for our unique form of entertainment and engagement. Trends seen on a global level are passed down to national and local departments, in effort to always remain at the top of our field.

What is your company culture like?
Live Nation is continuously a Fortune "Best places to work" organization. Beyond just the benefits of working for Live Nation, the culture as a whole is focused on employee well-being through various programs and offerings. Tuition assistance programs, stock reimbursement, great health benefits, ticket perks, and many many more establish a program that really does take care of its own!

What does it take to be a successful employee at your company?
A passion for music and the desire to provide a positive experience to everyone you work with in addition to the fans and business partners. We have many great employees locally, handing everything from marketing, booking shows, operating the venues, working with local companies and legislature, and producing the great shows we put on! Each role has its own characteristics but at the heart of it all, the passion for live music lives within each employee.

What makes Carmel and Fishers such great places to do business?
Our particular division of Live Nation that is involved with One Zone is our VIP seats program. We benefit the most from the Carmel and Fishers areas because most who live and work in these areas are familiar with Noblesville and the Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center. Ruoff Music Center was the number one outdoor venue in the world this past year, a lot of that is thanks to the wonderful people and businesses in the Carmel and Fishers areas. Many great companies and small business call Carmel/Fishers home and many of those use our VIP program to entertain and engage with their customers and clients and if they don't have a usage for their business, many still enjoy multiple shows as a personal music fan through our VIP program as well! We are very thankful to work with many from these areas and hope that only grows in the future.
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