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Top 10 Things You Must Know to
Avoid Sudden Business Death Syndrome

February 22, 2007

Pets.com. Commodore. eToys. Arthur Anderson. MCI.

These companies share a common theme - spectacular business failure.

The reasons differ. The markets differ. The types of businesses differ. The number of people indicted differs. But the end result is the same: shuttered businesses.

All these businesses created or led their respective markets; they failed largely due to self-inflicted wounds. In hindsight, all these companies made key strategic errors (i.e. not being able to deliver toys in time for Christmas) that led to their downfall.

If strategic mistakes can kill large, successful, well-funded companies, how much worse is it for small and mid-sized businesses? Industry statistics suggest that 70 - 80% of all small business will fail before their 5th anniversary.

Join us on February 22nd at the Westin South Coast Plaza to find out how to avoid becoming a "failed business" statistic!

Attendees will learn the Top Mistakes in Business Planning:

- Not defining a clear strategy
- Not defining critical success factors
- Not defining specific market opportunities
- Not validating customer purchase motivations
- Not accurately determining market size

And they'll also learn the Top Questions to Answer to Avoid Business Death Syndrome:

- How do you position your company for success?
- What is the real market opportunity?
- Who are (or who should be) your key business partners?
- How much are customers willing to pay for your product or service?
- Who is the real competition?

Companies don't plan to fail; they fail to plan. Find out how to apply strategic planning principles to your company, and put a plan in place to ensure success in 2007 and beyond.

SPEAKERS:

• Tom Ruffolo, CEO of eSecurityToGo
• Rick Sharga, President & CEO, CJ Patrick Company

SPEAKER BIOs:

Tom Ruffolo, CEO of eSecurityToGo

Mr. Ruffolo is a practitioner of practical strategic planning. He believes that strategic planning is absolutely necessary to be successful…regardless of the business size. He has successfully applied these tools to define growth initiatives resulting in one IPO, and millions of dollars of incremental revenue from strategic partnerships, licensing agreements, corporate acquisitions and focused operational strategies.

His recent launch of IT security ecommerce startup eSecurityToGo (www.esecuritytogo.com), has reinforced the need for strategic planning for any size company. As companies decrease in size they increasingly have problems finding the time to plan their businesses. As a result, Mr. Ruffolo is a big believer in using the right tools and methodology to facilitate efficient 20-80 strategic planning with 80-20 results.

Mr. Ruffolo holds an MBA from Pepperdine University, a Computer Science degree from Colorado State University and is now applying his planning skills to the IT industry as a Certified Information Systems Auditor. Mr. Ruffolo has over 30 years experience working with fast growing startups, small, medium and large companies, and has been instrumental in facilitating strong corporate growth through strategic planning. He has held executive level positions in corporate development, general management, marketing and engineering. Industry experience includes work in product, intellectual property, and services companies in both the OEM and retail channels both nationally and internationally.

Rick Sharga, President & CEO of CJ Patrick Company

Rick founded CJ Patrick Company in 2002 to help companies develop business and brand strategies that clearly communicate a unique value proposition, create a position of competitive advantage, and leverage the strength of their brands in the marketplace.

Rick also serves as the Vice President of Marketing for RealtyTrac, the nation's largest online marketplace for foreclosure properties and #53 on the 2006 Inc. 500. He is responsible for building and maintaining the RealtyTrac brand, corporate positioning and messaging, public and investor relations, and marketing communications activities. As a spokesman for the company, Rick has been quoted extensively in the press on foreclosure, mortgage and real estate trends, and appeared on NBC Nightly News, CNN, ABC Radio and NPR.

Prior to forming CJ Patrick Company, Rick spent more than 20 years developing corporate and product branding strategies for technology start-up companies and international corporations such as DuPont, Fujitsu, Hitachi and Toshiba. Rick created and executed successful sales and marketing programs in B2B, technology, consumer electronics and retail for companies like JD Edwards, Philips, Cox Communications and Honeywell. Rick began his career with one of the world's largest ad agencies, Foote, Cone and Belding, and also held management positions with Ketchum Communications and McGraw-Hill.

A nationally-recognized speaker on Branding, Rick spends his spare time taking Tae Kwon Do classes with his 10-year-old son, and trying to keep up with his increasingly-mobile 4-year-old daughter. He also continues in his lifelong quest to find the perfect wine to compliment his BBQ'd baby back ribs.