communityspotlight In the Business of by Linda Sechrist A


ttentively listening for the “golden nuggets” in her clients’ stories so that she can help them create the right image and marketing is all Judith Balian needs to produce a flood of en- dorphins that create an inspirational lift- off rivaling the thrill of a hot-air balloon ride. “Because I treat everyone’s business like it’s my own, it’s easy to get caught up in my clients’ accomplishments and excited and enthusiastic about what they are doing or how they built their busi- ness,” says the founder of Excoveries. Balian, who helps small business-


es, individual consultants, inventors and holistic practitioners to market their products and services, developed her sales and marketing savvy during 20 years in the corporate world. Her intui- tive genius for working with people and getting to the heart of their dreams and goals is the result of years of experience and dedicated time spent studying to earn her master’s degree in psychology. A whiz at creativity, Balian’s muse came knocking in 2004 during postgraduate work in expressive arts training. “My education and business background, as well as my combina- tion of talents and skills, are especially valuable to small businesses, which generally find it difficult to name and describe the things that set them apart from their competitors,” advises Balian, who considers it her responsibility as a marketing consultant to listen between the lines in one-on-one dialogues until she hears word clues that allow her to brand unforgettable images and suc- cessful marketing strategies. Jokingly referred to by clients as “the marketing shrink,” Balian is a


20 San Diego Edition


woman with inherent talents to listen from the heart and create the kind of safe spaces that naturally encourage collaboration. “In my experience, I’ve found this is particularly important for women who found it easy to market a company or product in their previous career, but struggle as a business owner to market themselves and their own products or services,” she advises. From craniosacral and massage


therapists to chiropractors and divorce lawyers, Balian has developed distinc- tive differentiation. In the San Diego marketplace, with its glut of practitio- ners in every profession, Balian has a creative card—Artist Way workshops— up her sleeve to help anyone play their strongest suit. The nine-week classes are combined with expressive arts activities that inspire individuals to discover their creativity. “Even women who think they don’t have a creative bone in their body find they have a whole skeleton,” jokes Balian. “This is the really fun part of my business, where I get to help people explore and discover, which is where the name of my company came from.” Sometimes Balian refers to what she


does as midwifery. “I am so fortunate to be able to facilitate creativity, one of life’s most breathtaking and mysteri- ous processes,” she reflects. “Whether it’s creativity in the form of birthing businesses or dreams, there’s nothing like helping someone to move beyond procrastination and their creative blocks. I love watching them come alive.”


Contact Judith Balian at Excoveries at 760-436-8848 or Excoveries.com. See ad on page 53.


www.na-sd.com


EXCOVERIES Judith Balian Facilitates the Wondrous Process of Creativity


globalbriefs


Bicycle Economy May is National Bike Month


Bikeway networks are emerging along urban, low-traffic streets as residents em- ploy increasing pedal power in cities like Cambridge, Massachusetts; New York City; Portland, Oregon; and San Fran- cisco. Tourism and transportation trend watchers note that the amount of on- street bicycle parking provides a ready gauge to how rider-friendly a city is.


Still, according to the findings of a National Household Travel Survey that 40 percent of all trips we make are two miles or less, the International Bicycle Fund (IBF) reports that Americans choose a bike over a car for only 11 percent of these trips. In Europe, which favors walk- able cities, Amsterdam commuters lead the way by choosing their bikes 28 per- cent of the time, followed by 20 percent in Denmark, 10 percent in Germany, 8 percent in the United Kingdom and 5 percent in both France and Italy (versus 1 percent by U.S. city commuters). According to the U.S. Department


of Transportation, at least a quarter of Americans age 16 and older will likely ride a bicycle sometime this summer. The National Survey of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Attitudes notes that 26 percent of American bicyclists ride for recre- ation, and 24 percent for health. Addi- tional reasons include getting home (14 percent), errands (14 percent), visiting (10 percent), commuting to school or work (5 percent) and “other.”


BikeLeague.org, the official website for Bike-to-Work Week, May 16-20, hosts a searchable database of bike clubs and ride resources.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56