Ask Entrepreneur

Roy Williams is the founder and president of international ad agency Wizard of Ads. He also teaches creative thinking, strategic planning and human persuasion courses attended by executives from many of the world's largest advertising agencies, professors from leading universities, broadcasters, journalists and small-business CEOs from around the world. In addition, Williams has authored numerous books on improving advertising efforts, including The Wizard of Ads and Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads.

Kim Gordon is the owner of National Marketing Federation and is a multifaceted marketing expert, speaker, author and media spokesperson. She has served as the national spokesperson and consultant for companies such as Visa, eBay, Sprint and Office Depot. Gordon's latest book is Maximum Marketing, Minimum Dollars.

Viral activist and communications guru Pattie Simone is a nationally known business speaker, writer and consultant. Simone is president and chief success strategist at Write-Communications.com and Marketing-Advantage.net, founder of WomenCentric, a sassy women's speaking bureau and a columnist for WomenEntrepreneur.com. Simone has appeared on numerous radio and TV programs and is publishing her first e-book, Penny-Pinching Marketing Secrets: BIG Results for Small Business Success. For more info on Simone, e-mail profit@marketing-advantage.net or call (845) 362-7880.

Paige Arnof-Fenn is the founder and CEO of Mavens & Moguls, a strategic-marketing consulting firm whose clients include Fortune 500 companies, as well as early-stage and emerging businesses. Previously, she was a key member of the IPO team at Launch Media, which was later sold to Yahoo!, and was the director of the 1996 Olympic Commemorative Coin Program at the Department of Treasury, U.S. Mint. Arnof-Fenn also is an advisor to several early-stage companies and nonprofit organizations.

Steve Adams is vice president of marketing for Protus, a provider of Web-based services for small- to medium-size businesses. The company's offerings include the Internet fax service MyFax, a feature-rich virtual PBX phone service that travels with the user from phone to web called my1voice, and the email marketing solution with advanced automation features called Campaigner. He is a seasoned industry speaker having spoken at a variety of telecommunication trade shows and conferences. He is a graduate of the University of Waterloo and the Ivey School of Business. Before joining Protus, Adams was with Spotwave Wireless, a provider of in-building wireless coverage solutions

Al Lautenslager is a marketing and PR consultant, guerrilla marketing coach and direct-mail promotion specialist. He's also the principal of Market for Profits a Chicago-based marketing consulting firm. Lautenslager's two most recent books, Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days and The Ultimate Guide to Direct Marketing are available at EntrepreneurPress.com.

Lena West is the CEO and Chief Strategist of xynoMedia Technology , a New York-based firm that helps high-growth companies leverage the power of social media, blogs, podcasts and online communities.

Michael H Kaleikini is a business development consultant and VP of marketing and business development with Corporate Rain Makers, LLC in Las Vegas, Nev. Kaleikini has been in consulting for many years working within different businesses and different industries, through which he has been able to learn the ups and downs of market trends, and positioning to internet marketing where his research is now focused. His experience in start up companies has spanned the eighties through to today. He has seen the same challenges and has been able to help many clients through the maze of creating everything from resumes to business plans. Being a certified Business Etiquette Trainer with the American Business Etiquette Trainers Association, Kaleikini has had the pleasure of working with people from diverse backgrounds and helping them understand the finer points of doing business abroad and here at home.

Margie Zable Fisher, president of , recently launched theprsite.com, a free PR matchmaker service that helps small businesses locate the right PR resources. She and her team have helped clients land local and national publicity placements in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, as well as on Good Morning America, CNN, CNBC and many other outlets. Zable Fisher also is the editor and publisher of the weekly "PRactical PR" newsletter, which is filled with free publicity opportunities, tips and ideas that show you how to use PR to grow your business.

Bonnie Price is founder of Silver Vixen Enterprises, a consulting company that helps businesses reach women aged 55 to 70. She also helps "women of a certain age" proactively plan the next phase of their lives through her workshop, IT'S REINVENTION. Price has been a financial counselor with a major brokerage firm and co-owner of a nationwide direct sales company, among other ventures.

Wendy Piersall is known for her expertise as an online publisher and social media marketing authority. She has worked with brands such as Epson and Kmart to develop and implement strategic web 2.0 marketing campaigns to target women online as consumers and as business owners. She is also the founder of the Sparkplugging blog network and speaks frequently on the subjects of social media, entrepreneurship and the online publishing business.

Jeff Elgin has almost 20 years of experience franchising, both as a franchisee and a senior franchise company executive. He's currently the CEO of FranChoice Inc., a company that provides free consulting to consumers looking for a franchise that best meets their needs. Elgin also has made numerous speeches to franchise industry groups and at conventions on topics ranging from development strategies to the value of growth for all stakeholders in a franchise company.

Ryan Himmel, CPA and registered securities analyst, is the founder and CEO of BIDaWIZ.com, an online reverse auction marketplace where business owners and consumers alike can obtain trusted answers to finance and accounting questions from licensed business professionals. Contact Ryan at ryan@bidawiz.com or on Twitter @BIDaWIZ.

Mark Siebert has consulted hundreds of franchisors since starting in 1985, from startup operators to corporate giants. In 1999, he founded the iFranchise Group as an organization dedicated to developing long-term relationships with successful franchisors. He's an expert in evaluating companies for franchisability, structuring franchise offerings and developing franchise programs.