I’ve been fortunate to meet with and work with some amazing people over the course of my career. Here’s some of the nice things people have said about our experiences together. You can read more recommendations over on LinkedIn.
Alison Lindland, Business Development, Kohort (formerly of OPEN from American Express)
I had the pleasure of working with Michelle in her role as co-founder of the Small Business Web for a sponsorship arrangement on behalf of OPEN from American Express. In this capacity, I collaborated with Michelle for about 6 months, at times working together on a daily basis. Through the sponsorship program we worked closely on two events for SXSWi 2011 – a dinner party for over 100 leaders from Small Business Web companies and OPEN leadership and a high profile party for over 650 guests, partners, and VIPs. The planning of these events required significant management and organization for every element from the PR, to the coordination and organization of the Small Business Web companies present to the very detailed event planning and operations.I was incredibly impressed with Michelle’s organizational and management skills which kept us on track and under budget even though it was a new format for the event in a recently opened venue. As with every large scale project there were unforeseen challenges and organizational roadblocks and she handled them with humor and tenacity – keeping us on track as a team while she helped us find creative ways to overcome them to find quick solutions. All in she was not just very effective in her role, she was a real delight to work with as a partner.In addition to her significant event management and planning responsibilities, Michelle also spoke twice that year at SXSWi and both times I found her remarks to be insightful, relevant and meaningful. I particularly enjoyed the panel she not only spoke on but also organized and curated, called “Friends with Business Benefits” and I have referred the recording of it to dozens of colleagues since then – drawing attention to some of her key points. During the panel she conveyed a genuine personal passion for the topic of interoperability and also drew in relevant data from her experiences with both BatchBooks and The Small Business Web to provide her audience with more to support her position. It was by far my favorite panel at SXSWi this year in no small part due to her contributions and role in creating it.
Jim Hill, owner of Digital Quill Design. Organizer, Cape Cod Technology Council’s “First Friday” Lecture Series.
Presentation on “The Business of Social”, June 4th, 2010
Michelle’s presentation was awesome. She covered the ups and downs of start-up marketing for a small (but growing) business with great wit and informative enthusiasm. Our audience received a veteran’s insight into the benefits of an effective social media plan in today’s noisy marketplace. I’d have her back in a second – she was a huge hit.
Anisa Raoof, Founder & Publisher, kidoinfo.com
Panelist on “Parents Using Social Media“, February 9th, 2010
Michelle Riggen-Ransom was a fabulous speaker in our conversation series about using social media. She talked about how she uses social media as a parent and a business owner, sharing her real life experience along with her extensive knowledge and understanding of the industry. Her witty manner along with her expertise made her talk accessible and informative. We look forward to having her speak again in the future.
