Awards and Media Coverage2017-10-20T13:46:55-06:00

AWARDS, INTERVIEWS AND MEDIA COVERAGE

Austin Business Lawyer and Consultant Receives Business and Community Award for Ethics

AUSTIN, Texas — Local business lawyer and consultant, Brett A. Cenkus, was named the winner in the Individual category for RecognizeGood’s Ethics in Business & Community Award at the organization’s 14th annual award ceremony.

This prestigious award recognizes the best in Central Texas leadership. Businesses, nonprofits and individuals were nominated by the community for their exemplary ethical leadership, outstanding ethical practices and excellent business principles, including fairness, honesty, respect, justice and sustainability.

Nominations were solicited from May 2015 through January 2016. The nominees were vetted by the students from the College of Business at Concordia University Texas. Students reviewed and researched the initial nominees and narrowed the list down to 15 finalists (three in each of five categories). Mr. Cenkus was selected from the finalists in the Individual category. Mr. Cenkus expressed, “The Ethics in Business & Community Awards Program is an exceptional initiative, taking the time to reward and promote great behavior in our businesses and communities. I am excited and honored to accept this award and be a part of such an inspiring program.”

Read more about the award at RecognizeGood.org

Love or Money:  The Differences in Founding a Nonprofit and a For-Profit Startup

In this Tech Republic article, Brett discusses how raising capital is different for nonprofit and for-profit startups.

(July 13, 2015)  A huge aspect of building a startup is raising money, but access to this capital is different for for-profit and nonprofit ventures.

Brett Cenkus built six for-profit startups and is now working on a nonprofit. From his experience, there is more capital available to for-profit startups from a wider variety of investors. Friends and family are often excited by the idea of striking rich, and the venture capital industry is continuing to see strong investments.

“For non-profit ventures, options are far more limited,” Cenkus said. “There is a little grant money available, but beyond that you’re left to pitching wealthy individuals who have to believe strongly in your cause. This is somewhat odd since charitable giving dwarfs the size of the US venture capital market.”

Read the entire article at TechRepublic.com

How to answer the job interview question “Sell Me This Pencil”

(October 20, 2015) In this article published at Madison.com, Brett offers his insights into why interviewers ask the question ‘Sell Me This Pencil’ and how to nail the answer.

You’re sitting in a job interview ready to answer any question the hiring manager has about your qualifications and why you’re a great fit for the job. Then he holds up his writing instrument and says, “Sell me this pencil.”

This request is nearly as old as the job interview itself. It’s a simple question—typically geared toward candidates for sales positions— but it can be difficult to answer. And you might be surprised to learn what the interviewer is hoping to hear.

“Most interviewers are screening for confidence and cogency,” says Brett Cenkus, a Texas-based business consultant and lawyer who has trained sales professionals. In general, interviewers use questions to get a feel for your sales style and experience, he adds.

Read the entire article at Madison.com

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Jargon-Free and Practical Advice for Jumpstarting Your Startup

(October 8, 2015)  Brett joins Enterprise Radio to offer his advice for jumpstarting your startup. Listen to this podcast interview with host Eric Dye as they discuss the following:

-How does an aspiring entrepreneur know if she has a great business idea?
-What is the very first thing an aspiring entrepreneur ought to do to launch his business?
-Any advice that you would have for a startup that is thinking about, or trying to, raise venture capital?
-How should a startup go about choosing a lawyer?
-What one common startup mistake do you want to caution our listeners to avoid?

Listen to the interview on Enterprise Radio