Now is the time for people in business to be telling their stories, sharing expertise and connecting with potential customers.

Gregg Sherrill, Chairman and CEO of Tenneco Inc. wrote a great piece for the July 15, 2010 Wall Street Journal opinion page. Sherrill writes about the inherent goodness of business, the opportunity, freedom and liberty afforded by capitalism in the United States and the importance of people speaking up in support of the system.

“Business has taken a pounding on Capitol Hill and at the White House, and for the most part has remained silent,” Sherrill writes. “It’s time to make our case.”

Here’s how: Embrace the media.

Sherrill proves an excellent example. He wrote an opinion piece – drawing on his expertise in the auto industry – and was published in a national newspaper and online (see the column at http://bit.ly/a2tQZI).

As of this writing, the column had more than 300 ‘likes’ on Facebook and had generated more than 100 comments on the wsj.com site.

Yes! People in business have important things to say, and there are countless opportunities to provide expert analysis, thought-provoking ideas and insight.

Maybe the Wall Street Journal is a bit intimidating. Start with your local newspaper. Be bold and write an opinion piece. Build a relationship with a local news/talk radio station. Seize the opportunity to be a credible voice in your industry.

Obviously, whatever you write or say needs to be good (preferably great).

I just received word that a local TV station is laying off 13 people in its news and production operations. However, the station isn’t cutting back on the amount of local air-time it needs to fill. That’s a huge opportunity for the savvy business owner to provide valuable content. Yes, it takes an investment of time and skill development to build the relationships, understand what is newsworthy and how to provide solid content, but the end result provides value beyond belief.

Create the content. Multi-purpose the content. Become a voice for your industry. As Sherrill says: “It’s time we find our voices and speak up. We have a powerful story to tell.” The local news media is waiting for a few good voices.

Tags: Capitalism, Gregg Sherrill, media, news media, Tenneco, Wall Street Journal