3 Things You Need To Do Right Now

If you want to know how to succeed in business, stop overthinking everything. We tend to overthink and not listen, which can be problematic for many business owners. We have this need to pitch, to sell- not to listen. Well, the truth is that we have to get out of our own head-space and consider the customer’s needs. To help you do this, I have created a list of 3 Things You Need To Do Right Now in order to get out of your head and into that of your customers…..

1. Stop focusing on what your competition is doing right. Who cares! You need to focus on what your customers need from you. Yes, it really is this simple. If you spend too much time looking at your competition then you’re not spending enough time looking at your customer…..

2. Focus on customer service. We forget this. We look at how we can be innovative or how we can spend more time “connecting” on social media. Be personal. Make phone calls. Send cards. Say “thank you” more often. Be involved, outside of social media, with your customers. Yes, this will pay off.

3. If your heart is not in it, neither are you. If you’re feeling like you need a mental health day to shut your phone off and regroup, do it. Nothing is worse than painfully working with a client when you are mentally somewhere else. If you’re truly in a funk, work your way out of it without working alongside the client. If this means refunding money and cancelling a session or service- do it. Your worst performance can be reviewed online and there is no fixing it.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

The One Thing To Know Before Starting A Business

Here is the secret to becoming successful before even opening your business.. Pay talent in equity if you can’t afford to pay them right away. It’s very hard to attract talent w to help you grow your business when you’re strapped for cash. I learned, early on that is, that if you pay individuals with a percentage of ownership of the company then they will be actually invested in your company and not simply invested in a paycheck – plus you’re saving money.

Some people like to hire interns. This action could be a win-win for both parties but it also comes with a risk. At some point the intern is going to leave for a paying job or -worst yet- will start his or her own company. You have to be aware that if this happens that the intern can take anything you may have taught him or her… including clients… can move forward with a bigger, better plan and possibly more money than you have. If you are considering getting an intern, understand that you should also have an NDA and other legal documents in place to protect you and your ideas.

Paying talent in equity is one of the best and most affordable options for people seeking to start-up any type of business. They get to buy into a business without coming up with cash and you gain someone who truly cares about the growth of your company without having to pay cash. Sure, you’re giving away a percentage of equity, but isn’t this a good thing if they can make your company grow?

That’s my food for thought tonight!

Twyla Garrett

Positive Security Services..... Yes, It's Possible

People ask my all the time about business. After all, it is what I do best. I've been invited to The White House to talk about it. I've self-funded a million dollar project. I've failed and succeeded many times over. So what is the key?

DON'T BE POSITIVE!

Did I not sugar coat the truth just then? Well, i'm not sorry. People in business tend to see failure and make excuses for it. Don't. Accept the failure and either make improvements or make an exit strategy. Don't be blind and go down with the ship. There is no honor in it. There is honor in moving on or moving up- well, they really can be the same thing.

Have a sales person who isn't pulling his/her weight? Don't feel bad, feel lucky. Catch the problem and find a better sales person. Don't make excuses and try to remain positive. If sales have been lagging then the sales person isn't the right person for that job. Being too positive can hurt you in business. Be a realist. Be productive. Be honest with yourself and your employees!

Now, go be successful!

Twyla

Homeland Security Orders Increased Security for Government Buildings!

"The precise actions we are taking and the precise locations at which we will enhance security is law-enforcement sensitive, will vary and shift from location to location, and will be continually re-evaluated," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said today.

Yes, the Government has issued a security watch increase upon itself today. Why? Well, there are several reasons. First, you should know that the The Federal Protective Service is responsible for the protection of more than 9,500 federal facilities owned or leased by the General Services Administration, through which 1.4 million visitors and occupants pass daily. Now, the reasons cited by Mr. Johnson are due to the recent lone wolf attacks that are slightly related to ISIS, but can be contributed to mental health issues to. The exact affiliations seem to be more claims than official links at this point.

So, are you more at risk if you work in a Government building? Yes and no. Government employees are always more at risk for something tragic happening in the workplace because of where they work and who they work for. However, if a threat is detected, the employees are more protected because of the Department of Homeland Security taking notice of lone wolfs and actual terrorist-related threats.

My advice is to stay calm and ask questions. Know what the emergency evacuation plans are for your specific building and ask your HR Manager if you need to do anything, or be on the look out for anything, in relation to any obvious step-ups in security efforts at your workplace.

The move today is purely precautionary, but we should take notice.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Online Security and You!

I received a question about my cyber security services and personal online security. While these are two very different things, they have a common bond in that a breach can devastate someone's personal credit or business brand! For the purposes to the question I received, tonight's blog tips will deal with personal security online and how to maintain your privacy.

First, let's start with where we are today with "complex" passwords... the concept is a lie! When you hear of hackers, it usually is on a massive level. Your password, no matter how complex, can be guessed using technology that monitors your keystrokes. Yep, you can be in Los Angeles and have your keystrokes determined (to hack your password) from Japan. Below is a great example of this;

The world of cyber-security underwent a game-change last summer, when not one but two top tech writers were spectacularly hacked. Mat Honan, a writer for Wired, was cyber-attacked by a 19-year-old who wanted his highly coveted three-letter Twitter handle @Mat. To get it, the kid (who goes by “Phobia”) and a friend wiped out Honan’s entire digital life — in about an hour. It started with a call to the Apple Help Desk, and Phobia was able to give just enough data to convince the agent that he was Honan. That one password gave him the keys to the castle.

As Honan described in Wired, “First my Google account was taken over, then deleted. Next my Twitter account was compromised, and used as a platform to broadcast racist and homophobic messages. And worst of all, my AppleID account was broken into, and my hackers used it to remotely erase all of the data on my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook.” Honan also thought he had lost every picture he had of his one-year-old daughter, since he hadn’t been backing up his hard drive. Ultimately he was able to recover some of his passwords (from his cloud backup,Dropbox, on his wife’s laptop) and then his data. But it was an expensive lesson: He wound up spending $1,690 for the entire recovery.

So, what's my point? Even technology brainiacs get hacked. While there are steps you can take to prevent it from happening, good coders and hackers don't need much to get into your account(s) and then change your passwords to their passwords, often assuming your identity. I tell everyone to forget the password focus and look at what you have online. If the answers to your security questions can be easily guessed by the information you put on LinkedIN- or any other type of social media- then yous shouldn't even bother with having a password. Limit your personal life's details from Google and social media searchers. For now, for the average person and tech geek, this is the best way to avoid getting hacked.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Start a Business for $100 Dollars.

They will say it can't be done..... starting a business with $100 dollars in your wallet. Whoever 'they' are don't have a clue about ambition. The fact is you can start a business with less than $100 dollars in your pocket. Here's how;

1. Don't overly think about your challenges. If you do, you won't take the risk. Life is a risk, you need to take chances in order to get somewhere. So, start your business today without thinking about failure. After all, if it doesn't work out you only invested $100 dollars!

2. Spend your money on advertising or memberships to websites that will provide you potential clients. You can worry about marketing, ad space, licensing, etc. later. Start by approaching clients and have your first few clients pay for the technicalities of starting a business.

3. Worry about your web presence. GoDaddy sells domains for under a dollar. All you have to do is Google this phrase. By your business domain now- even if you have to wait on the website. This is an important part of your future business.

Again, don't be scared to start your business. Take your idea and run with it. If the idea is good- all else will fall into place.

Twyla