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

Networking, Is It A time Waster?

I blurted out laughing in line at my favorite coffee house today. Why? Well, I heard someone discussing how terrible they felt about heading to a marketing conference next week. He didn't want to do the "go team" thing during any conference activities because - frankly- "that stuff doesn't apply in my day-to-day operations." His honestly was brutal, his candor made me laugh, and he was 100% right!

Here's the thing, conferences don't have to be a waste of time. Networking events can benefit you. The trick is to know how to navigate these activities.

If you don;t head into a conference thinking about what you will not learn, chances are you will capitalize on the extra time (yes, away from your desk and your clients) to do the following;

Meet new people and potential new employees
Hear amazing speakers and generate ideas for your firm
Crystallize strategies you may have been considering
Forge partnerships with other co-managing PR firms
Learn about new technologies and figure out how to be ahead of your competition
Un-learn bad habits - which happens
Create a notebook full of smart tactics to take back to the office and implement

I think life is all about attitude. Sure, the things learned at conferences will not always fit into your day-to-day operations' plan. But, if you implement them correctly, they can elevate your business overall.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Website Design & Marketing

Website branding can be a tricky thing. Customers want stable content but the design should be current. While checking out the websites of your competitors is a great idea, copying them is not. You should distinguish your company as an industry leader- not a follower. While HireIME.com is going to undergoing some changes during this month, I wanted to share the top things to consider when rebranding and redesign your website from a marketing perspective.

1. Know your target audience and content requirements before selecting a design. If you are a technical company with a lot of content then consider white papers to prove your point, and share your data, without clogging up the real estate of your site.

2. Discuss ownership, budget, timeline, and scope of work with your design team. Make sure you understand the amount of technical hours required to translate a spec design into a live action design. Also, ask if you will have access to the back-end of the website and if additional charges will be implemented.

3. Figure out if your spec out is original. If your designer is using a WordPress website or anything else that is template-based, this means someone else has your website design- even if you change the colors or font. This is not OK for showing how innovative and original your company is. Make sure the design spec is 100% original by having this stated in writing.

4. Make sure you provide all edits to the return spec or soft-launch to the design team before coding. The actual coding of an original website is tedious. Changing the size of font on one sentence can be a billable hour so ensure you get as many edits in to the designer post launch date.

5. Too many clickable options. From a consumer perspective, this is a major mistake. Too many tabs, too many links- too much. Clients want simple directions and clear service options. Don't make people dig to find information. Why? Because they won't, they will move on.

6. No call to action on the front page. I could never understand why one would have a website without a call to action on the front page. Have your clients contact you ASAP, or at least make it easy for them to do so after they finish exploring the website. They could always revisit the main page, but they will not if there is no call to action. So, put a contact form or incentive-based offer right smack in the front of your website.

7. Interactive options. Live chat apps, online scheduling, online uploads for RFP requests- these are all pretty standard elements of today's websites. The same goes for video tutorials or company biographies. If you are missing these elements, you are already behind your competition no matter how clean or nice your website is.

I hope this information helps you create or redesign your website.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Over Thinking Your Branding Approach?

My company recently redid our website. Now, it is more functional and offers interaction. I didn’t realize how bad my former website was until we changed IME’s brand and feel to the version found here: www.HireIme.com

Working with our branding firm, I learned a few things about an approach to branding most marketing companies refuse to share. Considering your own brand imaging, take a peek at the following tips.

#1. Are you treating your website like a garage sale? If you said yes, you’re doing it right. Great garage sales put their big items up front so people driving by can see the most popular items. Knick knacks, clothes, baby items - these are all small end products people could use once they get of of the car and into your garage sale. However, the small end products usually don’t attract business from the street and people tend to just drive on by if they are put out front. So, know what it is that sells your company the most (service or product) and feature it all of the first page of your website and social media efforts.

#2. Do you have the basics? Do you have a specific font to use for all of your collateral? What about color codes? If you don’t have specifics and you’ve been “winging it” - you are harming your brands viability within today’s market. Sure, you’re not losing any money directly as a result of this misstep but you could be making so much more!

Until next time,

Twyla N. Garrett