How to Keep Your Family Safe During A Terrorist Attack

I want to talk today about three easy ways to keep your family safe during a terrorist attack. During an attack, people will panic. Providing a long list of "to dos" sometimes can be counterproductive because we, naturally, panic. So, I broke down three easy-to-remember things to help keep your family safe during an attack.

1. Be aware of your emergency exists. If you start this today, it will be second nature to you. Every single time you walk into a business, amusement park, etc. with your family (and yourself), point out the emergency exits to your family members and then note the ER meeting place. It seems simple, but this is the best thing you can do to save a life during an attack.

2. Know how to handle minor and major medical issues. How? Take a CPR course and a first-aide course. Refresh the course knowledge every year. The information learned will be on automatized recall during a true emergency.

3. Find a police man or EMT and ask where you should go. Don't just head to the ER meeting spot and stay there. Once you collect your family members, ask what the plan is next. Find the closest first-responder and ask where the safest place to move to is.

I hope this information helps you make smart decisions when it comes to keeping your family safe during a terrorist attack, hopefully-however- you will not have to use it!

Twyla N. Garrett

Successful Habits in Business

I was recently discussing business success with a peer. She asked me what I thought my most successful business habit was. Well, I don't know if I have one habit that actually has a success ROI. I do, however, have two habits that helps me keep my head in the game.

The first habit is being able to prioritize many tasks quickly and delegate certain items to the people I trust. I can't run every aspect of my company all of the time. Being able to prioritize and delegate is a habit that helps me run my company and I rely upon it daily.

My other habit is PMA, which means Positive Mental Attitude. You can't dive into any project or business relationship being negative but expecting great results. I try to have a great outlook on life and in business all of the time, even when I know I shouldn't. Being positive can help you combat stress and make smarter decisions when it comes to business. I don't know any cutthroat business owners who have long-lasting relationships in business or in their personal lives, which is a shame. You can be successful without being ruthless or negative.

My habits work for me. This doesn't mean they will work for you, although there is no negative to being positive! Make sure you find what works for you and make it a daily habit if you are truly seeking success.

Until Monday,

Twyla N. Garrett

Communication = Sales

There isn't anything you can do to hype up your company that will replace communication. No amount of social media development, beautiful website design, or publicity stunts will lead to actual sales if you, the owner of the company, can't communicate. Internal and external communication leads to sales... period!

Breathing patterns aren't often addressed when dealing with communication. Why? This is the most important thing a great communicator can do. You see, when someone is trying to sell you something and they talk too fast- we tend to feel rushed into a sale and that something may not be on the up and up. So, you see, leading by example through speaking slowly, using correct breathing techniques, will help your staff and clients not only trust you- but buy from you!

Remember, it isn't how fast or slow you speak- it is the content that matters. Some people practice their sales or idea pitches so much that they don't leave room for error or interruptions in the form of client questions. This said, know what you are talking about and practice answers- but never be too canned in a response or a presentation. Don't worry about not making your time in the speech to match cue cards or slides. You need to be more worried about what you are saying and if it is understandable then staying on time or rushing a phone call and/or presentation.

Communication can make or break you and your company. If you are challenged in the area of self-expressions, take a moment to slow down your speech and realize that you're selling content, not the communication form itself.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Networking and Building Relationships 102!

It is becoming more and more acceptable to network online, not in person. If you are starting from ground zero as a business person, finding emails to pitch and network to can be hard. So, the next move for people in this position is to network online and gain email contacts to develop real business relationships.

In order to do this is to start with Twitter first. You can find connections based on industry. For example, start conversations with a simple search on Twitter. If you are in auto sales, search “Auto Sales New York” and then follow all the people that come up. Next, start real conversations with the people returned in your results. Once you have their email address, set up a list that says “Twitter Auto Sales New York” and send eCards out on major holidays. These small steps make a big difference when it comes to online marketing.

Next, start a networking group on your Facebook page. This is a separate FB meant to generate new industry contacts, not sales. Why do this? Let’s say your workload is in overdrive and you can’t handle another client- well, you post the opportunity and contact in your group and say you are going to refer this person out in exchange for a list share. Then you gain something and your peers can bid for a lead based on your referral.

I hope these suggestions spark a boom in your online networking and relationships efforts. Don’t expect results overnight and don’t buy likes. You need to focus on making the connections and then keeping the connections and these two efforts take take.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla Garrett

3 Things New Business Owners Are Failing to See!

There is no manual for being a new business owner. You can go to business school, your family can have owned a business, or you may have held an important decision making role for a Fortune 500 company- regardless, you are still not completely prepared to be a new business owner. Why? Well, each business owner has a specific journey designed around not only his or her industry, but the approach and resources associated with their business and related to their chosen industry.

This said, there are three common areas new business owners fail to pay attention to, or “see”, when launching a new venture. The first, and biggest miss, is cash flow versus profit. Forget making a profit for the first two years. This occurrence is rare. You need to maintain a moving 10-13 weekly cashflow forecast to survive. Most new business owners fail to maintain a working cashflow and then, when an emergency happens, it isn’t there and the business folds.

New business owners have to work in general terms, not specialties. Why? Chances are you will not have the budget to hire a marketing team, writing team, sales team, graphic designer, web designer, social media account manager, etc. right off the bat. These positions will have to come with growth. Ironically, you need many of these positions to obtain growth. Thus, these hats will have to be worn by you! So, be a generalist and not a specialist!

Finally, know that you have competitors and they have established customers. It is very hard to grab a customer away from another business simply based on better pricing. There are countless studies that reflect this. Instead, people tend to change products or vendors based on improved or better features, not pricing. So, think about how your company can appeal to the competition’s clients from a features point of view. Most new business owners dive into price point wars right away, which kills their potential for growth.

Until next time,

Twyla Garrett

The Early Bird Gets The Worm.

Business owners are up at all hours. It becomes almost impossible for a business owner to wake up earlier than normal as a result. So, how can you get up earlier and still run around all day?

I try not to go on the computer after 9 p.m. I find if I do check email or social media accounts than I will be up later than I want to be responding or reading. It is a hard habit to break, but if you shut down the technology by 9 p.m.- chances are you will wake up earlier the next day.

Don't hit the snooze button. I hate snooze buttons. They are excuses. You can say your alarm went off at 6, but you know you didn't get up at 6 or 615! Buy an alarm that doesn't give you the option of a snooze button. A snooze button is like having cake in the fridge while on a diet.

Set aside 30 minutes to walk. This works. Plan on getting up an hour earlier each day to pack in 30 minutes of walking time- even if you are walking to grab a coffee and pastry. Walking gets the blood flowing and the creative juices moving. So, if you need to get up early, do so with a purpose!

Do you have tricks for waking up early? Please share them with me and I might share them on Twitter!

Twyla