Preparing for Any Disaster

I received a request to deal with home and family issues when it comes to a disaster, not just employment or major issues of national security. I love getting these requests and spent some time this morning putting together the best tips possible to help prepare your family, and your home, for a disaster of any type.

First, know that you need to have 5 master plans. You need a plan for yourself and the adults in the home, a plan for seniors in the home, a plan for children in the home, a plan for pets in the home, and a plan for anyone with disabilities within the home. No, a blanket "one-size fits all" strategy will not work. You do need individual plans.

Each plan needs to have four core elements. These elements include an emergency medical kit. The kit is going to be very different for pets vs. seniors vs. someone with Multiple Sclerosis, etc. Make sure back up medications, general triage items, and written down phone numbers of doctors and allergies are included in each kit.

The next element is being CPR trained. Yes, you and everyone in your home should know how to provide CPR to humans and pets. Your third element is community resources. Do you know what they are in case of a disaster? If not, call your local Red cross and sign up for an emergency maintenance class. The fourth, and final element, is practicing. Don't tell your children or spouse when you are going to practice a disaster alarm. Instead, surprise him or her (or them) really early in the morning when people's defenses are down and they are groggy. This will give you a great indication of what has to be worked on.

I hope this information provides the basics, but please feel free to ask me more questions on Twitter!

Twyla N. Garrett

Networking.... Your Biggest Problem.

No matter what you do for a living, you will have to network at some point. So, what is the trick? Well, there are lots of them out there. In fact, I've covered them a few times right here on my blog. Today I want to talk about the biggest networking mistake you can make.

Failing to nurture relationships is the biggest mistake you can make. Tossing away a business card or not following up with someone based upon an "not needed, nothing he/she can do for me now" attitude could kill your future business. Small connections can lead to big contracts. I've learned this time and time again.

When you make a connection schedule a time to send a personal thank you note within 48 hours. If you're too busy, get someone to help you with this. Personal notes are crucial.

Next, schedule follow-ups. Yes, you want to schedule times to touch base with everyone. I like to schedule a touch-base email every 45 days. There are lots of software and cloud computing products out there can help you personalize mass emails with the click of a button!

Finally, I host an annual holiday part for my contacts. Don't just hold one for your employees. Have a networking party around the holidays for your contacts, your employees, and your employees contacts. If you're not an employer, send holiday cards to your contacts.

Staying available allows people to refer business to you and visa versa. You never want to be out of sight and out of mind.

Twyla