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

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

Money Mistakes

As a business owner, are you making money mistakes? If you have answered 'no', I would like to know why you are so sure of this. Money mistakes are common when starting a company. It is a proven fact that most business owners have to endure 10 years (on average) of money mistakes before being able to avoid common pitfalls. This said, I want to talk about the pitfalls of asking for money from investors and the common mistakes associated with the query.

Most business owners would love to have a silent investor backing them. This, however, isn't possible for many companies because not all business ideas are scalable. If you watch the show Shark Tank on ABC, you know that there are plenty of great companies and ideas floating around- but that doesn't mean an investor is ready to jump on board. So, to avoid making a major money mistake when it comes to obtaining an investor, make sure you are presenting a scalable company.

Another investor pitch mistake is putting to much value on your company and not presenting actual numbers and verifiable growth sources. Saying a company is worth a million dollars is very different than showing that it is worth a million dollars. Asking for too much money based on the amount of equity you are willing to give up is a red flag to investors. After all, they have the cash and can open up a competing company and maintain all equity and profits. You have to prove your value, not guest-esitmate it!

I hope these two tips have been helpful. Remember, the next time you ask for money don't make the two most common mistakes mentioned above.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Productivity Killers

I wanted to spend some of today discussing productivity killer. I recently had the pleasure of helping one of my employees out. After working through the task, I realized what is taking her four hours to complete was done in 45 minutes under my watch. Astonished, I had to ask why. I saw with her to see if she did things wrong or if I had missed something, I never led on why I was asking.

My employee did everything the exact same way I did. The only difference? When she was working with me as her shadow, she completed the task in just over an hour. Where were the other three hours I was paying her for? At this point I questioned her. She explained she is answering emails and taking phone calls between actual work. While this was a possibility, I didn’t see it as a three hour difference. In fact, I was also responding to emails and taking calls on speakerphone and still completed the task in less time.

After further investigating, I found the productivity killer. Google! Yes, Google. While my employees have to use it to look things up, it turns out they get distracted by the headlines, links, etc. And then they Google things they should be looking at on their off time, get tied up in related industry news headlines, and so forth.

No, my employee didn’t get in trouble. It wasn’t a deliberate act and we created an action plan together. I also figured out a way to take my employees off line when needed to ensure productivity. The point is, I wanted to share this so you know just how distracting Google can be to any task. It is a productivity killer. So, if you need to think, brainstorm, write, plan, or just need to relax- leave your phone at home and find a place with no internet or computers!

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Why Your Intern Hates You!

Interns can be a great asset to your company. First off, you can find great talent at a decent “break in rate” should they perform well as an intern. Second, the intern and you are involved in a win-win scenario, both gaining something out of the relationship. All this said, there are interns who despise their internships because they are treated more like insignificant help vs. an education person eager to learn.

I have spoken to several students across this country about the value of an internship. Even those new to workforce have shared horror stories about being an intern. All of the common “hate” stories have to do with interns being treated like coffee maids or are gifted jobs outside of their educational experience.

If you want to get the most out of your professional relationship with interns, don’t belittle their ability simply because they are interns. Sending them out for coffee or lunch, worst off – shredding paper, is terrible. These tasks aren’t real world examples of their industry. It is important you utilize their talents and have them shadow on case files or make follow calls, etc.

The worst thing you can do a business professional is waste someone’s internship on non-specific, menial job tasks. Your company doesn’t benefit and neither does the intern. As business owners, it should be our responsibility to promote good ideas, amazing skills, and industry growth. Stunting someone simply because they temporarily hold the “intern” title is selfish and a no-win situation for anyone.

Until next time,

Twyla N. Garrett

5 Ways to Be A Better Business Person

There are a few unsaid rules in business that will help you go far. I wanted to share these rules on today’s blog so those of you left out of the loop stand a chance when it comes to etiquette. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to own a business to be part of the loop, you simply have to want growth as a dedicated professional in any industry.

Here we go:

1. Never over-promise results. Make sure you under promise and over deliver to be a rock star out of the gate each and every day!

2. You want to be professionally mature, not college cool so check your verbiage. Do you use slang? If so, stop. It downgrades you as a professional and people tend not trust you with major projects.

3. Stay away from political or religious conversations. Remember, it isn’t what you say or don’t say – it is how you say it. There is no right way to talk politics or religion with clients or co-workers, so stay away from these topics.

4. Don’t decorate your office or cubical. Why? It opens you up for unfair judgment by colleagues, clients and even the boss. Keep it simple, keep impersonal if you do feel the urge to decorate. Remember, you’re at work, not home. You don’t need photos of family, etc. everywhere!

5. Recognize and reschedule if someone’s day is getting away from them. If a business meeting is delayed until next week, it will be more productive than a rushed and distracted meeting today so it is always best to revisit important items when everyone has the time and focus to dedicate to the matter.

Until next time,

Twyla N. Garrett

Secret Marketing Tricks

To continue my blog theme on marketing this month, I wanted to address some of the “tricks” used by marketing professionals. Rather than just point them out, I’m noting how you can incorporate them into your day-to-day operations.

The first trick is social media boosting. Facebook is showing only 6 percent of a business' content to their fan base. If you have more than 100 likes on your page, a 'boost' button will appear at the bottom of each post. Use it. For less than $30, you can get your message out to thousands of unique users. This trick is a great tool for new businesses seeking to establish their brand early on. You’re not paying for Likes, you’re paying for content ads.

The second trick is using Twitter to promote everything without ever promoting anything. How does it work? Well, you have to engage with other companies, your customers and thought leaders in your market. If you can retweet their tweets and add your thoughts, you will boost your audience without coming out of pocket. Respond to tweets that aren’t directed at you and give your thoughts on those. If you do this, your following will go up and your crossover leads / ROI will too!

Finally, set up Google alerts on your competition. You can do this simply be typing in the phrase “Google Alerts” into Google’s search engine. You will have to create a gmail account (or not, but it is easier to work with one) and then you can get a leg up on what your competition is doing sent right to your email box. Then, you can beat the competition by using Twitter and boosted Facebook posts to counteract or offer better opinions / deals.

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