Kim Wigington

UPCOMING EVENTS

The October events sponsor is Eco Tech Services.

Oct. 7

ABA Luncheon

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Acworth Community Center 4361 Cherokee St. The speaker is Matt Friedman, and Copelands will cater. Oct. 12

Morning Jolt

7:45-9 a.m. The Cowan Historic Mill 4271 Southside Drive Networking event that focuses on exchanging referrals. Oct. 14

Alive After Five

5:30-7:30 p.m. 1885 Grill 4438 Cherokee St.

Oct. 21

Women’s Business Network

5:30-7:30 p.m. Red Top Brewhouse 4637 S. Main St.

Oct. 26

Morning Jolt

7:45-9 a.m. The Cowan Historic Mill 4271 Southside Drive

Nov. 4

ABA Luncheon

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Acworth Community Center 4361 Cherokee St. J.R. Lee, pastor of Freedom Church, is the guest speaker, and Carrabas will cater.

No business is an island. We must do business with other companies in order to function. How do you know which company will trick you, and which company will treat you well? The answer is simple – relationships.

I met a woman at a networking event a couple of months ago who kept trying to make a hard sell. She wanted me to let her into my company’s computer network to see if it was secure. She was very pushy and used scare tactics to drum up new business. While her business is probably legitimate, there was no way I was letting her near our system. I didn’t know whether or not she was trying to trick me into doing business with her.

There were, however, people at that networking event that I would trust with my life. I have known them for years, I know they are rock solid, and they have a reputation for treating their customers well.

Networking takes time. You are probably not going to walk into a new networking setting and get tons of new business; slow and steady is the way to do it. Gain a reputation for treating your customers well, and business will grow exponentially.

Thed.

1885 Grill hosted the September Alive After Five event.

Is it Trick or Treat? Be Business Savvy

BY KIM WIGINGTON

Kim Wigington is the president of the ABA, and serves as chairwoman of the Acworth Downtown Development Authority. She is the founder and director of Brookwood Christian School. She and her husband have lived in Acworth for 16 years and have two adult daughters.

Ways to Fireproof Your Home

One thing we love about fall and winter is being warm and cozy in our homes. However, as we transition into colder months, remember that heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fire deaths. Oct. 3-9 is Fire Prevention Week, and we want to support our first responders by sharing information to keep everyone safe. Here are 10 fire safety tips to get you through this winter.

1. Install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in every bedroom, outside of each sleeping area, and on every level of the home. Test the alarms at least once a month. 2. Turn off portable heaters before leaving the room or going to bed. 3. Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from heating equipment (furnaces, fireplaces, stoves or portable space heaters). 4. Keep at least one fire extinguisher on every level of your home. 5. Only use one heat-producing appliance, such as a coffee maker, toaster or space heater, plugged into a receptacle outlet at a time. 6. Have a kid-free zone of at least 3 feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared. 7. When fighting a small fire, such as a grease fire, if you have any doubt, just get out! 8. Stay in the kitchen while using the stove, and keep anything that can catch fire away from your stovetop. 9. Keep candles at least 1 foot away from anything that can burn, and always blow them out before leaving the room or going to bed. 10. Never leave a child alone with burning candles. Keep lighters and matches up high and out of a child’s reach, preferably locked in a cabinet.

Did You Know?

The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking, mostly involving the stove.

Half of home-heating fires are reported in December, January and February.

Approximately three out of five fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

More than one-third of candle fires start in the bedroom.