I s s ue09•Ma r c h/ Apr i l 2015
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Cont e nt s 0 2 MessagefromtheEditor 0 3 IsItTimeForEmo onalIntelligence? 0 5 HowToStayCommiedToYourBusiness 0 7 7BuildingBlocksForWebandPrintContent 1 1 7TipstoWorkEffecvelyWithaBusinessPartner 1 5 TipsForEffecveSocialMediaRecruitment 1 7 BusinessCard-Here’sWhatYouNeedtoKnow 1 7
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L a y out&De s i g n S a ndr aHi ns he l wood& J a s mi neHi ns he l wood
T heot he rda yI ha dac oa c hi ngs e s s i ona nddi s c ov e r e dt ha tmy c l i e ntha dj us tpubl i s he dabook .Aswes pok eI wa sr a c k i ngmy br a i n…howdi dI mi s st hi s , ha ds het ol dmea bouti tbe f or e …? No, i twa s n’ ts ome t hi ngt ha tI ha dmi s s e d.I nt hemont ht ha t ha dpa s s e dbe t we e nourl a s tc oa c hi ngs e s s i onss heha dma de t hede c i s i ont owr i t eabooka nda c t e dupont hi s .I naf e w s hor twe e k ss heha ddonehe rr e s e a r c h, c ompl e t e dt hewr ing oft hebooka r oundhe rj oba ndt a k e nde l i v e r yofhe rfir s tba t c h ofbook s . Ana ma z i nga c c ompl i s hme nt ! T hi si sag r e a te x a mpl eofwha tc a nbedonewhe ny oua ppl y y our s e l fa ndmos ti mpor t a nt l ybe l i e v ei ny our s e l f .
Bus i ne s sPa r t ne rMa g a z i ne i si s s ue dbi mont hl yby S a ndr aHi ns he l wood/ E ffe cv eWe bs i t eMa r k e ng 4 4( 0 ) 7 7 8 23 1 0 0 5 8
Wha ta r ey oug oi ngt odot oe ns ur et ha ty oua c hi e v et heg oa l s t ha ty ous e ta tt hebe g i nni ngoft hey e a r ?T hes e c r e tt og e ng t hi ng sdonei st ot a k ea con.Don’ tt hi nkt ool onga ndha r d a bouti ta sy ouwi l l c r e a t epr obl e mst ha twe r ene v e rt he r ei n t hefir s tpl a c e . T oy ours uc c e s s ! S a ndr a
Arc l e si nBus i ne s sPa r t ne r Ma g a z i neha v ebe e n r e pr oduc e dwi t ht he pe r mi s s i onoft hea ut hor s . T hev i e wsr e fle c t e ddonot ne c e s s a r i l yr e fle c tt hev i e ws a ndopi ni onsoft hee di t or .
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Is it Time for Emotional Intelligence? By Malik Muhammad Have you heard the terms 'think outside the
ability to develop and apply relevant
box' 'develop a new narrative' 'create a
interpersonal skills in the pursuit of specific
paradigm shift' 'blue sky thinking or 'assess all
outcomes. It’s concerned with empathy
available options'? You've probably heard
towards colleagues, self-awareness, being
them or similar ones relating to the need to
fully focused on achieving the best result
be innovative as you increase your market
(especially when variables change in the
share within your industry. One of the most
planned equation). Emotional Intelligence
effective ways to inspire new and forward
takes the humanity of the individual into
thinking ideas is by being emotionally
consideration and goes beyond intelligence,
intelligent. Team members bring their A+
education or job specifications/manuals
game on a consistent basis when under
contractual requirements. It's the ability to
pressure in this fast paced business world
go that little bit further in achieving effective
when emotional intelligence is practised.
results.
Thought showering (formerly- brain storming) proves an even more useful exercise when participants develop their abilities to understand their environment and fully focus on the matter at hand.
Technology and social media are essential business tools in the 2015.Your website and tweets, for instance, are an extension of your personal and / or professional brand in as much as your logo and Facebook / YouTube
So what is Emotional Intelligence? It's the
posts. You must decide how you chose to
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portray yourself to the global audience as
person reading this article, please note this:
authentically as possible because authenticity
THE ABILITY TO EXTRACT THE VERY BEST
is good for business. People respect and
FROM THOSE WITH WHOM YOU INTERACT
respond to positive uniqueness. It sells
WILL REAP TANGIBLE REWARDS. Accepting
products, improves market share and builds
that your life will improve by developing
long lasting relationships.
emotional intelligence is a useful step and engaging in simple, consistent changes tends
The culture within your business will benefit
to last longer than complex, irregular ones.
from treating your staff and clients with respect and demonstrating that you care
Being analytical, shrewd, driven and
about their custom plus value their
opportunistic have their advantages. A sense
engagement with you or your product.
of adventure, holistic thought, intuition and
Flexible working hours, genuinely seeking
creative fearlessness also have their place.
then implementing the best ideas,
It's essentially about balance. There is much
developing good social skills and being
benefit in seeing the interconnectedness
flexible in achieving the best results are all
between as many of the aspects of a
examples of emotional intelligence at work
project / the business / the views of others
within a business environment.
as possible. Developing and maintaining a sense of emotional intelligence raises your
You'll generally find that the tone of any
A+ game every single time.
corporate culture is set by that of management. Whether you operate a
It also gives you unquestionable leverage in
business or you are a business minded
this global business environment.
Malik Muhammad (be-motiv8d.com) focuses on providing people with the tools to feel empowered to achieve their goals in a specified time and motivates them to overcome major obstacles. His expertise is based on applying the 8 Principles of Self Empowerment that are guaranteed to help people be successful, see returns on their investments and make measurable progress. Malik is a motivational speaker, radio presenter and author of Empower yourself to Succeed. He was raised and educated in Jamaica, read law in London and enjoys quad biking. www.be-motiv8d.com
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How to Stay Committed to Your Business By Lisa Rodriguez
Entrepreneurs often find it is easy to get started, but a lot harder to keep going when things get a bit more tough. When you first start out, you are focused on your "WHY", you have passion and that tends to carry you forward and keep you motivated. Running a business and dealing with clients can offer a whole host of issues you probably didn't consider when you first started, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that you stay focused and you don't give up - even when it gets tough and the money is lean and your friends and family are telling you to just go back and get a real "job". Here are ten tips to help you stay committed. 1. Set goals. Without goals, there’s really not much reason for you to be in business. If you want to stay connected to your business, it helps to make yourself realize why you’re in business to begin with. 2. Keep goals in mind. You started your business for a reason. You need to keep
that in mind so you don’t get weighed down by the day-to-day of your work. Keep little pictures or other memorabilia around that remind you of why you’re doing this in the first place. 3. Be flexible. There’s not a one-size-fitsall method to success; you might have to try a lot of things before you find what’s right for you. The key is to be flexible and willing to try new things when things aren’t working for you. 4. Be persistent. While you may want to change when things aren’t working, you can’t give up on everything so quickly. You have to be willing to keep trying and keep going even if things don’t go well. 5. Make it fun. We all want to do things that are fun, and shy away from things that aren’t. Make sure the avenues you pursue are not only profitable, but enjoyable to you. If you have stuff you need to do that isn’t as fun, try turning it into a game, just like you probably do with your kids to get their chores done.
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6. Find supportive people. It’s a lot easier to stay committed to something if there are people on the sidelines cheering you on. Take time to talk to people who are supportive of your business. If you don’t have many, try finding people like you online and at local classes so you can encourage each other. 7. Get help. If you’re like most people, you probably think you can get your business going on your own. And if you’re like most people, you probably can’t. Starting your own business is a big job, and it’s perfectly normal to need a little help or guidance. Try to find a mentor who has already been successful in your area to guide you and give suggestions. They will also be a constant reminder that what you’re trying to do is achievable. 8. Review what you’ve done. If you’re feeling like you want to give up or just feel beaten down, take out a pen and paper and write down what you’ve accomplished since you started your
business. Even if it’s just little stuff, write it down. By the time you’re finished you’ll probably feel better realizing how much you’ve accomplished. Then keep the list and review it and update it every so often to keep yourself going. 9. Expand yourself. You’ve probably found that when you have a new idea or project, you get very excited about it. Try to constantly expand yourself by going to seminars, reading ebooks, getting newsletters, and doing other things to keep yourself coming up with new ideas and getting new projects. The more new things you do, the more excited you’ll be about just doing your work. 10. Stay positive. A positive attitude goes a long way in keeping you motivated. Take steps to keep yourself looking on the bright side of life and work and it will be easier to keep yourself going. Find one person a day to connect with and make them feel good about themselves. It will help you to keep a positive mindset.
About the Author Much success to you, Lisa Rodriguez, CEO, Next Level Consulting & Virtual Assistant Services - "Serious Solutions for Serious Entrepreneurs" - Take a moment to CONNECT with US today! Social Media Profiles: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest
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7 Building Blocks for Web and Print Content
Sandra Hinshelwood You have a brand new business, you are re ‐launching, or you need to publicise a new product, special event or major landmark. So you’ll need two things: a vehicle to take your message to the world; and the message itself. Choice of vehicle is fairly simple. Who doesn’t have a website these days? But consider using other routes as well ‐ Twi er and Facebook social networking sites come a close second, Then there are increasingly popular online channels such as Pinterest (an online no ceboard), Google+ (a social networking service run by Google and Tumblr (a cross between a social networking and a microblogging site). Print outlets range from leaflets, catalogues and exhibi on literature to brochures, company reports and tabloid‐
size supplements in na onal newspapers. It’s whatever suits your market – and your budget. The tricky part is the message itself. Yes, it’s words, carefully chosen, sparingly used, and put together to interest, entertain and inform. You can reel off reams of “we offer this” and “tailored to your needs” items, but if you don’t grab your reader, you have a stark choice: rewrite, ask a professional copywriter ‐ or give up (not a good op on!). Otherwise that poten al client will either quickly click on to another site or bin your banter. Good design online or in print does the ini al hard work of a rac ng your reader to your website or flyer. Then your words have to work – and fast. You want readers to come back.
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Write a plan and s ck to it OK, so you’re staring at a blank screen, wondering where to begin. First thing is to write out a plan and s ck to it. You can get so side‐tracked with peripheral ideas and informa on that your mind gets swamped and you panic. A clear head following a simple plan produces the best copy. Also, by trial and error, work out the best me in the day to write your really crea ve material. Is it early morning, late at night or mid‐morning a er the daily email trawl?
Say what’s in the n Unlike print material, many websites don’t state what their owner does at the top of their first (home or landing) page. People seem to expect you to know! If you are a lawyer, an an que dealer or a jet‐aircra salesman, say so. And make sure your phone number contact details are equally up‐front.
Next, though not obligatory, think up a slogan – not a cliché but something expressing the edge you think you have over your compe on. But try it out on friends first to make sure it works. Don’t go there unless you have something that works. This brings the reader onto your home page proper. The opening headline needs to draw them in. Let’s have an ac ve verb in there. It must also include key words or phrases to please Google and other search engines.
Answer the ques ons your customers ask Your main opening ar cle has to answer the ques ons a poten al customer would ask. The killer query is why should I buy from you and not elsewhere? What makes you different? Summarise what you offer along with your unique selling points so customers will know immediately what to expect.
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interviewed by a professional can reveal quali es and episodes the interviewee might never have thought of.
Biographies to create rapport with customers Your second page ‐ “About us” – should back up your home page by talking about your background and the history of your business. Why should a customer rely on your product, advice, support? Write it as a profile of what makes you ck. What excites you about the business you are in? What got you into it? A lawyer friend told me how he had gone through a tough bereavement when his mother died and so he set up his own wills and probate business with a special emphasis on suppor ng to help others going through a similar trauma.) What about your previous experience? Or anecdotal stories about your progress? And don’t forget to add the personal touch – what about your outside interests, sport, hobbies? These can help form connec ons with customers. People o en find this autobiographical type of ar cle in par cular is best wri en by an independent third party because they are too close to it themselves. Being
Entertain with “Ge ng my client out of a crisis” stories This leads on to a third page or sec on on your website or brochure answering the ques on: how have you made your customers happy? Case studies of clients you have helped, wri en in a newsy style, are just the sort of material to keep people on your site for longer than the average 10 seconds before they click on a rival site. Choose incidents with a “bad luck” element at the start. A customer comes to you desperate for advice, a product or service. You then offer a solu on and help the customer escape from a tricky situa on. These stories work best when told through a customer’s eyes – they entertain the reader who wants to know what happens and yet they also act as “so ” tes monials.
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Tes monials and por olios that show your business works On a separate page and, ideally, do ed about your site or print literature are straight tes monials, which work well on their own. Ask a sa sfied client if they mind wri ng one out or giving you a tes monial verbally you can write up and get their approval on.
And finally as a general “must do” on all your pages, include a call to ac on at the end of each main piece of content. It should be calling readers to ask, say, for more informa on or to arrange a free consulta on, followed up by your company name, phone number and email address. This is designed to encourage any reader inspired by your content to take a step further towards finding out about buying from your business. If they do this, you know your content is working . . .
About the Author Sandra
A por olio page of your past achievements – e.g. designs, products, awards, successful deals, significant sales, costs saved, disputes se led – should make up a fourth key page.
Hinshelwood is a business coach and mentor. Drawing upon her experience as a virtual assistant and team leader in the corporate world,
How to contact us and the call to ac on Next comes the all‐important “Contact us” web page with a brief invita on to contact you, phone numbers, email and postal address (if relevant) or a clearly
she works with small business owners and solopreneurs to eliminate feelings of overwhelm and empowering them to focus on their goals and visions with greater clarity. www.sandrahinshelwood.com
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7 Tips to Work Successfully With a Business Partner by Ken Micallef Are two heads better than one? If you asked the co-founders of Google, Ben & Jerry’s, and Intel, the answer would definitely be “yes.” It’s easy to imagine your potential business partner offering sound counsel, sharing the workload, and investing his or her hardearned cash. But there are both upsides and downsides to having a business partner. If you’re seriously entertaining joining forces with a current competitor or even an interested relative, you should consider all the things that can go both right and wrong in a partnership, and how to prevent and prepare for any outcome.
Rieva Lesonsky, Maria Valdez Haubrich, and Karen Axelton founded SmallBizDaily.com to assist entrepreneurs and their small businesses. Lesonsky has been meeting with, consulting with, and speaking to America’s small businesses for nearly 30 years. Prior to co-founding GrowBiz Media in 2008, she was senior vice president/ editorial director of Entrepreneur Magazine. Lesonsky’s latest book, Startup101, shares “101 secrets, shortcuts, and smart ideas to help you get your business up and running.” “We provide content for companies trying to reach small businesses and the smallbusiness websites themselves,” Lesonsky
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says. “We exist to help entrepreneurs start and grow businesses through our site.” Lesonsky offers the following seven tips on business partnerships: 1.
Understand That Working With a Business Partner Has Advantages and Disadvantages.
“Being in a partnership makes you a smarter business,” Lesonsky states, “and it gives you deeper pockets. One of the main benefits of a partnership is that you’re spreading the risk. There’s benefits impacting what you can do and on the potential investment capital available. Whether it’s monetary investment, knowledge, contacts—you may know 40 percent of what there is to know about an industry, but a good partner will fill in the blanks. “Then there are all the things that can go wrong with a partnership. For one, you’re splitting the money. If you’re in business for yourself, you answer to yourself. But in a partnership you have to ask, ‘Who makes the decisions? What if you disagree? What if you both want different things?’ It may take more work in a partnership but there may be more reward.” 2. Find a Partner Who Is the Yin to Your Yang. “The key to a good partnership is having a partner whose strengths address your
weaknesses,” Lesonsky insists. “You don’t want two people who are really good at marketing, but no one knows finance. Balance it so the two of you can be the strongest single business. If you’re somebody who likes to work 24/7 and your partner likes to go golfing at noon, that partnership is doomed. You need to agree on work ethic and goals. “And what’s the endgame for the business? If one partner wants to keep growing the business, and the other wants to grow the business so it can be sold, you’re going to come to loggerheads.” 3. Be Flexible. “Put as much as you can on paper, but you have to be flexible. One of the key success traits of any business owner, whether in a partnership or not, is flexibility. When you start a business, things are going to change all the time. It’s not like you have to change a document every time, but if one partner is going to be in charge of bringing in the business, and the other partner is expected to carry out the business, all of that should be spelled out up front.” 4. Create a Partnership Deed. “You need to figure out ahead of time what can go wrong,” Lesonsky confirms. “You need to account for anything that can happen. What if one business partner wants to move or retire? What if someone gets divorced? What if a partner dies
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unexpectedly, and you haven’t tied up those loose ends? The business could collapse. There are many things to account for in a partnership. Many partnerships are between family members or best friends, where people tend to go on blind faith. The classic case of that is Doug and Susie Tompkins (Buell), a married couple who started Esprit de Corp. clothing company. They had a terribly messy divorce, and even now you don’t know who owns what. A partnership can mimic a wedding and a divorce. You need to consider all the ‘ifs.’” 5. Define Your Business: Is It a Partnership? A Subchapter S Corp? An LLC? “A partnership is a legally accepted business structure,” Lesonsky explains. “Just like a corporation, an LLC, or a Subchapter S Corp, there’s a partnership. Two people can’t be partners and also form a corporation. You need a lawyer to make sure everything is set up correctly. The most popular business forms are LLC and Subchapter S Corp. You should consult an accountant to figure out what’s best for you tax-wise. In some cases, you will be dual-taxed; in other cases, it
runs through the corporation so you only get taxed once. 6. Vet Your Partner. “You should treat a potential partner as if you’re hiring somebody,” Lesonsky says. “Do your due diligence. Talk to former coworkers or people who have been in business situations with them. Chances are, if they have had a good relationship with them, they will be glad to tell you that. And if it was a bad relationship, they will be even happier to tell you about it. The Internet is wonderful for researching people without them knowing. Check out their LinkedIn page. Maybe you have clients in common. Make sure they are who they say they are. 7. Get a Credit Report. “Run a credit report; there’s also Dunn & Bradstreet to check their business history. Be up front and say, ‘We need to know that we will be compatible working together, and we should run credit checks on one another.’ Don’t try to hide anything because that will get the partnership off to a bad start.”
About the Author Ken Micallef is a New York–based writer and photographer. http://lineshapespace.com/
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Tips For Effective Social Media Recruitment By Tim Morris The premise of recruiting is easy; find the right person for the job at the right time. Oh if it was only that easy. Thinking logically, it also means that you cannot only use one source to find the best of the talent pool from which you are hoping to recruit. Whether you love it or hate it social media now plays a huge role when it comes to recruitment and by ignoring this route you shouldn't be surprised at if you’re struggling to attract the most appropriate talent to your job adverts and roles. The beauty of social media is that every platforms boasts its own, and unique, demographic. You will already have an idea of the kind of person you are hoping will join your business so it makes sense to tap into the social media targeted at the audience you are trying to reach. Here are just some of the ways in which you can turn
social media into an effective recruiting tool and manage to find the right person for the job at the right time.
Online Presence Few businesses survive today who don't have some kind of online presence, so how does yours look? Having an engaging useable website is only half the battle; you should also have profiles on the popular social media channels, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google Plus that make people want to take a second look at your company. You’ll need a succinct bio and plenty of up to date information as is key to attracting people to your company. You must make your business seem human, to paint a picture of your company culture that makes people want to connect with you, and above all, work for you.
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Make the most of your time online They key to success with any kind of social media in involvement, and lots of it. This is especially prevalent when it comes to recruitment as old posts from months ago or messages going unanswered give a really bad impression of both your company and how you run it. Engage with those in your circle, actively add more to it, get yourself known and prove to everyone you are force to be reckoned with in your industry as both a company and an employer.
Have an individual approach Whether you are connecting with people you have actively sought out or with those who have found you it's essential to speak to them as a person rather than as a brand. Savvy companies have one or two people in charge of their social media so repeat visitors can form a relationship with who they are speaking to rather than wondering who they are going to get this time. People like to talk to people.
Keep it real You want to get to know the real candidate when it comes to recruiting and this is a two way street. Being transparent, unapologetic and authentic is vital to attracting the right people. All you will achieve by bigging up your business is a high staff turnover as disillusioned employees will simply move on, but will make sure everyone knows that you got them there under false pretences in the first place.
Share the interesting stuff All work and no play makes for a boring, faceless company and social media highlights this. Post images, videos, infographics, share bits of news, be friendly and open. In short, make people look at you and think 'hey, I would love to work for them!' Once you reach this stage you know you've cracked social media.
About the Author Tim Morris is an expert IT recruiter using social media channels and digital marketing to find the best IT talent. http://www.applauseit.co.uk/
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Cont r i but e I fy ouwoul dl i k et oc ont r i but et of ut ur ee dionsofBus i ne s sPa r t ne rMa g a z i neďŹ nd outmor ehe r e .
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