SBTM Aug Issue 2015 by Genera Media

Business

Publisher’s Column

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AUGUST 2015 EDITION HOUSTON

MAGAZINE

Chairman John Cruise President/Executive Publisher Steve Levine Vice President /Associate Publisher/ Creative Director/Editor Barbara Davis-Levine Business Development/PR Evelyn Pereira Roy Pereira Graphic Designer Lavinia Menchaca Photographers Rafa Saavedra Contributing Writers Barbara Davis Mila Golovine Ruben Gonzalez Bruce Hurta Jeff Jones Sandy Lawrence Hank Moore Mike Muhney

Howard Partridge Christi Ruiz Rita Santamaria Gail Stolzenburg Pam Terry Holly Uverity Aimee Woodall

Chief Advisor Hank Moore Publisher’s Advisory Board Denise Adjei Sonia Clayton Donna Cole John Cruise Dirk Cummins April Day Dr. John Demartini Maya Durnovo Kathie Edwards Mila Golovine Dory Gordon Greg Grant David Holt Richard Huebner Jeffrey Jones Darryl King Sandy Lawrence Craig Klein Wea Lee Bertrand McHenry

Hank Moore Lisa M. Morton Mike Muhney Leisa Holland Nelson Tony Noun Mayor Annise Parker Page Parkes Howard Partridge Susan Repka Maria Rios Grant Sadler Rita Santamaria William Sherrill Gail Stolzenburg Pam Terry Linda Toyota Jack Warkenthien Carlecia D. Wright Aaron Young

Phone: 832-419-2814 E-Mail: Steve.Levine@SBTMagazine.net Or Write: Small Business Today 5380 West 34th Street, Ste 230 Houston, TX 77092 See us on the web at www.SBTMagazine.net

SMALL BUSINESS Today MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY LEGACY PUBLISHING GROUP, LLC. 5380 WEST 34TH ST., STE. 230 HOUSTON, TX 77092 EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER - STEVE LEVINE: 832-419-2814 CHAIRMAN - JOHN CRUISE: 832-460-2020 www.SBTMagazine.net ADVERTISING RATES ON REQUEST. BULK THIRD CLASS MAIL PAID IN TUCSON, AZ. POSTMASTER: PLEASE SEND NOTICES ON FORM 3579 TO 5380 WEST 34TH ST., STE. 230 HOUSTON, TX 77092. ALTHOUGH EVERY PRECAUTION IS TAKEN TO ENSURE ACCURACY OF PUBLISHED MATERIALS, SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR OPINIONS EXPRESSED OR FACTS SUPPLIED BY ITS AUTHORS. COPYRIGHT 2012, LEGACY PUBLISHING GROUP, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED.

Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do! August Greetings Everyone!

f someone asked me for a list of my favorite motivational speakers and authors, I would have to include the late Dr. Robert H. Schuller as one of the top two.

I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to him several times in my life and have been an avid reader of his books for many years. I even attended one of his services in Garden Grove, California in the early nineties. The title of my column this month, “Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do!” is one of my favorite messages by him. As you may have read in my July column, Barbara and I have been through some pretty rough times this year that turned our life and business (literally) “upside down” when five feet of flood water destroyed our home, cars, clothes, contents, and furniture. In addition, whatever the water did not ruin, chances are the toxic mold did. Dr. Schuller’s words of advice are great and very true but sometimes when you are in the middle of one of the most devastating experiences of your life, you might find it difficult to keep the above in mind. It’s important to remember that G-D did not create you to fail. All of the subjects of this magazine’s cover stories have experienced disappointments and challenges in starting and growing their businesses. Many were told that they would NOT be successful in their endeavors and yet they refused to quit. Yes, my faith and belief system were shaken as we were overtaken by flood waters and our calls for help went unanswered. How could “My G-D” let this happen? As I write this column 10 weeks later, I can honestly say that the experience and the support from friends, family, and associates (and even strangers) have strengthened my faith and my belief in the above title even more. This month’s cover honoree, Eudora Healthcare founder, Kenny Ozoude had trouble finding his direction in life so much that his parents worried that he would be a student forever. Every time he thought he knew what he wanted to do in life, he found it wasn’t for him. Eventually, he found an area he knew was a perfect fit and acquired a degree in that field but years later he realized he was on the wrong side of the business transaction and once more, he went back to school. Undeterred, Kenny has finally found his way and the sky is the limit in his success. I know you will enjoy his story. Good Reading, Good Sales, & Success to You,

Steve Levine

President/Executive Publisher, Small Business Today Magazine

INSIDE AUGUST 2015 / EDITION HOUSTON

FEATURES 03 12

On the Cover

Kenny Ozoude - Eudora Healthcare Good Service and Care – The Perfect Fit for a Class Act

Publisher’s Column

Are You Listening or a Listener-In-Training?

14 Doing Business in South Africa

16 18

28 29

How Companies Got Their Names

Getting Organized: It’s a Personal Decision

Fueling Your Desire to Win

Making Your Company Presence Known through Press Release Distribution

How to Use the Phenomenal 5 Point Experiential Marketing Message – Part 1 Business Valuation.... What is the Market Value of Your Business? 5 Ways Research Can Get You Where You Want to Go

How to Overcome Being Nervous on Video

Networking Using Memory

Financial Astrology for August 2015

Debbie Roman and Tyler Turner–

TYDE Mind & Body LLC Turning People’s Lives Upside Down

Turning People’s Lives Upside Down

Houston Minority Supplier Development Council

Tyde Mind & Body Llc

HMSDC

COVER STORY

Kenny Ozoude -

Eudora Healthcare

Good Service and Care – The Perfect Fit for a Class Act

EUDORA HEALTH SYSTEMS - A model for integrated healthcare services built on a foundation of time-tested values with an eye on the future. Focused on growth, Eudora Health Systems continues to break new ground in the development and expansion of its portfolio of healthcare facilities. Photo by Rafael Saavedra

By Barbara R. Davis and Colleen O’Brien

udora Healthcare founder, Kenny Ozoude was always passionate about doing things to the best of his ability, with good service and care. In addition, he was extremely analytical about finding the perfect fit in a career that would incorporate his acumen for math and sciences. Each time he chose a major in college that utilized his skills, he soon found that they weren’t the right fit. Eventually, he did find the perfect fit – the field of business. After acquiring a degree in business, Kenny dove into it with fervor and class but years later realized he had an entrepreneurial spirit and that his true passion was in building businesses on his own! Finally finding his true calling in life, the sky is the limit in his success by developing a healthcare company based on good service and care – the perfect fit for a class act. Kenny Ozoude of Eudora Healthcare exudes confidence and humility, all rolled into one. How is that possible in to6 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ AUGUST 2015 ]

day’s highly competitive healthcare marketplace? Having an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, rated by Business Week as the number one business school in the nation, may have a bearing on Kenny’s success. While at Duke, he developed international business acumen, studying in Shanghai, India, and Western Europe. In addition, he completed an executive education course at Harvard Business School in Private Equity and Venture Capital. When asked why his company’s name is Eudora, Kenny explained, “It is of Greek origin, meaning a cherished gift.” And the key to his savvy business compassion may lie with Kenny’s mom. He says the biggest impact on him in his formative years was tagging along and observing his mom (a nurse by profession) who opened up an agency that provided “early intervention care for at risk youth”. She ran that for close to sixteen years before retiring. Kenny was always interested in what she did and would ask a lot of questions. Kenny’s father,

who was a network administrator for a large financial services company, contributed greatly to his analytical skills. While growing up, Kenny’s family started out in Nigeria, shortly thereafter leaving for the United States, and eventually settling in New York City. After graduating high school in New York, Kenny moved to Houston where he attended the University of Houston and graduated with a BBA (Bachelors of Business Administration) in Information Systems. The oldest of four within a ten year range, Kenny grew up with one sister and two younger brothers, all of whom helped out by working when they were old enough. “We’re a tight-knit family. Everyone worked including my mother”, remarked Kenny When Kenny began at U of H, he couldn’t decide on a major. He recalled, “I almost sent my parents to the insane asylum. I started off with engineering; obviously a kid who likes math ought to go into engineering. I realized very quickly that was not my passion. Then I switched over to biology as a major because I wanted to be a doctor. So I switched from the math to the science in line with what I had liked my whole life. Once I realized that part of going into medical school and becoming a doctor involved something called gross anatomy and dissecting human beings, I quickly dropped that and changed my major. I decided that pharmacology would be okay because it was still in the field of biological sciences so I applied for pharmacy school and do the pre-pharmacy curriculum. Once again I realized that it wasn’t for me. It wasn’t dynamic enough. I was lost and my parents were frustrated. I sought the help of a guidance counselor and after a lot of talking and getting to know each other, she suggested I go to business school. I thought to myself, ‘Who actually goes to school for business? Business is something you just do’. Lo and behold that is where I found my home – the perfect fit. I was in the business school and I got into business information systems. That was 2000.” Towards the end of his undergraduate years, Kenny met and fell in love with the love of his life, Letitia. It was a funny story because when Kenny and Letitia initially met, they didn’t hit it off. Kenny was a senior intern and was responsible for training the new interns on the tasks he was doing. On the day that Letitia walked in and Kenny was told that he was going to train her, he recognized her from campus. Taking his job far too seriously, Kenny wasn’t very friendly to Letitia because he didn’t think she took her job seriously enough. In addition, he thought she didn’t pay attention and that she would never make it in this business!

As luck would have it, the car that he was using at that time was having mechanical problems and he didn’t have transportation to and from the internship. He would get rides from his friends. Letitia lived on campus near Kenny and volunteered to give him a ride home. During those trips home was when Kenny realized she was a good girl and she realized that he was a good boy too! That was the beginning of their relationship. After dating for a period of time, Letitia ended up going to medical school and residency. Kenny was working and traveling all around the country. It wasn’t until ten years later that they were married. It certainly was a very well thought out courtship and now the fruit of their labor has rewarded them with two beautiful children, Pierce, age 4 and Blake, age 1. Even though Kenny had received his BBA, he still was in search of the perfect fit. Luckily there was a gentleman by the name of Gerald Bass who came to visit one of his classes. He was a management consultant for Price Waterhouse Coopers. Kenny didn’t know exactly what he did but the way that he described his job sounded really fun and he wanted to do it too! Kenny elaborated, “All I knew was that he would do different projects for different companies and he would travel. He was, at that time, flying between Houston, Mexico, and Detroit. He was talking about all these interesting problems that he would solve for these companies, General Motors being one of them. He was using technology and he was helping shape the future of how they were going to sell cars and build cars. I said to myself that I want to do that.” After Kenny graduated, he met that same gentleman at a career fair. He was recruiting for Price Waterhouse Coopers. Kenny brought one résumé to the career fair that had about fifty or sixty companies there and waited in line to speak to Mr. Bass and said, “I brought one copy of my résumé and it’s for you. I didn’t come here to see anybody else but you. I want to do what you do and I want to work for this company.” Kenny handed him his résumé and immediately thought he had just wasted a whole career fair because there were lots of great companies there and he had only come to speak to Gerald Bass from Price Waterhouse Coopers. About six weeks later after the career fair, Kenny received an unexpected call from Mr. Bass. He said, “Hey Kenny, we’re going to give you a call pretty soon in the next week or so for an interview. Make sure you’re ready for it.” And the rest, as Kenny says, was history. Kenny went through the interview process and ended up working at Price Waterhouse Coopers in their management consultant division. Right [ AUGUST 2015 ] WWW.SBTMAGAZINE.NET 7

COVER STORY Key ingredients of a successful pharmacy operation include: 1. Assembling the best team, 2. Articulating a clear vision, and 3. Challenging and inspiring each team member to achieve their full potential. Photo by Rafael Saavedra

out of school. He felt really good about his decision. He started working there and learned so much working with great people. “I really developed professionally and began to understand what I wanted to do and what I wanted to be in business,” reflected Kenny. After working for the company for a number of years, Kenny transitioned to a smaller company in the same space. “More possibilities, smaller firm”, expressed Kenny, “called Energy Solutions.” From Energy Solutions, he transitioned to a company called Accenture and worked for them up until 2010. He would go into different companies to solve complex business problems using technology, business 8 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ AUGUST 2015 ]

strategy, operations, management techniques, or whatever needed to happen. Around 2004, he was placed on a project in Boston; a very large company was in the process of doing two billion dollar plus acquisitions and he was part of that team. They needed to wrap their heads around how that was supposed to actually happen and then integrate those companies into their portfolio. Kenny spent about two years helping them work through all of those things and ultimately came to the conclusion that he wanted to be either buying or selling companies and not just be a consultant. He called that “aha” realization his “watershed moment. “I realized that I’m on the wrong side

of this business. I wanted to be in the driver’s seat. I was a consultant. I was doing good work and I was adding value but I wanted to be either the person that was buying a company or selling a company and reaping those benefits.” Uncertain how it was going to happen, Kenny realized that he needed to go back to school once again but this time it would be to get some more formal business education and sort of re-launch his career from a new perspective. He applied and was accepted at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University where he attended from 2008 to 2010. Kenny felt like he had some of the best professors, some of the toughest courses, and some of the best classmates and because of the international experience, he had a new perspective on how business was done. When he left there, he was determined to start his own business.

Eudora Healthcare is an umbrella company that owns other small healthcare companies, in other words, a holding company. Eudora Healthcare got started by investing in a group that developed a chain of pharmacies. From pharmacies, they diversified into other aspects of healthcare including physical therapy companies and testing Patient experience and outcomes are “top” priority at our brand new Top Doctor Physical Therapy Center where we aim to provide both a compassionate and luxurious physical rehabilitation experience for all of our patients. Photo by Rafael Saavedra

After leaving North Carolina, Kenny came back to Houston with just a very skeleton type of plan that was not really fleshed out at all. Once again, he began educating himself. He would talk to anybody who would give him the time; any entrepreneur who was in business; and anybody who had led a company, bought a company, or sold a company. Kenny went through his network and leveraged whoever he could to get meetings with anybody who would help out. After having a few meetings, he decided that the best way for him to start was to find and engage with small, high potential, high growth businesses and try to either make an investment or add some sort of value capital and then help that business get to the next level. That’s truly how Kenny’s company started. Without too much focus on whatever industry, it just had to be a small, high potential high growth business. Kenny had to feel like he could add value to what they were doing. While searching for a small, energetic, and promising new company where he could add value and possibly add capital, Kenny found out about HeatTrak. It was a company, Kenny says, that “sold a safety product for wintertime conditions.” During the time spent with HeatTrak, Kenny honed his investment style and criteria. Going forward, he realized that healthcare was the industry that was the best fit for him. I think that I can best sum up by saying that I’d like to put forth that Eudora Healthcare believes in growth through diversification. We believe in growth through partnering. When people see Eudora, I want them to understand that we’re first of all focused on the patient. Then we’re focused on doing good business. I believe that if we take care of the patients and that we take care of our partners that success is going to come.” [ AUGUST 2015 ] WWW.SBTMAGAZINE.NET 9

COVER STORY laboratories. So that is why Eudora Healthcare is basically becoming a healthcare system. They keep adding healthcare businesses, products, and services bringing them under one umbrella and leveraging synergies between all of them. They are also working on product development and distribution. There’s a product that they are currently in the process of developing in production with some other partners that they hope to bring to market that will help the geriatric population. Kenny hopes to continue growing and developing in the healthcare space by acquiring and developing ancillary healthcare services. Kenny expounded, “The word Eudora means generous gift. With the health and welfare of our patients at the core, we hope that we are giving our patients a gift, a gift of a good experience, a gift of health, a gift of healing. We hope to impart that on our patients and conversely we also receive that satisfaction from doing good work. When our patients are satisfied, when our patients have good results, it’s a gift to us.” Eudora Healthcare’s chain of pharmacies does specialty compounding. In addition, they also have testing laboratories and physical therapy and occupational therapy services. What sets them apart is definitely the patient experience. “We want the rehabilitation experience to be a nice experience,” says Kenny. “Our facilities feel more like a spa than a clinic. They look nice; they are a nice size; and they are very comfortable. We spent a little extra money and time really making the patient experience that much more pleasant and our staff is second to none. We really treat patients like human beings, like they are part of our family!” On the horizon, Kenny hopes to put a full service hospital in operation with links to ancillary health services. In the future, Eudora Healthcare may do medical trials. They’ve actually been approached to do that but with everything else going on, it hasn’t happened yet even though it’s on the radar. Within pharmacy operations, Kenny credits his right-hand person, Nirvana Hightower, “to make the right decisions for me. She’s the pharmacist in charge and runs the operations there. The buck stops with her. We communicate daily as needed and I’m usually there at least twice a month for meetings at the facilities. My phone is always ringing; I’m always available for any sort of questions. 10 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ AUGUST 2015 ]

I typically set the vision and set the direction but I trust Nirvana to lead the execution of that.” When asked about mentorship along the way, Kenny stated, “I’m not even sure if he knows it but his name is Dr. Bernard Harris. He was gracious enough to take a meeting from a young, newly minted MBA graduate who was looking to conquer the world. In the mist of all he was working on, he took several meetings with me and didn’t time box them at all. We talked for hours and he gave me a lot of insight into the attitude I had to have in order to do what I’m doing now. It’s an attitude of the world doesn’t owe you anything; you have to make a decision; you have to do it; and you have to just make it happen anyway that you can. No one’s going to write you a check; no one’s going to finance your plan. You have to figure out a way to make it happen. That was very instrumental in preparing me for what lie ahead.” People always ask Kenny if he ever plans to retire but he quickly responds, “I’m just having too much fun running and growing the business.” He also adds that he is glad that he married he wife and equally glad that he picked the right partners. Kenny states, “I would say the best thing I have ever done was have good employees and good partners. That has made all the difference in the world.” Passionate about giving back to the community, Kenny finds deep satisfaction in gift-giving to the community. In the works for the future, Kenny is establishing the Eudora Foundation that is going to be geared toward helping young people who have high potential in achieving their goals, whatever that may be. Meanwhile, Kenny supports the Smarht Girl Foundation, the Houston Heavys (a youth AAU basketball team), and the Kunak and Kosica Foundations that are both nonprofits with an international focus bringing water and healthcare to places, especially in Africa, that are lacking some of the basic things that we take for granted. Kenny is carrying on the tradition of that strong imprinting by his mother of care and service. Not only does he believe that service is its own reward, he says that education is also its own reward. Obviously, Kenny would not be a success without his focus on education, doing everything with care, and always providing good service – the perfect fit for such a class act!

. Photo by Rafael Saavedra

Kenny’s Best Words of Advice 1. The buck stops with you. A lot of entrepreneurs rely on consultants, accountants, and lawyers. We all need those people but the buck stops with you. There is no such thing as, “That wasn’t my job.” Everything is your job. 2. The deal you don’t do is sometimes more important than the deals you do. Trust your gut. I’m sure you’ve heard that so many times but it really is true. 3. Learn from your mistakes. You will make mistakes; you’ll make plenty of them. Don’t beat yourself up but learn from them. 4. Try to maintain balance. Being an entrepreneur can consume you. I have seen it consume many people. Try to maintain some balance. Remember that you have your family, your friends, your health, your hobbies, and other things outside of work. Maintaining balance keeps you from burning out. 5. Don’t make things too complicated. Whenever there’s a problem I always tell myself that it’s not as complicated as it seems. Ask yourself, “What really matters?” Approach it from that direction. As an entrepreneur, I know that everything we’re dealing with in the business can make life seem very, very complicated. Problems usually are very simple

when you take the time to step back and look from a different viewpoint. 6. When you’re first starting a business, always ask yourself, “What’s the fastest way to the dollar? What’s the most direct way to the income?” You have to keep the lights on. You can’t lose sight of why you’re in business but you have to know what’s going to keep it going. Whenever I talk to young entrepreneurs or people who have ideas, I always say all that seems great but how do they get the money? I love how nifty that website is or how cool that app sounds but how does it make money? I personally believe that it is necessary to get back to the basics. 7. Establish credit before you need it. Even if you don’t think you need it and you’re well capitalized, go ahead and establish some credit now. Inevitably, life is going to be difficult at times. That is when you will need it so do it in advance. 8. Education is its own reward. Don’t look at it as drudgery. Don’t look at it as punishment. Enlightenment is its own reward. You will reap the benefits of it many times over. Educate yourself whenever, however, and wherever you can. Get formal education whether it is through a mentor or independent study. Education and empowerment are things that are in your hands. [ AUGUST 2015 ] WWW.SBTMAGAZINE.NET 11

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Are You Listening

or a Listener-In-Training? By Rita Santamaria

igh ranking military officers, surgeons, CEOs, and people not accustomed to taking orders are not the best listeners, we are told. On the other hand, actors and athletes, for example, are good listeners as they are accustomed to being coached. Some people do not listen because they just don’t want to. Others consider themselves multitaskers and believe they can do many different tasks at one time. In doing so, they’re unable to listen attentively because they are distracted by multiple activities taking place simultaneously.

Here are some suggestions for being a listener-in-training: •

Be aware of listening to the speaker.

•

Prepare to listen by focusing on the speaker. Put other concerns or distractions out of your mind so you are not sidetracked.

•

Don’t doodle; don’t look at the computer screen; and don’t glance at your cell phone. These are behaviors that distract the listening process. They also send messages to the speaker that you are bored at best and not interested in the least.

•

Not only are you listening for the verbal but you are listening for inflection, pitch, volume, and body language. The verbal may be saying one thing while the body language is saying something different. The messages may be simple but the inflection and volume of the conversation may increase the importance of the message by the sender. Don’t interrupt the speaker. Waiting until the speaker has finished talking is just good manners. Wait until the speaker has finished their talk or conversation and then

12 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ AUGUST 2015 ]

Some people do not listen because they just don’t want to. Others consider themselves multitaskers and believe they can do many different tasks at one time. In doing so, they’re unable to listen attentively because they are distracted by multiple activities taking place simultaneously. add your thoughts. And, don’t start thinking in advance about what your reply will be as that is also a distraction to your listening skills. •

If you are starting out an important conversation with someone, it is acceptable to ask them to listen carefully to what you are saying. If you are in a management conversation with an employee, take the time to put these important words in writing as well. Asking the parties to sign the words on paper to verify receipt is a typical and important ritual during a review.

•

To be a good listener, you must be in the present mind, focused on the other person, and considerate of giving someone else your complete attention. Being a good listener is an art. SBT

Rita Santamaria is the owner and CEO of Champions School of Real Estate, which was founded in 1983 and is a five time Pinnacle Award Winning School. The Champions School of Business Etiquette division was founded in 2012 and has grown in a short time to be a leading development venue for individuals and companies. For more information, visit their websites at www.ChampionsSchool.com or www.ChampionsBusinessEtiquette.com.

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Doing Business

in South Africa Ludmila (Mila) Rusakova Golovine

Similarly, as with most cultures, the initial business contact should not focus on the actual deal. As stated previously, South Africans like to do business only with those that they trust. Therefore, it is necessary to be patient and let the conversation begin with topics such as family. This will allow the South Africans to get to know you. Once trust is established, the actual business venture may be discussed.

s a continent, Africa may not be mentioned much in the media as a place to do business but there is one country within whose economy has maintained steady growth in the face of tremendous political and social change and that is South Africa. South Africa currently occupies the status of the second largest economy in Africa behind only Nigeria. It possesses 80 percent of the world’s platinum reserves and 11 percent of its gold reserves. In 2011, South Africa formally joined the BRICS group comprising the top emerging economies in the world alongside Brazil, Russia, India, and China. With its sound financial structures and myriad of business opportunities, this country is a very attractive place for entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, success can only be achieved by those savvy enough to learn the proper business etiquette for this country. It is important to note that South Africa is one of the most culturally diverse countries on Earth. In addition to the native black population which comprises many tribes and makes up the majority of the population, there are white South Africans of English and Dutch descent. Moreover, successive waves of immigration over the years have led to sizeable communities of Indians, Chinese, and Malays. Thus, many refer to South Africa as the “Rainbow Nation”. Along with the cultural mosaic there is also a linguistic one. The country currently has eleven official languages, namely: Afrikaans, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu. English is the last official language and is used as the language of administration. Therefore, it occupies a predominant position in the country’s communication. Importantly, business documentation does not require translation into all of the official languages. English will suffice which will facilitate written business dealings. For face-to-face communication, however, it will be necessary to find out if an interpreter will be needed.

14 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ AUGUST 2015 ]

As with most cultures, South Africans tend to deal only with those that they know and trust. They are somewhat mistrustful of those who are unknown which can sometimes slow or even halt a potential business venture. Very often, they will only work with someone new if a trusted associate vouches for them. Consequently, when trying to launch a new venture in South Africa, it is imperative to find a local who can make the necessary introductions and confirmations that will allow the process to move forward. A formal written introduction from a third party is also a good idea if possible. This action will carry more weight than word of mouth. Similarly, as with most cultures, the initial business contact should not focus on the actual deal. As stated previously, South Africans like to do business only with those that they trust. Therefore, it is necessary to be patient and let the conversation begin with topics such as family. This will allow the South Africans to get to know you. Once trust is established, the actual business venture may be discussed. While most countries have only one communication style, South Africa has two. Depending on the ethnic group, both direct and indirect communication may be employed. White South Africans prefer direct speaking. They tend to negotiate in much the same way as Americans. Their business culture is based on consensus and win-win negotiation. Any vagueness is considered non-commitment. Therefore, it is necessary to begin with a realistic figure when negotiating pricing. As in American business, white South Africans do not like to haggle so it is imperative that flexibility be shown. Furthermore, decisions are usually made by consultation with subordinates. Consequently, they are made somewhat slower than in the US. Here again, patience must be maintained. Black South Africans, on the other hand, are more diplomatic. They employ indirect

communication meaning that what is spoken is not always what is meant. Very often, they will not want to disappoint their counterpart so on occasion they will say “yes” to something merely because they do not wish to say “no.” In these cases, body language and intonation must be analyzed to determine what the true answer is.

While the ethnic diversity of South Africa can seem daunting, there are actually more similarities with American business culture than differences. As long as you recognize the idiosyncrasies of the culture and display patience and openness, you will have no problem succeeding in South African business. SBT

When interacting with South Africans, there are several important aspects to keep in mind. It is important to maintain eye contact. Otherwise, the South African will think that you are being evasive. Similarly, you must never stand with your hands in your pockets when speaking with someone. This action gives the impression that you are hiding something or being insincere.

As a graduate of the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Houston, Ludmila (Mila) Rusakova Golovine, Founder, CEO, and President of MasterWord Services, Inc., started her company with a vision of seamlessly connecting people across any language, any time, and any culture. She can be reached by email at mgolovine@masterword.com, by phone at 281-589-0810, or visit her website at www.masterword.com.

EDITORIAL FEATURE

How Companies

Got Their Names By Hank Moore, Corporate Strategist

ompanies are named for the simplest of purposes, often for ease and recognition factors. Companies should create monikers that let customers clearly know what they do or at least make the public curious to learn more.

Amazon.com, Inc. was originally named Cadabra, Inc. but was changed when it was discovered that people sometimes heard the name as “cadaver”. Since the Amazon River is one of the largest in the world, the name suggests large size and was also selected because it begins with “A” and therefore would show up near the beginning of alphabetical lists.

Good company names ring true to company values, offer something for the marketplace to aspire, and differentiate each company from the others. The best company names are clear, direct, and without trite jargon. Business is a mirror of life and offers opportunities to free enterprise. Many of the most respected corporate names have clarity and long shelf lives. Often, the great names ring new meanings into old words, phrases, and ideas.

Bridgestone was taken from the last name of founder Sojiro Ishibashi. Translating his last name from Japanese into English, Ishi means Stone and Bashi means Bridge but translates to “bridge of stone”.

7-Eleven, originally called Totem, was renamed in 1946 to reflect their newly extended hours, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Amazon.com, Inc. was originally named Cadabra, Inc. but was changed when it was discovered that people sometimes heard the name as “cadaver”. Since the Amazon River is one of the largest in the world, the name suggests large size and was also selected because it begins with “A” and therefore would show up near the beginning of alphabetical lists. Arm and Hammer’s logo represents Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metal working, adopted from the Vulcan Spice Mills owned by co-founder James A. Church.

Comcast comes from the words “commercial” and “broadcast”. CVS originally stood for customer value stores. Ebay was originally part of the Echo Bay Technology Group. The domain name EchoBay.com was taken by Echo Bay Mines, a gold mining company so it was shortened to founder Pierre Omidyar’s second choice, Ebay.com. IBM stems from the company’s original name, International Business Machines. Lego comes from the Danish phrase, “leg godt” which means “play well”. Nabisco was shortened from the original name, National Biscuit Company.

Here are examples of how memorable company names (and thus strategies) evolved:

16 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ AUGUST 2015 ]

EDITORIAL FEATURE

QVC stands for quality, value, and convenience. Pepsi Cola was first introduced as “Brad’s Drink” in New Bern, N. Carolina in 1892 by Caleb Bradham who made it at his drugstore where the drink was sold. In 1898, it was renamed after the digestive enzyme pepsin and kola nuts used in the recipe. Reebok is Afrikaans for the grey rhebok, a type of African antelope. Sharp was named for one of its founder’s first inventions, the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil. Skype, a telecommunications application software product was originally named Sky peer-to-peer, which was then abbreviated as “Skyper”. However, some of the domain names associated with “Skyper” were already taken. By dropping the “r”, domain names for Skype were available. Sony came from the Latin word for sound, “sonus”. It was also chosen for the English slang word “sonny” since the founders, Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka, considered themselves to be “sonny boys”, a loan word used in Japan which was connoted as smart and presentable young men. Starbuck’s was originally was to be called Pequod, after the whaling ship in the novel, “Moby-Dick” but some of the co-founders rejected the name. Instead, the name of the chief mate on the Pequod was chosen instead: Starbuck. Verizon is a combination of the Latin word veritas (truth) and horizon.

Virgin Records was the name suggested to founder Richard Branson because they were new at the record business. Volkswagen, the German words for “people’s car” in English was originally created in 1937 by the German Labour Front and designed by Ferdinand Porsche who had been trying for years to get a manufacturer interested in a small car suitable for a family. Prototypes of the car were called the “KdF-Wagen”, the abbreviation for the German words, Kraft durch Freude, which is “strength through joy” in English.

Here are the characteristics and philosophies of good company names:

• Focuses upon the customer. • Honors the employees. • Shows business as a process not a quick fix. • Portrays their company as a contributor not a savior. • Clearly defines their niche. • Says things that inspire you to think. • Compatible with other communications. • Remains consistent with their prod ucts, services, and track record. SBT

Hank Moore has advised over 5,000 client organizations including public sector agencies, small businesses, non-profit organizations, and 100 of the Fortune 500. Contact Hank by phone at 713-668-0664, by email at hankmoore4218@sbcglobal.net, or visit his website at www.hankmoore. com. Hank’s new book “Houston Legends” can be ordered at www.houstonlegends.net.

[ AUGUST 2015 ] WWW.SBTMAGAZINE.NET 17

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Getting Organized:

It’s a Personal Decision By Holly Uverity CPO®, Office Organizers

s I’m writing this, I’m about to enter my 23rd year of business; I started Office Organizers in June of 1993 with the intent to help new businesses set up their offices. As I’ve traveled down this path, I’ve seen great strides in the organizing industry itself. Where now organizing is mainstream, it wasn’t always so. In the early 1990s when I introduced myself, people thought I was a union organizer as they had no other frame of reference for the term “professional organizer”. I spent the first five years of my business explaining what I did. While the how of organizing has changed over the years, what has never changed for me is the why. There are so many more resources, both in people and tools, available now than there were ever before but even so, getting organized is and always will be a personal decision. As I’ve said countless times, organization exists on a spectrum. On one end live the people who keep everything and on the other end live the people who keep nothing. As an aside, I’m not including hoarders in this spectrum as true hoarders suffer from a disorder. My question to you is: If organization exists on a spectrum, where do you live? Are you one extreme, the other extreme, or in the middle? And does it ever change? My hope for you is that you are on neither end and that yes, it does change. As your job, priorities, and your life changes, I hope that your organizational strategies change as well. If you’ve always worked for someone else and now you’ve started your own business, wouldn’t it make sense that you’d have to re-evaluate everything you do? From what you do to where you do it, wouldn’t it make sense that you move along that spectrum? Remember though, that ultimately where you move to or move from on that organiza-

18 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ AUGUST 2015 ]

As I’ve said countless times, organization exists on a spectrum. On one end live the people who keep everything and on the other end live the people who keep nothing. As an aside, I’m not including hoarders in this spectrum as true hoarders suffer from a disorder. My question to you is: If organization exists on a spectrum, where do you live? Are you one extreme, the other extreme, or in the middle? And does it ever change? My hope for you is that you are on neither end and that yes, it does change. tional spectrum is a personal decision and not a moral or ethical one. While it’s true that you may be legally or financially obligated to keep or destroy certain items, beyond that, it’s entirely up to you what your office looks like. It’s all about your quality of life and your quality of work. Choose the level of clutter that supports you, the level that you’re comfortable with. But understand that it must add to your life and not subtract from it. You want to be able to enjoy your awards, pictures, and knickknacks but not have them interfere. They should be a joy in your life and not a curse. It’s healthy to move up and down that spectrum. What’s true for you now may not be true for you in 23 years. SBT Office Organizers is The Entrepreneur’s Organizer. Founded in 1993, they work with business people to create solutions for their organizational challenges. Contact them at 281.655.5022, www.OfficeOrganizers.com, or www.fb.com/OfficeOrganizers.

Special Feature

The Houston Minority Supplier Development Council “Making Successful Connections for Minority Businesses” By Barbara R. Davis

he Houston Minority Supplier Development Council (HMSDC) is an organization comprised of 170 major corporations and over 600 certified Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) who share a common mission to increase and expand business opportunities and business growth for minority business enterprises (MBEs). HMSDC’s service area ranges from the Louisiana border down to Corpus Christi and up to College Station but their principal focus is in the Greater Houston and surrounding areas where so many major corporations are located. HMSDC has constantly re-invented itself through innovation and drive to better serve MBEs. In doing so, HMSDC has been nationally recognized six times as “Council of the Year” and by the Greater Houston Partnership as “Houston’s Greatest Non-Profit Business Organization.” HMSDC is one of 24 regional affiliates of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) that cover the entire United States and international councils in Australia, the United Kingdom, China, South Africa, and Canada.

With the creation of their “Four Pillars,” they continue to connect their firms to the information, insight, people, and resources that drive results and business success.

Pillar One: Certification of Minority Businesses

Committed to excellence and efficiency in MBE certification, HMSDC takes an indepth look at the applicant and validates that it is a for-profit company that is 51 percent or more independently owned, managed, and controlled by one or more ethnic minorities who are U.S. citizens. Certification is based on criteria set by NMSDC. HMSDC’s certification is accepted by major corporations throughout the country as well as the State of Texas, HISD, and the Port of Houston. A common certification agreement signed with Mayor Annise Parker expedites certification with the City of Houston for HMSDC certified MBEs. HMSDC is the only minority certifying organization accepted by the private sector in the Greater Houston area.

Pillar Two: Development

HMSDC regularly provides value-added educational opportunities for minority business development. The MBE Accelerator is an assessment program that is used

to help minority businesses identify where they are in their growth curve and what they need to focus on from an educational development standpoint to create a solid foundation in carrying them to the next level of success. The HMSDC Board of Directors is proud that HMSDC has become quite good at positioning MBEs where they can effectively compete for, win, and perform on major contracts. The Board’s charge is to take MBE development to an even higher level and position minority firms in such a manner that business is attracted to them because they are that good and because HMSDC says so. HMSDC has spent the past year exploring what that will take and has created a new program, Pathways to Excellence. This program identifies the attributes that would cause a decision-maker in a major corporation to seek out MBE firms that have the capacity and ability to provide services for corporations. The MBE Business Executive Scholarship program just awarded over $90,000 annually to MBE business owners to pursue courses of study directly related to their next stage of business growth.

HMSDC Board of Directors include from left Patricia Thompson, Chris Haas (Chairman), Debra Johnson, Richard Huebner, Cindi Salas, Juuhi Ahuja, Paula Mendoza, Ben Hernandez. Not pictured are Lisa Haley, Paul Cannings, Wilka Toppins, Felix Braggs, Donna Cole, Andy Icken, Michael Lewis, Eduardo Nunez, Paul St. Amant, and David Snell.

Special Feature

HMSDC has developed programs like Pathways to Excellence, MBE Accelerator, CEO Academy, Supplier Idol, and Strategic Teaming Alliances Practicum to develop world-class suppliers that just happen to be owned by minorities. With the addition of these new programs and a consulting department, MBEs are able to take advantage of a more deliberate, hands-on coaching, counseling, and support approach to grow their business.

Pillar Three: Connect

As a premier sourcing organization for major corporations, HMSDC helps MBEs capitalize on change. HMSDC links minority businesses with major corporations, their prime suppliers, and other minority businesses in order to form strategic partnerships that bring a level of capacity large enough to compete in a global market. The Houston Minority Supplier Development Council’s EXPO provides face-to-face connections between MBEs and more than 1,500 decision-makers from more than 200 exhibiting major corporations and government agencies. All underneath one roof, MBEs have direct access to advocates and

decision-makers from corporations willing to discuss their business opportunities and to build relationships. HMSDC also facilitates introductions between the businesses to assist them in meeting with targeted decision-makers, the ones who will be most knowledgeable in the industries where they want to make connections and conduct business These relationships are nurtured in Industry Groups that meet monthly to discuss opportunities, challenges and the best approach for decision makers. To date, the Industry Groups formed are for Professional Services, Legal & Accounting, Construction, Technology, and Consulting. Throughout the year, HMSDC connects MBEs to key information and insight enabling them to bring better solutions to the pressing problems of their current and prospective customers. Information, insight, and relationships drive opportunity! This can be evidenced by attending other HMSDC events where businesses connect and network, like the “Matchmaker Luncheons” and the “Scholarship Fundraiser Golf Tournament.”

The Fourth Pillar: Advocate

Helping people understand the immense importance of minority business development and the values that it provides to customers, communities, cities, states, and nations is one aspect of advocacy. The other aspect of advocacy is showing the entrepreneurs that they can accomplish what they set out to do by doing things the right way. At the HMSDC “Emerging-10 Awards,” inspirational stories are shared by award recipients on how they have overcome obstacles, achieved success, and are giving back to their communities. These stories create excitement and gives others hope. A corporate CEO in HMSDC remarked, “Supplier diversity has grown from corporations helping MBEs to MBEs helping us.” Everyone benefits from having full participation of MBEs in our economic system. With the dramatic growth of “minorities” in America (now comprising the majority in a growing number of American cities like Houston), the work of HMSDC is even more important to keep cities like Houston lively, fresh, and with a great quality of life.

HMSDC Staff from left Shalayna Williams, Ariel Skiba, Angela Freeman, Richard Huebner, Robert Gonzalez, Tonganiki Garrett, Constance Jones, Dale Pierre.

For more information on how the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council can assist you in growing and making successful connections for your business, contact them at 713-271-7805, visit them on the Web at www.hmsdc.org , or email them at info@hmsdc.org. 22 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ AUGUST 2015 ]

Special Feature

Debbie Roman and Tyler Turner –

TYDE Mind & Body LLC Turning People’s Lives Upside Down

By Colleen O’Brien Photo by Rafa Saavedra

wo years ago, Debbie Roman weighed 281 pounds. She was at the top of her profession in corporate America but her job was her life. Her marriage of 22 years had ended and her best friend from high school, Crystal, had unexpectedly died. Feeling miserable, Debbie took a look in the mirror and said to herself, “Name one thing you like about yourself.” She couldn’t name a thing. That’s when she decided it was time to turn her life upside down. Since that epiphany, Debbie has lost 117 pounds with the help of her business partner and trainer, Tyler Turner; and because of it, they have made it their mission to help others flip their lives around as well. It all began in August of 2013 when Debbie searched on Google for a personal trainer and picked the first establishment she saw. She signed up with a trainer but upon arrival for her first session, Debbie was informed that her trainer had quit the day before. For a brief moment she was disappointed but that all changed when her trainer’s replacement introduced himself. “I’m your new trainer,” said Tyler Turner. He then interjected, “You’re stuck with me!” Neither Debbie nor Tyler realized at the time how prophetic those words would become! The corporate change manager was about to undergo her own changes through Tyler’s intensive personal training program. Passionate about what he does yet attuned to other’s feelings, Tyler’s first impression of Debbie was that she was in need of help but also apprehensive about the program. Because of her uncertainty, Tyler felt it was quite important in making Debbie feel as comfortable as possible. In addition, Tyler taught Debbie that losing weight and dieting are more than just about eating habits. Instead, it’s more

Tyler & Debbie believe that regular exercise is a must and can be fun too! Photo by Rafa Saavedra

about one’s mindset toward their life habits. “You’ve got to have your mind fit before you can have your body fit,” Debbie now states. In 18 months, Debbie went from a size 24 to a size 10. “I love shopping now,” said Debbie. Her regimen today is CrossFit training six days a week and two days a week doing strength, flexibility, and mobility training with Tyler. Maybe it was Tyler’s extra care in putting Debbie at ease or maybe it was divine intervention but a bond formed between them that kept growing stronger and stronger as each month passed. Tyler recalls, “My training with Debbie gave me a greater sense of purpose in my life. It became about so much more than just weight. There was an ‘aha’ moment one day back in March of 2014 involving a particular movement called the box jump.” Debbie recalled, “I was terrified of box jumps. On a previous day, I had hit my shin on the box used in the exercise during a CrossFit workout and this time Tyler could see that I was balking at his instructions.” With each repetition, Debbie continued to steel herself to jump and on the seventh one in, her foot hit the box and she knew she was falling. Not accustomed to having people follow through on their promises (in this case, Tyler had promised to not let her fall), she was shocked at what happened next. “We call it ‘The Catch’”, explained Tyler. “And I didn’t go into the mirrors,” exclaimed Debbie! “Tyler was there to catch me. That’s the day I learned to trust again.” Tyler can’t say enough about the change that’s come over Debbie after ‘The Catch’. “Debbie’s workouts are all tinged with intensity; she takes more risks. She’s more active and she exudes more confidence.” That confidence and desire to help others turn their lives upside down motivated Debbie to form [ AUGUST 2015 ] WWW.SBTMAGAZINE.NET 24

Special Feature

Nutrition & fitness go hand in hand. They are a perfect combination and add years to your life!. Photo by Rafa Saavedra

Tyler and Debbie’s Fit Mind, Fit Body Philosophy for Success 1. Positive Affirmations Your inner dialogue directly translates to the effort you put out and the result you will achieve with each workout. Don’t allow your mind to cast doubt on your body’s ability. Your body will achieve what the mind believes, so set that bar high.

an exit strategy to leave corporate America and partner with Tyler in forming TYDE Mind and Body LLC. The name TYDE was selected by combining the first two letters from Tyler’s first name and Debbie’s first name. Putting their own twist on functional training programs, they’re tentatively calling it ‘the TYDE Model’. Utilizing their individual strengths, TYDE offers the best of both worlds as everything Tyler and Debbie does compliments each other. Debbie’s expertise is in coaching, behavior modification, and goal setting. Tyler’s expertise is in personal training with a focus on body mechanics, strength training, and athletic performance Tyler and Debbie are both huge Houston Texans and Rockets fans and attend as many games as possible. Debbie was born in Texas City but grew up in Katy, Texas where she graduated from Katy High School. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of St. Thomas and a Master’s degree from the University of Houston. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Tyler moved to Houston with his parents when he was six years old. His teen years were spent in Richmond, Texas where he graduated from Foster High School. A natural-born athlete, Tyler played football and ran track in high school. While attending Sam Houston State University, Tyler also ran hurdles. Tyler and Debbie have so many great nuggets of advice about health and fitness that they are in the process of writing a book together. They shared, “Whether it’s anger, guilt, fear, shame, or elation, any emotion can have a sweaty workout to find balance. In addition, throwing weights around causes the release of strong emotions as much as it works up a sweat!”

2. Visualize Winning See yourself in the victory position. If you are a runner, create a visual in your mind of you crossing that finish line in record time. If you are a CrossFitter, see yourself lifting the highest weight of your CrossFit career. If you are just starting out, envision yourself completing that step class without taking a break. When your mind’s eye sees the victory clearly, it becomes easy to convince the body to follow through. 3. For Serious Change Be ready to make a six-month to a year commitment. Let’s face it, true transformational changes don’t happen over night. In order to break bad habits, time and commitment must be invested for long term success. 4. Set Boundaries to become a Better Balanced You You are not your past and you don’t have to live in regret or self pity. Get up, get moving, and find a reason to smile everyday. Develop an attitude of gratitude. 5. To Unwrap the Barbed Wire around Your Heart Trust again. Take baby steps if you have to. But take the trust challenge one step or one jump at a time. One of Debbie’s favorite mottos is, “Let your workout change you because mine did.” Not only did Debbie turn her life upside down and regain her health, she also claims that as an added bonus, she’s got the empathy back that she believes a lot of people working as change managers in corporate America have lost as a result of their preoccupation with spreadsheets. You can spend hours running for miles on the open road or in a gym lifting weights but your results will miss the mark if your mind is not fit as well. With TYDE Mind and Body’s help, you can turn your life around by developing the proper mindset in reaching your goals.

To reach TYDE Mind and Body, visit them on the web at www.TYDEMindandBody.com or email them at info@tydemindandbody.com.

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Fueling Your

Desire to Win By four-time Olympian, Ruben Gonzalez

here are many facets to success. You have to have a dream about something you’re shooting for. You have to believe in yourself. You have to take massive immediate action with an attitude that you are willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes. Then and only then is success realistic. More than anything else, your desire will determine if you will make it. How badly do you want it? Is your dream about something you would like to do? Is it something that would be nice to do? Or is it something that you are obsessed about? If your dream is not an obsession, as soon as you come across obstacles, you’ll quit. As soon as the challenge of reaching your dream becomes an inconvenience, you’ll give up. Burning desire allows a person with average ability to successfully compete with those who have far more ability. Desire allows you to give it everything you’ve got. It helps you reach your full potential. Intense desire allows people to win against overwhelming odds. Success is not convenient. Trust me. In order to succeed, you will need to inconvenience yourself in a big way and for a long time. That’s why it’s so important to be driven, excited, and passionate about your dream. If your “why” is big enough, the “how” will take care of itself. When I first took up the sport of luge, we trained in the summer on wheeled sleds. We would slide down the Lake Placid bobsled track from the half mile point on a concrete track at speeds of about 50 MPH. We wore tennis shoes,

shorts, and a t-shirt. If we crashed, it was straight to the hospital. That’s the weeding-out process in the sport of the luge. When we got to the bottom, they did not even give us a ride back to the top. We had to carry our sleds back up the mountain. The coaches made it hard on purpose. They wanted to know right away how badly we wanted it. They didn’t want to waste any time with anyone who was not serious. If you’ve ever played football, you know exactly what I mean. The first couple of weeks of football practice each season are brutal. The coach works the players to death because he wants to find out who his real team will be. He wants to cull out all the “wannabes”. To succeed, you need to know how to feed your desire. The more you feed your desire, the harder it is to quit. Most of the mental training we do is designed to do two things, to strengthen our belief level and to fuel our desire. You have to get yourself to the point that no matter what your circumstances are, you are 100 percent focused on your dream. You want to become so determined to reach your goal that you convince yourself that you will have it. How do you do that? How do you turn your dream into a magnificent obsession? You surround yourself with the dream. You put pictures of your dream all around you. The walls in my office are completely covered with Olympic memorabilia. One day, I counted how many sets of Olympic rings were staring at me all day long. There were over 30 sets of them! By surrounding myself with the dream all day long, I’m bombarding my

28 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ AUGUST 2015 ]

If you’ve ever played football, you know exactly what I mean. The first couple of weeks of football practice each season are brutal. The coach works the players to death because he wants to find out who his real team will be. mind with where I want to go. If I daydream, I daydream Olympics. I read about the Olympics all the time. I watch Olympic videos all the time. I have over 200 hours of Olympic videos. Most importantly, I allow myself to get emotional about my dream. Many times when I’m watching the videos, especially Opening Ceremonies videos, my eyes well up with tears. If you want something badly enough, the facts don’t count. I talk to everyone about my dream. I regularly speak with other athletes that are in the hunt. I think about my dream all day long and I dream about my dream all night long. I vividly imagine what it’s going to feel like when I’m walking into the Opening Ceremonies. I can hear the people cheering. I can see the Olympic flag and Olympic torch. I can feel the cold air and the snow hitting my face. I can feel the tears of joy. I can feel the goose bumps. Vividly imagining what it’s going to feel like feeds my desire. Writing about my dream is a powerful exercise. Whenever you put your thoughts down on paper your mind gets very focused and intense.

»Continued On Page 39

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Making Your Company Presence Known through Press Release Distribution By Sandy Lawrence

o your company has a new product, a new service, or a new campaign. You want to tell the world about it. Right? How do you let the public in on a great announcement, specifically that part of the public who you consider your ideal customer or client? Let’s say you invented a cool widget, you are introducing a new app, or you created a new logo or phrase. You want your company and you to get credit or be known for your creation so that when someone talks about it, they think of you and your company. What if this amazing new product or service is not so unique or different from what your competition is introducing? You still want your company associated with a new technology or development and you just cannot find a way to do that. What should you do if the competition in your industry is strong and it is hard to gain recognition? What can you do? You can very effectively use press releases, media releases, or web content to brand your company name, your product, or your service and create an image within your buying audience’s mind, thereby creating a “buzz”. Companies frequently enhance their brand presence by writing and distributing a press release to generate traffic to their websites, blogs, businesses, or to their social media platforms. However, simply distributing a press release is not sufficient to warrant traffic. The key is to saturate your specific niche market with information about your brand and your products and services. You can appear in every available media outlet with your press release announcements. You can also submit your press release through channels that are not so obvious or popular, or even those that your competitors may not have thought of such as online and social media. When you distribute your press releases frequently through media outlets, you are notifying potential customers, corporate advertisers,

and even competitors of your company’s progress. You also establish a presence that creates a following for your product or service and for your story. Although many companies would prefer competitors not know their every move, the only way that a press release can truly be effective is with frequent distribution through a variety of channels. The more often a press release is distributed and the more press releases that you send, the more association and significance they carry as a powerful branding and marketing tool. Customers and potential customers like to know what is going on and to be apprised of changes within a company they are following. Very often, a company with a strong presence communicates frequently through channels that allow them to share information and news developments from the company’s perspective. Again, the frequency of the press release distribution is essential to ensure that this goal is met. Press releases are most effective when they are frequently in front of customers and customers can tell what direction the company is headed. Their comfort and trust level is satisfied and their desire to buy from a company is increased. Whenever there is a change of personnel or when the company experiences celebratory financial increases, press releases are an optimal way to make your brand presence known and to keep your name in front of your customers. To maximize its use, consider press releases as a powerful marketing resource that can help build a base of loyal followers. SBT

Customers and potential customers like to know what is going on and to be apprised of changes within a company they are following. Very often, a company with a strong presence communicates frequently through channels that allow them to share information and news developments from the company’s perspective. Again, the frequency of the press release distribution is essential to ensure that this goal is met.

C.E.O & Founder of Perceptive Public Relations, Sandy Lawrence has over 30 years of experience in PR training & coaching, writing press releases, and social media. In addition, she is an accomplished speaker and author of several books including “The Do It Yourself PR Guide” and “Soar 2 Success in Marketing: 58 tips to Getting the Word Out and Growing Your Business”. You can contact Sandy by email at Sandy@PerceptivePublicRelations.com or visit her website at www.PerceptivePublicRelations.com. [ AUGUST 2015 ] WWW.SBTMAGAZINE.NET 29

EDITORIAL FEATURE

How to Use the Phenomenal 5 Point Experiential Marketing Message – Part 1

By Howard Partridge

ast month, I shared what the five things that people will stand in line and pay the highest price for. When you have all five of them in place and you understand how to use them in your marketing, you can literally position yourself at the top of any industry. In the next two months, I will share how to create and use your unique Five Point Experiential Marketing Message.

Marketing Point #1: Reputation Marketing your reputation is done by using what others say about you rather than what you say about yourself ! Author of “The Starbucks Experience”, Joseph Michelli says, “A brand is nothing more than what people say about you when you are not around.” The relationships you have with your clients and people with influence in your industry and community will build your reputation and confirm that you can be trusted. Testimonials are powerful ways to demonstrate trust because what your clients and other important people say about you is more believable than what you say about yourself. Celebrity endorsements are also another great means if you can acquire them. If you have a local celebrity who recommends you, see if you can use that person’s name in your marketing. For example, one of my companies was featured on a television show by a local celebrity. Our phone rang constantly and we soon learned that the local celebrity had a radio program where he would give live endorsements in the ads. We generated millions of dollars in sales over the years from that one source. High profile projects or clients also help you develop your reputation (which translates into trust). Your involvement in community service speaks volumes. Awards and certifications are also great tools that build your reputation. Be sure to use all of these things in your marketing media. What others say about you taps into a powerful human law called social proof. I was on the west side of Kauai, Hawaii, one day and the water was extremely rough. I noticed that other people were waiting to see if anyone drowned before they ventured in! This is social proof. Social proof says if others are doing it, it must be okay. 30 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ AUGUST 2015 ]

Be sure to communicate how each and every one of these marketing points benefit the client. This one is obvious. The benefit is that since you can trust our company, regardless of what happens, I know I am not going to be taken advantage of. Example of a reputation introduction: “Our firm enjoys a reputation that is second to none. Some of the area’s most seasoned experts in your area refer our services exclusively.”

Marketing Point #2: Experience Communicating your experience may be the number of years in business. “Since 1902” has an impact. “Over 20 years” is also a powerful statement. If the job requires a certain method of expertise or a certain procedure, you want to communicate your experience in those areas. One of the ways our service company made tremendous progress with our positioning was by offering to tackle troubleshooting jobs that no one else wanted to touch. Anything that was weird or far out, I wanted to get a peek at it. This in turn gave us unmatched experience. We were going after things that others were running from. In just a few years, I saw more situations that I was able to learn from than my competitors will likely see in a lifetime. Example of an experience introduction: “Our firm has been in business for 25 years and is experienced in all types of carpet cleaning. We will be familiar with your situation regardless of what it is.” If you haven’t been in business for very long, focus on the areas of experience you have. You can also lean heavier on the next point. Be sure to revisit next month for part 2 where I’ll share marketing points three, four, and five. Until then, be phenomenal. SBT Howard Partridge, President of Phenomenal Products, Inc. and International Business Coach, is the author of 7 Secrets of a Phenomenal L.I.F.E. and 5 Secrets of a Phenomenal Business. Get a Free CD that reveals the 5 Secrets of a Phenomenal Business by visiting his website at www. HowardPartridge.com/SBT.

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Business Valuation....

What is the Market Value of Your Business? By Jeffrey D. Jones, ASA, CBA, CBI

eveloping a business appraisal is a complex process requiring the services of a professional business appraiser. Thus, your best source for determining current market value is to employ the services of a knowledgeable, experienced professional business appraiser who is designated by one or more of the major appraisal organizations. An appraisal is an estimate or opinion of value using asset-based market and/or income approaches in conjunction with various valuation methods as of a specified date. Rules of thumb can be very misleading and reliance on business advisors who lack appraisal skills can result in inaccurate values. A “guess” may not be sufficient for your needs. Public sources may quote average prices for public companies but most small and midsize businesses are not comparable to publicly held firms due to differences in liquidity, management structure, and depth of services. When you need to know the market value of your business, the following circumstances call for a fully supported written appraisal report: • Selling your business -- When it is time to retire or move on to other investments, knowing the current market value can help you sell your business at the market value and negotiate a sale more quickly. • Buying a new business -- Whether buying your first business or growing by way of acquisition, knowing the current market value will provide you with the information necessary to negotiate a reasonable transaction and avoid offerings that are overpriced. • Buying insurance for buy-sell agreements or key man protection -- Establishing current market value will ensure that you have the facts to purchase sufficient coverage. • Litigation issues -- Determining economic damages and bankruptcy issues, resolving shareholder/partner valuation disputes and material dissolutions all call for a fully documented appraisal report specifying a value that will hold up in court and meet state and federal guidelines for valuation issues. • Estate planning for gifts or inheritance -- When tax planning for your personal estate or business interests, an ap32 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ AUGUST 2015 ]

praisal can provide the needed support for a reasonable valuation that meets the guidelines of the IRS and other governmental agencies.

• Allocation of purchase price among tangible and intangible assets -- Proper allocation of the purchase price among the various assets will provide the basis for value in establishing depreciation and amortization expenses for tax purposes. • Buying, selling, and owning a business represents a major financial investment-- Financial decisions concerning your business will be some of the most critical decisions you will ever make. Having a qualified professional help conduct an appraisal and prepare a written report will ensure that you have the most complete decision making information available.

How do you find the best appraiser for your business?

1. Look for an Accredited Senior Appraiser who belongs to one or more of the professional business valuation appraisal societies such as the American Society of Appraisers (www.appraisers.org), the Institute of Business Appraisers (www.go-iba.org), or the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (www.nacva.org). Their members met strict education and experience requirements and successfully completed several written examinations to prove their appraisal knowledge. 2. Never choose an appraiser who works for a fixed percentage of the amount of value or of the estimated cost that is being determined. An ethical and objective appraiser will charge a flat fee or an hourly fee for the work. 3. The appraiser should adhere to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). 4. Review the appraiser’s qualifications statement or résumé for their documented accomplishments.

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

5 Ways Research Can Get You Where You Want to Go By Aimee Woodall

magine taking a trip to a foreign land; one where you don’t know anyone, can’t speak the language, and haven’t a clue how to get around. You wander the streets just making random turns, hoping to find your hotel or some sort of sign that you are going in the right direction. That kind of travel is disorienting and frustrating. It’s also exactly how most people approach marketing. I’m all for adventure but being totally rudderless doesn’t sound appealing to me. When I’m visiting a new place, I like to do my research. The same is true for how I approach my business. Rather than rocketing through the air toward the unknown, I like to go in with some knowledge of a destination and develop a plan of action in advance. Research is the foundation on which your marketing plan is built yet many people don’t see the value in investing in such a worthy endeavor. Instead of taking the time to look into their business, their market, and their goals, they pack their bags and set off for uncharted territories. That’s a mistake. No matter how well you think you know your business and your industry, skipping the “let’s draw a map” step sets you up for a scramble.

Here are 5 reasons you should research before you aim for a destination:

1. Find out where you’ve been. The most natural place to start is with, well, where you’re starting. The first step in research is to assess what you’ve done in the past and what did or did not work. It’s also important to look at your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. In other words, perform a SWOT analysis. I know that some people think that approach is outdated but it works. Once you understand your current standing, you’re primed to draw a map to your ideal future. 2. Decide on where you’re going. No one jumps in their car and declares, “I’m going north!” They usually have a destination in mind like Chicago or Toronto. Researching attainable goals and objectives for your organization is the linchpin that holds your entire marketing plan together. It’s what keeps you and your team from wandering aimlessly and 34 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ AUGUST 2015 ]

wasting time on things that are less important. One great way to understand your goals is to empower your internal stakeholders. Interview the people who work for you, who sit on your board, or who have patronized your business for a long time. They are likely to have insights that you never thought of. 3. Get the lay of the land. Market research is just a fancy way of saying, “What’s the outside world think of this?” Investigating what exists in your industry and what people want, need, and care about is the best way to see if your goals are on the right track. If your goal is for everyone to have a beeper in their pocket and it’s 2015, you might need to adjust your focus unless you’re in the 1990s party rental business. 4. Plan your route. You know where you’ve been, you know where you want to go, and you have a good idea about the terrain ahead. Now what? Now, it’s time to plan. Using your newly minted goals, this is the point in which you start coming up with action steps based on your research. 5. Determine how you’ll measure the journey. There’s no use counting miles if kilometers are the standard measurement. Find out exactly how you’ll measure the success of your plan by looking into what the most important metrics are for your goal. If you want to increase awareness of your brand, look at impressions on social media and visitors on your website instead of sales numbers. If you’re looking to increase sales, look at conversions from advertising. Once you know what you’re measuring, it’s easier to set up systems to track this data from the get-go thereby saving you a lot of backtracking in the future. As T.S. Eliot said, “The journey not the arrival matters.” Take the time in advance to do research before you start your marketing journey and your rewards will be far greater than if you stumbled forward happenstance. SBT Aimee Woodall is the owner of the Black Sheep Agency, a Houston-based strategic brand shop specializing in cause-driven marketing, public relations, social media, and community outreach. You can contact Amy by phone at 832-971-7725, by email at aimee@theblacksheepagency. com, or visit the website at www.theblacksheepagency.com.

EDITORIAL FEATURE

How to Overcome Being Nervous on Video By Pam Terry

henever I give a workshop on public speaking, I always enjoy asking, “How many people here like to see themselves on video?” Nearly 100 percent of the time, absolutely no one raises their hand! In spite of not enjoying watching yourself on video, one of the best ways to practice a presentation is to watch a video of you doing one. Even if it is for only a couple of minutes, you need to watch what you’re doing and hear what you sound like. Why? So that you can decide what you want to keep doing and what you want to stop doing. It’s a great way to really “see” what to improve. Plus, you may find that you actually like what you see. The curious thing is that the more you see yourself on video, the more you’re likely to think, “Hey, I’m not so bad after all. In fact, I’m pretty good!” Alas, we get nervous presenting in public and on video it’s even worse! Why are you even more nervous when being videotaped? Because the presentation is never over; it can be replayed again and again and again. But, ask yourself, “Who are you comparing yourself to?” It’s a total waste of time to compare yourself to anyone else because it can cause lots of unhappiness. Only compare yourself to yourself. The key to overcoming nervousness on video is to build your confidence because fear/ anxiety/nervousness cannot exist when you are truly confident.

Here’s how:

1. PREPARE 75% of anxiety/nervousness can be eliminated by just preparing. Make a list or outline of the 3, 5, or 7 things that you are going to share that include your introduction and close.

2. KNOW YOUR MATERIAL You are the expert. The more you share your knowledge, the more confident you become. In other words, become extremely familiar with your content so that you can confidently share it. You can have an outline to keep you focused but you want to spend your time either looking at the camera or looking straight ahead as if you were speaking to an audience. If you do have an outline, have it up next to the camera so that you can keep your head up or use a teleprompter. (There are free teleprompters online.) 3. TAKE THE FOCUS OFF OF YOU Presenting is not about the presenter. It’s about the audience. Thoughts about not being good enough (whatever your version is) cause anxiety and nervousness; the reasons don’t matter because it could be any reason. It’s what you’re thinking that matters. Change your thoughts because whatever you focus on becomes your life. If you focus on how bad you are, that’s what you will get to feel like. Instead, remember N-C-F: • • •

Notice your anxiety or nervousness. Consciously shift your thoughts/focus off of you. Focus on the valuable content that you are going to provide and get busy preparing and practicing.

Every time you feel nervous, remember to repeat the steps of N-C-F. You are developing a new way of being and it can take some practice. By repeating N-C-F whenever you are nervous, you will develop a new habit and over time, the ability to shift your focus off of you will become automatic. Try it!

4. BREATHE & PAUSE What do you do if you freeze up during your presentation? Do you start having those anxiety thoughts again? Pause and take a breath to give yourself a chance to regain your composure and pull your thoughts back together. The power of the pause is very effective. Your audience doesn’t know what’s really going on. Pausing is a good attention getter. It actually is a tool for engaging your audience and can be used for emphasis. 5. LOOK & FEEL YOUR BEST Looking and feeling your best means just that. It doesn’t mean that you should compare yourself to anyone else except you. Wear a color that pops on camera or at least looks good on you. Do all that you can do to look good and feel good and then let loose. Don’t waste your time trying to be perfect. No one is perfect and anyone who appears perfect is difficult to relate to. So be comforted knowing that no one can be you better than you. 6. GET STARTED & GET GOING Join a video challenge or start one with your own community. By doing video on a regular basis, you will gain experience, knowledge, and confidence. You’ll learn things that work and don’t work. Experience can be a great confidence builder. Take any opportunity you can to be on video by participating in Google Hangouts, Zoom. us video conferencing, posting videos on your blog, and videotaping every speaking engagement you do. Invest in a good web camera or standalone video camera and tripod. SBT

In addition to public speaking, Pam Terry is a coach, trainer, and marketing strategist. You can reach Pam by phone at 832-2764153 or by email at pam@pamterry.com. For more information, please visit her website at www.pamterry.com. [ AUGUST 2015 ] WWW.SBTMAGAZINE.NET 35

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Networking Using Memory By Gail Stolzenburg

n Dale Carnegie’s famous book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People“, he wrote, “Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language”. Do you see how remembering a person’s name would be so very important in networking? What if you also remembered their industry, company name, position, duration of position, and previous position? Would it add even more value if you remembered information about their family, hobbies, and vision? You can be assured that remembering information like this will build your credibility and strengthen your relationships. Would you agree that business is all about building relationships? Previous articles in Small Business Today Magazine have addressed questions that could be beneficial in building relationships. How would you like to be able to remember the answers you were given for the next time you encounter that person? In his book, “Super Memory”, Douglas Hermann, Ph.D. points out that practice alone can improve global memory and substantially boost recall in certain areas of your life. He stated, “When you practice specific memory tasks, you can produce spectacular results.” Of course, that does require dedication and a time commitment. Do you have poor memory or maybe it is just untrained. Most people have about the same amount of memory. The difference is the ability to recall information. The mind recalls information more easily when the images are symbols, col-

orful, pleasant, three dimensional, multisensory, humorous, or ridiculous. For instance, to remember a name such as Gail Stolzenburg, you might think of a big block of ice with a bottle of the Russian vodka Stolichnaya, nicknamed Stoli, on top. So “Stoli” on an ice “berg” becomes Stoliburg (Stolzenburg) and there is a gust of wind blowing the vodka bottle, so strong you might even call it a gale (Gail). Include eyes that are blue like the iceberg, grey hair like frost on the iceberg, and a smile after drinking the Stoli to help with facial recognition. For many years, before he gave a presentation, Bob Burg, author of “Endless Referrals” and “The Go-Giver”, would meet each member of the audience, sometimes over 200 people, and when he began to talk he would point to the person and call out their name. Is that impressive? How do you think those people felt? Ron White, a memory expert, spent two minutes underwater with a deck of cards and when he came out of the water, he recited each of the cards in sequence. It may be difficult for you to recall facts and figures but it is much easier when they are attached to a story. One of the top memory trainers, Harold Schultz, teaches how to use parts of an automobile or room fixtures to remember the story. A great technique for sharing information without referring to notes is the pegboard system. Never use this when you first meet people because too much information turns people off. This is used

36 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ AUGUST 2015 ]

in subsequent meetings when someone has asked for more information. In the pegboard system, a number is associated with a picture by linking, merging, rotating them around each other, or making them collide. For example: The number one looks like a spindle, two is a swan swimming in a lake, three is a 3-tined fork, and four is a flag on a golf course. You can use this system by attaching each paragraph title to a number. The information could be shared in sequence if it works best, or any sequence because you remember it all. Do you believe your memory gets worse as you age? Just like your muscles, if you don’t use it you are going to lose it! After formal education stops, people tend to neglect intensive use of memory. Memory is just linking information. So the more facts you process, the better your long term memory will be. Leadership is a lifelong learning process and age is not a deterrent to improving one’s memory or achieving success in life. Start practicing now about the techniques just mentioned. When you attend the next networking event, see if you can commit to memory and easily recall the people you meet and remember how you can be helpful to them in business or life. By doing so, you will be more effective in building relationships and have more fun in the process. SBT

Gail “The Connector” Stolzenburg’s new book, “CONNECTIONS: Contacts to Clients”, was just released. For more information, Gail can be contacted by phone at 281-493-1955, by email at Gail@GailStolzenburg.com, or visit his website at www.GailStolzenburg.com.

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Financial Astrology

for August 2015 By Christi Ruiz, Business, Spiritual, and Intuitive Life Coach

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Saturn will be in your joint resources on the 3rd, 5th, and 21st but money will be difficult to come by from other sources than your own. Next month, things will change and the opportunities will be more accessible. Any partners or lovers will not supply you with any finances during this time. Prepare for this challenge. TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) This is your time to assist family in financial situations. The Lunar Grand Trine on the 24th brings you many opportunities of loans and investments. Uranus will be in your zones of inner most dreams and Venus can make it happen. Jupiter leaves you on the 11th taking with it a lot of stress. GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) You’ve had a battle with money issues especially debt or long-term investments. Now is the time to allow your family to assist you. Mercury is in your family zone and Pluto will be in your financial zone on the 15th. New solutions will be best to come by through brainstorming with your family. Make a long-term economic action plan. CANCER (June 22 - July 22) Jupiter leaves your earning zone on the 11th after a year of amazing opportunities for rapid economic growth. Jupiter on the 6th and 7th will have you considering what to do with your financial gains. Venus is in retrograde (in reverse) taking away favor from others and Mars will be in your money zone so do not squander your gains. Wait until October to purchase luxury items. New opportunities for an

increase in finances will come at that time again.

A potential raise and a better reputation at the office will be accessible.

LEO (July 23 - August 22) Jupiter enters your earnings zone on the 11th and over the course of the next year you can make big money. Neptune will put you to the test to see if you have learned from past errors with money. Be cautious of unscrupulous financial planners and business partners. Create a new image of yourself for success.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Jupiter enters your career success zone on the 11th and comes only once every 12 years. It will be making positive influences in your business and career for the rest of this year. Now is the time to make a plan. On the 15th, Mercury and Pluto come together in your earnings zone. Take advantage of new opportunities in business and money.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 23) Mercury will allow you to seek funding for your projects this month. The Sun and New Moon will give more energy to Venus to assist you in closing sales or deals. Uranus will be in your finance zone on the 2nd, 13th, 14th, and 19th that will bring you new opportunities. Prepare your business plan and get out here and hustle so that when Mercury enters your earnings zone on the 27th you can cash in. LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) You are under the influences of high spending Jupiter and luxury-loving Venus. Mercury and the Sun come in time to make the most of socializing. Saturn will enter your earnings zone on the 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 21st so these will be difficult financial dates. Keep firm boundaries on a set budget. SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) The Lunar Grand Trine on the 24th will be in your earnings zone to bring you many opportunities. Uranus and Venus will be in your career zone of achievement. Your boss will find he needs you.

38 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ AUGUST 2015 ]

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Money making Jupiter, luxurious Venus, savvy Mercury, and the powerful Sun come together in your financial zone. Watch out for signs of envy from friends and acquaintances around you or if they appear to be looking down at you. Saturn enters your friendship zone on the 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 21st. This will allow you to find new friends and associates who have earned their way like you have. AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Jupiter on the 11th will move into your zone of sharing with others through feelings, physicality, or money. You may feel confused at this time but the lesson to learn is how to invest your earnings and not allow romantic or business partners to take you off your focus. Neptune comes on the 12th and 31st. When sharing don’t expect anything back. Also, don’t make lasting decisions.

»Continued On Page 40

»Continued From Page 28 Fueling Your Desire to Win Professional and Olympic athletes aren’t the only ones who use these techniques. If you’re married, you’ve probably done many of these things. When you first fell in love, you constantly thought about your love; you had pictures of him or her around you all the time. You wanted to know everything about them. You wrote letters to them. You constantly talked about them to your friends. In fact, they were probably sick of hearing you talk about him or her! You were obsessed! And what happened? You probably ended up getting married. A child that wants a puppy does the same thing. They talk about puppies. They read about puppies. They think about puppies. They collect pictures of puppies. And eventually, the parents break down and buy the puppy. Do the same with your dream. Get obsessed! Become a fanatic! Obsessed fanatics make dreams come true. If I could do it, you can do it!

Ruben Gonzalez is an award-winning keynote speaker and the author of the critically acclaimed book, “The Courage to Succeed.” His experiences as a four-time Olympian and as the owner of two businesses give him a unique perspective on how to conquer the corporate struggles of today. For his free 10-Part Success eCourse, visit www.StartWinningMore.com or contact him at 832-689-8282.

»Continued From Page 40

Financial Astrology for August 2015

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) This is your time to keep focused on the “why” for your hard work. If you keep quiet and work hard, you will have new monetary gains. Mercury will bring problem solving solutions. The Sun and New Moon will be filled with new possibilities. Uranus will be in your earnings zone on the 2nd, 13th, 14th, and 19th of the month and will bring new opportunities of making money.

»Continued From Page 32 Business Valuation.... What is the Market Value of Your Business? 5. Check the appraiser’s references including recommendations by insurance companies, banks, and financial institutions. 6. Conduct a personal interview to determine how the appraiser’s experience and knowledge relates to your particular assignment.

What should be in the appraisal report?

1. The report should clearly state the kind of value being determined. The report should also describe the business being valued and the procedures used to estimate the value such as the analysis of comparable sales, the cost of reproduction, the relation of the appraised value to a specific point in time, or estimation and analysis of income from the property. 2. The appraisal report should also stipulate that the appraiser has no interest in the business being appraised or, if the appraiser does have such an interest, that the appraiser disclosed this interest to the prospective client prior to beginning work. The report should be signed by the individual who is responsible for its validity and objectivity who made the appraisal. It must also contain that person’s qualifications data.

Jeff Jones is the President of Certified Appraisers, Inc. and Advanced Business Brokers, Inc. located at 10500 Northwest Freeway, Suite 200, Houston, TX 77092. He can be contacted by phone at 713-680-3290 or by email at jdj@certifiedappraisers.com.

Christi Ruiz is a business, spiritual, and intuitive life coach. She uses her skills to assist with one’s successes in real estate, business, and personal matters. In addition, Christi’s many years of experience working for banks and mortgage companies gives her an extra edge in understanding the world of finance. Contact Christi by phone at 713-773-0333-O or at 281-904-2658-C. Her website is www.christisportals.com and her email addresses are christiruiz722@gmail.com and christiruizchristi@yahoo.com.

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